Long car trip with children

Quenastoise

There is 500 miles between us and DH's parents and 500 miles the other way between us and my parents. We have managed so far to either travel to them by plane or them coming down to visit us.

Now DH has decided that we would drive up to Scotland at the end of December and that we would go see his sister in the States next August. Both things absolutely petrify me: the trip to Scotland takes in theory 8 hours but more like 10 hours when accounting for the pit stops. I can deal with that but I fret about DS, age 6.

I just don't want to go I can see DS whinging, then DH getting annoyed with him and me in the middle getting stressed.

I am already thinking about a car DVD, snacks, drawing materials, music but I just dread the whole thing. DH is adamant he will not fly because the in-laws live in the middle of nowhere in Scotland and we don't want to be stranded at theirs with no car.

Any advice please ? Thank you

Errata

TBH - I think it's pretty unreasonable to expect a child of 6 to spend 10 hours, and more if there are holdups, in a car if the journey is for pleasure and not necessity.

skylight

Any chance of breaking up a trip like that with a motorway/travelodge stop-over? I would hate to drive that much even without the kids!

Certainly invest in a DVD car player (ensure it has the adapter to run it from the cigarette thingie). New bits like books/colouring stuff etc that he can have on the day so hopefully it will keep his interest going. With a bit of luck, being 6 he will sleep for half of it anyway so take his favourite blankets and teddy too.

Becles

My parents used to take us to France when we were children. It was a day driving from the North East down to the South coast, the ferry over, then a second day driving to our destination in France.

We used to have a tray on our knees with colouring/puzzle books, pens and pencils, travel games and small toys.

We had a frequent stops in motorway service areas with open spaces, so we could have a run around, kick a ball about, that kind of thing.

It wasn't really that bad. I'd imagine it would be easier these days with DVD players and something like a Nintendo DS or iPod to play games on.

Ms_Chocaholic

If you are still not keen to travel in the car with DS; how about you and DS travel up on the train (at least one way) and your DH drives up so at least you will have a car to use whilst you are there.

The other option would be to travel overnight, leave home at around the time that DS goes to bed and he will sleep most of the journey.

lauren_1

If you can rent a mini van or camper for the drive, when i was younger we used to do 500 mile trips back home but back then we didnt need to be restrained or confined to our booster seats, we could take our duvets and kip in the boot of the estate car and when my parents had a caravelle we had a row each to sleep on.

If you cant consider getting your ds a britax evolva 2/3 or like this http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_761847_categoryId_165554_langId_-1?cm_sp=Intelligent_Offer-_-Product_List_Zone_1-_-Blank&iozone=PLPz1

If he isn't comfortable he might not sleep.

A dvd player sounds like a good plan too

Sagz_2

I think the best solution is a roof rack

balletshoes

Quenastoise wrote: »

There is 500 miles between us and DH's parents and 500 miles the other way between us and my parents. We have managed so far to either travel to them by plane or them coming down to visit us.

Now DH has decided that we would drive up to Scotland at the end of December and that we would go see his sister in the States next August. Both things absolutely petrify me: the trip to Scotland takes in theory 8 hours but more like 10 hours when accounting for the pit stops. I can deal with that but I fret about DS, age 6.

I just don't want to go I can see DS whinging, then DH getting annoyed with him and me in the middle getting stressed.

I am already thinking about a car DVD, snacks, drawing materials, music but I just dread the whole thing. DH is adamant he will not fly because the in-laws live in the middle of nowhere in Scotland and we don't want to be stranded at theirs with no car.

Any advice please ? Thank you

It takes me 7 hours on a good day, longer if not, about 4 times a year when I drive from my home to my mum's in Scotland with my DD. We've done this journey since she was 3 years old. At 6 your son will probably nap for some of the journey. DVDs, CDs, nintendo DS if he has one, puzzles etc, all good. If your DS is moaning etc about being bored on the journey, and your OH is doing the driving, nothing to stop you getting in the back of the car with your DS and playing games etc with him.

If you really think it will take 10 hours to get from A to B, how about breaking up the journey and staying overnight in a hotel halfway there? We don't usually do this, but we are this Christmas, as I don't want to get stuck in bad weather driving up there on Christmas Eve. We're staying at a Premier Inn near Carlisle, if you book at least 21 days in advance you can get a family room for £29.

nearlyrich

It might be reasonable to fly and hire a small car, if you can get cheap flights or even train fares worth a look?

Otherwise use Premier Inn or Travelodge deals to break up the journey.

elisebutt65

Oh for heavens sake! - You worry about a 6yr old getting stressed - I think there's a lot more in life to get stressed and worried about. My Dad had to move to the far(very far) north to get job designing a rig for BP and so we all went with him - in the car!(From Bexleyheath)

My mum and Dad and 4 kids all under 6 in 1972, so you can imagine the kind of car we had back then - I think it was an old volvo hatchback and I sat in the 'boot', with nothing more to entertain us apart from 'Eye Spy' books and dot to dots! God forbid we did annoy my dad when he was driving as just used to lean back and give the nearest whinger a clip round the ear!

Aaaaah the good old days

balletshoes

Ms_Chocaholic wrote: »

The other option would be to travel overnight, leave home at around the time that DS goes to bed and he will sleep most of the journey.

My BIL does this when they are travelling up to Scotland - he comes home from work and goes to bed until about 9pm, then they all pile in the car and he drives the 6-hour journey overnight while the kids (and my sister) sleep. That just doesn't work for me I'm afraid, I still feel too sleepy to drive after about midnight.

I don't get a plane or a train to my mum's for similar reasons to your OH, they don't live anywhere near an airport and I'd spend longer travelling by those methods of transport door-to-door than I would driving there.