Travelling with kids can be a bit like shooting a herd of wild goats in your holiday. Whether they're your own or somebody else's, factoring a kid 's needs into your journeys involves a lot more than sticking on a CD full of pop songs and making toilet stops. Here two Rough Guides writers share their hard-won wisdom. First up, mum of 2 Hayley Spurway offers advice on traveling with toddlers, then Ross McGovern reveals the way he manages to travel with older kids. Hayley Spurway's tips for travelling with toddlers
Have a number of family games ready in the event of delay.
Punch-buggy and padiddle are popular, if violent, favourites for car journeys, whereas more cerebral ones like the Alphabet game are safer for aviation.
Invest in a child locator
In my experience, toddlers aren't lovers of reins, backpacks with a leash, or any infringement on their liberty. Keep tabs on them at airports, train stations and crowded attractions with a child locator. The child wears a small unit (strapped to a belt or shoe) and you keep the transmitter. In the event you lose your child set off the alert and follow the sound to locate them.
Maintain the actions coming
If you're heading out on a lengthy trip have a collection of toys to be handed out once an hour. Handheld puzzles, miniature colouring books, decals, wordsearches and even tiny packs of Plasticine will pass time on a long flight or car travel.
Use public transport
Most toddlers love the novelty of travelling by train, bus and boat, so ditch the hire car and use public transport where possible. Back in Switzerland, my two-year-old would replicate the titles of the subway stops as they had been announced - provoking ripples of laughter and making him much more excited about boarding the train each day.
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