Our kids love touring holidays, but to keep them happy, you have to do some preparation.
If you're going away for several days, it can pay to start by doing your research on the internet and come up with a shortlist of places to visit, how much they cost, when they're open and so on. Try to include a couple of indoor options, such as a swimming pool or soft play area, just in case the weather puts a dampener on things.
The bits and pieces you'll need to take to keep the kids entertained will depend on their ages and interests. I always stash away a bag of small, lightweight toys in the van the night before we go, plus a few books. We keep a box of crayons and some colouring books in there permanently, and all the kids' gear is stowed at 'their' end of the caravan, which makes everything easy to find. We put their bikes and helmets in the car, plus a football to encourage lots of running around.
If your children aren't yet at school and you're able to get away on a Friday afternoon, keep them busy so they're not bored before you get in the car.
Millie and Matthew aren't the greatest of car travellers, but things have got much easier since we bought DVD players for them to watch. Whingeing and tears have given way to happy - if glassy-eyed - contentment; the only disagreement is about whether to watch Fireman Sam or Shaun the Sheep. Again, it's about personalising your journey to suit your children: babies might like
a dangly toy on the car seat; older children may enjoy colouring, reading or a game of I-Spy; computer games could help pass the time for older kids and teenagers. Anything, in fact, that doesn't induce travel sickness.
Parents of young children are generally easy to spot: we usually carry huge bags filled with day-to-day necessities: nappies, wipes, fold-up potty, spare clothes, sun cream, favourite toy, tissues and
a large supply of snacks. Make sure this bag goes in the car with you, and then you're all geared up to deal with everything from full nappies to empty tummies. You'll probably find yourself sounding like a robot as every 15 minutes or so you turn to the back seat and ask, "Do you need a wee?"
Pitching at the site can be fraught, especially if your kids are fed up with being in the car and
a bit tired, too. Reversing onto the pitch is often a two-person job (one to drive, one to shout at the driver that he's going wrong). But it's sometimes difficult for the grown-ups to communicate with tears and wails coming from the back seat. Safety comes first, however, and unless you can trust your kids to do as they're told and stay beside you while you get the van ensconced, it's best to leave them strapped in the car. Older children have a lot more freedom at this point, and can head off to check out the play area. Once the van's in place, the fun starts for the little ones, too: they love to help, so commandeer them to be assistant water-fetchers, deputy corner-winders and so on.
If you're arriving on site late in the afternoon or early evening, it's a good idea to plan that first meal ahead rather than leaving it to chance. I usually take something with us or track down a child-friendly restaurant in advance, so we can be confident of getting the kids fed before they get too tired and grumpy to care. Unless your kids are older, or particularly
tidy eaters (ours aren't), make
the awning your dining room.
This way, dropped, thrown or spilled food can be dealt with easily and no new patterns are added to the upholstery.
Children's bedtime often has to be approached with the kind of tact only needed in high-level international diplomacy. Kids have to be tired, but not over-tired. You still need them to have energy left to get their teeth cleaned - but not so much that they start popping the caravan blinds up and getting giddy. It's a tricky business, and I've found that lots of fresh air and
a later bedtime help to smooth the way to happy snoozing. We also let our kids choose their own sleeping bags (Scooby Doo for Millie and Thomas the Tank Engine for Matthew). It's paid off, because they love getting into them.
Other special bits and pieces can make your trips more fun for the kids, too. If they have a favourite food or meal that they don't have often, make it a holiday treat. We usually take a pack of ready-to-bake croissants and, as we never have them at home, they always get eaten to the last crumb.
Also plan to take a practical kit the kids enjoy using: most caravan accessory shops sell fold-up children's chairs, often in the shape of an animal. Let your children choose a chair each, and get a small folding or roll-up table to go with them. They can take their gear outside for colouring, reading, eating or whatever else they want. Let it be theirs to use as they wish, and don't worry about it getting drawn or spilt on.
With a bit of planning, the whole thing's very easy. I suspect the real difficulties for us will be in years to come, when the kids don't want to go away in the dreaded caravan with their boring parents anymore. Until then, we're looking forward to tucking them into Scooby and Thomas for many happy holidays.
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