driving to Portugal from UK with kids in tow... anyone ever done it?

[sammyjayneex]

It's all in the title really. Just wondering if anyone has ever done it. DH has been invited to a family wedding In Portugal (Lisbon) and wants us all to go. He doesn't want to fly because of all the fiasco that comes with flying for example... Luggage allowance and all the extra costs, the flight tickets cost so much for 4 children and 2 adults and trying to keep children quiet and occupied on a plane ect and also because it's just after Christmas and the wedding was announced last minute it's going to be difficult to get flights at short notice. Also he said it's an experience because kids will get to see parts of France and we will spend the day in Spain on the way back and sleep over there. He also wants to do something special as it's our daughters 5th birthday on the 29th December.

Now I'm worried about it all. He's said he's thought it through and has every bit of the trip planned. I don't want to say no because I never went on any trips and never went abroad when I was a kid and I want my kids to experience things. He said we will be getting the ferry at Dover and we will sleep over in small hotels on the way and one of them will be in France. On the way back we will stay in a hotel in Spain too. Accommodation in Portugal is being sorted out by his family.

It's a long journey but I'm prepared to do it for my kids and we will make lots of preparations and make regular stops. He doesn't mind driving and has drove to London and back on the same day ( picking his family up at airport). Has anyone ever done it and how was it?

We have had a lot of problems recently and I'm actually surprised he's suggested us all to go.

Is it a stupid thing to do?

I told my mum and she said its sounds exciting and will be fun for the kids if planned properly and their dad has said she's welcome to come along ( if she can contribute to her hotel costs ect). if she can get time off work and it's extra help for us with kids. ( he has a 7 seater car)
She likes the idea of coming too.

It's actually cheaper adding it all up than going by flight and with us sharing the cost too.

So has anyone got any tips or ideas I would be grateful.

Evening arrivals in small villages? ???

52 hours driving?
Sounds awful. I would have hated that as a child.
And 7 people in a 7 seater plus luggage is a lot.
Delays are always a possibility with flights but suppose Operation Stack gets implemented? Getting to Dover becomes a nightmare.

I would send DH on his own to the wedding , or the two of you go for 2 days on the plane if your Mum would have the kids, and save a bug driving adventure for the summer . Last minute weddings over Christmas, with guests from overseas ? Not the most user-friendly!

Sounds like hell to me. Surely, if you are driving you will need more clothes because you will be away for longer.
Driving in bad weather with much shorter daylight hours, trying to find somewhere to stay in the dark, the children bickering in the back of the car. Nope, not for me.

Luggage allowances aren't as bad as you think, and if you use lightweight cases it makes a huge difference. Jet2's luggage allowance is 22 kilos per person and we never pack that much even when trying hard.

Also, taking a car across in a ferry, plus fuel, cost of overnight stays, food and motorway tolls aren't going to save you much money if at all.

How much do you think it would cost for 6 people to stay overnight somewhere? A lot of the smaller, cheaper places will probably be closed at that time of year or they will be charging premium prices.

I think what I am really saying is that no way on earth would I do this for fun.
Would you normally strap your kids to the sofa to watch DVDs for 5 hours a day throughout the Xmas hols? Because that sounds like the reality of this trip. Possibly without the DVDs because you may not a have portable player, and they wouldn't all be able to see it at the same time.

It really is not fun driving for miles and miles , days and days, on motorways . Even in a new country.

Yeh, if you having problems then 2 to 3 days on the road each way with four kids will not improve your relationship !! Especially not in deep winter. You would be crazy.

It's a shame everyone feels it's not a good idea.
I did like the idea and now judging by these comments I'm having second thoughts. Guess that's what I asked for really. Opinions.

We can't do this trip in summer due to many reasons Next year in summer, it won't be viable for us.
Also in regards to flying, because it's a last minute trip he's had to do over time to cover costs so by the time he's done the overtime in the next few weeks there might not be any seats available on flights. He doesn't have over £700 right now for flights but if we drive by time the day comes he'd have the money to cover the fuel and other expenses after doing the overtime.

The original plan was me and DH go alone and fly there, but that would mean missing my daughters birthday as they are getting married on my daughters birthday. Also there is no guarantee my mum can get time off work (she was planning to come along with us depending on her work situation but not a guarantee). She said she would have babysat for us but she's not sure about work yet and whether they have put her in the rota for those days as no one is allowed to book time off in December at her work place. So it's a bit of a gamble whether she on or off those days.

Yes he could go on his own. But I suppose he didn't want to miss his daughters 5th birthday either and wanted to take his family (his words)
I've asked him whether it's best me and the kids just stay at home and I asked him whether he thinks it's appropriate we come along and he says yes it is and he wants to take his family so it's not because he thinks HE HAS to take us it's more that he wants to.

It's a difficult one and I have a decision to make but it's not one that I have jumped into, I have thought about it and realise how difficult it would be and it wouldn't be easy but a part of me thinks that i never did nothin as a child , never went and explored other countries. I don't have any exciting memories or pictures of being on holiday so saying no to my kids not going makes feel guilty because they have a chance to do something I never got to and it's like me taking that away from them. They also get to see DH family they wouldn't normally get to see.

