Tell Trainline about the family days out you have planned - £300 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

Trainline is developing a new days out tool to help with finding new places to visit and they’d love to know which family days out you’re planning this year, and – if you’re going by train – how you plan on entertaining your children on the journey.

They also want you to get involved with helping them to shape their new tool - you can suggest new attractions to be included in the tool using the “suggest” button.

Here’s what Trainline has to say: “At Trainline we’re always looking for ways to make journeys smarter. Clare Gilmartin our CEO, is a mother of three, and keeps us focussed on our customers by reminding us that “it’s the little things that make a big difference”, from saving a few minutes by using a mobile train ticket to getting a great deal using the best fare finder, and this is the ethos that we have at the heart of what we do. Our latest days out tool helps you to find and plan a day out by train, just in time for the summer holidays, but we want your ideas to take it the extra mile.”

So, whether you’ve got educational trips or adventure filled days planned for the summer holidays (and beyond!), let Trainline know about them and your train journey entertainment tips below.

All those who share a day out or tips for entertaining children on the train below will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher from a store of their choice (from a list).

Please note that the days out tool is new and development of it is still underway. Some less popular train routes haven’t been added yet, but will be with time. There will also be more attractions added so please make suggestions on what you’d like to see next. Additionally, if you live in London please search from a mainline station to get the best results.

Thanks and good luck

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

We love getting the train into London. This year we'll be doing the BFG dream jar trail alongside our usual exploring of all the known & less known sites of London. I get a family & friends railcard to make it cheaper too!

I love being on a train with ds(13). I don't see him much at home (hermits up in his room surrounded by screens, wires and stuff) On train we TALK, play games and really reconnect. Then we arrive at fab places. With our F&F railcard London costs us about £25. We're going for 2 days later in month. Then back again in same week to see a play!

We are planning to go to one of those "locked in a room" type places where you have to work out your plan of escape.

With my mother-in-law sadly returned from hosptial with an inoperable brain tumour and difficulty in walking, the most exciting hying we have planned is a wheelchair visit to Morrison's

We get the train to London when we're at my mum's in Buckinghamshire as it's only c. 25 minutes! Just enough time to look out of the windows and see what we can see, speculate about the people who live in the houses, and plan our day out. On the way home, they're too tired to worry much!

Recent visits have included dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum, art at Tate Modern and the National Gallery, exploring the parks (St James's is great for kids), walking along the South Bank, exploring the tourist sights and vistas, and walking round the City on a Sunday (fascinating for architecture old and new). All are free, apart from train tickets and picnic lunch.

This app sounds great, especially for planning more local days out or Devon adventures when we visit grandparents.

I havent taken my 3.5 year old on a train yet but I am hoping to soon. I think he would love it. We might get a train down to the seaside and have fish and chips on the beach, along with an ice cream and a paddle in the sea then catch the train home again. Just need to wait for a nice day now :o)

The 241 entrance to some London attractions is brilliant, you just show your train ticket to get the deal. We went to the Tower of London which is ideal for a family especially if the kids are a bit older.
We went to Alexander Palace fun day on 23 July which was free and loads to do there and used a family rail card to get great travel deal.
My best train deal though is coming up, travelling to Fort William on overnight train from Euston, £39 each way with railcard card. Then camping for few days yeh !

My favourite day out on the train is into London Waterloo and then spending a happy day mooching around Southbank.

It is so easy, we don't need to worry about navigating the underground with a push chair.

Last time we went, DS 3 played in the giant sandpit, ran in the fountains and then attended a free children's disco. The grownups enjoyed a few beers and enjoyed the buzz of Southbank and the views of London over the river. A fun, easy day out.

we'll be aving a shopping day in Lincoln and a couple of days as Flamingo Land

Family trips out are a treat as we have 4 children so they work out expensive as the standard 'family tickets' are for a family of 4!
We are planning to go to Chester zoo whilst our youngest can still get in for free

We joined the National Trust, and so far have been to Durom Park, Stourhead, and planning one to Cheddar Gorge.

Edinburgh Festival with teens. There are so many free shows, free walks and free amazing entertainers in the street that it doesn't need to cost a bomb. (NB, be aware that shows held in pub venues can't admit under 18s even if they are otherwise suitable).

hoping to visit family in wales :)

Days out to London are always fun...there's lots of places to visit that are free...the museums, galleries, parks etc. The beach is great too, especially when the children are little. Building sandcastles with a moat and waiting for the tide to come in to fill it up never fails to entertain!

I have many summer trips planned, but none which are practical on the train. Mainly national trust places and countryside.

With little DCs I find the train has limited use. If we want to use a car at the other side, we are restricted because of car seats. I used to love getting the train for a weekend away pre DCs. I could sit back with a glass of wine. Now train rides aren't so relaxing with little children to keep in order, so tend to drive.

We don't drive so all our trips are on the train - thank goodness for the Family Railcard. Already done Hull (the Deep) Harrogate (Valley Gardens)
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Think for each city/destination a page of 'things to do' broken down into budgets would encourage travellers from all backgrounds e.g. free, £, ££, £££ with links to tourist info, bus times from train stations and websites with discounts on entry fees.

Probably a bit saddo but being on a low income I have to balance the odd expensive day with lots of little 'free' days and I prepare a treasure hunt of the place we're planning to visit using google maps/tourist info so its only the trainfare we're stumping out for if we take a picnic too.

Would be fab if there was a downloadable 'passport' for train journeys that you could mark off places you visit and the sights you've seen. We always make a scrapbook at the end of the Summer with out tickets and photos.

We don't use the train for family days out as we live in the Southern Rail area. I have enough trouble battling with them on the daily commute!

But we have previously done some great day trips to London, visiting the museums and the parks. There really are some lovely parks and plenty of free activities to offset the cost of the train fare. When they run. Which isn't often if you are serviced by Southern Rail ...!

This year instead of a holiday we are taking day trips from home, so on our itinerary so far is the beach, the library, the zoo, the museum and local craft/fair days.

Cromer and well on sea

We go to WSM all the time in the car but recently I decided to take the kids on the train instead - it turned a routine day out into a whole new adventure. They were so excited, you'd have though they'd never been before. We just entertained ourselves spotting things/places through the window that we recognised from our car journeys so we could work out where we were.

We have a family railcars and often go for day trips on the train. Most recent have been Chester, Birmingham, Harlech castle and Barmouth to walk the coastal path.

My DC usually read or play on tablets on the train. They are used to train travel so aren't that hard to entertain!

Our day trips have been constantly cancelled this year due to the weather. It's as if we pick a day, days are booked off work etc, then the day comes and it's chucking it down.

We did manage to get to the zoo as it was only slight showers and the kids loved it. Next stop is the folk and transport museum that the youngest has not been too. It's a fab day out and they have an amazing café that caters brilliantly for those with nut allergies.

A trip to Plymouth to visit the aquarium and one to the beach in Teignmouth. My children enjoy looking outside the windows on a train and we play 'eye spy' spotting new things during the journey.

a trip to the New Forest via a staycation in Winchester for the night and a trip on the Watercress steam line railway

A train trip to meadowhall in Sheffield makes it much more appealing than driving so we will be heading there.