Caravan Holidays

[jenk1]

I am about to embark in unchartered territory next month.

A caravan holiday in Torquay.

Any tips please especially with DS.

Not done one of these before, usually go abroad and all the people abroad are more tolerant of children than in this country so dreading it a bit especially since the journey will take us about 5-6 hours and DS is demanding to know at what time will we be stopping and what will he be having to eat on the way!!!

Hi Jenk, my dp's parents have a caravan in Weymouth which we use fairly often so I can tell you a few things that works best with my ds.
For us the trip only takes about 2 hrs, but still we need to stop in between as he finds it very difficult to be couped up in the car for any small period. If you've got a portable DVD player, then that works a treat.....for a while, we also bought a game from ELC, it's called 'can you spy travel game'. It's basically a small board which you insert several different cards that show various objects that you would typically see on a road trip, such as various road signs, a green car, river, motorbike, train track, double yellow lines, that sort of thing. Then once you've seen it, you pull down the tab until you've spotted all of the objects. It might pass the time for perhaps 5 mins My ds has to get all the objects spot on, for instant the picture shows a dog but with a green collar, so he specifically needs to see a dog with a green collar, no easy task!

I don't know what your caravan park is like, but I find that the entertainment gets busy pretty quickly, and if your ds doesn't like busy crowded places, it's best to go really early in the evening, and leave before all the hoardes of children arrive.
Is your ds fussy with foods? We always prepare food before we go out, just to make sure he at least eats a bit during the day.

Can't think of anything more at the moment, so
I hope you have a great time. Torquay is a lovely place to go to.

sometimes I find a one hundred percent scene change helps, however will add that we have a tent so we can take ours ame, safe space wherever we go now.

Tip: all the knives, etc etc etc are in ridiculoously kid unfriendly places in caravans- so whilst your ds would probably be OK other people with younger ones should beware of this and remove drawers instantly. Also, call ahead and ask for one as far from the entertainment complex (and noises / drunks) if there is one as posiible.

Thanks for the tips

We have already decided that we will avoid the evening entertainment like the plague and instead will go out in the car as there are so many places to visit around Torquay.

I will be cooking the majority of the food as DS will not deviate from his "food schedule" (i just offered him pizza for his dinner and he said "No thats for Mondays" )

Do you take food with you or would i be better doing a shop once we get down there?

Sorry to sound thick but ive not done this before and i have to get it absolutely right as i dont want a week of meltdowns!!!!!

Not SN linked but something that we have found in out caravan holidays.

The bathroom can get very wet and slipery. Take and old towel to use as a bath mat....something you don't mind binning at the end of the hold.....makes it much nicer and safer.

Liquid soap as the sinks are very small and don't 'hold' a bar of soap.

A lap top/portable DVD player can be a godsend if the weather is dodgy

We always shop when we get there, camping or caravanning. You have to get the perishables anyway- unless you like milk that has been in the car for fur hours of heat - so you may as well get the rest. Especially if you have a food schedule. Sam is quite easy in that respect: he likes anything healthy and peanut butter and jam sarnies. Salad, bread and ham / fish always works with him, so we normally go to the nearest quay, buy fish and barbecue it. We're lucky with him like that

flippin heck, wish DS was more like that, he wants a "travel schedule" ie where we are going to stop and at what time and what he shall be eating etc.....

But i will find the nearest supermarket when i get there and get a few bits in, restaurants cause problems unless its mcdonalds/burger king as he says that everything/everyone in the restaurant stinks and refuses to eat.

oh yes! it stinks- how annoying????

Sam won't eat non-healthy stuff...everyone says how great that is, but he ahs to see dietician as he is rapidly becoming noticeably smaller than his class, ds2 is fast catching up. He won't eat, say, shepherds pie or casserole.

I usually do a shop once we've arrived but tend to take a coolbag plus small box of emergency rations. Two years ago we arrived at our holiday cottage and both DD & DH promptly were ill and I was glad I'd got a few things handy as I couldn't get to a shop for a while.
I also work on the assumption that I'll be preparing the meals, picnics or whatever and then if we do manage a meal out (ie. if we find somewhere suitable and DD is in the right frame of mind at the time)......even just for a coffee then it's a bonus. Does that make sense?

I would google to find the nearest big supermarket, its not fun trying to find one at the end of a long journey when everyone is tired and stressed.

I wish I had sent DH away with the kids last time instead of us all traipesing round the shop while I tried to find things for the weeks menus.

The on site shops are usually very pricey and limited, Ok for milk and bread but not for everything.

We stayed in a wheelchair accesible caravan on a holiday complex and it was excellent, loads of room, also stayed in standard caravans and they are fine to, but kitchen equipment can be a bit basic, I usually take a decent knife and chopping board along with essentials like washing up liquid, cooking oil, salt, pepper etc.

Thanks skribble, i will take my favourite knife (hidden away from DS of course ) and i will find the nearest supermarket before i go.

Reiver, your post makes perfect sense to me, if we manage to get to a cafe thats not mcdonalds then ill behappy!!!!