Derval O'Rourke: My top tips for travelling with kids plus a granola bar recipe to bring along

"Every child is different and you know your child best, so having a think about what makes them feel content and happy is worth doing. What will entertain them and what will they need to keep them somewhat relaxed?"

Derval O'Rourke - family travel

There seems to be a funny phenomenon lately in my family where whenever we go on holiday, be it a night away or something longer, one of my kids will feel sick or someone will have a meltdown. Going on holidays or taking any kind of mini-break is supposed to help you reset and relax but it can sometimes feel the opposite. This week I will be sharing with you some of my favourite travel tips whether you are planning a short staycation or a longer trip abroad as well as a delicious recipe for Chewy Granola Bars, the perfect travel snack.

Over the last couple of years, I have found a few different elements that have helped us have an overall smoother holiday experience. From my experience, a good thing to get a handle on is figuring out whether your child is suffering from motion-induced travel sickness. Motion-induced sickness happens when there is a major difference between what our eyes are looking at and what our inner ears sense. Typically this happens when you are in a fast-moving vehicle like a car, bus or train where your eyes recognise that you are travelling very quickly, but the inner ear senses that you’re sitting down and therefore confusion happens causing motion sickness. It’s a good idea to chat to a doctor if there is something you are specifically worried about before a big trip.