The thought of travelling with the entire family in tow can seem pretty daunting, especially if this is the first time. Will the kids behave? Are you properly prepared? What if it doesn’t all go according to plan?

No need to worry though. Be vigilant in your preparations and it should all work out brilliantly. Unfortunately children get bored fairly easily, so if you have a long journey ahead of you then you need to be prepared to entertain them. Why not make them an activity pack? Depending on the age of your kids you can fill it with colouring or puzzle books, small travel games and treats.

Alternatively, if you have a tablet or laptop then this could be even better. Give them a game to play or a film to watch and they’ll be happily distracted. Plus, you’ll be sure that they aren’t bothering the other travellers on your flight. However, some things can’t be helped. A lot of people, particularly children, suffer from ear pain during takeoff and landing. Get ready with some hard boiled sweets and a drink. Sucking on the sweets can help the pain, as can swallowing something like sips of water.

Make sure you’re armed with snacks, as inevitably you’ll have moans of being hungry. That is, of course, unless you want to fork out for aeroplane food. It can be very pricey though, so if there’s a few of you travelling the cost can quickly add up. Most importantly, don’t let it stress you out. If you get stressed then the kids will too. The other passengers will understand that kids can be a bit louder, and if you’re keeping them entertained as quietly as possible then everyone else will be much happier than if they were running about causing chaos.