No more meltdowns, mess or madness! 20 simple tips for surviving long family journeys

The phrases “Are we there yet?” and “I’m hungry” provide a soundtrack whenever I travel with my six- and three-year-old daughters. No matter how far we’ve gone, there’s a constant stream of demands for snacks, games, entertainment, stories, songs … the list goes on.

Every summer, we travel to the Lake District, a seven-hour drive. And we regularly holiday in France, which involves long train, ferry and car journeys, so my husband and I have become skilled at managing these.

Keeping all ages happy – including my mum who often comes too – is by no means an easy task. Throw in delays, hot weather and travel sickness and it’s not just the kids having tantrums. So, here are my tips for surviving long trips for all ages, including those from other seasoned travellers and experts.

How to survive long family journeys

Audiobooks

My eldest daughter has used a Yoto – a small portable stereo with story cards – for years and loves it. They’re great with headphones, but you can play the cards from the car stereo too. On a holiday around the Isle of Wight a few years ago, my 77-year-old mum, the girls and I all got into listening to Enid Blyton. RG

Yoto Mini

_{£59.99 at Yoto
£60 at Argos}

Audiobooks accompany us on most long journeys with our children who are now nine and 19. The Harry Potter stories read by Stephen Fry are a firm favourite. We also enjoy The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher on the long Christmas trip to see the parents. Michael Pattinson, Buckinghamshire

Photograph: Ted Hsu/Alamy

Audible membership

_{£5.99 a month (first month free) at Audible}

Noise-cancelling headphones

There’s a limit to how many Peppa Pig episodes or annoying conference calls I – or those sitting near us on the train – want to hear on any journey, so noise-cancelling headphones are ideal if you want to block out the sound around you. Get your kids a pair of headphones, too, so they don’t disturb everyone. RG

Bose QuietComfort SC headphones
_{£189.95 at John Lewis
£189 at Amazon}

Belkin SoundForm Mini kids wireless headphones

_{£19.99 at Argos
£27.57 at Amazon}

Reusable window stickers

Reusable stickers have been my go-to for long car journeys since my girls were tiny, and they keep them entertained for hours. They stick to just about any surface and you can reuse them, unlike sticker packs, which only get one use. My girls usually stick them to the car windows but they’re also ideal for trains (just peel them off when you leave). Rebecca Macnab-Grieve, Cambridgeshire

Melissa & Doug reusable sticker pad

_{£6.49 at Hamleys
£6.49 at Amazon}

Emergency picnic box

Always have an emergency picnic with you – this could be a baguette or crackers and some picky bits that you can eat without too much mess. This is handy on long journeys and it’s also a lot cheaper than the train cafe or service station. Rachel Stirling, author and owner of The Lunchbox Mama

The Filter’s favourite cooler bag: Quechua 20L cooler backpack

_{£24.99 at Decathlon
£25 at Argos}

For more tried-and-tested picks, see our guide to the best cool boxes and bags

Travel pillows

We often consider travel pillows as something you take when flying, but they’re perfect for trains and cars (passengers only) too. They prevent you arriving at your destination with a stiff neck from naps. Andy Brooker, travel expert at Kate & Tom’s

Go Travel neck pillow for adults

_{£19.99 at Marks & Spencer
£19.99 at John Lewis}

Trunki neck pillow for kids

_{£12.99 at Boots
£12.99 at Amazon}

First aid kit

In France, it’s the law to have a first aid kit in the car, but we’ve always had one packed: someone is bound to have an accident. Keeping this somewhere handy means you can quickly grab it to tend to any bumps or scrapes. RG

St John Ambulance first aid kit

_{£14.99 at B&Q
£15.60 at Amazon}

Create a family playlist

Agree to have it on shuffle: that way you don’t get stuck listening to nursery rhymes or football podcasts for the whole journey. Who knows, you might even find some common ground in family music tastes. Georgia Dayton, co-founder of the Made by Mammas podcast

Photograph: Michael M Santiago/Getty Images

Spotify premium

_{£11.99 a month (first month free) at Spotify}

Power bank for longer-lasting tech

On a long journey you really don’t want the tech to run out of battery, meaning you can’t turn on your phone for the final directions to your destination, or a child’s tablet dies halfway through a film. A power bank will help you to avoid these situations (as long as you remember to charge it). RG

