If you’re heading off on holiday this summer you’ll need our top travel toys! Whether you’re taking a flight, hopping on a train or having a road trip, happy children having fun makes the journey speed by. We’ve pulled together a few ideas of what to take with you (and when you arrive) from books and small toys to card games, puzzles and fidgets. Don’t forget to take those all-important drinks and snacks too.
Travel Toys for Planes
While flying can be the quickest way to get to a destination, there’s always some waiting around prior to departure. Always allow extra time with kids, keep them busy and have snacks handy just in case. Surprising them with a new gift or toy is a great way to occupy children while you’re checking in, going through security and waiting at the gate. Once on the plane, there are plenty of ways to keep them having fun. Even simple activities like sticking googly eyes or moustaches on each other can make for hilarious fun!
- Gross FACTopia! – 400 fun foul facts
- Tetris handheld game
- BrainBolt – Fast Light-up Memory Game
- This or That – 50/50 guessing game
- IQ Puzzler Pro – Logic Game
1 Gross Factopia – 400 Fun Foul Facts! , £10.99 £10.99
Yucky facts from crocodile poo as make-up to the longest fingernails ever!
Amusingly entertaining book packed with icky facts that are all linked. This fascinating hardback book is filled with gross and hilarious facts, all of which are verified by Encyclopaedia Britannica. Did you know that hippos spin their tails when they poo? That giraffes use their tongues to pick their noses, crocodile poo was used as make-up in ancient Rome and the Fitzroy River turtle can breathe through its bum?! Hop from topic to topic in delightfully unexpected ways to discover what connects armpits to worms and snake venom to cow poo. Follow the fact path as it twists and turns – who knows where your curiosity will take you!
2 Tetris – Handheld Game with Original Sounds , £19.99 £19.99
Portable version of the famous arcade game
Measuring 9cm x 7cm, this pocket-sized version of the classic arcade game has the original sounds and game play, with LCD screen and 3-directional controls. Layer the falling blocks of different shapes to fill the lines and clear them. Tetris has two levels, Marathon and Sprint, complete 15 levels in Marathon or clear 25 lines as quickly as possible in the Sprint challenge – iconic gaming fun!
3 BrainBolt – Fast Light-up Memory Game , £29.99 £29.99
Can you remember the light sequence
Think quick and challenge your brain by remembering the light sequence and pressing the new light. Every time you select correctly, the game adds another light, but which one is new?…with 21 lights, that’s the challenge! With cool sound effects, BrainBolt is great for solo play and has a two-player mode for competitive fun with a friend. There’s a timed mode for quicker games, with added pressure against the clock, as well as a tricky advanced mode for anyone who thinks they’re an expert. A real brain teaser that you can even play in the dark, so you never have to stop – brilliant fun!
4 This or That – 200 Quirky Questions , £14.99 £14.99
Which weighs more, turkey or velociraptor?
Explore lots of unexpected facts in this fun and fast 50/50 guessing game for two or more players. Players must race against each other, as teams or individuals, to answer one simple question: This or That? Which came first – the crocodile or the T-Rex? Google or Netflix? Avoid the red herrings and maybe even learn an interesting truth or two – like the fact that Oxford University is 330 years older than the Aztec Empire! Very entertaining.
5 IQ Puzzler Pro – 2D & 3D Brain Teaser , £15.95 £15.95
Over 100 multi-level challenges from easy to expert!
Entertaining 2D and 3D brain teaser with levels of difficulty that will test your skills. Using combinations of coloured connected balls, the challenge is to complete the constructed designs from the enclosed booklet. Split into levels of difficulty from easy to expert, the 120 challenges get harder as you need to fill in more missing pieces, moving from the tricky 2D puzzles to cunning twisted 3D pyramids. Suitable for any age from 6 to ‘very wise’ – build that genius IQ!
Travel Toys for Trains
Trains are a great way to get about and a popular mode of transport for families both in the UK or overseas. It can be a calmer way to travel than being at the airport as one you’re on the train, those holiday adventures have begun! Fantastic if you can grab an area with a table for the kids to spread out but if not small toys are a great addition to sight seeing throughout the journey.
