Travel with Kids – Little Gulliver

Loom Bands and Bananas!

I love how simple life is as a kid. When the latest craze takes hold it is all encompassing and exciting.

I started writing this post earlier in the year, when at our school the craze was all about Loom Bands and Bananas. I decided to complete the post now, because if you haven’t tried either of these activities yet, consider them – for kids travel, both are fun and easy to do.

Though the craze has waned, Loom Bands are still a great activity. You take some coloured elastic or silicone bands and 2 pencils and its fairly simple from there. I had to help my 5 year old with some of the looping, but our (then) 6 and 7 year old were fine to make them themselves. We’ve had them made in footy colours, favourite colours, crazy colours etc and have given them as gifts and even swapped them at school. (Looms are available from craft stores if you are wanting to try a trickier style bracelet). To make a basic ‘fishtale’ style, watch the video below (or google – there are heaps on You Tube).

Now, the banana thing is even better. I had vaguely read about arty folk drawing on bananas over the years but had never thought much of it – until the kids started asking me to draw on theirs. I do admire people who can draw and after I made a few attempts, the interest in mums banana creations has waned. That’s Ok, I’ll get over it.

Here’s some ideas in the Daily Mail to get you started, (although my creations are normally a ‘Princess’ or an inspirational message for the school banana, such as “don’t forget to bring your drink bottle home).” These use tooth picks, but again, there are less creative and easier ways (pen anyone)?

So, if your kids haven’t discovered either of these activities yet, try it out. Both can be lots of fun for your next long weekend and are fun activities for travel with kids too.

Awesome kids travel gear – conveniently delivered to your door. Visit us at www.LittleGulliver.com.au

A Quick Guide to Kids Carry-On Luggage

Finding the right kids luggage or suitcase is a fun challenge and driven by many factors such as the age of your child, where you’re heading and for how long. There are hard cover bags, soft cover bags, 2 wheels, 4 wheels, no wheels, shoulder straps and even handle bars!

So to help with deciding what’s the best child luggage for your family, we’ve prepared the first of our kids luggage product guides – the “Kids Carry-On Luggage Size Comparison chart”

A Quick Guide to Kids Carry-On Luggage

See the complete Little Gulliver child carry-on luggage range here

Please contact us at sales@littlegulliver.com.au for any assistance.

The Little Gulliver team

Visiting the UK with your kids

Travel and exploration is a rewarding way for children to learn about the world and different cultures. By visiting other countries, children are exposed to different food, lifestyles, environments, languages and more, and will be better equipped to accept difference and change. Taking a family holiday is a great way for you to bond with your children and is a fun and adventurous time for everyone.

The U.K. is a great place to go because many Australians have family and friends living there. Often looked over in the excitement of going on holiday are the little, but important details of getting your travel insurance, packing the perfect games for the flight and the jet lag preparation. The flights to the U.K. are long and you have to deal with jet lag, which is uncomfortable for both you and your kids. There are a few tips you can keep in mind when traveling to the U.K. to make the trip a lot easier.

Prepare

Organise and prepare for the trip as soon as possible because the longer you wait, the more expensive and stressful it becomes. Book your plane tickets, organise Budget Travel Insurance, and reserve accommodation for when you arrive. Check with the British Embassy as to whether or not you and your children require visas for your stay.

Be Ready for the Flight

If your children have never flown before, prepare them as much as possible before the big day. Explain what they can expect to experience on the plane and reassure that it will be an exciting adventure. Tell them they will get to play games, read books and watch movies in their seat. For fussy eaters, request a childrens meal to make sure there is food that they will eat. Take lots of entertainment and their favourite toy on the plane to ensure they are happy and comfortable throughout the flight.

If you have a tablet, load it with games and movies for the time during the flight where you can use electronic devices. For the times when you can’t use electronic devices, pull out plush toys for younger kids and books for older kids. Bring a bag of wipes for those sticky fingers, cleaning off the arm rests and any unexpected messes that may occur.

Consider a Stopover

Some families find it easier to travel the long distance between Europe and Australia by having a stopover in the country where you change flights. This will break up the trip and give you the opportunity to adjust to the time changes.

Dealing With Jet lag

Jet lag is a difficult thing to handle and with overly-tired children can be even more stressful. Adjust to the new time zone as soon as possible. As soon as you land, follow a normal routine for whatever time it is. If you land in the morning, then start your day; if it is night time, then go to bed. The quicker you get into the time zone the better.

Explore!

Once you have landed and settled in, go outside and explore! Take your kids to some of the U.K.’s best castles, like Framlingham Castle, Suffolk or St Mawes Castle, Cornwall. If you’re going in the summertime, take your kids to Avon Valley Country Park or Wellington Country park for a picnic and a day of outdoor exploration.

Book review – Travel with Kids

Like a lot of people we used to travel a lot before having kids. Now with children aged one and three we’ve been trying to work out the best way to holiday as a family i.e. how the kids can be happy, we can get a well deserved relaxing break, and we can have fun as a family. Not an easy thing to do. I’ve picked up a few of these books and they’ve never really got the balance right, they’re either not practical enough, or they’re so practical they take the fun out of the idea travelling with young a family.
This book gets it just right. It’s beautifully produced, which makes it a pleasure to read. The advice and guidance is full of practical stuff, but delivered in a way that’s meant to give you the inspiration and confidence to get on and book that trip.

