Tell Hertz about your experiences of travelling as a family - 5 tickets to Disneyland Paris (worth £277) prize draw! NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

Hertz have asked us to find out what Mumsnetters' experiences are of travelling as a family.

Here's what Hertz say, "Hertz has a car for every occasion. With one of the biggest car hire collections in Europe, we have the cars to match your needs, mood and budget.
The Hertz Family Collection comprises a range of family and holiday-friendly cars for 5-7 people. Every car in the range is 5-star NCAP safety-rated for added reassurance and has all the space needed for the children, bags, holiday extras and the kitchen sink."

So, what do you find the pains and joys are of travelling as a family? What tips would give to ensure that, when on the road, longer journeys go smoothly? Maybe you have lots of different games you play as a family in the car? Or is the key making sure that you have enough ready made snacks to take with you in case your DCs get grumpy hungry? Have you got any travel plans for over the Easter weekend? We'd love to hear about any plans or experiences you have.

Everyone who adds their comments to this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnetter will win 5 tickets to Disneyland Paris worth £277, valid until the 28th of July 2014. Tickets are valid for both Parc Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

[Fannydabbydozey]

My best ever purchase for holiday driving was the in car DVD player. The first time we went camping in France it was a godsend. We'd stick a film on, drive, and when it finished we estimated we could carry on for another 20 minutes before a food, wee and driver break stop was required.

We covered 3000 miles in three weeks on our first big trip and I can honestly say it was a breeze thanks to the DVD player. There are films that still remind me of that trip: My Neighbour Totoro, Mary Poppins, Princess Mononoke, 101 Dalmations, Lady and The Tramp, Spirited Away... We're huge old school Disney and Studio Ghibli fans and a bonus is that Japanese films are long!

I actually found it quite relaxing to drive with the muted sounds of these films. I almost know the narratives by heart. Quiet kids and a quiet drive is a match made in heaven.

Other tips? Nice nibbles, a variety of drinks and definitely some chocolate, all packed in a cool bag to keep things crisp. Books and comics, favourite soft toys, those flumpy neck pillows and some blankets for early mornings/late evenings.

My kids are older now and weighed down with all the tech you could ever imagine, yet on a long car journey all they want to do is watch a film. And what do they pick? Some summer blockbuster? Nope, an old favourite like the ones listed above. I only have to hear the opening lines of "hey let's go, hey let's go, I'm happy as can be..." And I'm ready for my journey to the sun.

[Punkatheart]

I always had a large bag of tricks - quite literally. Things were wrapped and could be open at intervals. I went to charity shops and bought very cheap puzzles, notebooks and funky things that my daughter had never seen before. I also agree fully about noticing things, singing and making it a jolly, fun experience.

[gleegeek]

As our family are spread across the country we do a lot of car journeys. Unfortunately dd (10) hates travelling but can cope if she's excited about where we are going! She managed a 10 hour drive to Scotland last year, which she had been dreading.

What do we do to cope? Story CDs have been a life saver. We started with Thomas the Tank Engine, Noddy, Mr Men etc and now she enjoys the Just So stories, Malory Towers, Jacqueline Wilson etc. We have compilation music CDs too, usually NOW..., Pop Party etc. We sometimes listen to the radio, we all enjoy some of the comedy stuff on Radio 4.

Lots of cold water in a cool bag, light snacks, nothing chocolatey, Pringles travel well.

A new magazine or book just before we set off. We play games, making up words from registration plates, I-spy, I went on my holiday... She follows our journey on the SatNav and maps. Lots of quick stops for a quick stretch of the legs/drink/wee (dh would drive all the way without stopping)

We have an Estate and even the back seat is comfortable, which makes a difference. We didn't go anywhere this Easter as the whole family have been buggy but are looking forward to camping ASAP!

[MerryMarigold]

Good music is a must. We had a 6 hour round journey in the Easter hols (for a 2 day stay!). We got the Frozen CD as a special journey treat and it kept me plus 3 kids (8,5,5) sane (dh not with us!). Other CD's are associated with particular holidays - we had a kids CD in France with the song "Antonio, Antonio, It's Raining Again" which is always associated with that hol. Definitely some Simon and Garfunkel (complete box set) on all journeys. My kids love their music and nearly always request it.

Try and do some of the journey during sleep time...so I tend to leave in the evening with kids in PJ's/ dressing gowns then can go to sleep for part of the journey and straight to bed when we get there.

A break for McDonalds and a wee. Ice cream outbound, and chips inbound.

Really long journeys we do take a portable DVD, and plenty of snacks..also stop every couple of hours for a run around/ wee/ snack.

Not done it yet, but considering for the next journey doing a 'bingo' sheet with things like Tesco Metro, BP petrol station, yellow car etc.

[MerryMarigold]

Oh, another tip. If dh is in the car, he drives. I don't care how long the journey is, I won't be doing with the backseat driving!