- Amazing Magic Pens
- Little Pack of Optical Illusions
- Endless Pad – Draw Again and Again!
- Glow Art – Neon Effect Drawing Board (Pink)
- Liar! Liar! Pants on Fire! – Game of Bluff
6 Amazing Magic Pens – Set of 25 , £17.99 £17.99
Change colours & even write invisible messages
Create amazing patterns with this clever set with pens that can change colour, erase colours easily and even write invisible messages. Built with durable, shock-proof tips, draw in one colour and the magic activator pen will change to another colour. Create 3D letters and make magical pictures to proudly display or use the special pen to reveal your secret messages. So much fun and washable too – Magical Pens!
7 Little Pack of Optical Illusions – 50 Cards , £7.99 £7.99
Mind-bending visual tricks to baffle your brain
Get your sights in a spin with this crazy collection of optical illusions! Each of the fifty cards is printed with an extraordinary image or pattern guaranteed to make you think twice. From patterned wheels that spin out of the corner of your eye to kaleidoscopic mosaics that wiggle on the page, these visual tricks are truly brain bending. Baffle your friends and family with some truly mind-boggling illusions – sure to amaze.
8 Endless Pad – Draw Again and Again! , £9.99 £9.99
Infinite paper!
Simply draw on the pressure-sensitive surface using the included pen and your lines and notes will appear with a cool bright green glow. Doodle, jot down notes or play games – just press the button to erase, ready to go again. With a 22cm screen, this creative endless pad is a great way to doodle on the go.
9 Glow Art – Neon Effect Drawing Board (Pink) , £26.99 £26.99
Create amazing glowing pictures
This brilliant light up drawing board uses dozens of coloured LEDs to create a glowing effect. The pink frame with built-in stand features a see-through screen so you can easily trace your favourite pictures. Or just create your own works of art, using the bright fluorescent marker pens.
10 Liar! Liar! Pants on Fire! – Game of Bluff , £16.99 £16.99
Which wacky fact is true and who’s telling big fat fibs?!
This fast-paced and easy to play game comes with 3 statements on each card – one lie and two truths. Roll the dice to select your fact and read it aloud, seeing if you can persuade your opponents that you’re being entirely truthful whilst keeping a straight face! Can you tell which is the lie?
Travel Toys for Automobiles
Travelling by car is brilliant as it means you can bring everything you need on your travels with you. If you’re driving some distance, it’s worthwhile seeing where you might stop along the way. Destinations with green space or play equipment can make such a difference and give the drivers a rest. Games that involve looking out of the window or spotting what’s around them are a great way to ensure they don’t get queasy. Card games and fidget toys are great as they don’t need to look down and having alternatives for when you stop is always handy.
- IQ Love – 120 Logic Challenges
- Liar Liar – Who’s Telling Porkies
- Secret Diary – Lovely Lockable Hardback
- Spinning Zzzopa Ball – spin on your fingertips
- Mini Retro Arcade Machine – 200 Games
11 IQ Love – 120 Logic Challenges , £19.99 £19.99
Fit the pieces together to complete the heart
Test your skills of logic and deduction with this single player puzzle game. Simply place the ten bright pieces into the heart-shaped game board in different configurations, completing the puzzles from the guide. There are 120 challenges in five difficulty levels to enjoy. But look out – the puzzles get more complicated as you go! With only one solution to each mind boggling task and a handy travel case, this fun set is for real puzzle lovers!
12 Liar! Liar! Pants on Fire! – Game of Bluff , £16.99 £16.99
Who’s telling porkies?
This fast-paced and easy to play game comes with 3 statements on each card – one lie and two truths. Roll the dice to select your fact and read it aloud, seeing if you can persuade your opponents that you’re being entirely truthful whilst keeping a straight face! Can you tell which is the lie from these three?…’Slugs have 5 noses’, ‘Donald Duck was once banned from Finland because he doesn’t wear trousers’ or ‘99% of people can’t lick their own elbow’…In this hilarious game of wit, can you guess who’s telling big fat porkies?
