hugefamily

HI there ! NEW here. Yes , I'm crazy to travel with four kids , but it's our family vacation and we understand that this trip will be for our kids . I have a 8, 5 , 3 , 1 1/2 year old. Of course we are traveling on a budget ( Pay mostly with points ) and need lots of help .
Questions :

Should I mail all the stuff via UPs to the hotel so we won't have to worry about luggage . ( we are going for 10 days total )

Fast and cheap way to get from heathrow to Marble arch . Please notice that we have two adults and four kids so most of the car services have a limit of 5 . I was thinking to take heathrow connect and take bus #15 with my big kids and telling my husband to take a taxi with the luggage.
Also I want to know what kind a ticke t for transportation in london I should get for five days in london . '
Can somebody explain the 2 for 1 deal??/ I need to save money .

THANKS AGAIN !!!!

hugefamily

UPPS, I forgot to tell you guys I'm leaving Sept 6 , 2008. THanks

bratsandbeer

Sorry I won't be much help.
If you are making this trip for the kids, I think they are too young to appreciate it. Kids of that age would rather go to Disney World.

To be truthful it is hard enough to take care of your own luggage and needs when traveling let alone taking care of 4 young children.

London or all of England is no place to go on a budget. It is very expensive, I have been there a few times and the last time was 18 months ago. Whatever something costs in the USA, just double it and you will know how much it costs.

I am very negative on your plan so hopefully someone else will be more positive.

adrienne

Have you looked into how much it costs to mail things to Europe? If you're on a budget you won't want to mail anything. The best rate I could find was 20 pound packages via USPS. If you go over 20 pounds per box then the rates substantially increase. Of course, this isn't practical for luggage. You would have to use DHL or a courier service. Have you asked the hotel if they will accept luggage in your absence?

wombat7

Given UPS charges, I suspect that the most economical option is to check lots of bags (lots of seats so lots of baggage allowance) an dbook a van to and from the aiport - check out Justairports.

adrienne

Just curious - have you taken your children sightseeing in cities before? Did they enjoy it?

hugefamily

PLEase , please . ONly positive comments , if you can't help don't bother with a post . I been traveling with my kids all the time ( just came back from spain with them ) We love it , it's a pain but they have learn so much about different cultures. Of course the little ones just like to eat and spend time with us . Thanks

hugefamily

Do I have to take two cars from justairports or they have a van for 7 passengers ???

bratsandbeer

Sorry about the negative response. I thought with the questions you asked that you had not traveled to Europe with your children before. So I was trying to be helpful by discouraging you - not to be negative just to be negative.

I will try to find the name of the service we used for transportation in London.

zeppole

Where are you coming from? Most kids are back in school by Sept 8-18.

Are you paying for a hotel with points or are you free to rent an apartment with a washer/dryer?

You can arrange for a van so your entire family can travel together. Do Google searches. You can't count on good weather in London, or that rush hour buses will be a comfortable ride for your family after an overnight flight.

Be aware that it's pretty hard to limit what people will say to you on Fodor's. If you don't want candid reactions to your travel plans, you might have come to the wrong place. And not many people help with basic research.

VirginiaC

We shipped one large, c. 50 lb suitcase to London this spring via UPS. It set us back about $400. If you decide to do this, make sure you can give the shipper a pretty good list of the items inside. We were told British customs can sometimes be picky, assuming that such a large shipment is for resale or that a British citizen is trying to avoid the VAT. We had no trouble. UPS will deliver pretty much any time you ask, so check to see if your hotel will accept it or prefers to wait until you arrive.

wherenext

Like you but 1 less child. I travel everywhere with the children and have done so at all your childrens' ages in England and other parts of Europe 5 times. My youngest is now 7. It is a blast when organized. As you know the little one learns by osmosis and who cares if they see or remember everything.

No secret that London is a fortune. Do you have miles at the Marriott near Marble Arch? The cheapest rate to Marble Arch from Heathrow is the tube. Not the Heathrow Express. Most of your kids will be free and or half price. You will take picadilly line to Holborn and change to Central line to Marble Arch. Good idea to have your husband take luggage and the little ones.

The one splurge the kids would like is the London Eye...book online so the wait will not be too much for the children. If that doesn't fit the budget and you want a nice day out with a fabulous view. Take the kids to Primrose Hill at the top of Regents park It is free and there is a map at the top that tells you everything you are looking at. The zoo is in Regents park as well. Harry Potter 1 was filmed in the reptile room there...the kids like that.

Luggage is a bummer! Pack light, give the 5 and 8 year old their own roll ons...my 3 1/2 daughter carried her small one too...sometimes a little dicey.

Can't help you with the 2 for 1.

