When you’re taking your family on holiday from the UK to France and further afield on the continent there is a lot to consider. Do you fly? Do you take the train or do you take the ferry and drive?
We look at three great reasons to travel by ferry to France with the family:
We spoke to Trudy and Harry Watkins from Kent who took their 16 month old son Leo on holiday for the first time. A long weekend in the summer in France seemed like the perfect solution to having a bit of a break without having to go too far or the weather being too hot. They decided to go to the Opal Coast, Pas de Calais because of the beaches, countryside and reputation for child friendly restaurants and they chose to travel with DFDS Seaways from Dover to Calais.
1. Luggage
When you’re travelling with kids, the chances are you’ll have a lot of additional luggage. Young ones especially will require a pushchair, perhaps a cot, high chair, bulky packages of nappies, toys and a whole lot more. Packing them all in the car and driving straight onto the ferry is fuss free and simple. Check-in is painless, stress free and there is no problem with liquids as you’ll have with a plane trip which means you can take the kids favourite juice with you and bottles of water to keep everyone happy on the drive. When you reach your destination, all the things that you need from home to make your holiday trouble free are right there where you need them.
2. Child Friendly Entertainment and Facilities
The journey from Dover to Calais with DFDS Seaways takes 1.5 hours and there is plenty to do on board for everyone, in fact you’ll be surprised how quickly the time goes. There is an excellent children’s play area and we’re told that little Leo spent the entire journey in there, mesmerised by the colourful toys and child friendly furniture. Kids can watch a film, or enjoy the views from the big picture windows or take a stroll with a parent on deck and get a terrific view of the White Cliffs of Dover and then the French port coming into sight.
There are shopping facilities on board and I always take advantage of great savings on bottles of wine and cosmetics which are much cheaper than in the high street (especially if like me you have a thing for L’Occitane which is quite expensive). You can pay in sterling or euros – handy if you have a few left over on your home journey.
3. Food and drink
One of the big lures for travelling to France by ferry is the freedom to move around on board the spacious ships and have a choice of food. It might only be an hour and a half journey but you may as well enjoy it in style. There’s a comfy lounge where you can get coffee or a beer and a self-service restaurant with a choice of meals including child friendly dishes.
And if you need one more reason, check out the prices – often much cheaper than flying or taking the train and if you travel frequently you can make great savings on DFDS Seaways’ multi-ticket offers. Check the website for special offers year round and have a ferry nice trip…
Website: DFDS Seaways Europe’s Leading Ferry Operator (2014 World Travel Awards)
