Are We There Yet?! – Tips for Keeping the Children Entertained on a Long Journey

The most dreaded phrase for any parent trying to go on holiday: ‘Are we there yet?!’ 

Keeping the kids entertained on the journey to your holiday can be a nightmare. Hyperactivity, travel sickness and tantrums are just a couple of the possible obstacles a journey may entail for you and your kids. This blog is going to address a few ways of turning your little devils into little angels. Well, at least until you arrive at your holiday destination…

First things first, make sure YOU are organized! The more prepared you are, the less of a rush you’ll be in, the less stressed you will be, and the better prepared you’ll be for whatever the little monsters have to throw at you. Remember, your kids feed off how you are acting, so if you’re in a bad mood, they will probably use it to their advantage and be a pain. Make sure you’ve found your passports, reference numbers etc. and left plenty of time to look for your sunglasses (until you realise they were on your head all along). This is particularly important if you’re flying or travelling by ferry as you don’t want to miss the boat/plane.

Preparation is key. Remember that everything you have to entertain your kids will need to be accessible ie. in your carry-on bag. Again, you need to pack this bag as far in advance as possible.

What can you take?

In these modern times, there are so many things you can take to entertain your kids on your journey. One of the best ways of keeping them quiet are things like travel board games. If possible, get yourself a special magnetic multi-game set. These can be expensive, but with lots of different possible board games to play on them, the kids could well be diverted for hours.

Depending on your children’s ages, you can bring books, or colouring books. These can be a great way of getting your kids to be quiet and easy to manage. They can be a little bulky however, especially if you need to bring colouring pencils/crayons too.

Another cheap and simple diversion is just some pen and paper. There are hundreds of games you can play with a blank canvas. Hangman, the ‘box game’ or spelling games are easy to play and can provide something fun for the kids to do for a while.

Take some food as most kids are eating machines. Try not to take sweets and sugary snacks though as this could cause the dreaded sugar rush and ensuing hyperactivity. Things like apples or raisins are great as they are healthy and take time to eat.

However, probably the best thing to keep the kids quiet and contented are electronic. Handheld consoles, portable DVD players, and educational computers are brilliant to keep them entertained. Handhelds however are a double-edged sword, as they are expensive, could give your kids a headache or cause them to throw a tantrum if they’re not allowed to play.

Once you’re at the airport on the ferry etc., try to get the children to tire themselves out, so that they will just fall asleep once on the plane or in the car. Get them to push the luggage trolley, let them carry their own hand luggage or let them run the wrong way on the elevator.

However boring an airport, ferry or motorway may seem to you, remember that for your kids, they’re amazing as they are a new experience. Let them look out at the planes on the runway or out to the surrounding sea. Better still get them to play I spy, so they really have a look at their surroundings.

I hope this has helped and you don’t have too many problems. If you have your own tips and thoughts, don’t be afraid to leave any comments below!