Please tell us your summer holiday survival tips

[HelenMumsnet]

Hello. Soltan have asked us to ask you for your summer holiday survival tips.

We're looking for everything from the things you mustn't forget to pack, to tips on making travelling with children (slightly) more bearable, to suggestions for creating all-round family fun once you get there. Basically, all the things you've learnt from those holiday-with-kids experiences and wish someone had told you about before you upped suitcases and headed off somewhere summery en famille.

Please note that Soltan will be using some of your tips, comments and suggestions on a new Soltan microsite that is set to go live on Mumsnet at the start of May.

Thank you - and looking forward to reading them.

MNHQ

if you are flying to a beach holiday abroad - pack swimwear for everyone in your hand luggage. So if the airline lose your bags for 48 hours you can still swim. And yes i know that small kids can swim in their undies but teenagers and most adults wont, and swimwear in resorts is often exorbitant

Travel first class and only stay in 5* plus hotels.

Have a cleaning agency blitz your house while you are away, they can also change sheets and do any remaining laundry.

Arrange for a gardener to maintain your lawn and shrubbery.

Back in the real world unpack your tent before you travel to check for mildew and slugs!

Go somewhere interesting, and think about kids when booking ... ie you might dream of a private villa, but if your kids of over 5 they will prefer to meet new friends so you're better off on a complex...

if abroad alternate your days - one day at the pool + cook yourself; next day go see something & eat out... that way you get to relax (as they never get tired of the pool)

My top 5 desinations are:

1. Wales - great weather (often) beaches are some of the best in the world (and I've travelled at lot) and when its poor - there's castles, steam trains, and if you're camping its only a short hop home

1. Denmark - fabulous value, empty roads, camp sites to die for, legoland and self catering accom is cheaper than UK for summer hols

1. Bali - yes i know if long way, but cheap when you're there, great culture things to do, and which kids don't want to see volcanos, ride elephants, go surfing, send teenagers out shopping with a few pounds and they can buy the whole store - and its not that expensive, get a 7 night hotel and flight deal, and extend the return flight by another couple of weeks and find accom when you're there

1. Peak District or the Lakes ... great walks, animals to see, go painting, picnics, beatrice potter/valarie calf

1. for a weekend break - the holiday inn in edinburgh is right next to the zoo, has an indoor pool and interconnecting rooms.... and edinburgh is such a great city

Large bottle of Campari and Orange Juice....!!

Don't have a BIL who gets into huge financial trouble which means you have to help baile him out therefore cancelling your holiday. It was only North Devon but would have been lovely. [sigh]

Other than that, unless you are really in the back end of nowhere then you can buy nappies and don't have to fill half your luggage allownace with them. Similarly with baby food.

DVD player on the plane is good, magazines, rasins, breadsticks, the Crayolla magic pens as they equal no mess, small books.

Take friends for older kids. my DSDs (now teenagers) are both allowed to take a friend each on our holidays and it works a treat - apart from the cost!! But atleast we all get a great holiday!!

Liking this thread. Sorry but at Bonsoir's sponsor-unfriendly truths!

If you are off on holiday with a baby, make plans based on the baby learning the next stage of mobility while you are out there. I took my 4.5 month old to a mobile home site assuming that I could plonk him on a single bed and all would be well (a dodgy assumption anyway) and of course he learned to roll over the day we arrived! Luckily the site owner was worried and appeared like the Fairy Godfather with his children's own portable cot side for the bed. Taking a travel cot would have been the sensible option.

God, the portable DVD player. It has prevented so many Incidents, I've lost count. DD watches it in the car/train/plane, we watch it in the evening with a lovely boxset when she's asleep.
I'd willing buy a new one every time we go on holiday.
Magicool is also a lifesaver.
Never let DD pack her own "entertainments" bag - the first year we opened a case of cuddlies and nowt else for her to do.
I also have a look online to see what can be bought or hired locally - if there's a megapharmacy or supermarket near, I only pack the bare essentials of toiletries.
A wet flannel in a bag is good for feeling sick moments (wipes for quick cleans but no good for foreheds). A few carriers for unforeseen Things.

