Travelling with kids and forgot the bedtime book? You’re not alone

Picture it. You have packed the snacks, the spare clothes, the favourite teddy, the buggy, the sun cream and roughly half the house. You arrive, frazzled but triumphant. And then, at bedtime, in an unfamiliar room with an overtired child, you realise the one thing you forgot is the bedtime book.

If that sounds familiar, you are in very good company. It is the exact moment Tales by Tuck was born, somewhere over a motorway, with our daughter Isla asking for a story and one of us making up another wobbly tale about ducks (you can read the whole story behind it).

Why bedtime wobbles the most when you travel

A new room, a later night, too much excitement and a different routine all pile up at once. Bedtime leans heavily on familiarity, so the away-from-home nights are exactly when children most need something that feels the same, and exactly when the usual props are missing.

What to do when the book is at home

• Keep the ritual, even without the book. The order of the evening matters more than the exact story: pyjamas, teeth, cuddle, story. Hold the shape and children settle.
• Make one up, badly and happily. A daft invented story about their day, or their favourite animal, is worth more than a perfect one. They mostly want your voice and your attention.
• Use what is on your phone. A story you can pull up anywhere means there is always one ready, with nothing to pack and nothing to forget.
• Let the trip into the story. A tale set by the sea, on a plane, or up a mountain turns the day’s adventure into part of the wind-down.

Never be the parent with nothing to read

This is the whole reason Tales by Tuck arrives on your phone by WhatsApp or email, wherever you are. A fresh, personalised story is ready at the time you choose, so a forgotten book never means a bedtime meltdown again. It is also why so many of our families say the holidays and weekends away are when they love it most.

For more on keeping bedtime steady when you are out and about, see bedtime stories when you’re away from home.