A Day Out at Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire

Jess, aged 13, writes: Yesterday, our family had a great time visiting Waddesdon Manor near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Waddesdon is only about an hour and a half drive away from London, and we drove through picturesque countryside on the way. The Manor is a French Renaissance-style chateau built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild in 1874, and is utterly magnificent. It really is unlike any house you would generally find in England, and the inside looks just as good (if not even better) as the outside. Normally, the entire house is open to visitors, but it has been specially done up for the holiday season.

[caption id="attachment_2097" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Waddesdon Manor looks amazing from the outside[/caption]

Robert, who is 10, says: As it is December (the month of many festivals), all the rooms and exhibitions in the parts of the Manor open to the public were on the topic of light and legends. We learnt about the Greek and Roman gods of the sun and moon, about all the celebrations going on around that time like Diwali or Chanukah and beautiful things like the Northern Lights. All the rooms were beautifully decorated. They connected to the topic of the room and contained amazing artefacts such as detailed crockery, jewels and swords. There were also some amazing paintings.

[caption id="attachment_2098" align="alignnone" width="1200"] We loved exploring the Manor: seeing the brilliant artwork, learning about different religions and seeing important rooms in the house[/caption]

I especially loved the section on Peter Pan as it had a model of London in a bathtub with the children and Peter flying above. I also really liked the exit staircase which showed how light was important to Buddhism. The whole thing was really well made; there wasn’t too much writing about each room so everyone could understand everything, and there was a perfect contrast between the objects on light and things from the actual house. I loved it.

Jess: Although mum and I would have liked more information about the actual house (we may have to go back another time), there were lots of volunteers available to answer any of our questions. Everyone was kind and friendly, which made our experience really pleasant and interesting. 

[caption id="attachment_2099" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Scrumptious apple and parsnip soup - lunch was amazing![/caption]

After looking around the house, it was time for another highly anticipated part of the day - lunch! There are a few places to eat in Waddesdon Manor, and we went to the restaurant. It was very posh food, so I was really excited to try it. I ordered a fizzy rose drink, apple and parsnip soup, salmon with potatoes, sauce, and vegetables, Christmas pudding, and sorbet. It was a very indulgent lunch, and it was absolutely delicious! There was a lot of choice, and the chefs were able to change their recipes to ensure that Robert (who has lots of allergies) could still eat them. This was lovely. There are also other places to eat, where you can buy burgers or sandwiches.

[caption id="attachment_2100" align="alignnone" width="1200"] In front of the Manor's stables[/caption]

Next, we took a walk around the site, which is over 2,000 acres, and went down a lovely path to the Stables, where there were lots of Christmas activities (such as bauble decorating) taking place. We took time to admire the Manor and the countryside, and I know it must have looked magnificent in sunnier weather. If we had stayed longer, we could have seen winter lights illuminating the Manor, which would have been really nice, as there is a light show, Transformation, projected on the front of the House.

[caption id="attachment_2103" align="alignnone" width="778"] The wonderful Peter Pan scene in a bathtub! (©National Trust Waddesdon Manor, Mike Fear)[/caption]

Robert: The two shops in Waddesdon Manor, one in the house the other in the stables, were both packed with brilliant souvenirs. As well as postcards and notepads were Christmas decorations, books, toys and sweets. At the end I came away with a squishy dog toy while Jess brought some pear drops. On top of that there was an adventure playground (for years nine and under) plus a power house. This was where all the electricity used to be generated and now shows videos of different art and light experiments at Waddesdon Manor over the years.

Jess: In conclusion, we had a fantastic day visiting Waddesdon Manor. It was great to get away from the city and into the countryside, and I loved looking around the house and seeing the brilliant pieces of art inside. The food was delicious, the house was really well done, everyone was friendly, and there was a lot to see and do. What a brilliant way to round off 2015!

An adult ticket to Waddesdon Manor is £16.20, and a child ticket is £8.10. A family ticket is £40.50, and for full details on prices, please click here. We were given free tickets and a complimentary lunch to write about the Manor, but all views and opinions are our own. A two course Christmas lunch costs £21.50.

