Be prepared for your holiday journey

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YOU have been looking forward to your annual holiday all year, but a long drive to the coast or another holiday destination can be a daunting thought, especially if you have younger children.

Here are a few ideas which will make the journey more bearable.

First things first, make sure your children (and yourselves) are buckled up. Never let your children travel in the car without a safety restraint, however much they protest.

Make sure you pack little snacks and cold drinks in a cooler box for your children. To have to keep stopping if they are thirsty or hungry will add extra hours to your journey which you won’t want.

Pack small bite-sized foods such as cubes of cheese, cocktail sausages, meatballs, salty biscuits and dried fruit. Also small boxes of fresh fruit juices with a straw, or make up your own small plastic bottles of their preferred juice. Wet wipes and kitchen roll will come in handy for messy hands and small spills.

Pack children books, children’s music CDs or story CDs which will help to keep them entertained for at least a little while. Or play a game of who can spot something first (a horse, a certain type of vehicle, etc).

Try and plan your trip to include a few pit stops where the driver can relax for 15 minutes and take a stroll and you can all make a trip to the bathroom.

Most service stations offer clean bathroom facilities but over the holiday period, when they get the most traffic, some people tend to leave the toilets and wash basins in a mess. You could find a bathroom with no toilet paper, no hand soap and no paper towels. Be prepared and take a toiletry bag along with you holding a toilet roll, wet wipes, waterless hand cleanser, disposable nappies (if you a baby or a toddler), nappy cream, and nappy bags just in case there is nowhere to place soiled nappies.

Planning your journey beforehand can make a huge difference between a pleasant experience or an absolute nightmare.