Don't take dh if he is a grumpy bugger

Am looking forward to a week away with ds this summer (and no dh). We will be able to do what we want without any negative coments for once!

Boring tip but when you are coming home, pack your dirty washing according to machine loads - i.e. one bag of whites, one of colours etc. That way you don't have to get everything out, just do one bag at a time.

When camping, always have a packet of cream crackers and a jar of peanut butter to hand. Then hungry dcs can be placated when meals are (inevitably) at odd times.

For a stress free holiday ensure you have keep the kids day planned from the minute they wake up until they go to bed.

That way they are organised, have something to do, will eat at proper times and will go to bed totally shattered and sleep for the night!

Then you can have the evening to yourselves, peacefully!

We say the days are for the kids and the evenings are for us - works a treat.

Make sure you pack sun-suits / UV T-shirts for your children (and any adults who need them) - much easier than forcing them to undergo suncream applications!

And if you are putting suncream on, use the Boots own Once high-factor cream. It really does last all day, even in water.

Take either story CD's or load up the i-pods with talking books - perfect for long journeys.

If you are travelling by plane, pack everyone a spare set of clothes incase there's a volcanic eruption and you get stranded with your clothes in transit

Swap nintendo ds games with your dcs friends so they have something new to play on the plane.

Keep dcs up until midnight so that they will go down for a siesta between 11 and 3.

If travelling within Europe, keep the kids on UK time, that way you won't worry about them being up 'late', and you will get a lie-in.

NB Don't try this if flying long-haul. Kids bouncing out of bed at 4am is no fun.

Leave the kids with t he grandparents and go alone!! Only joking, although it is actually what we did until both kids were walking, talking, out of nappies and eating with a knife and fork.

With small children, well worth self-catering.

If flush, go out for big lunch; then have simple dinner and they can go to bed as normal. Or cook the whole lot.

Hotel rules and regulated meal-times a nightmare with a 3yo.

If SC, a washing machine is a MUST and a dishwasher is nice too. Also we like to have some sort of outside space (ie not a flat) so the kids can at least kick a ball about.

Also if SC, arrange lovely big Tesco order to arrive at cottage 2 hrs after you do; kids and DH whizz off to beach, you unpack in peace, lots of fresh food arrives and you miss (phew) the Saturday afternoon nightmare tromp round the local Somerfield trying to find any milk or bread.

Wetsuits well worth it if holidaying in UK; keep sun off shoulders effortlessly; also mean DC will actually spend more time in sea and maybe even swim! Buy them in resort, cheaply and easily available we have found.

The day before you leave, do all the washing there is. And dry it (in dryer if need be). Thnen you come home without having a mountain of laundry to deal with.

Agree with womb's tip of pack of playing cards. But then that applies generally IMO.

bulk buy and pack snacks - they are the single biggest waste of money on holiday. Also, buy a pack of cheap sports bottle-type bottles of water from a supermarket - they may be enviromentally indefensible, but they will keep you sane when the DC are whinging for a drink.

Stealth, I just refill ds's own (lifeboat so he loves it!) water bottle. But do take own snacks to save money!

Also agree with self-catering when kids are young, but lol at dh takes them to beach while you unpack etc...

My experience is get there, unpack with ds helping while dh slumps somewhere attached to computer/other gadget. Then go to beach with ds while dh continues to slump etc etc. Continue ad nauseam throughout holiday.....

Oh, and do take a few of dc's favourite toys on holiday, but do not (says this with hindsight) leave Norman the Foreman, ds's favourite Playmobil man in the holiday accomodation, realise this half way home in the car (cue tears from ds and no understanding whatsoever from dh) then have to e-mail the owners of the hoilday cottage , await reply , realise they have found Norman, then wait another few days for him to arrive in the post in jiffy bag. During which time ds has had several days to wonder what awful things have happened to Norman in transit, Norman then arrives in post with a broken waistcoat (thank goodness for superglue!!)

Allocate considerably more nappies, changes of clothes, snacks and formula (if needed) to your carry on luggage than you think you will need for the actual journey. It never happened but a couple of times due to delays the stress was greatly increased by the fact that I was scared to death I would not have enough nappies and changes of clothes etc.

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