Sarah says: If you're looking for someone lovely to go over the Christmas holidays, or the next few weeks, Waddesdon is open every Friday, Saturday & Sunday from 20th November to 3rd January (not Christmas Day and Boxing day), with the decorated rooms in the House and the Gardens, shops and wine cellars open later until 7pm. Waddesdon is therefore open on Sunday 27th, Monday 28th and Tuesday 29th December and we'd definitely recommend a trip!

Looking slightly further ahead, the gardens, woodland playground, shop and Stables Café are open at weekends only from 9 January – 20 March inclusive and throughout half term 13-21 February. Both House and gardens reopen for the new season from Wed 23 March 2016.

More by us:

Travelling Times: Our Top Places to visit in 2015

Fulfilling a dream by Skydiving

Travelling Times: Our Top Places to visit in 2015

Welcome to the third annual Family Travel Times Travel Awards! Once again, we have been lucky enough to visit some brilliant places, but which ones were our favourites? Welcome to the 2015 award ceremony and our top places to visit…

Best in London

Jess: We absolutely loved going to the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London, as it was so cool and unlike anything we had ever done before. The Ceremony of the Keys is the world's oldest military ceremony at over 700 years of age, and also one of the shortest (the actual ceremony is only seven minutes long). We booked tickets online at only £1, and turned up at 9:30pm to be taken around by a beefeater. After an explanation about what was going to happen, soldiers came and started locking up the gates, accompanied by the Chief Yeoman Warder, who was dressed in red, holding the Queen’s Keys and a lantern with a single candle in it. It was so exciting to see the soldiers marching, talking ("Halt, who comes there?"), and playing instruments in unison, and I really felt as though we had been transported back in time. I definitely recommend it to anyone in London. Read more about it here.

[caption id="attachment_2065" align="alignnone" width="1200"] We loved our chocolate tour around London. The food was (obviously) delicious, and we also saw some very unique toilets![/caption]

Unsurprisingly, our family loves food, and this year, we found some fantastic new places to eat in the city. Mum and I also adored the Chocolate Walking Tour around Soho, where we ate loooads of delicious chocolate, went to loads of interesting restaurants (including the strangest toilets we've ever seen), and went home absolutely stuffed. Robert also wants to mention Shrek’s Adventure London, which he adored.

Best Day Out

[caption id="attachment_1039" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Robert with a machine in Block B at Bletchley Park[/caption]

Jess: We spent a full day visiting Bletchley Park (the home of World War II's code-breakers) in Milton Keynes, and we could have spent longer! It was fascinating to see machines such as the Enigma in real life, and I loved the audio tours which took us around the massive site. Something that interested me was that many code-breakers had to learn specific languages which were not taught in Britain (such as Japanese and Italian) to find out what the codes were saying. We even saw the flashcards that they taught themselves with! We played games, interacted with machines, saw props from the Imitation Game, learnt about life during World War II, and got to see how people would have lived at Bletchley. It was an incredible and engaging day and we learnt loads - you can find out more about it here (and watch our video).

[caption id="attachment_1704" align="alignleft" width="1200"] Standing across the Meridian Line at Greenwich[/caption]

Sarah: Greenwich was a real surprise to us, as we hadn't expected there to be so much to do and to have such a great time! We loved travelling there by boat, which was really special (especially the first part with the live guide giving commentary) and also coming back on the DLR. Plus, we enjoyed the Maritime Museum (which Robert writes about below), the Observatory, the views, the food, wandering around the market and the Cutty Sark, which is really great place to go with kids and with lots of interactive things to do. It might be tricky to do everything on one day, but I suppose that depends what time you leave in the morning! It's also all very walkable and you can read more about what we got up to (including a cable car ride across the Thames) here. 

