Travelling with kids to the Red Sea: car seats, timings and sanity-savers

The Red Sea is brilliant with children — warm, shallow water, big resorts, short flights from Europe. The journey from the airport, though, is where tired little ones can turn a smooth trip bumpy. A bit of planning goes a long way.

Sort the car seats in advance

Do not assume a seat will appear. When you book, say how many children and roughly what ages, and we will have the right child seats fitted and ready in the car. There is no charge for them, but they do need arranging ahead — a scramble at the airport with a toddler is exactly what you are trying to avoid.

Mind the distances

Some Red Sea drives are longer than parents expect. Sharm's resorts are mostly 10 to 25 minutes from the airport, but Marsa Alam's southern hotels can be ninety minutes to two hours, and Hurghada to El Gouna or Soma Bay is a solid half-hour-plus. Knowing that, you can plan around a nap rather than against it.

Pack the car-ride essentials

• Water and a snack in your hand luggage, not the hold.
• A change of clothes for the little one within reach.
• A downloaded show or a favourite toy for the longer runs.

Time it where you can

If you have any say over flights, an arrival that lands you in the car around nap time can buy you a peaceful transfer. And a private car beats a shared coach here every time — no waiting for it to fill, no stops at five other hotels with a fractious three-year-old on your lap.