Each month I attempt a different challenge with a green theme. This month I have been travelling around by train with a toddler and a (nearly) 4 month old baby. I've been toing and froing between London, Berkshire, North Lincolnshire and York to escape from building work that is taking over three out of the five rooms in our flat! Martin, unfortunately, can't take all of August off work so I've been going alone with the kids on most journeys.
A car can seem like the obvious choice for travelling with young children given their legendary need for paraphenalia. I've known people suddenly end a lifelong love affair with pubic transport the minute they hear the patter of tiny feet. We don't own a car but we do drive hire cars or car club ones occasionally because, well, sometimes the only other option is transforming yourself into a packhorse. I avoid driving a lot because of its environmental impacts but also because I find that plenty of journeys with young children make real sense on public transport - someone else drives while you entertain and feed the children for starters!
I've chosen the train for journeys this month because it's quicker, cheaper (compared to car club fees) and less hassle than driving out of London. That doesn't mean I wasn't a little bit nervous about how the journeys would pan out - little M reminds us she's still in her 'terrible twos' often enough and little L can be a milk munching machine and has definitely started teething - not a great recicpe for relaxing long journeys by whatever means!
I've travelled a lot by train, including with little M in tow - I think our record was the 8 hour trip from London to Aviemore - so I knew it was worth being prepared to make for a pleasant journey. My one top tip, given to me by a friend when little M first became our travelling companion, is to buy a family rail card so you can reserve seats for the whole family without being out of pocket. Technically you don't have to buy tickets for children under five years old but if you want to reserve a seat you'll need to - the railcard discount usually makes the combined fare less that the non-discounted adult fare on its own. I tend to take a car seat on pushchair wheels when I'm visiting family as they all live a short drive from the nearest train station. The car seat can wedge nicely in your reserved seat whilst the wheels get stashed in the luggage rack. I actually got ushered into the disabled spot by a kindly train conductor on our way up North this month as the train was quiet so didn't need to fold the pushchair or use my reserved seats. Our train back to London from York was packed with people heading to the Olympics for the weekend so I was glad I booked ahead.
My other tip, something I've learnt the hard way, is that careful packing is essential. Pack light! Seems obvious, I know, but it pays to be realistic about what you can comfortably carry and handle if you need to fold your pushchair. Lots of small bags can be difficult to deal with. I invested in a new 33 litre rucksack when I stopped cycling a few months before little L was born and found my laptop too awkward to carry in a satchel style bag. I love my new rucksack! I chose it with these type of trips in mind and I've impressed myself - it's brilliant. Never too heavy to be a big strain to carry but alway seems to have space to squeeze something else in! I managed to get enough kit for about three days (you never need more than this if your destination has washing facilities) for the three of us in it - not bad going I thought.
I also made sure I was self-sufficient for the journeys. If you have time to a spot of retail therapy en route, fine, but don't rely on it. Make sure you have plenty of food and entertainment - hunger and boredom don't make for good train journeys! I put my handbag full of plenty of snacks and entertainment, baby sling (essential kit for travelling!) and nappy changing gear in the bottom of the pushchair, ready to be fished out for use on the journey.
Here's a picture of me ready to set off on the longest journey - smiling but really quite stressed after both girls had last minute scream fits and a torrential downpour started just before we left the house! To find out how our journeys went come back soon - did I mention I've been travelling a lot this month (and away from the internet) so am posting our adventures from this month as quickly as I can!
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