[caption id="attachment_2040" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Jess tries a skydive at Airkix skydiving centre[/caption]

Robert: I have chosen Indoor Skydiving as my best day out as it was probably the most unique and exciting activity I've ever done. For me nothing could top spinning around above a giant fan and flying up several metres, then plummeting down without ever touching the ground. It felt like you were in a totally different world where you could fly. When you first get in it's quite overwhelming but after that I had a brilliant time as it felt like you could actually fly. I loved it and could've done it over and over again.

Best View

[caption id="attachment_2079" align="alignnone" width="1200"] We loved the view of the sea and Spinalonga in Crete (left) and of London in Greenwich (right)[/caption]

Sarah: We arrived in Crete very late at night so we didn't spot this glorious view until the morning, when Jess ran into our room and ordered us to open the curtains at our hotel, the Domes of Elounda. When I did so, I had to catch a breath - the view was so utterly magnificent. To put it simply, the sky was the most gorgeous blue, and stretched and stretched out in front of us. And there too was the island of Spinalonga, which has its own, moving history (it was a leper colony until the 1950s). Honestly I don't think I've ever seen a more breathtaking vista. Simply glorious.

Robert: After we left the Royal Observatory in Greenwich we were at the top of a large grassy hill and in front of us was one of the most amazing views I have ever seen. You could see so much of London and it just took my breath away.

Best Overall Holiday

[caption id="attachment_2067" align="alignnone" width="1200"] It was so cool to see iconic sights such as the White House in Washington DC[/caption]

Jess: There are two holidays that I just can't choose between this year! I adored visiting Washington DC for three days over October half term - it was very busy, but everything was so brilliant and we absolutely loved it. The museums are all incredible, but our favourites have to be the Newseum (post coming soon) and the Spy Museum, which is our new favourite museum ever! We took a tour bus around the city to see all the iconic sights and monuments, and visited the National Archives Museum to see original copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. The city is perfect for families and we loved it.

[caption id="attachment_2062" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The gorgeous view of Lincoln Cathedral from the top of Lincoln Castle[/caption]

My other favourite holiday was a road trip around the UK, where we visited Lincoln, Nottingham, and Leicester. Lincoln is probably my new favourite city in the UK, because it's small, beautiful, and so historical. There are lots of sweet, fudge, and tea shops, and it contains the UK's third largest Cathedral and a stunning castle. Nottingham was fantastic as we spent lots of time outdoors - we went on segways, cycled around the forest, went to Go Ape, went on a Robin Hood walking tour, went to lots of museums, played so many video games, and had the best burgers we'd ever eaten! We loved visiting the King Richard III Visitor Centre and the National Space Centre in Leicester, and had such an unexpectedly fun and exciting holiday.

[caption id="attachment_2063" align="alignnone" width="1200"] We adored our holiday to Domes of Elounda in Crete, especially learning about Minoan culture![/caption]

Robert: My best overall holiday had got to be Crete (coming soon on the blog, but you can read about our trip to Knossos here), it was just so nice to relax on the beach with a cold drink in your hand and shaded from the hot sun as well as going swimming in the sea and the pools. I had an amazing time going water-skiing for the first time ever and had a tiring but extremely fun kayaking trip with dad. It was fascinating walking around the ancient temple of Knossos and I loved exploring the Island of Spinalonga. There were so many things to do but also loads of time to just relax and that's why it was my favourite holiday of 2015.

Best Museum

[caption id="attachment_1982" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Killer lipstick courtesy of the KGB at the International Spy Museum in DC[/caption]

Sarah says: The Spy Museum in Washington was absolutely fantastic. We have been to a lot of museums in our time, but it has to be the best. It's just such a brilliant concept, the layout is terrific and there's so much there, but somehow it's not overwhelming. I loved getting a spy identity, finding out about spies from history (including the famous actress Marlene Dietrich!) and all the interactive exhibits. But I think I was most blown away by the exhibits which really had existed, used in the Cold War and before, from a pipe which could kill, to the shoes with hearing equipment in them. This is a must-do in Washington DC. Read Jess's review for more...