I'm in two minds.......

Have you actually looked into the cost of the crossing, fuel and hotel rooms?

I have just looked at Brittany Ferries for all routes to Spain. All routes out between Christmas and new year are full and the cost to bring a car back with 2 adults and 4 children is over £400.

Portsmouth to St Malo is £394 and the return trip is £285. Add on fuel, motorway tolls and hotel rooms. This is going to be a very expensive trip.

Also someone mentioned about why we are going to Calais and not another route, the reason being is it's cheaper and there is only limited dates for the other routes for other ferries. So it's not possible to go on any other route than the one we planned.

You taking away sitting for hours in the car on motorways. probably in the rain. You won't all fit in one hotel room. It will cost a lot in meals and you might not be able to sitout eating picnics. Summer yes grwat adventure. Winter no. Not to be there just three days.

Lisbon is fantastic and you should go. Yes. Great experience. If u fly. Maybe wait til last minute and check flight costs then?

Or wait and book cheap flights in mid Jan to go visit his family for a weekend.

What's the longest car journey you done with kids so far ?

I wouldn't drive there if only 9 day trip. You will spend 3.5 days each way driving so only there 2 days.
The cost of ferry, 6 nights in hotels (2 room), tolls and petrol will well exceed the cost of flights.

Fly. You don't need all that luggage. You can't take much luggage in a car anyway if you had all the seats in use surely.
Just take hand luggage each. Kids get rucksacks each, you and Dh take hand luggage size suitcases.

We drive long distance a lot, so the distance isn't the issue. It's the fact your going to spend more time travelling than at destination and it will be more expensive

Longest trip with the kids so far was 10 hours

It's £1470 for x6 flights to Lisbon leaving 26th December and back 4th January ( same leaving or returning day later or earlier)

Petrol Calais to Lisbon -£350 return
Ferry -£180 return
Hotel - £200 a night min (£100 per room) -£1200 ( 3 nights each way)
Restaurants -£80 a day if stopping once for basic hot food/ drink for 6 plus supermarket groceries (£500)
Tolls - £100 each way (£200)

Plus you need to make sure you have the regulation safely stuff for French driving ( fog light covers, safety triangle etc for emergencies ) plus foreign car insurance

Flying to Madrid is cheaper than flying to Lisbon...

I flew a few years ago and drove to Madrid -could you do this and hire a car in Madrid, then you still get the freedom of the car when you are out there too?

Are your kids used to travelling?

What ages are they?

The ferry he's looking at is £94 return. It depends which route you take.

He's got the fog light covers , he's got the triangles and he breathalyser that they require you to have. Hes checked with insurance and it covers him abroad for at least 30 days. So all That's covered. I have no idea where you got be figure £500 in groceries from for 9 days??? I don't even spend that a month at home!

We wouldn't be eating at restaurants at £80 a go though. To me that's excessive. He has family there who have a house so we will cook our own food. DH said in Portugal food is cheaper than it is here. He has been before in the past. It's no way gonna cost that much for food

Also hotels will not cost £200 a night
You can get some very cheap hotels that are £42 a Night which we have checked. We won't spend a lot of accommodation on our journey to and from there. Like I said my mum would help with her own costs and it's not definite she can make it so it would t cost £200 a night for us.

Flying to Madrid could work. Or Faro (not sure if cheaper, though...). From Faro it's only a 3 hour drive to Lisbon and the weather should be ok.

And in answer to the question as why we can't travel to Madrid instead, it's because his family live in Lisbon and we going to their wedding in Lisbon

People are suggesting you fly to Madrid because it's much cheaper and then hire a car to get to Lisbon, because that would be a much shorter drive.

Not that you just go to Madrid.

It's worth considering.

Sorry ipittythepontipines
I got the wrong end of the stick there lol

I have driven from UK to Portugal and back more than once, but without kids, but I have also driven alone from Germany to Portugal with 2 small kids, one way was in July, we camped which made it cheaper and easier, but when we came back it was January, there was snow in some areas, it was wet and cold in most others. it wasn't much fun in the winter. it took me 6 days, each way, but TBF the kids were 2 and 4 and i had a dog too, so we had to make regular stops but even so, 6 hours a day driving is about as much as kids can tolerate sitting in a car, not including pitstops along the way. on the way to Germany i booked B and B's along the way and also used the cheap motels near highways, but you are underestimating the cost of them per night, esp as pointed out, you will need more than one room with minimum 6 people. Road tolls are expensive and if you don't use them, France is very slow going, Spain is better, there are some very good free roads, Portugal has tolls too and you will have to drive over the mountains to get to lisbon, in january, could be tricky weather. I did the drive once from Faro to Calais in 2 days with an overnight stop, but that was pushing it and no kids in the car.

I would seriously look at flights, maybe to Faro or Madrid if Lisbon are too expensive and rent a car, that has to be cheaper. Services stations on the highways are really expensive for food and drinks also and Portugal is not that cheap for food (lived there for several years)

How old are your kids?

And if you flew, what airports could you use form UK? which are nearest?