Travel with Kids by William Gray

WILLIAM GRAY is an award-winning travel writer and photographer, specialising in family travel, wildlife and adventure. His first book Travel with Kids won the British Guild of Travel Writers Awards Best Guidebook in 2008. He lives in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds with his wife, Sally, and ten-year-old twins, Joe and Ellie.

Travel with Kids is beautifully written and photographed, but what do the readers think? Here’s some reviews from Amazon…

This definitive guide to worldwide travel with kids, from babies to teens, is available on the Little Gulliver Bookshelf. (Since becoming a mum, this has become one of my favourite books)!

The answer to my prayers?

beautiful and informative

This weighty reference is an inspirational guide, and I can see it empowering parents to travel further and more intrepidly with the little’uns. It is brim-full of ideas for the whole family and I love the suggested reads for the kids, as well as projects for the brood. The photos are gorgeous and it is a pleasure to simply leaf through and imagine….sunshine, kids contentedly gathering shells or frolicking. ‘Your Child Abroad: a travel health guide’ would be its perfect partner.

Read this book before you plan your holiday

If you want some new ideas about where to go and what to do on a family holiday this is the book for you. It is a fantastic reference book to the world and you are guaranteed to find some new ideas no matter how much you’ve travelled and whether you’re planning to stay in the UK or Europe or to venture further.

The book looks great, is wonderfully designed and easy to dip in to. It is packed with practical information making it easy to organise a holiday yourself and gives loads of top tips about places to visit and things to do. There’s also some great ideas about books to read, games to play and things that you can do with your kids to get them in the mood for your chosen destination.

I have always enjoyed travelling but since having children have sometimes felt stuck for ideas. Having bought this book I feel the world has opened up again!

buy with confidence

Highly recommend this purchase.. we always take a travel guide where ever we go however this one is really useful for deciding where to go on holiday… it provides a brief summary of the things you need to know for destinations around the world. I’ve found this useful to decide where to take our next holiday. I also think this book is useful not just for families but for any avid traveller.

Brilliant

I bought this book as I have a 1yr old and a 2 yr old and wanted to find a holiday that was good for a baby and toddler and this book was fantastic as it gave me so many options – I have booked one of the places suggested and cant wait!

A lovely, useful book

Having bought most of the books about travelling with children, I like this one the most. It is colourful, useful and interesting, providing a good mix of locations from the more local to the far flung, whilst accepting that it can’t cover everything.I love the pages of kids stuff, and there’s a good balance of the useful and fun. It’s so colourful and exciting I get enthusiastic about the travel possibilities for my family every time I open it. It’s definitely destined to be one of the books on my shelf that is slightly grubby and falling apart through so much use!!

Exhaustive and entertaining

This is a fantastic book packed with information for parents and children. If you have been daunted by taking your kids overseas then this title will tell you everything you need to know. It includes preparation before you go, health, choosing a destination surviving on the road and what to do when you are there. There are also sections for your little ones, to get them excited about the destination.

I have followed Will’s writings on family travel in Wanderlust magazine, and I couldn’t think of anyone better qualified to write this book.

Would recommend for any travelling with children

I found this a great help for planning our holiday abroad. It recommends things and places to go right up until their teens and covers the world. I will definitely be using this book for inspiration for all future family holidays.

GUIDEBOOK OF THE YEAR 2008

Travel with Kids won the 2008 Guidebook of the Year Award from the British Guild of Travel Writers.

Here are some other reviews:

A well-packaged reference book that sets the benchmark.
BRITISH GUILD OF TRAVEL WRITERS’ AWARDS

The perfect book to have to hand when planning your family’s annual holiday.
JUNIOR MAGAZINE, AUTUMN 2008

One of those rare finds: a practical family guide as well as an entertaining read.
THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2007

A treasure chest of inspiration.
OPEN ROAD MAGAZINE (HERTZ), SPRING 2008

Packed with inspiration and advice for taking your children abroad.
WANDERLUST MAGAZINE 2007

Top resource for vacationing: Travel with Kids features exotic excursions, from hanging out under a pagoda in Kathmandu to puffin-watching in Wales.
NICK JR MAGAZINE (NICKLEODEON)

From tots to teens, this book helps parents get it right for different age groups, budgets and style of travel.
MTV MAGAZINE

Travel with Kids covers trips from bucket-and-spade holidays to epic journeys. `Take your kids travelling! Take them now!’ is William Gray’s message. `Children grown up fast and you’ll never find a better, more rewarding opportunity to enrich their lives, minds and souls – or yours – than a family holiday.’
DAVID WICKERS, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING MAGAZINE, APRIL 2008

A genuine must-have for parents with itchy feet everywhere.
ANGELS & URCHINS MAGAZINE

This definitive guide to worldwide travel with kids – from babies to teens – is available on the

Little Gulliver Bookshelf.

Bookshelf on sale!

These family travel guidebooks are written by parents for parents and are able to answer lots of those questions we ask ourselves. Many fabulous destinations are covered.

britain with kids — The expert guide to great value, child-friendly destinations in England, Scotland and Wales

For a limited time we have our Bookshelf on sale.

These family travel guidebooks are written by parents for parents and are able to answer lots of those questions we ask ourselves. Many fabulous destinations are covered. They’re also beautifully presented and make great gifts for families! Take a look…Little Gulliver Bookshelf.