[caption id="attachment_1625" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Robert loved going to the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich[/caption]

Robert says: My favourite museum of the year was the brilliant Royal Maritime Museum in Greenwich as it had some amazing objects, a superb show that involved the audience and a giant interactive map. What more could you want? There were boats and machines that helped famous voyages and some extraordinary rooms that displayed things like the clothes which Admiral Nelson was wearing when he died. The show, Against Captain's Orders was a hilarious performance that needed the crowd to go on a big adventure and do different things to get out of the bad situation. I loved everything about the place and had a great time.

Best Place to Stay

[caption id="attachment_1648" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Our large and luxurious cabin at The Sherwood Hideaway in Sherwood Forest, Nottingham.[/caption]

Jess: We have stayed at some fabulous hotels in 2015, but I have three favourites. We all loved our cabin at The Sherwood Hideaway in Nottingham, which was in the middle of Sherwood Forest. Our cabin was spacious, had Molten Brown products, and even contained a hot tub! It was lovely and peaceful, and there was even a net outside to play badminton. Obviously, we adored Domes of Elounda in Crete (post coming soon), due to its sunny location, kind staff, luxurious atmosphere, incredible food, and the fact that there was so much to do. We also loved our visit to the Spread Eagle Hotel and Spa in Midhurst, West Sussex. The food was delicious, the hotel was full of history, and the local area was absolutely lovely! We loved swimming in the pool and having a delightful walk in the local area.

Best Ride

Robert: As you might know I love rides and as usual there was a hard decision to make as I needed to pick my best ride of 2015. The first of the two that I have selected is The London Rib Experience as it is so amazing to rush through your city with water spraying in your hair while the vehicle that you are on is tilting on its side. As well as that crazy section of the trip when the boat is jumping and twisting unexpectedly (my favourite part) there was also a detailed tour of London where your guide explained to you about the buildings we saw and some amazing facts about them plus a piece of the experience where you just sat back and relaxed. It was fun, action-packed and I learnt loads from it.

[caption id="attachment_1771" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Preparing for a Rib Boat experience on the River Thames...[/caption]

The other ride that I have chosen as my favourite was the amazing simulator at the Air and Space museum. After you learnt how to steer the plane and shoot at the enemy you were put into a small capsule with a screen in front of you. After that, you controlled the plane and what happened on it, so you could just spin around if you wanted to. You could go upside down and tilt completely on your side so it was really cool. It was quite hard to shoot the enemy planes so I stopped after a few minutes and just had fun, It was brilliant!

Best Beach

[caption id="attachment_2074" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The beach at Domes of Elounda was gorgeous, sunny, and quiet.[/caption]

Sarah: The beach at our hotel at Domes was not your usual affair. It didn't roll on for miles, nor was it full of stalls. Instead, it was discreet, gorgeous, perfect for relaxing - a real treat.
The beach was in the midst of olive trees, situated next to a bar (for that much needed cocktail) and with sections where you could lie and roast in the sun or be a little cooler if you so desired. The staff were incredibly attentive, there were more than enough sunbeds, and if you fancied a dip, you just had to walk a few metres and you were in the warmest, most welcoming sea. In fact, I wish I was there right now...

Best Hidden Gem

Sarah: Southwell Workhouse is a place with a fascinating and very sad history. It's also very nicely done, offering all visitors an audio tour where you can find out about the people who had to come here, near Nottingham, as there were no other options. Children were separated from their parents aged only 7 - it was very sobering to find that out - you can read more about it in this piece.

[caption id="attachment_1652" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The Victorian Workhouse in Southwell was the base for workhouses all across the country, and our visit was fascinating and moving.[/caption]

The other gem I would recommend was also in Nottinghamshire and was the National Holocaust Museum. It was also an extremely moving place, very well done and very informative. It's really good for children and definitely worth visiting if you're anywhere nearby. Follow the link above to read the children's post on our visit.

Worthy runner-up: Backstage at the National Theatre.

