Mumsnet users hare with Trainline their top tips for travelling by train

[EllieMumsnet]

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Travelling on the train with your family for a day out, especially if you have little ones, can feel like a daunting experience, but it doesn’t have to be; the train journey can be an exciting part of the day out adventure for you and your DC’s and not just a way to get there. To help make sure this is the case for you and your family, Trainline would like you to share your top tips for travelling by train on family days out.

Here’s what Trainline have to say: “We’re always trying to make travel simple, giving our customers information they can count on. And planning a day out with the kids is one scenario where the simpler and more predictable the better. As it’s winter we’ve been thinking about the best ways to get out the house for some fresh air, without breaking your budget. We’ve come up with some “wild” train trips to zoos and animal parks across the UK which are perfect for letting off some steam (for you and your DC’s!).”

Do you research the stations that are on your journey beforehand so you can tell your DC’s fun facts about them? Do you use mobile tickets? Perhaps you pack a great picnic full of their favourite foods to keep everyone happy? Maybe you pack fun, entertaining games to play on the journey? Or do you keep them distracted by talking about all the things you’re going to get up to you on your day out?

Whatever your top tips are, please share them on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where on MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

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my son loves train days out as he has autism and loves trains. We take his ipad and beats and he likes to sit at a table in a carriage that is not too busy. He likes to plan days out and see what stations we will go through. We take snacks and book our tickets in advance to save a bit of money. Sometimes we have to change trains if the carriages are too noisy for him. He spends hours planning the trip and route.

DS has autism and loves going by train but gets overwhelmed if it's too busy. We always take mobile with headphones so he can listen to music/watch youtube.

I always take snacks and drinks but we usually do buy something small from the buffet car as the walk down the train breaks the journey up a bit.

As we are in Cornwall we usually end up going over the tamar bridge so we have a first to see the bridge competition. Also a first to the see the sea on the way to st. Ives.

When they were little I used to take jigsaws and small games.

I also made a tick list of things to see from the train for them to see if they could tick them all off on the way.

For a long day out i would usually have lunch somewhere and then have a packed tea for the journey home when they are tired and hungry. That way you can put them straight to bed when you get in.

We take snacks. Lots of pens and paper. We also play games. Can’t beat eye spy.

We love travelling by train as we don't have a car for environmental reasons. We always use a Family Railcard and try to book seats near a plug socket if available, so that we can keep our devices going. We pack up snacks for the train, and buy things to eat on the way home, as the on-board snacks can be expensive. We prefer buying off-peak tickets rather than the Advance ones which you have to use on a specific train - nothing worse than just missing your booked train and having to shell out for a whole set of tickets again.

We set an alarm for when the train should reach our stop, in case we get preoccupied and risk missing it. And start packing up items at the station before the one before we get off at, so we don't have to do it in a rush and risk leaving things under the seat.

We love the train! We always get the train to holiday - we try and book seats in advance so we get a table and travel over a meal time and take a train picnic. Games and toys to use on the train, plus DSs and iPads for when we do London to Penzance!
I've been travelling alone with my kids on the train (long journeys) since they were tiny as I don't drive, and we love it. We are going to Scotland soon and when I told the kids we'd have a 6 hour train journey they said hurray!
Netflix or Amazon video downloads are great for long journeys, my daughter watches a movie with popcorn on a long enough trip...

Booking a table seat is a must - two opposite each other if needed - plus plenty of snacks and an 'i-spy' sheet is great for keeping little ones occupied!

We take plenty of drinks, try to sit near a charger if we can and listen to music on the train to pass the time.
A pack of cards is a small item to take which can provide entertainment on a train trip.
Sometimes we write a list of things to spot on the train and then play against each other to cross everything off as we see it out of the train window.

Travelling with my children is hard work if your not prepared and organised. I always make sure our train tickets are purchased before hand so no messing around at the station. We have a back pack packed with drinks, snacks , first aid kit, wipes ,tissues, hand gel and games for the children to play on the journey. As children can get rest less. Also have booked sweets for the journey.

