Traveling with children

We moved from a busy town when the youngest was 1 year old.  She travels fine in a car and doesn't get car sick.  Now we live miles from anywhere.  The car isn't a feature of our everyday lives so the younger two didn't grow up getting used to it and both get car sick.  They do local journeys to swimming/gymnastics/karate etc and are getting better.  On longer journeys we have to be prepared for car sickness.  We've never made a big thing out of it and consequently they don't make a fuss, sick, clean up, and they're okay again.  Spare clothes are permanently packed in the boot and true to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy advice, we're never without a towel.  We also have a pack of wet wipes in the glovebox, two crab buckets and a bottle of water.  The "sick buckets" as they are known serve us well, we can wash them out with the water and wipe the child and be on our way.  We are so practiced that we can rival a formula one pitstop for a clean, empty the bucket, wipe and back on our way.  I've also found a carrier bag attached to the headrest serves as a good rubbish bin.  Otherwise the car just gets covered in crisp packets and old fruit.

Two of ours with the Butlins Skyline gang

Letting them have books or electronic toys would just make them sick so they don't have them.  This makes for some interesting conversations in the car, and you have to be prepared to play 20 questions or i-spy endlessly.  The youngest didn't quite master i-spy; "I spy with my little eye something beginning with P."  After much deliberation and all of us giving up, she revealed the answer... purple turtle!

On another journey we passed a large building that we thought was a private school.  It then transpired that the middle child would like to go to a private boarding school.  We try never to be negative so told her she could if she saved up enough money, and going by her entrepreneur skills, it is is not an impossibility!

When they were younger we'd make sure they had a drink (water only), fruit, biscuits and crisps and whatever I remembered to bring.  I think water is the best drink.  If they have fruit shoots they drink them because they like the taste then we have to stop for a wee.  They will only drink water if they are thirsty.  As they are getting old, toilet stops are getting less frequent.  However, we still have the habit of asking them to go to the toilet before we set off.

On long journeys they are allowed to bring a cuddly toy, a blanket and a pillow.  They can get quite comfortable and hopefully snooze on the journey.  It can be quite surreal with the wind, rain and storms outside and a picture of tranquility and warmth on the inside of the car.  Also, I don't go around the corners fast with the children in the car so as not to make their travel sickness worse.

The eldest has an iPad, but still isn't allowed to use it as the others would watch and get travel sick.

We have taken them abroad to Spain.  They've been allowed to pack their own suitcases (well, small ones) and given a list, i.e. 1 cuddly, 1 toy, Nintendo DS etc.  On the plane they had their toys to play with during the flight.  The youngest had a tea set and I was forever being asked if I wanted a cup of tea during the flight.  They treated it like a fairground ride and I heard a "weeeee" as we took off!

On holiday in Spain