[caption id="attachment_1169" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Weald and Download was a very interesting an unique museum which we really enjoyed[/caption]

Jess: I thought that Weald and Downland, and open air museum in West Sussex, was brilliant and so interesting. It is a museum that doesn’t just look at how people lived throughout history, it uses buildings and building practises to show how accommodation and life has changed. The site contains over 50 British buildings from most time periods. These buildings would have been demolished if it were not for the museum, and have all been restorated to look how they would have been hundreds of years ago. I really recommend a visit as it was so unique and interesting.

Best Food

Jess: We really love the Cereal Killer Cafe, which is located in Camden and Brick Lane. It sells really cool cereals from all over the world, delicious toppings, flavoured milks, pop tarts, and so much more. I love finding cereals that I've never seen before, eating them on the beds inside the cafe, and playing retro arcade games for free. It's a fabulous experience, and Robert loves it so much that I took him there again last week!

[caption id="attachment_1741" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Outside the Cereal Killer Cafe in Camden Stables[/caption]

Sarah: We have been lucky to try some delicious food this year, and I have to say that it's really hard to pick the "best" as I'm not really comparing like with like. So, I'm picking two. The first is the Topos 1910 restaurant at Domes of Elounda (a resort I seem to have mentioned a lot in this post!) It's Greek food, not too fussy, but utterly delicious, and with the most fabulous views to enjoy when you eat. If I'm honest, what I really loved was that the food was simply yummy - I have never tasted feta like I ate there, nor such flavoursome tomatoes or courgettes. Fabulous!

[caption id="attachment_2070" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The burgers from Annie's Burger Shack in Nottingham were delicious![/caption]

The other place I'm going to mention is totally different, but we all loved Annie's Burger Shack in Nottingham. It was busy and loud (but not too loud) and friendly, with a great menu containing more than 30 burgers. All could be made vegan or vegetarian and we loved it! Read our piece on Nottingham for more....

Read our Travelling Times from 2014 and 2013 and let us know your favourites too!

Fulfilling a dream by skydiving (by Robert)

[caption id="attachment_2038" align="alignnone" width="940"] Robert enjoying the dive![/caption]

Everyone has a few things that they really want to do. I’ve got three, Scuba-Diving, Skiing (I’ve done that now at the Snow Dome) and the one I most want to do - Sky Diving. Unfortunately you have to be a bit older than ten to do that extreme activity, so after looking and looking we found the next best thing: indoor skydiving.

A giant fan, an enormous tunnel and a skilled instructor is all it takes to “learn to fly”. After meeting Cameron, our instructor, we learnt all about exactly what we were going to do. As you can’t hear anything when indoor skydiving, the coach uses hand signs to tell us what we are doing wrong, so remember to follow them carefully. Then we put on our big red and blue suits, colourful goggles, a helmet and ear plugs. Do not forget to put the ear plugs on like I did, as the noise from the fan is so loud.

[caption id="attachment_2039" align="alignnone" width="940"] Jess and Brian getting ready beforehand[/caption]

Then we walked upstairs just in time to watch the last people from the group before us. We sat down on a bench and one by one were taken into the see-through wind tunnel. You can get two one minute turns or the more expensive, but longer, two, two minute turns. When jumping head first for your first go the air pressure may be a bit overwhelming and you may find it a little hard to breathe, but stick with it. The instructor - who is inside with you the whole time - puts you in the correct position before spinning you and throwing you around. In the first go you only go about three metres high unless you become a high flyer which costs £5. This means you go right up all the way to the top of the 13 metre tunnel at a whopping 165 mph.

[caption id="attachment_2040" align="alignnone" width="940"] Jess tries a skydive[/caption]

On the second way round you are more accustomed to the air rushing all around you, so everyone gets to go up high. Your instructor starts off by spinning you around really fast before zooming to the top with you. When you're there, you feel so high up and it was breathtaking before you plummeted down. Do not worry if you are about to crash into the floor or walls as it doesn’t hurt one bit and the instructor will help you.

You cannot take any loose belongings in the tunnel so that means no pictures or videos unless someone who isn’t flying takes pictures in the viewing area.