The Filter’s favourite power bank for portability: Anker Nano

_{£29.99 at Anker
£18.99 at Amazon}

For more tried-and-tested picks, see our guide to the best power banks

Seat organisers

A seat organiser that hangs over the back of the front seats is a saviour on long car journeys. It’s incredibly frustrating constantly having to turn around and pass things to kids in the back, be it snacks, games or more snacks. With these, they can reach for their own activities, food and drinks, and you don’t end up with backache and/or nausea. Zoe Hardman, co-founder of the Made by Mammas podcast

Car seat organiser

_{£4.99 at B&Q
£4.99 at eBay}

Car games

Our kids, eight and 11, are fans of the “rainbow game”, which keeps them occupied for longer than it should. They must spot a car in each colour of the rainbow while we’re driving before they can shout: “Rainbow!” Linda Winder, Oxfordshire

We’re fully fledged lorry spotters and whenever we’re on the road we have an ongoing game of who can spot the most. Pick one company at the start of the journey and whoever spots the most is the winner. The Eddie Stobarts always get the loudest cheer. Carrie Percy, London

Uno

You can’t go wrong with Uno, and it always comes with us on long journeys with our nine-year-old son. Piper Terrett, Norfolk

Uno card game

_{£7.20 at Marks & Spencer
£5.98 at Amazon}

Tablets (or other devices)

Tablets can be a godsend. We use them sparingly, downloading a few programmes and films in advance. We have one attached to the headrest, so it sits between the two front car seats and no one can control it from the back. RG

Amazon Fire 7 Kids tablet

_{£59.99 for 32GB at Amazon
£114.99 for 16GB at John Lewis}

Halfords universal tablet headrest mount

_{£7.99 at Halfords}

Podcasts

Parenting Hell is my number-one podcast to listen to while driving, or anywhere when I’m not with my children, along with Dish and The Trawl. But if you have small ears listening, The Week Junior has a great podcast, or for really small people, the CBeebies podcast. Our favourite for all members of the family, though, is BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. RG

Drive during nap time

For babies, plan your driving around their nap times where possible. Consider a mirror for rear-facing car seats so you can make eye contact and chat to them. It helps keep them calmer and reassured when they can see you. Rosey Davidson, sleep consultant, founder & CEO of Just Chill Mama

Car seat mirror

_{£12 at John Lewis}

Water bottles and travel mugs

You don’t want to buy wasteful water bottles and takeaway coffees while you’re on the move. We use our own bottles and refillable coffee cups instead. RG

KeepCup insulated reusable commuter cup

_{£31.95 at Mountain Warehouse
£33.95 at Amazon}

Ion8 leakproof water bottle

_{From £11.99 at Decathlon
£12.99 at John Lewis}

Release new toys every hour

Break up the journey with new toys, books or magazines the children haven’t seen before. These could even be old toys they’ve forgotten about rather than buying something new. We usually dish them out one an hour. Amy Baker, Hertfordshire

Don’t forget sunscreen

Sunscreen isn’t just for outside; it’s crucial when you’re travelling too, as you can still get burned through train and car windows. It’s also a good idea to reapply if you find yourself waiting on a platform or out on a ferry decking during the day. RG

Sali Hughes’ favourite sunscreen for kids: Altruist sunscreen SPF50

_{£5.25 at Victoria Health
£11.49 for two at Amazon}

Bondi Sands sunscreen lotion

_{£8.79 at Look Fantastic
£8.79 at Sephora}

For more sunscreens, see our guide to the best SPF

Portable fan

No one wants to be on a train without air conditioning on a hot day, but if you are, a portable fan will work wonders. Just make sure to charge it before your journey. RG

Handheld and foldable desk fan

_{£12 at John Lewis}

Dobble

Dobble has become one of our favourite card games: all you need is a flat surface (a train table is ideal). It’s best with four players but can be played with two. Each person takes it in turns to put a card down and try to spot a picture match with the previous card. We use the standard set but there are lots of variations (Minions, Disney, Marvel and more). It’s addictive. RG

Dobble card game.

Dobble card game

_{£9.60 at Argos
£9.60 at Amazon}

A car bin for everyone’s rubbish

If you’re spending a lot of time in the car, and your children are anything like mine, you’ll probably be constantly cleaning up crumbs, packets, half-eaten croissants or abandoned pieces of fruit. I bought a small car bin last year, which stays in the car and everyone (adults included) has to use it. RG

Halfords car bin

_{£5.99 at Halfords}

Rebecca Goodman is a journalist living in Cambridgeshire. She has two daughters, six and three, and is deep in the parenting trenches, spending most of her time cleaning up crumbs, making endless snacks, and answering to never-ending demands while writing for national newspapers. She is passionate about embracing the good (and bad) aspects of life with two children