My Travel Surprise - A simple solution to help cope with journeys with the kids

Written by Annemarie Flanagan

We’ve all been through that chorus of ‘Are we nearly there yet?’
Holidays seem such a great idea but when stuck on a motorway or delayed at the airport with bored moaning, children we wonder why on earth we ever bothered.

One mother – who has been through it all herself - is Amanda Mitchell. Travelling on holiday she wondered how on earth she was going to amuse her two sons.
She says: ‘I spent hours looking for toys that not only would be exciting and capture their imagination whilst being strapped to a chair, but would last at least beyond take off! I realised that all families going on journeys must have the same problem.’

Shortly after her trip her new business ‘My Travel Surprise’ was born.
It’s a simple idea but one which could make all parents lives a little easier.

Sourcing the best toys available ‘My Travel Surprise’ provides small, lightweight and re-useable games and activities for children aged from about 2-10.
There are a whole range of things available including books, beads, and puzzles.

They come individually wrapped in bright packaging and can be pulled out at the crucial moment (you know when one of the kids is about to throttle the other) to throw them completely off guard.

We tested a few of the items recently on a long trip on the motorway and can vouch that the element of surprise certainly worked.

Leo (9) really enjoyed the Addict-a ball - a plastic sphere with a maze inside – the object being to get the ball round the circuit without falling off. It’s quite a challenge and tests nimbleness and patience. It might not suit all children as it can be very frustrating – but it certainly occupied Leo for a good portion of the journey.

He said: ‘It’s addictive because you just want to finish but the ball can keep getting knocked off. I enjoyed playing with it but you have to concentrate.’

Ronan (3) loved playing with the Flip-to-Win Memory Game which I thought was particularly well made and ideal for travel. It’s all on one game board with no loose pieces and everything stores together. You can play individually or with someone else. Ronan particularly liked slamming all the wooden bits down at the end when the matches had been found, it kept him busy for much of the trip. He also had a book of stickers and you can’t really go wrong with a book of stickers.

The toys that have been selected have been tried and tested by Amanda’s own boys Noah and Ben and have been chosen because they are lightweight and relatively inexpensive.

They aren’t fully wrapped – you can check the items before you travel and can also answer honestly when questioned at the airport.

Of course there is nothing to stop you sourcing, buying and wrapping toys yourself pre-holiday but doing it this way takes a little bit of the strain from you.

You can also direct aunts, uncles and grans and granddads to the site as they make great gifts.

My Travel Surprisewww.mytravelsurprise.co.uk