Our coach, Cameron, was extremely nice and told lots of jokes. Sometimes when you were skydiving he would spin you around like you were doing a somersault in mid air. He also performed an amazing sky diving routine when we had all finished.

[caption id="attachment_2041" align="alignnone" width="940"] Flying![/caption]

I loved every bit and I wished it could’ve gone on for longer. Now I need to find some new things I really want to do!

Robert, Jess and Brian tried out Airkix Indoor Skydiving at Milton Keynes, where Robert was offered a discounted media rate. The experience is suitable for all ages, and can also be given as a gift, via vouchers. Airkix have three tunnels, in Milton Keynes, Manchester and Basingstoke. The Kix-Start experience is the basic introductory one (done by Brian and Jess, although Robert flew for longer!) and includes two flights, from £29.99 per person. Children can also try out a Superhero Kix-Start - and be kitted out with a Superman, Batman or Supergirl flying suit. From £49.99.

Read about our trip to the Snowdome - where the kids tried skiing and sledging.

The Air and Space Museum, Washington DC (by Robert)

[caption id="attachment_2021" align="alignnone" width="940"] After an enjoyable ride on the interactive simulator![/caption]

I love outer space, I think that it’s fascinating learning about the planets and galaxies beyond earth, so I greatly enjoy visiting places about that topic. You might recall me going to Space Camp in Florida or exploring the National Space Centre in Leicester, both of which I really enjoyed. So I was thrilled when I heard we were going to the Air and Space museum when we went to Washington D.C. Although we didn’t spend a whole day there we were there for quite a few hours and I saw and did so much. Here are some of the reasons why I liked it so much.

As you go in you are surrounded by hundreds of different aircrafts, some dangling from the ceiling, while others are displayed on the ground. We all had no idea what to look at so we just picked the nearest plane and read the explanation. Some of the vehicles had the most amazing stories and I especially loved looking at the various machines used for space missions. There were loads of exhibitions on so many different things and I barely sunk my teeth into the majority of them, but I loved the ones I did see.

[caption id="attachment_2022" align="alignnone" width="940"] It was fascinating finding out about the oldest planes and the Wright Brothers[/caption]

One of my favourites was a room about the Wright Brothers it explained all the ideas behind their revolutionary machine, explained the preparation leading up to the first proper flight and displayed the real plane that was created by Orville and Wilbur all those years ago. I also loved the exhibition on planets and enjoyed a room full of scientific interactive activities. I was amazed by seeing the Spirit of St Louis which was the first aircraft to fly across the Atlantic, and loved going inside a replica of one of NASA’S rockets.

[caption id="attachment_2023" align="alignnone" width="940"] Jess standing next to the Spirit of St Louis, the first plane flown across the Atlantic, by Charles Lindbergh[/caption]

The IMAX cinema is great, there’s a large variety of films on different topics but be careful as they might not be showing the film you want to see again on the day you go. I saw a brilliant movie about how NASA are planning on sending astronauts to other planets in the Milky Way like Mars and how the rocket will work. Also in the giant IMAX theatre Jess watched a film all about dark matter that she really enjoyed.

[kad_youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW13vZlCLtM" width=200 height=100 ]

There are two simulators to try out, they do cost money but they are great. There are two to choose from - one where you watch a film and are moved about or another (which I went on) where you controlled the aircraft. It was the best simulator I had ever been on as you could literally spin upside down at any moment just dangling from the ceiling or be tilting down on your side. It is a bit complicated to shoot the other planes so I just enjoyed steering my plane. It is a bit scary at first but BRILLIANT. You can more about what I thought about it in the soundcloud audio I made and the video above too.



Overall it was fantastic there was so much to do. I had so much fun and came away with a pair of astronaut socks and a NASA teddy bear not mentioning some space food that Jess gave me. It was a  fantastic museum and a great day out. I'd love to go back.

