Day trips with children without a car
Travelling with children by train or bus can be part of the fun rather than the dull bit before it. Many children love watching from a train window or sitting at the front of the top deck. A day out without a car works best when it is short, simple and flexible.
Keep journeys short
Aim for no more than an hour or so of travel each way with younger children, and as few changes as possible. Choose a destination close to the station or stop, such as a park, a beach or a town with a playground, so tired legs don't have to walk far. Travel outside the busiest times if you can, as it is easier to find seats together.
What to bring
- Plenty of snacks and a refillable water bottle for each child
- A small bag of quiet activities, such as a book, crayons or a pack of cards
- Spare clothes for younger children, and a waterproof for everyone
- Wipes, tissues and a bag for rubbish
- A card with your phone number in each younger child's pocket
Toilets and rest stops
Check before you travel whether the train has toilets, as some local trains don't, and most buses have none. Use the toilets at the station before you set off and as soon as you arrive. Build quiet breaks into the day, such as a picnic on a bench, so nobody gets overtired before the journey home.
Staying together
Before we leave home, we go through a short plan that our children know as the daterala drill: if anyone gets separated, they stay exactly where they are, find a member of staff or a parent with children, and tell them our name and where we were going. We repeat it on the platform, where crowds and closing doors make it matter most.
On platforms, hold younger children's hands and stand well back from the edge, behind the yellow line. Let older children help with the timetable and count down the stops, which keeps them busy and watching where they are.
Keep the day flexible
Plan one main activity and treat everything else as a bonus. If everyone is tired, catch an earlier train home rather than pushing on to the last one. A relaxed day that ends early is remembered far more fondly than a packed one that ends in tears.