Lapland Canterbury Travel Trip - any tips?

[earlgreymarl]

Taking DS 6 on the 4 night Lapland trip and after any tips! I know we get the basic list of what to wear but not been skiing or anywhere snowy / that cold before so tips on what and where to buy & anything else would be great!

We are staying in the hotel not the cabins so FX that's fine... Hoping that's comfy enough & we can dry stuff. Just me and my boy going, so once he's tired out from the day, I will be hunkered down in the room!

I have no tips for lapland, but when we lived somewhere cold for a bit, and the kids had to wear snow-wear to school, we got some lovely stuff at reasonable price from Decathlon.

Brilliant thanks Fan

We went two years with Canterbury Travels when our dds were 6 and 4. My tips would be to get decent thermals and thermal socks (several pairs of socks, layer them with normal socks underneath). Also they don't supply gloves so remember to bring these, and make sure they are waterproof (I think we layers normal gloves with waterproof mittens).

There is an awful lot of taking snow suits on and off. It can't be avoided so leave extra time for it. There are cloakrooms everywhere though.

When we got there they just handed out snow suits based on looking at you. Don't panic if they don't fit, you could change them the next morning if they didn't.

Also, be ready to have the Elf Song stuck in your head for months afterwards!

We got our thermal stuff from Mountain Warehouse in a sale, it was quite reasonable.

Thanks @stompy that's really helpful. Will be able to count down soon, although haven't decided how to tell DS. He will be so surprised!

Layers!
It's very cold but it's a dry cold not the damp cold in the uk.
Your nostrils can freeze so I advise snoods as opposed to scarfs
It's boiling inside so difficult to switch between the two. We wore thermal underwear and a light base layer which also could be worn inside. (Fleece type top and leggings) so was easy to just take off the snow suits indoors.
Don't wear jeans and try to avoid cotton as doesn't take away any sweat. Polyester or wool is better.
Take your own gloves - ski gloves are great and we took those "hotties" that warm up instantly to put in gloves and shoes. Very useful when we were up a big hill at 10pm in minus 25 temperatures watching the northern lights!
Take your own socks as well - ski socks are great and are quite cheap at sports direct.
Be very careful what you wear to travel in. We didn't use their clothes as we all had ski wear but you have to walk along snowy and icy roads to get to the place where you collect your clothes. It's straight off a coach so not far but far enough! Also the airport in some places is very remote and you get straight off the plane onto the runway.
We all had snow boots (cheap in Aldi or sports direct) but some people had hiking boots or wellies with grips. The ones that hadn't thought about it and had poor footwear on were slipping everywhere and even falling over.

Also pack a small rucksack to carry hand warmers, spare socks in etc. You want something to keep your hands free. Kids travel around on mini toboggans pulled by parents most of the time - it's great fun!
Also take a disposable camera or two for back up. The freezing temperatures drain batteries on phones and rechargeable camera batteries in minutes. We kept our phones and camera in thermal socks with hottie sachets but they still drained very quickly when taken out to use.

Also take your own snacks. Cereal bars, hot choc sachets, crisps etc. Food is quite expensive and it's nice to have some snacks to hand with kids

Also nightwear - don't wear fleece or anything too warm. The hotels are very hot!

Mittens keep hands warmer than gloves, get ski ones. A warm base layer and then a fleece as a mid layer. Ski socks are a must, I would get the best you can afford. Having cold feet makes children miserable!

Here you go
m.youtube.com/watch?v=J2M-36yStGM
We went last year with DS (6). It was fantastic.
Take lots of snacks, especially if your DC are picky as the food wasn’t great.

@littlemouse 3wild and Chris brilliant tips thanks, so glad I asked