What should the kids take on holiday? Here's an idea..by Jess and Robert

Our Fun Packs

It's always tricky to know what to pack to take on holiday, not least when you have children. It's particularly difficult when you have all the paraphernalia of a small child, but while you can dispense with buggies and nappy bags as the kids grow up, these get replaced with masses of toys and books. Often (as I know to my chagrin after schlepping heavy bags on train, plane and car), much of the stuff taken on trips doesn't get used. What's a parent to do?

These real-life experiences meant that luxury hotel company Original Travel's new tie-up with Sharky and George immediately caught my eye. Their aim is for children to have a great holiday experience (something we all know means that the adults are likely to have a great time too), providing what they describe as "stimulating fun and educational adventures" for your kids

They're doing this in a variety of ways (see the website for more information) and the one which attracted us was the introduction of some holiday fun packs, tailored to each individual child. Jess and Robert decided to check them out on your behalf. The bags are intended for the whole trip, not just the journey, which does indeed sound a clever idea...

Over to Jess:

Robert and I were sent some packs of our own, which were AMAZING! The packs are for ages 3-12 and even though I thought I would be too old, I wasn't.
First of all, we both took questionnaires to help the people at Original Travel and Sharky and George decide what to put in our bags. We answered questions such as our favourite colours, what we like to do outside and what our favourite TV shows/ films are. We also said where we were going on holiday this summer, so they could give us bags which were relevant to us.

Our packs arrived quickly and we really loved them. Here is what we thought...

Robert  with his pack

Jess - My pack came in a really useful bag and was full to the brim with loads to do. As I had said that I was going cycling in Austria, I was given a water bottle and a headphone splitter, which can also be used to make your phone stand up. There was loads in my bag, even a booklet that had questions about Austria on it! I absolutely can't wait to take my pack on holiday, as I adore every single thing inside it. It actually contained things which I would use.

Robert - My pack is really good! At first I thought it looked a bit babyish as there was a cuddly toy on the outside, but mum told me that you can take it off so that was okay.
Everything came in a very useful bag and it was full of lots of cool things. My bag had space scratch art decorations (I said that I was going to Nasa Space Camp!), make-your-own space gliders, t-shirt graffiti, two different slime activities, pens, water bombs, tattoos, a massive book filled with games, a notepad and EDIBLE BUGS! I can't wait to make my own slime and use the water bombs. There was also a mini booklet that had lots of activities and games to do when I am on holiday.

The contents of my pack

These packs are really helpful for going on holiday, as they include things that you wouldn't necessarily take with you on a normal trip and there are loads of wacky, out of the box ideas to fight boredom on long journeys, in your hotel room, or anywhere really! I know that it is normally really hard to decide what to bring on holiday, but with a pack like this you don't face this problem. I genuinely think that this is great for every child aged 12 or under, as they seem to put some real thought into the packs that they give you.

Families receive the fun packs up to four weeks before going on holiday because Original Travel found that most parents buy their children games and things to do before they go away. The idea is that the pack will take all that stress away, which sounds good to us.

If you would like more articles written by both me and Robert, check these out...

An Amazing Time At clueQuest By All Of Us

Travelling Times - Our "Bests" Of 2013

Disclosure: Jessica and Robert were sent the packs to try out on a complimentary basis. However, their thoughts and descriptions are, of course, entirely their own.