Taking children on holiday can be a really stressful experience, from the airport to the holiday itself. Why not use some of my tips below, as well as suggesting your own, to make the holiday more enjoyable for both you and the children.

Take a bag for each child and tell them its their travelling bag, in which they can find lots of things to do. Fill the bag with colouring books, puzzles, a travel game, their favourite toy and some sweets. Hopefully this will keep them amused until you reach your destination. If not, play some eye spy games with them - such as how many other planes can you spot out of the window, or count the number of people wearing red.

On holiday it has to be about compromise - what you want to do, as well as what the children want to do. Chat to them and ask them what they would like to do, instead of telling them. Have a nice balance with places they would like to go, such as the water park, and the places that you would like to, such as the local museum.

Museums and such attractions can still feel boring for children, so find out whether there are activities for them to do as you go round, or whether there is an interactive section in which you all can enjoy the museum. The cafe is always a good idea for when children start to get tired, treat them to a biscuit and they will probably be far more willing to finish looking round the museum.

In the evenings, why not try and make dinner time fun by going to restaurants that are family-orientated and that will provide activities and colouring books - if not take your own.

On the journey home, why not help them to collect a few small things from the places you have visited, such as postcards, pebbles, leaflets and coins and take some jotter pads that they can use to make their own scrapbooks of their holiday.

Please do post your own ideas and tips of taking your children on holiday.

Excellent advice there Kate!

I've got a few to add to your list:

• If they are prone to running into crowds, have your young children wear a bracelet which has your mobile phone number on it. This is the quickest way to find your children back, especially if they are too young to remember the number themselves. (Airport staff will find this very useful.)
  
• Getting your children started on a few holiday-related projects before you leave is a great way to prepare them for what's to come. You could explore maps, or the history, geography, animal and plant life of your destination, or read books or watch a film that's set there. If the food is likely to be radically different, research dishes that they might enjoy, and try rustling up something similar before you go.
  
• In each new place, don't forget to designate a meeting point in case anyone gets separated from the group. If it's likely you'll be in really dense crowds, promising a reward for staying together works as a good incentive.
  
• Accessories for entertainment such as tape decks or portable CD/DVD players fitted for use in cars (via the cigarette lighter) help to ensure the right mix of entertainment for children. And if you don't want their fun to bother the driver, bring headphones as well.

As Kate suggested get them to make a scrap book, but why not also get them to write a diary every day of what they have done.

Also, get them to leave spaces to stick in items, such as pictures or postcards.

Make sure they do write some postcards to their friends and family as well! They will enjoy writing them and thinking that their friends will read them.

Let them keep the diary a secret, but let them know that they can read it to you on the flight home!