hi all im new to travelling...with kids!

Are we there yet???
Travelled Vic, SA, NT, NSW, WA with 4 kids, started a bit older than yours, though.
Talk to the children for a few days before any long days of travel so that they get used to the idea of being in the car all day. Still need to take regular breaks but it really helps them and you. Make sure that they are part of the team with thing that they can do to help.
Mum's makeup pack provides great entertainment in the back seat too. ;-)
Enjoy

thanks for that. mums make up provides fun anytime of the day...thats why i dont bother wearing much anymore LOL...
four kids seems like alot i was thinking about a third but id like to see how 2 go with travellign first.

We have 2 kids the same age and all of us love travelling together.

Best advice we can give is to get a portable DVD player for the long driving days and those activity satchels/folders that strap to the front seats and fold down into the kids' laps. Have a bunch of talking books on our iPhone too. Thanks to these, we have never had any problems in the car!

Around the camp, making them wear bright colours is very handy (just don't bother with orange as in most of Australia it just blends in!). Buckets and shovels are always good value, as long as you have enough water to wash them in later.

Our kids sleep on Thermarests on the floor of our camper trailer with decent quality sleeping bags - they've been fine down to about 0 degrees so far.

We have started birdwatching too - found the it keeps the kids interested in where they are and can be a good way of keeping them walking on bushwalks... Also shown them on maps where we have been that day, etc.

Hope you all have fun!

Tristan

we bought our camper in april this year and have three littlies, ages just 6, nearly three and just 1. we have been on a few weekend trips so far and are having a ball. there is so much to do for the kids just setting up camp and mucking around.

the grey nomads dont always appreciate the early rising and volume of the kids in a caravan park but some of them are great to chat to and are really lovely and friendly with the kids. there arent enough families out there I reckon. it seems a pity to put of getting out and enjoying the bush until we all retire.

we pack a bucket of random toys, textas and paper but mostly they play with what they find around, sticks and dirt and stuff.

the worst bit for them is the drive but theres no avoiding that.

planning your meals and snacks is vital and I am still honing my skills in that area just really think it through. I take a notebook to write down anything I think of that would have been good so I dont forget when I get home.

in the end its camping not rocket science so just have a get out there and you will have a great time!

whats ya face book name ....... couple of tricks we have learnt, probally the hard way.....
If you have a LONG drive ahead of you, keep them up late, they mostly are excited so it aint hard, and do as MANY Klms as you can in the first hit, the kids will last about 750k in 1 hit and then just are OVER it big time, they will sleep for the first few hours and if you can go without stopping you can cover big klms .........
Buy a good twin DVD players set for them to watch, worth every cent......

hey joe and mel...facebook name is just mine Alarna Case.
we met a really nice couiple when were on a weekend trip without the kids, who HAD kids just a bit older then ours, but same age gap. iut waws really inviting to see another family out and camping.
love to hear about your adventured iuf you have the time evryone...where youve been etc. its good to see there are people on here with youg kids

We are about to travel around the whole country eith our 3 kids. We leave in 2 weeks time.

We just got our car dvd player, its also got 300 games which I think is going to be great on long hauls. We are going to try and do 4-5 hours between stops so hopefully they will be ok with the driving.

Good luck, you will have an amazing time as a family.

Hi Alarna My children have all been camping on long haul drives since they were 1mth old (as we lived in a remote locatation!). They are now 7, 5 & 3 and in the first few years a bag of toy goodies did wonders for both in the car and when at camp site. I'm sorry, we feel that kids watch enough stuff at home and trips are good family time so we don't have a car dvd player much to the older ones discust but once out there, there is no complaints. In the past some new toys and books were purchased and ones they could get dirty. As they've got older we realised on our last trip that the toys weren't really played with at all probably once over the week. We found that showing them stuff around the camp site and driving is becoming more interesting and that you can have some pretty good talks about all sorts of bush and animal life. However, a cricket bat and tennis ball and even a rope comes in handy for games. A good assortment of treats does wonders and having jobs eg, help get the bedding out, get sticks for the fire, dry the dishes, put the chairs somewhere, giving them something to do makes them feel important! Sometimes trips can be a bit stressed but you need to take a big breath and know that you will get though all the whinging turmoil and have a good time. We also have a camping list with everything on it and I mean everything from toilet paper to a shovel to matches to herbs because there is always something left behind so a propler list and depending on the trip when you are going over your list will depend on whether you need to take eg crab pots. My last point as I have plenty is don't stress about clothes about 8 days of changes is all that is needed for the kids, a good pair of boots and thongs and a really good jumper and thermals to keep warm at night (I buy mine from Kathmandu) and all the normal stuff eg, shorts, shirts, undies, socks, togs, pjs, trackies and a pair of jeans. I hope this helps a little. PS Remember don't stress everyone does things differently just do what suits you and your family, just take it as it comes and have fun!

Hi there Guys we are from Whyalla Just left for our trip today.
We have 3 kids 6,4,2.5
We are both 30
Driving a 96 Pajero towing a camper we are free for 6 months on the road heading north to get warm.
Matthewandbelinda@gmail.com is our email address..
We would love to run into other families like us..