The Air and Space Museum is part of the Smithsonian Museums in Washington, and all are free to enter. It is located on the National Mall and is huge, so leave yourself lots of time to look around! We also bought tickets for the IMAX theatre which cost $9 per adult and $7.50 per child. You should check the timings of these and look into booking in advance if there's one you really don't want to miss. There are a number of different simulators - the interactive one costs $8 or $7 with an IMAX ticket.

Read what Robert did at Space Camp at Kennedy Space Center

And nearer to home: read about the space museum in Leicester

Plus: find out what else we did on our trip to DC.

The Best Family Travel Games to Take on Holiday

[caption id="attachment_2006" align="alignnone" width="940"] Robert playing SET[/caption]

Jess, aged 13, writes: Our family loves to play board games and we have a lot of them. We are fiercely competitive, especially with our favourite: Articulate, where Mum is almost always on the winning team! Whenever our family goes on holiday, we always make sure to bring lots of games with us - not only are they small and easy to carry around, they are so much fun and make a change from our electronic devices and books. Plus, they make for great Christmas presents! Here are our suggestions for the best family games to take on holiday...

[caption id="attachment_2007" align="alignnone" width="940"] Bananagrams[/caption]

Bananagrams

Bananagrams is a particular favourite of mine, as it involves thinking quickly and strategic planning. Although this game uses tiles (so it cannot be played on a plane), we take it on almost every holiday, as it is so much fun and extremely portable (it comes in a banana-shaped bag). The objective of the game is to form a crossword using all of your letters. You can "dump" one and put it back in the pile (but you have to pick three back up), and when someone has finished their crossword, everyone has to pick up one more until the counters run out. It gets very difficult at the end when you have to fit a Q into your otherwise-perfect crossword!

I adore this game (possibly because I am very good at it!), and recommend it to families with children aged 8+. We play it a lot, and find it really stimulating and exciting. It costs around £12.

[caption id="attachment_2008" align="alignnone" width="940"] Some of our favourite games to take on holiday with us![/caption]

Donkey

Donkey is a card game which can be played by younger members of the family, but this didn't stop me from playing it with my 13 year old friends on a plane! The objective is simple; pick a card from the person next to you and try to get a pair, but don't get the donkey card. The person with the donkey at the end of the game is the loser.

This game is perfect for all the family, and gets surprisingly tense and exciting. We have played it almost everywhere as it is small and portable, and it can be played in five minutes. It also cost us just £1 (Mum bought it from a stationery shop when were in Bristol).

Word A Round

Word A Round is my favourite game by a mile, because it is fast paced and exhilarating. There are cards with words on them, but you cannot tell where they begin and end. The object of the game is to work out what the word is before your opponents, thereby winning the card. The first person with 10 cards wins, although we often play with the whole set.

This game is probably for people aged 8+, and I cannot stress how brilliant it is. It costs between £10 and £12.

Dobble

We haven't owned Dobble for as long as the others, but think it is perfect for taking on holiday - all the cards come in a small tin. There are loads of different ways to play it, and our version is very fast paced. The cards are split between the players, and there is one in the middle. The objective is to find a symbol on your card matching the card in the middle before the other player, and the winner is the person with no cards left. I love this game as it is fun, exciting, and stimulating, albeit stressful! It has a recommended retail price of £12.99.

Set

Set is a genius and brilliant game, which our family have played a lot over the years. The objective is to create a "set" of three cards which either have similar or all different properties. For example, the cards may all be green, are each different shapes, and are all striped. This is difficult the first time you play it, but it gets progressively easier the more you play it. We all love it, as it really makes you think. It costs between £10 and £12.

I can't finish this post without recommending some other games as well. We always take Happy Families with us, and we all love a good game of UNO and Robert really likes Top Trumps (he has lots of different types). I really like Smart Egg, a puzzle which is essentially a 3D labyrinth. You have to get a stick in one side and out of the other, and it's perfect in situations where you can't really get a whole game out of your bag and costs just £5.99 from Waterstones and online.

We love all of the games in this post and play them a lot - I recommend them 100%.

More from Jess: Five Cool Places to Eat in London