[Rainicorn]

I have three DC and DH generally does the long distance driving.

We break the journey down so we know what is happening. So first half an hour is usually DC getting settled into the car, then we start playing car bingo. If I'm feeling like super mum I print off pre made bingo sheets with items like combine harvesters, caravans, blue car, yellow car, limousine etc and the winner gets to pick something at the motorway stop.

After bingo, if we are not stopping any time soon I break out the snacks which will cover half an hour or so. Snacks are usually a drink, crisps, some fruit, finger type foods that don't need much assistance.

If the journey is over 2 hours then we will stop after two hours for a stretch and toilet break. Then back on the road and play another game like I spy, or who can get to x amounts of blue/red/yellow cars first.

I don't allow electrical devices in the car as my DC get travel sick and these make it worse.

We also find having a car with enough personal space for the DC is prime, especially since they're getting bigger. We have a 7 seater and rotate two in the middle one in the back. Nobody wants to spend a long journey listening to "he is touching me"

[themitch21]

We travelled back from Devon this weekend with our 1 and 3 year old and I have to say it was a learning experience. So, the advice I should have given myself:

• Don't let the kids have a big nap before they are due to travel back or they won't sleep in the car.
  
• Make sure to pack a lot of food or you'll be making at least three service station stops at £15 a pop.
  
• If you have a particularly clingy toddler it's probably best to sit in the back or run the risk of getting a dislocated shoulder from trying to comfort them from the front seat.
  
• Above all, don't lose your head, try to stay calm. It won't be forever.

[AndHarry]

We just got back from a UK camping trip with our two DC. The biggest pain was packing the car in a way that gave everyone room to move their legs and wouldn't be lethal in an accident. Last night we started researching bigger cars...

The DC are both pre-school age and so when we have very long journeys we tend to go through their bath/bed routine and then put them in the car in their pyjamas and sleeping bags, doing much of the journey while they're asleep and the roads are relatively quiet. DH and I share the driving and we also know when to stop and book into a hotel overnight, which we actually did on Thursday. Better safe than sorry. Other than that, top tips are plenty of snacks and drinks and taking a neck support pillow for the non-driving adult so they can sleep before taking their turn at the wheel.

[heymammy]

Story CDs worked for my older two last year. We drove all over Cornwall & Devon with barely a peep from them as they were so engrossed!

Kids def need a few pitstops just to run around and break the tedium but don't fill them full of juice at the services (bitter experience)!

Dc3 is not really old enough yet to be sucked in by story CDs so we sing songs and get him to look out the window for trucks/buses/trains.

I usually have a huge bag at my feet filled with snacks and sandwiches, it's part of the holiday excitement to stuff your face in the car with treats we wouldn't normally buy!

Car hire queues are an absolute drag, especially if we've just come off a flight...everyone has been on their best behaviour for long enough so things can boil over

[HALA]

We play some games - like I spy. I give each child a goody bag of some crisps, cereal bars, drink etc. And I give them some card games which they can ask each other questions from. All this breaks up our journey and makes it more fun.

[mellicauli]

Car hire companies are one of the complete pain in the bum aspects of travelling. I remember being levied a car cleaning charge by one hire company. I remember another levying a "remote location" charge. As if that wasn't obvious when we booked the car. It is a pain in the bum that you have to pay more than the cost of a new child car seat to get a car child seat. But they still don't promise there will be one there. They'll just bear it in mind. You book a particular type of car. But there's no guarantee you will get that . They'll just bear it in mind.

You have to queue for hours while they slowly process every car and the kids go loopy having been cooped up in a plane for hours at a time, never have enough staff. Terrible customer service. Why can't we do the paperwork in the UK before we leave and just pick up the keys? That would be properly family friendly.

So my tips are: take your own car.

[HeartStarCircleSquare]

We have three, (3 and under!) food, drinks, books/crayons the usual.. but really keeping me and dh entertained is the most important as there is no keeping them silent and sometimes you just have to distract yourself!

Good music you can sing to and mumsnet on my phone!

[rootypig]

Reading this thread with interest for future tips. DD is only 18mo and hates her car seat so the only strategy so far has been to drive in her hours of sleep - nap time for shorter journeys and in the hours of darkness for longer ones The strategy when she's older will probably be to drive a camper van!

The thread is giving me fond recollections of car journeys as a child, however. I am one of four and we had one of those estate cars with a rear facing bench seat that I thought was the coolest thing ever. Fortunately my siblings were either too young or too car sick to be in the back, so I had it all to myself. Duvet, snacks, walkman loaded with Bon Jovi for my emo daydreams . It was bliss! God knows what it was like for the three in the middle who cares

[Thentherewere4]

The first few hours of a long car journey are usual fine for us (think Scotland to South of France) because both my DS's fall asleep in the car before we've even left out street.

Once the wake up its snacks, games of Red Car and Eye Spy and lots of really loud singing to help keep DH alert!

