My Top Travelling Tips For A Staycation With Kids

My Top Travelling Tips For A Staycation With Kids.

This family loves a holiday. We’re nomads at heart and enjoy nothing more than exploring new places.

We’re also huge fans of the staycation.

Sure we love to travel abroad (this Mama needs her beach time), but we also love nothing more than exploring our home turf too. Great Britain really is great thanks to our enriched British history and culture.

Last year we were so lucky to visit many wonderful UK destinations with the kids including London, Liverpool, the Yorkshire Dales and coast, Wales (Peter and Oliver spent a week there following the now infamous Passportgate debacle) and also a cheeky weekend in Bristol sans kids.

Here are a few of my favourite pics from our UK adventures – I’ve suddenly got the travel bug just looking at them!

Holidaying in the UK can be a chilled way to travel.

So I wanted to share some of the top tips for ‘staycating’ with kids to ensure your holiday really does start from the moment you shut the front door.

Everything but the kitchen sink

If you’re travelling by car, take advantage of having no baggage restrictions. You can take your kids favourite toys – perfect for preventing public tantrums.

Similarly you can pack board games to keep the whole family entertained on an evening and even your must-have pillow (you know who you are).

We need to talk about…the weather!

…and while we’re on the subject of pack, make sure you take clothes for all weather.

Remember the seasons? They definitely existed when I was kid but nowadays we seem to have a hotchpotch of weather that can go from clear blue skies one day to snow the next (that literally happened in Yorkshire last week for those who think I’m exaggerating).

Pack for every eventuality – yes even in August – wellies and waterproofs are a must, as our sunnies, tees and of course SPF. I recommend lots of layers that you can easily shed if the mercury rises and vice versa.

Let me entertain you

Long road trips can be tedious for the whole family. Plan plenty of car games – my favourites are ones that involve the whole family – like eye spy and the classic ‘number plates’ game.

Create plenty of playlists for a good ol’ family sing-a-long. Frozen for the kids, Beiber for Mum and ear plugs for Dad 😉

Make memories

Always take a camera so you can capture your adventures and start a family travel journal. Growing up I always kept a travel diary when we went away as a family and still have them today. I love nothing more than revisiting these journals and reminiscing on all the wonderful times we had.

Write, draw, scribe and doodle throughout your trip – encourage your kids to write down what they are seeing and thinking and record all those special moments in a super creative way.

Immerse your self in the culture

One of the best things about travelling abroad is immersing yourself in a foreign culture – well guess what – you can do that in the UK too.

Every region has its very own identity, traditions and landmarks. Head to Yorkshire for a start-and no trip there isn’t complete without a trip to the wonderful Wensleydale Creamery. Weekending in London? You can’t beat the hustle and bustle of the city’s famous markets too.

Buy a child locator

If you’re visiting popular tourist attractions its worth recommending in a child locator. Crowds and small kids are not a good combination but thanks to the wonders of technology you can now track your kids’ whereabouts with lightweight, wearable devices that set off a sound alarm if your child exceeds a certain distance, allowing you to track them down.

Don’t forget the baby wipes

The greatest gift to parents of toddlers everywhere. I don’t remember life without them!

What are your tips?