Planning is key for starting off your holiday on the right foot. Road trips with kids can go either way. It’s best to try to make the car journey as much a part of the holiday as the destination to ensure you all arrive happy, un-frazzled and in the right mind for having fun! We have driven to Disneyland® Paris many times and found it a great way to take things at a pace that suits your family.

Make sure little ones are kitted out in comfortable, unfussy, loose and layered clothing. They should be able to add or remove a layer or two easily without unbuckling their seat belts.

Before you leave, make sure you have packed plenty of snacks. Use a cool-bag with a re-freezable freezer pack (most hotels will re-freeze this for you) and fill it with sandwiches, pre-sliced veggies and fruit, boiled eggs, pre-prepared salads, yogurt drinks, individual cheese portions and anything else you think will go down well. Also pack your choice of crackers, breakfast bars, crisps and biscuits for when only something crunchy will do. You can eat on the go or find a pretty picnic stop en route to sit down for a more civilised family lunch.

Give the kids their own easily recognisable drinks container to avoid arguments of who drank whose water. These can be topped up from a larger water container which you can keep in the boot or filled with squash/fizzy drinks purchased along the way. They can also be refilled in the Parks.

Don’t forget to take your own re-useable coffee cup to keep your own brew hot. Top these up at service stations or motorway cafes when you stop.

Road trips with kids can be made more fun by letting your kids fill their own backpack. You can advise that they choose their favourite colouring books and pens, stickers, books and small toys. Make sure you add in a clipboard or something to use as a hard surface for colouring and a few ‘secret items’ of your own for them to discover as you travel.

All kids love games which involve the grown-ups! When they start to get restless, encourage them to join in with old favourites such as I Spy, the country car number plate game, trying to name a country beginning with each letter of the alphabet, etc. Once off the ferry or the train, get them to spot the Mickey signs along the highway.

Sometimes, only electronics will do! Before you leave, download a selection of TV shows, games and movies (Disney, of course!) to help keep them focused on something new. If they’re sharing an iPad or tablet, make sure they have suitable headphones to allow them to both watch and hear at the same time.

Ensure you have charging cables with sufficient length to stretch to the back seat and spare batteries for any items which may need them.

Encourage kids to use the bathroom every time you stop, even if they say they don’t need to (otherwise they’ll need to four miles down the road!). For road trips with kids that are younger, make sure you take a travel potty seat if needed and don’t forget to pack toilet paper and plenty of wet wipes.

It’s important kids can get comfortable enough to sleep on a long car journey. Take a couple of small blankets and inflatable travel pillows which don’t take up much space. If the light bothers them, they might like the novelty of an eye mask (there are some great Disney ones available), and to reduce road noise, try ear muffs or ear plugs.

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