Make sure I check if the station has a lift beforehand to avoid getting caught on my own with a buggy at the bottom of lots of stairs! Pack lots of snacks and try and get a seat near a plug so that I can plug in my iPad and whack on In The Night Garden in emergencies.

Snacks and drinks for the journey, something to read or do and reserved seats if possible to avoid the worry of not getting seats together - or at all!

Do you research the stations that are on your journey beforehand so you can tell your DC’s fun facts about them?
I tend to see if they are accessible so that I can prep accordingly and mentally prepare my toddler.

Do you use mobile tickets?
Yes, brilliant as it’s such a faff going to buy at station.

Perhaps you pack a great picnic full of their favourite foods to keep everyone happy?
Dry snack food- nothing messy and plenty of water and variety.

Maybe you pack fun, entertaining games to play on the journey?
Colouring books and tablets!

Or do you keep them distracted by talking about all the things you’re going to get up to you on your day out?
Yes we do tend to chat or play I spy etc.

With train journeys it’s good to get a table seat near the loo and get on the train in plenty of time to stow everything in overhead racks. Having a few layers is good in case children seem up for a snooze.

My toddler loves trains, he could happily travel all day long, doesn't need anything else.enjoys every second.

Take plenty of food and drinks, a magazine for each child (toddler age pand above), playing cards. Spare clothes and travel potty if only recently toilet trained

We always take a packed lunch, books for kids old enough to read, and mp3 players with headphones for people not old enough. Audio books or favourite music makes the time pass quickly.

I would say my worst problem on train journeys is toilet trips. The ones on the train are often dirty and disgusting, especially late at night. And it's so hard to find toilets at many London stations. It makes travelling with young ones very stressful at times. I'd love to see better, cleaner facilities both in stations and on the trains, please.

Buy a family travel card. It easily paid for itself on the first journey up north

Book seats - preferably with a table. Much easier to lay out toys for the little one.

sticker book.
picnic is essential and a much loved part of the journey.
making sure you can get a four seat round a table.
looking our thw window and the scenery.the hills.the animal.they love it.so try and make sure you've got a ajourney that take you through places you can have things to look at not just grey city buildings.
if you have an anxious traveler get a print out map.print out a little train icon and track the journey as you go with them.

Always have emergency snacks and activities on hand ready to pull out when needed!

I go by train a lot. When they were toddlers I spent a lot of time in the vestibules letting them jump up and down (and taking them there if they had a huge strop, so other passengers weren't disturbed!)

Long distance is easy - get to the platform early so you can get on at a terminus or at least be in the right part of the platform. Leave buggies in the vestibule and just take a small bag plus child to your seat.

Short distance - try to avoid rush hour, and it's worth getting a toddler out of a buggy even for 5 minutes.

We often visit museums and historical landmarks via train. We talk non stop so quiet carriage is best avoided. I usually dig out my school history to enthuse them about the castles and palaces while my husband has got the sciencey stuff covered. We also eat lots of jelly babies.

My top tip is to get a nice train picnic from M&S or similar.

I very rarely buy that kind of food normally, so it makes the journey a bit of a treat.

(I like gin and tonic in a tin, but obviously not for children)

We have activities for the train. Often sticker books! Our girls LOVE travelling on trains because I commute each day and they always want to come to work with me. We have a travel pram which folds easily for our local (very inaccessible) station.. and we have a bag with clothes and spare things (we have a baby).. then when we're on the train, we are pretty traditional, with I- spy games and such like.. oh, and snacks!

Family and friends railcard, saves so much money. Also I ask the children to take a backpack each rather than packing a suitcase so that we all have our hands free for getting on and off and for busy platforms.

Always take lots of snacks, drinks and things to do on the journey! I never tell them I've brought the ipad and keep it in reserve as a last resort! Lots of gsmes spotting things out of the window. And I would definitely research step free access if I was travelling alone with the buggy.

Takes games and books for a long journey. If travelling around London we work out which stations have the best access/least steps and plan around that.