13 Secret Diary – Lovely Lockable Hardback , £9.99 £9.99
Super-cute fun A5 diary
This pretty A5 diary contains 95 pale pink lined pages decorated with pretty hearts – perfect for you to fill with fun notes and doodles. The 15cm laminated hardback cover is decorated with gold foil details and a lovely illustration of three best friends having fun at a pamper party. A silver padlock keeps your top-secret notes under wraps.
14 Spinning Zzzopa Ball – Bounce it, Spin It, Fidget! , £9.99 £9.99
Bouncing ball you can spin between your fingertips
Each Zzzopa contains a high-quality bearing that sits on an axle within the centre of the 5cm ball. This means you can smoothly spin this fun Zzzopa ball with your fingertips at speed, a spherical fidget spinner that’s perfect for restless hands! The outer poly-active surface allows for incredible crisp bounces, combine with different spins to bamboozle your friends with crazy tricks, spinning jumps and ricochets. The ultimate ball game of spin, bounce and throw – the new fidgety craze!
15 Mini Retro Arcade Machine – 200 Games , £24.99 £24.99
Portable games console!
This clever 15cm arcade machine includes an impressive 200 built-in games. Use the joy stick and buttons to work your way through levels – navigating mazes, blasting spaceships and more! Test your skills with racing games, puzzles and classic shoot-em-ups. Portable entertainment.
A few ideas for when you arrive…
- Booma Boomerang – returns every time!
- ZipString – Make String Fly in the Air!
- Jumbo Octopus Kite – 4 metres long
- Kids Scavenger Hunt – Rip-roaring Fun!
- Rainbow Dancer Ribbon Wand
16 Sonic Booma Boomerang – Returns Every Time! , £14.99 £14.99
Awesome boomerang with a 20m flight range
With an impressive flight range of 15-20 meters, this cool boomerang mesmerizes passers-by as it whizzes through the air. The high-tech tri-blade design offers a stable and accurate return flight – every single time! It even has whistling wings so you can listen to it as it soars. Using the throwing instructions on the back of the pack to guide you, you’ll be a Booma master in no time! Endless fun, again and again!
17 ZipString – Make String Fly in the Air! , £29.99 £29.99
Make cool tricks!
ZipString launches a loop of infinite string, balancing gravity, lift, tension and drag to fly the string in the air! The loop seems to defy gravity and will follow any movement you make. Perform stunts like stepping through the loop or creating coils, or fire at any smooth surface for infinite silly string.
18 Jumbo Octopus Kite – 4 Metres Long , £16.99 £16.99
Long & colourful tentacle streamers
This wonderful octopus kite is truly impressive and flies beautifully, its long rainbow tentacles fluttering across the sky. Easy to fly, measuring a colossal 4 meters from end to end, this great kite comes in its own handy storage bag and includes an extra-long line and sturdy handle. Excellent fun for amateurs and experts alike and perfect for windy beach days. Available in three bold colours – truly ink-redible!
19 Kids Scavenger Hunt – Rip-roaring Fun! , £14.99 £14.99
Can you find them first?
Get ready as the spinner decides how many cards each player has, then the race is on to to track down the pictured objects. Play indoors to collect household items from a trainer or ball to a cuddly toy or piece of fruit. For fresh air fun, use the outdoors cards to search for anything from a red flower to a twig or a garden ornament.
20 Rainbow Dancer Ribbon Wand – 3.5 Metres! , £5.99 £5.99
Colourful ribbon flutters & twirls as you dance or run!
A really lovely toy for active kids, this brilliant ribbon wand measures an impressive 3.5 metres long. As you hold on to the flexible handle and dance or run, the rainbow ribbon will flutter behind, creating a lovely stream of colour. Spin, twist and twirl for truly fabulous effects! Similar to those used in professional rhythm gymnastics and baton twirling, little dancers are sure to delight in creating their very own pretty rainbow – just like real magic!
For more top travel toys and gift ideas for children, check out our website!
Where do sharks go on holiday? Finland!
