Share your top tips for travelling abroad with young children with Brittany Ferries - chance to win a £300 voucher NOW CLOSED

[AmeliaMumsnet]

Travelling with young children isn’t always plain sailing from the start, but, if you get it right, showing your children a new part of the world can be a fantastic experience. So, to avoid those horror stories about packing all the wrong things; choosing a destination that’s not quite as child-friendly as it promised; and temper tantrums along the way, Brittany Ferries want to hear your top tips for travelling abroad with the little ones.

Brittany Ferries say “if having young children has put you off taking that holiday abroad, then think again, think family-friendly France. Sailing from Portsmouth, Poole or Plymouth we offer more choice of sailings than anyone else and our onboard service is designed with little ones in mind. What’s more, we can also arrange your holiday accommodation. Our choice of sail & stay holidays are perfect for young families with a chalet camping holiday offering fun for all with lots to see and do both on and off site. And, as all our holidays include return sailings with your car, so you can pack all you need for your time away.” You can find out more here.

What’s your go-to for keeping the kids entertained throughout the journey and avoiding the dreaded ‘are we there yet’? Do you have any tips for encouraging fussy eaters to enjoy some local cuisine? Is there a particular part of France you’ve come to love as a family holiday destination? Whether it’s useful packing advice or just a recommendation for a great family activity, don’t keep it to yourself. Share yours on this thread to help other parents enjoy their holidays with young kids to the fullest and you’ll be entered into a prize draw for a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

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Thanks, and good luck!

MNHQ

Time drives to coincide with naps

Prepare for all circumstances. When I travel with children I always have plenty of snacks and water. I have gadgets for them to play with and also a selection of non-screen games (books, paper games, cards etc). I carry a small first aid kit so that any minor issues can be dealt with and I always have a packet of baby wipes. I have spare clothes and empty plastic bags to carry wet clothes/shoes etc.

take full advantage of the onboard entertainment during your trip. as a special treat the kids always stayed up late, which meant they slept really well both during the crossing and some of the car journey later. the holiday always started once we were sitting in the lounge with a nice drink, looking forward to the entertainment starting and watching the sun set over the sea and portsmouth as we left.

Brittany was our favourite area - not too far to travel, better weather than the UK, lovely villages and beaches and of course great food and wine.

A great mobile home, football pitch, swimming pool, table tennis etc etc, and some lovely beaches to build sand castles. And we always took a badminton net to put up on our pitch. So lots of food, lots of exercise for the kids and new friends to keep them occupied whilst we read and chilled and drank a glass of wine

We try to drive distances around nap time in the hope that they sleep in the car. We have toys for them to play with in the back of the car and have a supply of snacks and drinks to hand for the inevitable requests.

Packing advice would be not to let DH anywhere near it as he would quite happily fill the car with his shoes. He took 3 pairs to the hospital with him when I was in labour!

I would love to see more of France as I have only really been to Paris. A vinyard sounds like it could be fun!

When travelling on a ferry, book a cabin even if travelling in the daytime. Then you have a base for all your stuff and somewhere to put little ones down for a nap if you've got up early to catch the boat.

If you can, take a laptop or something to play favourite DVDs on.

Lots of snacks help too.

Seasickness tablets before you set off too.

Ferries are more comfortable than the catamarans in rough weather.

Dh drills us like military cadets for ferry travel. Overnight/travel bags at the ready. Get on board after cursing all the caravans and vintage car clubs getting on first. Park car and GO GO GO! To get good seats. Travel bags have food, iPads, wster, crayons, chargers all the usual stuff. If ferry hass helipad it is a great place for playing tig when the enthusiasm for screens etc wanes. Before bed Have a beer in the bar and crisps lemonade and play Uno/bananagrams. Earplugs and bed

We off on our fourth Brittany Ferries holiday to France this summer, it's just the perfect holiday if you have young kids. Firstly let them explore the boat, such an exciting place and there's always lots going on during the sailing. On the Sailing out we often go overnight as then you arrive first thing in the morning and have lots of travel time so don't need to rush. We take an electric cool box and fill it with food and drinks for the journey. Most service stations in France have picnic areas so make a good place to stop for eats and toilet breaks (where the facilities are guaranteed to be decent!). Take a few CDs with you for sing-a-longs in the car but iSpy in a foreign country can also be fun! Look out for French roundabouts as they can have lots of surprises/fun sculptures on them. If you're worried about long car journeys then stick with Brittany. So beautiful and lots to see and do. However driving around in France is much easier and quicker than the UK so you can get quite a long way in a relatively short time. Also encourage your kids to learn a bit of the language a "Bonjour" here and there goes a long way!

Always pack the medicine they are used to (e.g. calpol), and things like plasters as its better to be safe than sorry.

Also, definitely find activities that everyone can enjoy! We always went on beach holidays so my parents could sunbathe, but I found it soooo boring!

Pack spare outfits in ziplock bags in your hand luggage, or on top of the packing in the car (plus a bag with nappy bags, wet wipes and handsanitiser) so that if someone vomits or whatever, you have their clean clothes right at hand without having to search. The ziplock bit is important as you can then put the stinky clothes back in it and seal it shut so the smell doesn't make everyone feel worse

Get the ferry, much more relaxing for adults and fun for children, and you can take all the extra bits you need in the car. Go chalet camping in France, its really easy and good fun. When in France go to the amazing beaches, the parking is free and plentiful! Go to Carnac, the children love running around the stones. Let the children try new foods, they may surprise you! Teach the children your phone number, make it into a little song (and/or write it down somewhere).

