Help other grandparents with your travelling top tips and win a Kindle!

[Verity]

Leading escorted tour operator Leger Holidays is looking to compile a guide for grandparents travelling with their grandchildren this summer – and is asking all our Grannynet members for help with top tips!

For the person who enters the best tip, there’s even a prize – a brand new Amazon Kindle – the ebook reader which allows you to download your favourite works of fiction in an instant and for a fraction of the cost. Perfect for your summer holidays too, as you won’t have to take a stack of heavy books with you!

So if you have some useful advice which might be helpful to other grandparents going on holiday with their grandchildren this year – whether it’s to help them survive the journey, or advice on getting the right balance so everyone has a good time – please POST A REPLY TO THIS THREAD or email us at LETUSKNOW@GRANNYNET.CO.UK to enter your ideas. Closing date is midnight on 7th July 2011, after which the winner will be picked from all the entries received. You can enter as many pieces of advice as you like for more chances to win. Good luck!


Click here for more information about Leger Holidays and to view Terms & Conditions

[josimed]

1 Organisation is a priority. Always keep essentials to hand, even the best little babies can decide they are hungry in unusual circumstances.

2 Try to cover all bases. I know we all hope for warm weather when we travel but rain is also a possibility in some European countries. Take that little foldaway raincoat which is so easy to carry.

3 If your little one is still in nappies it is useful to know that sizes and absorbency can be different to the UK in some countries. Try to pack as many as possible (even though they are bulky) it is worth it.

4 If any of your granchildren have any allergies, depending on the country you are going to, try to ensure in advance the availability of gluten/wheat free products. Then at least you are prepared to take your own as required.

5 Last but not least to ensure a lovely relaxing holiday, don't forget your high factor water resistant sun block/cream especially if the children are going to swim. Also make up your own little first-aid kit, very important.

Happy holidays and if there is any time left for grandparents at the end of a very busy day don't forget to take your E Reader to read your favourite book.

by Josie Moore

[twinnana]

1. Be ready for any eventuality...take calpol and and thermometer with you ...little ones get ill without warning and a high temp can be serious.
2.A change of clothes to hand incase of accidents.
3.Selection of treats for the older 'baby'.
4.Changing mat, the ones like a square nappy... useful for changing and also for baby to lie on if in a hotel....just incase.

5.CD of nursery rhymes for the car to amuse kids while driving.
6. DVD if lucky enough to have a player in your car.




Just a thought.....I am remembering taking my 6 year old and 1 year old to Canada....i was alone.I was convinced that he plane was going to ditch in the Alantic...so I stuffed Kraft cheese slices down my bra!!!!!!I thought I could at least give my kids something to eat while in a dinghy!!!!!!!!!!

[oldfashionedgranny]

Something I did regularly with my d/d when she was tiny and we were going on a long car journey (Bath to Newcastle) to visit family - I bought lots of "pocket-money" toys and wrapped each one in tissue paper. I gave her one to open as soon as my husband started the engine. Then when the novelty wore off (!) I lobbed another one into the back of the car and so on. It worked a treat - my husband was able to cope with a 6-hour drive without being deafened - though he was slightly taken aback at the sea of tissue paper by the time we arrived! Then I simply wrapped them all back up again and did the same thing on the journey home.

[Enid]

Genious old-fashioned granny!

[clareybel]

My tips are for car journeys.

Get up and on the road very early, ie 5 a.m. The roads are quieter and in the summer its cooler. Pluck the children out of their beds and pop them in the car in their Jim Jams. (obviously having pre warned them of this exciting diversion to normality) They may even doze still for an hour or so!
Pack a "Breakfast picnic", this will be different and welcome at the first pit stop. Dont forget their clothes as they can be dressed at this stop too, great fun all wriggling around in a car.
Pack a small "flight" bag for each of them, with novelty things, small snacks etc and issue as boredom starts to set in.
Take a wet flannel in a plastic bag and small hand towel for little washes and clean ups. big supermarkets sell flannels cheaper than wipes and they do a better job. Plus if you are unfortunate and have a poorly person its much easier to clean them up! If its very hot, they can have a cold flannel each to keep their faces cool.
Have a sing a long CD handy to wack in when it becomes fractious, nothing like a good sing song to cheer everyone up and while away some time...I am the music man.....
Think about planning a "big" stop somewhere, if you are motorway driving, divert off to a town and find a park.
If you are driving to a holiday venue with a pool or beach, pack the swims seperately so you can go swimmimg if the accomodation isnt ready after your early start!

[deb123]

my top tips for traveling with grandchildren are take plenty of snacks, drinks things to keep them entertained also a big plastic container incase they get car sick and also a change of clothes and some wetwipes and i always remember paracetemol for myself as i usually get a headache from all the inevitable noise!! bless them...

[suewilly]

To all grandparents who fondly remember our own childhood travels in the 50's, 60's, 70's (or whenever) I'd say 'take off those sepia tinted specs and come up to date!'. Of course we loved playing 'I spy' or having a list of things to spot while travelling, but that's because those were pretty much our only alternatives to avoid boredom. Todays children are much more techno savvy and much more in tune with the electronic age.

My tip is to check what electronic equipment your grandchildren are used to, and ensure you have plenty of entertainment geared to this. My own 3 year od granddaughter obviously doesn't have a mobile phone but she amazes me with her ability to find photos and videos on her Dad's phone and even to be able to download mobile apps such as Dora the Explorer.

She already knows how to operate DVD players and is happy to watch short programmes and she loves to play electronic games appropriate to her age such as shape matching; jumping Dora over stepping stones to reach a prize and online painting.

We often hear complaints that children don't want to interact with 'oldies' and instead they want to be messaging friends on facebook or texting, or listening to MP3s. This is what they are used to so why try to fight it? If it makes them happy and makes travelling less of a chore then why not play along? Bring DVD's and a portable player, or a mobile with internet access, or ask them which mobile app they would like you to download for them. In fact a long bus/car/train journey could be an ideal time for the techno-phobes amongst us to ask our grandchildren to teach us how to use facebook, predictive text, play angry birds, etc.

What a brilliant way to interact with them - get them feeling superior and let them show you how things work. Then if you play or text or listen along with them you will also have something to talk to them about for the rest of your holiday.

[Cornishgirl]

Get your grandchild a cheap scrapbook and encourage them to write down what they've seen and done and maybe draw some pictures. Save a postcard, a ticket to somewhere they've visited etc. It'll give them something to look at when they get back and bring back happy memories.

[sherrill]

We have days out in London for free. With a little bit of research you can find great places. Walk along South Bank for street entertainers or the same in Covent Garden. We have water play at Somerset House and a picnic there on the tables and chairs provided. Go to Diana Memorial Gardens for fantastic playground. Corums Fields as well has an enclosed play area Natural History Museum and Science Museum went down really well. Next to try on our list is Belvedere Splash Park, Army Museum for 50 min free play session, Horniman Museum and a City Farm. I work in London so I can get to all these places on my season ticket as well. Kids love the hustle and bustle of the city. So much for even the youngest to enjoy.