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We've travelled a lot with our kids in the UK, but during May Half Term we embarked on our first holiday abroad with both boys. I'm an obsessive planner (and over-packer) and am all about making life as easy as possible when away with kids, so I thought I would share my top tips on what helped us when away.

We flew from Luton Airport to Rhodes for 11 nights with our boys who are 7 and 3, staying in an all inclusive hotel- perhaps the most exciting part for me was 11 whole nights of not planning, buying, cooking and clearing up meals!

PACKING / PLANNING

By far the most boring and stressful part of going away for me is the packing. We had a crazy busy few weeks in the run-up to going away, so I started packing early by getting the suitcases down from the loft and putting things in them every now and then. We were lucky that warm weather was completely AWOL here in the UK in April/May, so all our summer clothes and beach bits weren't needed here yet, meaning I could start packing them already. 

Call me lame, but I love a spreadsheet, so whenever we go away I create a packing list on a spreadsheet and can then edit and reuse different versions for other trips, ticking things off as they're packed or highlighting things I still need to get.

Resealable bags
I also keep all the ziplock bags clothes often come in now online and reuse them when packing. They're great for:

• Organising your case for easy unpacking when you get there- you can even label them with a permanent marker, so things like adaptors, cables, plasters etc, are all easily identifiable.
• Separating clothing items like pants and socks, so you can just pop them straight in a drawer.
• Keeping dirty items away from other things, like sandy beach shoes.
• Using on holiday in your bag during the day to keep track of beach things like goggles, water pistols, sunglasses etc.
  
  

Digital weighing scales
If you worry about your bags being over the allowed weight, then it's handy to invest in a portable digital weight scale as you can take it away with you to check on the way back too! We bought this one.

Laundry bag
A laundry bag (a binbag will do!) is also handy to have to keep your washing in one place while you're away. We were lucky our hotel had a laundry room, so I did a couple of loads of washing while we were away as it dries in no time in the sun.

Travel Wash
Speaking of laundry, I also took a tube of travel wash so I could do some sink washes of swimming stuff while we were away, as well as some pegs, because although there was a pull out airer on the balcony, it was a bit breezing, so stopped smaller items like socks from blowing away.

Medicines
Whilst a lot of hotels will have well-stocked pharmacies nearby, medicines can be really expensive and there's nothing worse than needing Calpol in the middle of the night and not having it to hand. I made a list of all the ones we could or would need (here's the over-packer at work again) and had them all in a medicine bag. I also bought some sachets of calpol which I took in the see-through liquid bag in my hand luggage in case we needed them when travelling. I also took pictures of the dosage instructions so I didn't have to take the boxes too.

Hotel Facebook Group
Check if your hotel has a Facebook group as it can be really handy for top tips from previous guests!

 

AT THE AIRPORT AND ON THE PLANE

Many people dread the flight, but this was generally easy both ways for us. If your kids are similar age to mine (3 and 7), then I have two words for you: tablet (with downloads) and snacks! 

We took a backpack for each of the boys, but they didn't always want to carry them as they were a bit heavy. On the way home, I saw a child with a backpack that could also be wheeled around- really liked this idea! 

Snack Boxes
One of my friends had bought craft boxes that she'd filled with snacks for her kids when they travelled, which I thought was a great idea! The boys loved the variety of snacks as well as the gimmick of having their own box in their backpack, plus they of course didn't get through it all, so it was handy to have some extra snacks the first few days of the holiday.

Wireless Headphones and Tablets
If you're going to take a tablet, then don't forget wireless headphones, so they can watch things without disturbing other passengers. And most importantly, don't forget to check their favourite games can be played offline and you've downloaded things to watch as chances are your plane won't have wifi, plus you may not be able to download shows once you're abroad due to licencing restrictions. 

Sticker Books
Stickers books are great for younger ones- I bought a Peter Rabbit 2 and Bluey one for my 3 year old as he loves them both, so they kept him well entertained. I also took some extra reusable stickers as he enjoyed sticking them on the tray table, then we could easily remove them and reuse. 

