As high-quality services become more affordable and readily available with each passing year, more families than ever before are choosing to leave the car at home and take taxis for long-distance trips. Whether it’s the annual jaunt to the coast, a city break that means mum and dad can have a glass of wine or really anything else across the board, long-distance taxi services can be convenient, enjoyable and in many instances cheaper than alternative transport options.
However, there’s always that rather worrying matter of keeping the kids entertained and happy in general for a long-distance ride that could go on for several hours. According to the professionals at www.camberleytaxis.com, there’s really nothing quite like a temper tantrum or a bout of travel sickness to really throw a spanner in the works and do a number on family harmony. As such, it’s a good idea to be more than a little proactive when it comes to arranging and taking long-distance taxi rides, just to make sure there are no big family fallouts before you even get where you’re going.
Cab Company Choice
So, right off the bat comes the actual cab company you’ll be looking to take you where it is you want to go in the first place. It might seem like they’re all pretty much the same on the surface, but in reality the differences really are night and day from one firm to the next.
Think of it this way – the very last thing you want to face is the prospect of spending several hours in a car that’s hideously uncomfortable, cramped, stuffy, noisy, smelly and generally a complete and utter nightmare to be anywhere near. But if you’re not willing to be at least a little picky when arranging the cab in the first place, this is exactly what you might end up lumped with. You might grin and bear it ok…the kids on the other hand, perhaps not so much!
Twilight Taxis
If you can get away with it…and it’s a pretty big if to say the least…it might be worth considering organising a taxi ride during hours when your wee one will sleep the majority of the trip away in silence. It generally doesn’t cost any more to take a long-distance taxi during the night as it would during the day, with the added bonus there being far less traffic on the roads, fewer holdups and a shorter journey in general. So, if you think you can get away with deliberately tiring them out and subsequently letting them sleep the whole way, the simple advice is to go for it!
Eat and Drink Sensibly
The food and drink choices you make for yourself and for the kids in the hours and days running up to the trip will make a very big difference to the overall smoothness of the venture. The reason being that if you load your kids up with high-sugar drinks or heavy foods prior to setting off, you’ve got nobody to blame but yourself when their hyper behaviour only gives way after a couple of hours to transform into a bout of hideous motion sickness. It’s a case of making sure that what you give them is light, unlikely to hype them up too much and generally compatible with the journey you’ll be taking.
Entertainment
It’s probably safe to say that taxis aren’t the most exciting places in the world to spend hour after hour – a point that’s of even greater significance when you have the attention-span of a child. As such, it’s nothing short of a Godsend these days that anyone with a smartphone or tablet PC can load them up with a world of entertainment to keep any kids of any ages occupied for hours on end. A few movies could be all that’s needed to make the difference between pure heaven and hell – even if it means splashing out on a few new gadgets, it will be more than worth the outlay.
Added Extras
Last up, something else to consider is just how powerful the odd surprise can be here and there in the eyes of kids. They’re just about to start losing their temper at the two-hour mark when bang…you pull out some kind of treat they didn’t see coming and you effectively buy yourself at least another hour or two of blissful peace. A toy, a game, a movie or even a small sweet treat just to tide things over – a simple surprise goes a long way when whipped out at the right time.