Lots of snacks, some toys that are new (or that have been packed away for a while). Accept that routines won't be stuck to so just go with the flow!

We keep lots of gadgets on hand for long journeys - download as much as you can before going away and bring spare batteries/chargers. We do a search on the Google Play store for any useful local/tourism apps depending on where we're going, and download the Google Translate and Maps files for the language/country for offline use. We pack lots of dry snacks like granola bars and nuts - things that won't melt in hot weather and can keep without refridgeration. We always buy a one-a-day suncream before we go as it means we don't have to reapply so often and don't have to bring as many bottles.

Travel tips - plenty of snacks and drinks, and audio books are essential. Lots of audio books. Oh, and did I mention audio books? Also travel sickness tablets work wonders for us, as our two suffer from motion sickness without them.

Wrap up a few pound shop type toys - the unwrapping seems to make it more of an occasion and holds their interest better
Other than that - gadgets (don't forget chargers) snacks, drinks, nappies, calpol sachets, change of clothes all in one bag - you don't want to be ferreting about for them

We travel with Brittany Ferries twice a year, it's such good value - we wouldn't afford a family holiday without doing a ferry crossing and camping holiday.
Our tips are book early, check reviews of campsites online, check events happening nearby to where you are staying to find something exciting to do and nearby parks, swimming pools etc.
When traveling we organise our stuff for the holiday, a bag for the car with baby wipes, drinks, iPads and chargers etc, we have a bag for the ferry with books and other things to keep the kids entertained. We have an emergency bag with spare clothes, some money and medicine in.
We break the journey into 6 x 1 hours, we do something each hour and it doesn't seem too long.
This year we will be downloading films thanks to the app on Netflix. There is always a magician or other entertainers on board and we let the kids have a couple pound to spend on haribos from the gift shop about halfway across

Snacks, pens and paper, activity books, books and more snacks!

My family holidays resemble the latest not going out episode! Even before we are off estate the are we nearly there yet have started.

We aim not to go to far at moment. They get harder the older they are I'm finding unless I plug them in which I refuse to rely on! I'm going to do a bingo card with place names and road signs on next trip.

For the toddler, the iPad loaded up with films (not 5 minute Peppa Pig episodes) and games she can play herself is a winner, plus lots of snacks which don't make too much of a mess but take ages to eat!
The bouncer was a godsend when they were younger. It used to come everywhere with us to give us free hands when sitting on a ferry or equivalent. On trains and planes, there was a lot of waving toys in their face and feeding lots to keep them occupied....

Essentials to pack (& have to hand!):
Snacks/ drinks
iPad / phone with pre downloaded episodes of their favourite programme/ game
Baby wipes
Tissues
Their favourite toy / teddy

Playing games like I Spy or find something that is a certain colour / number etc can keep our two entertained for a while on a journey or whilst waiting / queuing

Make all aspects of the holiday part of the adventure from packing, buying things, travelling, exploring, activities, eating etc etc. and get them involved

And most of all don't worry if routines go out of the window, if treats become a daily thing, or if the kids stay up a bit later than usual- just enjoy!

Driving long distances with an older baby or toddler, I like putting together an 'play purse' for them - an old purse or wallet, preferably with lots of interesting compartments (the old fashioned granny clip ones work well), packed with interesting little things - shiny paper, an old bank card, a key ring, a small toy animal, a compact mirror, some furry fabric. Just opening all the compartments distracts them for ages before they even get to the stuff inside! It can be repacked ready for the next leg of the journey and it's easy to vary the contents with new treasures from your travels -a shell, a smooth stone, a postcard.

Taking your own car on the ferry is the best way to travel.
You have your own carseat, so you know they're safe, and don't have to worry about packing lugage into a case, you can squeeze all the bits you need in car.

Once you're on the ferry they love the bunk beds, swimming pool, cinema, whale watching, softplay etc. And the 3 year old was strangely willing to keep trying the French cheeses despite not actually liking many.

The freedom to wander around or escape crowds in your cabin is so much easier than trying to keep young children quiet on a plane.

No one likes to hear it but ferries can make tums a bit queasy so my top tip (stolen from my mum!) is to soak some cloths or flannels and put into sealable freezer bags. Any little upsets and you can clean up easily and then dispose of in the sealed bag. Aside from that kids LOVE ferries, so much easier than keeping them in airline seats.

Use transport that you can move around a bit on if you can

Pack a bag with new toys and activities they can do on the journey there and back, just cheap little bits but the novelty is that they are new. Get one out every half an hour or so

If travelling in a car get them trays with edges so they don't lose things like crayons, and put a story cd on in the car. If possible put them in their pj's and start driving at bedtime, then just carry to holiday bed when you arrive

Love coastal France, especially Brittany and La Rochelle!

Travel tip is to split child's luggage across two bags. We had some lost luggage once and I was so glad of a few spare sets of clothes to keep us going.

Train travel in France is so easy, as are buses. Would love to take DS on a ferry - it was our way of travelling as a child and we loved it.

I think the one of the best things to take is ..... playdough !!!! You and the children can have so much fun with playdough turning it into a game. Also mini board games and the iPad If you get really stuck