Off On A Family Caravan Holiday?

Family caravan holidays are great fun for everyone – adults and children alike!

Providing the opportunity to spend quality time together, making priceless memories that will be treasured for many more years to come, caravan holidays are relaxing, fun-filled, and nostalgic.

While you are enjoying the peaceful surroundings of our tranquil holiday parks, the younger members of your family can explore the park, play games, and run off some of that endless energy!

Many of Allens Caravans’ holiday parks have dedicated children’s play areas where the little ones will stay entertained for hours! Alternatively, some of our parks like Sunbeach in North Wales also have an onsite swimming pool. Whether you prefer splashing about in the pool, swimming laps, or lounging poolside, this is perfect for the whole family!

However, before you begin your holiday with us, you must pack the car and prepare for what could be a long journey to your home away from home – with the kids in tow. Young children and long car journeys are often a recipe for disaster, and bored children regularly lead to upset, arguments, and even fights among siblings.

To help everyone get through this initial holiday hurdle intact, we have put together some of our top tips to help you have the best possible start to your Allens Caravans family getaway!

What to Pack

While the specifics of what you need to pack will depend on a number of factors like who is coming, the season and weather, and what is included with your caravan, it’s important to be prepared.

Here is a quick guide to the essentials:

• Clothes, jackets, and shoes for the family. Don’t forget your swimwear if you’re heading to one of our parks with a pool! Similarly, additional outfits for accident-prone youngsters are probably a sensible idea
• Toiletries and a first aid kit, just in case. Don’t forget to pack the sun cream if the weather is going to be good, and let’s be honest, even if it’s not expected because you never can tell here in the UK!
• Food essentials – especially if you plan to do a lot of cooking in your caravan. Snacks are always important, too!
• Tech like phones, cameras, e-readers, tablets or laptops and, most importantly, chargers
• Entertainment – books, comics, colouring books and pens, toys, etc
• Baby or toddler essentials like changing equipment, a travel cot, cuddly toys, and so on
• Outdoor games and toys like balls, a frisbee, and a bucket and spade for the beach

Of course, this is just a short guideline to help you get started. You can check out our more comprehensive caravan packing checklist here.

What to Bring in the Car

While most of your holiday essentials will be safely stowed away in the back of the car, there are a number of necessities that you will need to keep close to hand – just in case.

This includes:

• Bottles of water to keep everyone hydrated
• Snacks like crisps, cereal bars, and mints or boiled sweets to keep hunger at bay
• Tissues
• Hand sanitiser or wet wipes
• A bag for rubbish to keep the car tidy
• Activities to keep the kids busy, like books, notepads, comics, or small toys
• A playlist filled with all your favorite tunes!

Family-Friendly Travel Games

Why not take the opportunity to keep the children busy while enjoying some quality family time together? Long car journeys are the perfect opportunity to bond with your little ones, and what better way to achieve this than with some fun family in-car games?

Here are a few of our favourite family-friendly travel games:

• I Spy – “I spy with my little eye…”
• Spotting Game – whether it’s animals, coloured cars, or branded lorry trailers, there are endless opportunities of this classic travel game to explore. If you’re feeling particularly prepared, why not make a bespoke list for the children to fill out as they spot things?
• I Went to the Shop – a simple yet fun memory game, everyone can get involved as the shopping list grows longer and longer!
• 20 Questions – one person thinks of a person, place or object, and the rest of the car must take turns asking yes/no questions to try and guess the right answer

Handy Tips

In addition to the above points of what to pack and what games to play, it’s also worth considering a few extra tips and tricks to try your best to guarantee a hassle-free start to your family holiday.

If things are starting to get a little too heated in the car, it might be a wise idea to stop partway through your journey. This will give everyone the chance to stretch their legs and cool off, hopefully improving the mood once your journey resumes once again. Just make sure that you stop in a safe place like a layby or motorway service station to ensure everyone stays out of harm’s way!

Car sickness is another common car-based complaint in young children. If your child is prone to suffering from bouts of car sickness, it’s important to stay prepared – especially if you know that you have a long journey ahead of you or you are planning to travel a lot during your getaway. If your child mentions that they are beginning to feel unwell, open the window for some fresh air and suggest that they try to focus on something far away, near the horizon. They may also benefit from some water and a small piece of plain food, like a dry cracker, to help settle their stomach.

Look Ahead to the Holiday

Of course, it’s always worth remembering that the journey to the holiday park is just a tiny part of the break as a whole. Even if things don’t quite go to plan and you find yourself struggling to keep fractious, fed up children quiet in the car, once you arrive at your holiday destination, all will be instantly forgotten.

Book your family caravan holiday with Allens Caravans this year and start making valuable memories with your loved ones.