Ironic though it is, travelling can be the most laborious of ways to spend your time. On the one hand, you’re not doing very much, but on the other, you’re exhausted by the heat, the boredom and the gentle rocking motion that makes it impossible to keep your eyes open.

Whether it’s the daily commute on the bus, a car ride to the campsite or up in the air, it’s difficult to know how to spend those seemingly lost hours doing nothing.

How do you make them count for something?

As adults, many of us have perfected the art of snoozing in transit. However, what do we do with the little ones who possess a masterful defiance of sleep?

Rent A Space has pulled together a few ideas for ways you can entertain your little ones while travelling.

Travel activities for during flights

Paper and Pen Games

Games using paper and pens are always a hit, from school age onwards. The best part is the rules are easy and anyone can join in from age 5. If you can write or draw, there’s a game for you. Popular paper games are:

• Squares*
• Hangman
• Noughts and crosses
• Pictionary (using your mobile phone as a timer)
• 20 questions

Card games

Everyone loves a good card trick. Dads, get practising yours before your trip so you can mesmerise the little ones after take-off.

As well as magic, you can also play. Old favourites include Snap, Solitaire (or Patience) and Go Fish. This website provides some other suggestions for card games that are suitable for young children.

Travel games

Yes, they are still a thing – our best-loved family board games in miniature. We love Connect 4 and Guess Who, but there is a vast array of others that will pass the time including Battle Ship, Chess, Ludo and even Monopoly.

Make sure that the games you pick up are suitable for your child’s age group, and keep small parts away from those under three.

iPads and tablets

As much as we may pine for simpler times before internet and mobile apps, we cannot avoid including technology. It has so much become the fabric of our existence and makes up a lot of the “dead time” between connections, on flights and in airport lounges.

An iPad or tablet gives you instant access to an entire library of books and other entertainment, and so can come to your rescue when the kids become tired and emotional.

Your youngsters will know what their favourite games are, so all you have to do is make sure they can access their apps offline when up in the air.

With great technology comes a great need for electricity, so don’t forget to pack your chargers. If you are abroad, pack electrical adaptors that work with your host country. Take a four-way plug in your luggage to avoid fights about whose phone gets to go on charge first.

Toys

The kids will be lost without their favourite toys, whether it’s a special edition Barbie doll or some action figures. You may not want to carry more luggage than necessary, but a few pieces can yield hours of entertainment: that means more quiet time for you to get on with your book (or film) in peace, so it’s worth the extra baggage.

An unlikely suggestion is playdough. Who’d have thought this messy material could find its way onto a list of holiday items? Yet it has been suggested by more than one of our research guinea pigs, so it has to be included. If you’re visiting somewhere with unusual artefacts or an interesting building, you could challenge everyone in the family to make their own version, or you could use it as a variation on Pictionary.

Language challenge

Every foreign holiday should involve a few new phrases in the host country’s language. If you’re in a restaurant or airport shop, or even on the plane, you can make use of the waiting time to practise your new language skills and so can the kids. Write down some basic phrases on cards such as “good afternoon”, “thank you” and “please.” Then everyone in the family takes one (even the adults!) and yo have to get your word into a conversation within a given time limit, whether it’s to a shop assistant, waiter or cabin crew.

We hope that’s given you some inspiration for entertaining the younger ones on holiday. Do you have any other ideas? Tweet us your ingenious travelling activities to @rent_a_space.

 

*Instructions for Squares:

Draw a series of dots on a page in a grid formation. Each person takes a turn to draw a line between two of the dots. If you make a square, write your initials in the square and have another go. Once all the squares have been formed, count it all up. The person with the most boxes is the winner.

 

Thinking of going away somewhere long term? Rent A Space can help you store your belongings, whether it’s before shipping or until you come back home.  Find out more about our storage options.