Craft Tape
Another idea for youngers ones I picked up years ago with my eldest, is craft tape. You can use it to create race tracks on the airport tray table, which they'll love helping with, plus it's super easy to clear up after as it's like masking tape so peels off easily. Take a few cars and away you go with some entertainment!

Wipe-clean drawing books
Wipe-clean drawing books are a great reusable form of entertainment- just don't forget the whiteboard pens and wipes to wipe the book clean.

LCD Drawing Pads
LCD drawing pads were popular with both kids- my youngest liked putting stickers on the screen and drawing round them, and my eldest like writing messages, playing games like noughts and crosses, as well as drawing doodles he could easily erase and start again. They were about £4 each on Amazon and a great cheap entertainment tool we'll use again.  

Activity Books
I bought some activity books for my 7 year old as he loves doing Word Games and Maths, so these were a good option so he wasn't just on his tablet the whole time, and he really enjoyed doing them.

Lucky Bags
I picked up some 'Lucky Bags' in our local Poundland, but I would recommend just wrapping up a few things yourself- it's always exciting for them to unwrap things on the flight- even if it's small toys they already own and the odd new item like a toy car or sweets.

Distinctive Luggage
We invested in new luggage in the Black Friday sales, but failed to opt for distinctive designs, so it was hard to spot them on arrival. I improvised on the way back with Batman stickers, care of my youngest! Might be worth planning this one better and getting brightly coloured ribbons or straps to make life easier.

ON HOLIDAY

ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM
If you're staying in a hotel that puts the entertainment program up on a board, make sure you take a picture of it, so you can check back when you're looking at what you want to do each day.




Refillable insulated water bottles
We took a water bottle for each of the boys as there are often places in the airport and around the hotel where you can refill them. I also bought a large metal insulated one so we always had cold water. Next time I'd definitely have them for each of us as it doesn't take long for plastic water bottles to heat up in the sun.

Chargers
With everyone's tech, there can be a lot to charge. Top tips to deal with this:

• Picture 1 shows an EU travel adapter we have that has two USBs sockets, so you can charge more than one item and don't need a separate adapter.
• Picture 2 shows a 4-gang extension lead. If you take one of these and one adapter plug for it, you can charge up to 4 UK items without the need for multiple adaptor plugs. Can be super handy for things like Gro Clocks, Night Lights, vapour plug-ins from home etc.
• Picture 3 shows a portable USB charger. These are super handy to take out with you in the day to charge different things you might have forgotten to charge the night before. I have a zip bag with different cables just in case.

Inflatables
We bought these donut rings in the hotel shop, but when I saw the exact same ones in Asda when we got home, I wish I'd bought them in advance. They don't take a lot of space in the case and as long as you have the lung power to blow them up yourself, and the patience to deflate them after, they're great to bring home and re-use! We've got a Lightning McQueen car we've re-used for nearly 5 years!

Waterproof Phone Case
If you're looking to capture some splashing fun, then make sure you invest in a waterproof phone holder. This was fab to keep my phone on me with a handy lanyard so I could wear it round my neck.

Road Trip
If you're getting a bit of a cabin fever, it's well worth looking in to hiring a car to get out and explore, it was really great value where we were and it was nice to see other parts of the island of Rhodes.

AND FINALLY...

Amongst all the tips and gadgets above, one other piece of advice I'll leave you with if you're feeling overwhelmed about travelling with kids...set expectations low and don't put too much pressure on yourself. We've had many holidays where we've found it really hard-going and let it get the better of us. Travelling with kids is hard, even for the most laid-back parents. Just remember, everyone is finding it hard, regardless of what they're portraying, or what their social media shows. Do what you can to make life easier, and remember to do what's right for you to enjoy you time together. 

I went away to an all inclusive hotel expecting my kids to come back with a whole host of new food they had tried and loved...in reality the only thing my youngest added to his food wishlist is tinned peaches, yes tinned-sodding-peaches. He ate them every day. And many meals looked like this delightful bland concoction of plain spaghetti, cheese cubes and watermelon (fruit, hooray!)

Pour yourself a glass of wine and just enjoy your food. They will eat, it just might not be the culinary delights you envisaged!

Have a great holiday if you are heading away (my inbox is always open for parental solidarity moaning while you're away, it helps to get it off your chest ;) )