It will be great. Children that grow up doing this make great, adaptable adult travellers!

hugefamily

I LOVE YOU WHERENEXT!!!!!! Thank you so much for the info. Yes, we are staying in the marriott and paying with points. Forget about the shipping luggage thing, it's way to expensive and you are right my 3 1/2 years old can carry his backpack.hahaha .

MelJ

You are going to have a blast!!! The kids will probably enjoy the Natural History Museum on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, Legoland in Windsor (also allows them to have a short train ride and see a REAL castle!), the children's park just across from Buck House (on Birdcage walk? Someone will correct this if it's wrong).

Chinatown (during the day--too crowded, IMHO, to take little kids at night) will provide a fun, pretty inexpensive lunch. We went to Gerrard's and my grandsons loved it.

Have a great trip and please do a trip report when you return. There are always families on here looking for tips on taking kids abroad.

Robespierre

I would need an extra suitcase to carry two straitjackets, one for me and one for Mme.

The kids would love Princess Diana's Memorial playground: http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/k...playground.cfm

nona1

See if you can book a 'minibus' for the trip from the station. Or two cars. You could all fit in a 'people carrier' too (we have one that takes 7 people) but your luggage probably won't fit in as well. They might have a luggage trailor or something? Don't ask for a 'van'. In the UK vans are things that carry goods, not passengers (small trucks).

I wouldn't split up and leave your husband with 2 little kids and all the luggage. How will he carry everything if he arrives at the hotel before you?

On the plus side, while London can be expensive, yes, there are loads and loads of free things to do that your kids will love. Science Museum is great as it has a whole basement level just for kids that is very hands-on. Natural History museum - most kids find this fascinating and the dinosaur stuff is exeptional. Parks - lots of open spaces for them to run around in and burn up some energy.

BKP

I don't think you're crazy at all! Even if you were, you're sort of past the point of no return so I'll offer what advice I can.

The 2 for 1 deals apply to people with paper train tickets. I don't think you'll be taking the train very often so I don't know if this will make a difference for you.

When we travel with our 3 year old our biggest expense (and waste) is food. This is usually avoided by planning ahead. I'd pack some easy, familiar snacks, like nutragrain bars or granola bars. You can find those in London, but they will be more expensive and you'll waste time looking for them. The good thing is that almost every meal in London will come with chips or french fries!

I topped a thread for you titled "small kids in London." It has a ton of great, many free, ideas of what to do with kids in London. There are so many parks, free museums, open spaces, etc your kids will love it.

Do you plan on bringing a stroller? A double stroller? Our 3 year old gets pretty wiped after a day out. Strollers are a pain on the tube -- not many elevators and lots of stairs. It's doable with 2 adults, but wrangling your other kids at the same time may be a bit much. I almost never see the double wide strollers in London, but there are lots of the double decker ones. Another option may be the kind where the baby sits and there is a platform for another child to stand. That way your 3 or 5 year old could get a rest too. If you don't have the perfect stroller -- borrow from a friend.

I also disagree that trips are wasted on kids. My son took his first trip to Europe in utero, started flying at 4 months and we haven't stopped since! They may not have specific memories of their trips but these experiences do help develop their personalities and world views. Good on you for not being intimidated into only going Disneyland! Have fun. If you have any more questions, let us know!

wombat7

Just airports has MPVs - but I do not know how many people it will sit - drop them a line and ask. Even with two cars I think it will be cheaper than shipping via UPS

obxgirl

We routinely took our daughter to London from age 18 mos up. Good for you to travel and kudos to you for doing it with multiple kids.

I would call JustAirports direct and ask them to quote you a cash price for a minivan (MPV) from the airport to the hotel. We've had great luck with them. Their website says an MPV will handle 5 people and 5 pieces of luggage. If they don't ask, and they probably will, tell them you'll need a car seat. That should take care of most of you all and your luggage. Perhaps either you or your husband and any luggage residue could take the tube (not Heathrow Connect) to Marble Arch.

Great suggestions for kids so far. If you do the London Eye, there is a small playground (Jubilee Gardens?) adjacent to it. Also, many of the museums and large galleries have "trails" to entertain kids, probably good for your 8 and 5.

There is a Museum of Childhood associated with the Victoria & Albert Museum (Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood) which we visited periodically over the years but always found a bit lacking. It's worth checking for special events though.

Buy a copy of Time Out when you get to London. Lots of good stuff listed there.

Hope you all have a great trip!

hugefamily

Thanks so much for all the info. I talked to my husband about sending boxes via ups it was going to be expensive. I been having trouble getting into justairports site. I have found another site london-tranfers.com and
they will charge me 54 for a 6 passeger van.

Also what kind a pass should I get to ride the bus and tube ??,Do my kids pay full rate ?? What about the family discounts?? Thanks again !!!

I have a backpack carrier that converts into a stroller ..