For really long journey's we make up bags of stuff for the boys (colouring books, new books to read, top trump cards) and they don't get given them until boredom kicks in and they start to annoy each other!

The DVD players & PS Vitas are helpful too!! Although according to DS1 DS2 laughs too loudly at the funny bits and puts him off his film!

I quite like long car journeys!

[Patilla]

With DS now five we basically spread out meals as a series of snacks. So cheese, then cucumber, then maybe a bit of sandwich. Keeps him amused for ages.

With DD aged one. Well ear plugs really.

The one thing I'd say is that when DS was two we really wanted to travel and hire a car with a car seat included but we couldn't find this in our chosen location or love not money.

I'd imagine a service where you could hire a car seat with a guarantee you would get it with the car would be a really helpful service.

[trixymalixy]

We tend to try and travel at the kids bedtime if possible.

A DVD player with dual screens is a must.

[Ratbagcatbag]

Firstly, not only program the satnav, but also have a paper copy from aa route planner to hand.
Now we have a 1 yo it's not having enough room in the car which is a nightmare so have to borrow a roof box.
We also leave really early so that she has a few hours nap before getting grouchy, we plan plenty of stops that involve getting hot food at the relevant places, but take snacks and drinks in the event of heavy traffic/ breakdown.
We play games in the car, 15 yo dss still plays sodding yellow car game, it gets quite competitive.
I've hired a car once when mine broke down, however my concern was the amount of excess that applies which puts me off hiring one for recreational purposes ie holiday.

[Nightwish]

Drive at a time when they are likely to be asleep. Perfect.

[joanofarchitrave]

While they are little, only travel the distance that they will sleep in the car. Travel overnight if necessary.

A muslin jammed into the window makes a perfect sunshade for a baby.

Don't hire a car-hire baby seat, they always look very dubious and frequently they haven't got enough [if you could guarantee a good quality seat for everyone who books, Hertz, you could see a big jump in market share]. Take your own.

Start I Spy before they can spell by spying things that are green etc.

Twenty Questions takes up more time than I Spy and is more interesting.

Around year 5?, start them on the Word Ending game - you say a letter each and whoever ends a word (3 letters or more) loses. You have to have a word in mind when you say your letter. You can challenge the person before you if you don't think they had a real word in mind.

Pub Cricket is still great and worth staying off the motorway for a while to play. Agree beforehand whether the name or the picture on the sign gives you the final number of legs. Support local pubs by declaring on 100 and stopping for lunch.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

We used to do long train journeys when the dds were small. The best one was the time we managed to get a brilliant deal on going First Class from Birmingham to Dundee. We had a table seat and they loved having a nice man bringing them food and drinks! It also meant we could use the First Class lounge beforehand too - countless snacks are always a good way to keep them quiet!

Mostly though, we relied on story tapes and notebooks, colouring books etc, plus travel Connect Four and so on. No DS, no i-pad etc.

Oh and yes to Top Trumps! Those little Eye Spy books too.

[TheOldestCat]

We don't go on car trips a lot, but since DH works long hours and I work part time some days we seem to 'tag team' with the children in the week. So the only time we're often all together is in the car if we are off somewhere at the weekend. This is both a pain and a joy! Oh for the days when they were babies/toddlers (they are now 7 and 4) and would nod off in the car so DH and I could have a conversation lasting more than a minute....

So, tips. We play silly games - our town name starts with 'Fav' so we play 'Favver-who' where one of us thinks of a person we know, then everyone asks yes/no questions until they work it out. Surprisingly fun.

We also like to sing along to terrible pop songs, with DH making up his own lyrics, to much eye rolling from the 7-yr-old.

Snacks definitely work for the 4-year-old, plus toys.

My other tip is the car wash. We never EVER wash our car, but following our lovely car being written off (sob) by a speeding idiot (not me, another driver), we were issued with the world's shiniest courtesy car. It had to go back in the same state as it arrived, so we took the kids to a car wash. We turned up the radio (DH had been drinking - he doesn't drive) and had a 'car wash disco' where DH and children danced in their seats. Children thought it was brilliant and for £2.50 it was a cheap night out.

[BuzzardBird]

Firstly, we dress dd comfortably, no tightness around the waist, a cushion and a blanket for snuggling. Secondly a variety of entertainment Colour Wonder pens and book that she can't draw all over herself with, a tablet with films downloaded, soft toys and some books. Snacks that don't contain chocolate so that she doesn't fight sleep and plenty of water.
And lastly, interaction, talking about the surroundings or what she would like to do at the destination. Also make sure we have plenty of time so that the journey is relaxed and not stressful.

[Ladygaggia]

I love travelling with the kids. We sing to pop music and play iPod roulette - each person has one chance to skip a song. Since my iPod has a strange mix of pop, 90s and Disney on it (and Justin Bieber ) you never know if you've wasted your skip moment.

Naturally snacks and frequent regs stops are a given for my journeys