Travel in the night or day? Caravan holiday

[RedRobyn24]

We’re travelling on bank holiday Monday for a Haven break in Wales and we have a 5yo and a 20mo, we have to get through Manchester too (iykyk) the car journey is meant to be 3.5 hours but with road works and traffic we are looking at 4.5/5 hours.

Our original plan was to leave in the morning maybe 8/9am and stop half way for a decent break for a couple of hours to break up the journey… but we are rethinking and considering getting up at 3am bundling the kids in the car and trying to get through the journey by 7ish

We can go on site from 11 but check in could be any time from 12 to 5 so we could be waiting around all day.

What would you do and what have you done with similar holidays?

I guess I just want to avoid the youngest having a meltdown in the car, travelling in a car with children can be so draining.

Ever since we had a travel sick little one we got into the habit of leaving at 5am for long drive uk holidays. Worked a treat because they’d quickly fall back asleep and there was no sickness and we would stop for breakfast or lunch nearby wherever our destination was. Mostly we couldn’t check in until the afternoon but it was fine, we’d get some proper clothes on the kids in the back of the car, go for an explore of the town or a walk along the beach.
Tbf we still do a 5am leave even now and the dc are grown up!

With all these crazy tik tok trends I would not travel in middle of night. Early up and out is grand. Safe for everyone

And yes I travelled with young kids and one who got car sick.

We regularly set off very early. We have English heritage membership, most manned sites open at 10am so we stop and eat pack up breakfast in the grounds. Grab the audio tour (which mine enjoyed from around age 4). Do the kids trail (if there is one). Then travel on. If it’s a long journey or there are more than one EH sites we want to see we may stop more than once.

When ours were little we used to leave at the crack of dawn (5:30 - 6:00).They would take pillows and snuggle in for a couple more hours sleep. We would then stop for breakfast (usually a Little Chef if anyone remembers them 🙂) (this was the first day of holiday big treat!).
We always arrived early so explored the site, took the children to the playground etc ..

I’d go for the early start every time. Much better than wasting your life sat in traffic.

Note: setting of at 8/9am you’ll be hitting the worst of it, and particularly at risk of getting severe delays resulting from any rush hour accidents

ps I regularly do the journey from Manc direction to Wales so I feel your pain!

Yes, leave a bit early but maybe 5/6am rather than 3am?

I love an early morning drive when the traffic is less busy.

I’d be leaving at 6am

£65 for a premier in. At Wrexham north

id be travelling on the Sunday early, find something to do after Manchester - entertaining the children and stay the night, then travel on at 11am to get to your haven site

ir

id leave at 4:30 on the dot and get the other side of the traffic works and Manchester- but again find something to do from 9/10am nearer where you’re going, a day trip like place. Enjoy the day and then go onto your accommodation at around 3pm

Yikes leaving that early would be awful and destroy the first day. Agree with everyone else to leave after breakfast and break it up. It isn't a ridiculous length of time to be in the car. Aim to stop, eat, play (national trust, playparks etc) then be back in the car for nap time. Hopefully they'll sleep a bit.

I used to entertain my little one by singing and listening to kids music at that age. It's tough but 2, 2.5 hour journeys is certainly doable

I would never drive through the night to go on holiday. A sleep deprived adult isn't safe on the road.

6am is a good compromise. Two hours, then stop for a break IF the DC are awake.
As for how to keep them entertained, we always did audio books eg Mr Men. Short stories, upbeat delivery. Or kids songs, old stuff like Donald Whers Your Trousers etc. Probably showing my age lol.

Lidded tubs or bowls for the travel sick, old towels to cover their laps.

Eye Spy, yellow car etc - games that involve looking outside the car.

Ration the snacks, then it becomes a real treat to choose a sweet or something.

If only get up at 3am for a flight and even then I hate it. When we did early flights w young kids it wasn’t fun as everyone was grouchy.

id leave about 6 - I should imagine your DC wake early anyway - then you’ve got a couple of hours of a clear run until 8am when traffic gets going. Def stop again somewhere nice on the way and hopefully you’ll get to your destination not exhausted as per a 3am start.

Everyone suggesting not to go during the night have clearly never experienced the A55 during the summer. It can’t cope. I’d go during the night, much less miserable than those long tailbacks

3am is too early but if the dc usually wake early at say 5,6 then I would go as soon as they’re up

I live 5 miles from the A55 and still wouldn't get a toddler out of bed at 3am for a relatively short journey! Most of the traffic will be going the other way on BH Monday anyway

Depends on your check in time.
Either leave so you go past the worst bits before rush hour or leave after.

Entertainer wise, we did a 4 hour journey to Cornwall. I got her one of those lap tray things that turns in to a drawing table, play table etc. then every hour ISH gave her something new ( most things were just free things if picked up). So some figures, a drawing book etc. Then we took her lead on when we stopped for breaks. We went with the "there's no point fighting her on a stressful journey and make it worse" theory.

Why are you being so aggressive you asked opinions posters gave you absolutely valid opinions about travelling to your holiday, most people answering will have travelled with young children, if yours are unsettled on longer journeys just go during the night like you planned.

Omg, you mustn’t get out much lol. I flew 18 hours to the Falklands by myself with a 1 year old and a 3 year old and have driven to France regularly both with mine and as a child. It’s good building resilience. Scarborough to Wales is nothing. If you look upon it as a big deal, it will be. Market it to the children as a lovely road trip, they’ll be fine.

To reassure you, the A55 will not be busy coming into Wales on the bank holiday and neither should the roads after Caernarfon. Traffic will be going the other way.

I’d leave around 7 if the kids are early risers. They have breakfast in the car.

id probably only stop at a couple of service stations and crack on with the journey

because if you get exhausted getting up early you can’t handle the kids who get over tired and over excited at the change of location. The holiday starts grumpy and stays grumpy

I’d probably leave about 6am. Manchester won’t be too awful on a bank holiday and usually it’s busy on a week day morning but manageable.

Do you travel much with your kids? My youngest was awful in the car but by probably 18 months he’d stopped screaming every time he got in. He gets travel sick so no tablet for him but he’s happy listening to music and will usually sleep some of the journey (he’s now 9). Teddies and action figures went down well in the car too, he’d just play with them when he wanted to.

You could get some kids music in the car which might engage them for a bit.

Yes I could sit in the back, it’s a bit of a tight squeeze but I could maybe read them books or something. Yes, sometimes there’s going to be crying and things going wrong, last time we went away my eldest vomited all over the car but it ended up being a really great holiday.

i’m not worried about traffic getting to York so much, it’s just going round Manchester and on the A55 where I’m imagining sitting in a sea of cars and children screaming, basically my worst nightmare. But equally getting up at 3am is just the worst isn’t it

This is literally what I was planning to do! Now I’m not so sure

I’m intrigued… what TikTok trends?

What time would you leave?