Accom

The best travel and holiday accommodation tip I can offer comes from my husband which is to seriously consider hiring a house or apartment through AirBnB rather than booking a hotel room. There are thousands of affordable options available in almost every city and town around the world and in our experience of using AirBnB we've been thrilled every single time.

What does AirBnB offer that a hotel doesn't? We've found that having the opportunity to stay in someone else's house (while they're away) is not only cheaper, but a much more comfortable option and not just when travelling with children. 99 percent of the time AirBnB accommodation offers many things that hotels don't, including cooking facilities, extra room to move about in, increased privacy and quality 'local' recommendations.

If your preference is to stay in hotel accommodation, we have plenty of experience in that area too. The following tips were offered by a number of our contributors so you know that they've been very well-researched.

Ensure there is a fridge and a kettle in your hotel room and ask the concierge to empty the fridge of the 'mini-bar' to make room for your own personal fridge items. Most hotel rooms come with kettles but if they don't you can always request one. Better still, get a room or self-contained apartment with a kitchenette (then you'll also have access to a microwave, kitchen sink, cooking facilities etc).

Have the concierge remove any unnecessary furniture. Many hotel rooms contain large, oversized furniture including armchairs and coffee or side tables that you often won't use anyway. With small children wanting to crawl or run around, space is at a premium, and with these big bulky items out of the way you'll have a larger area to play and 'live' in.

Pack a dish-brush (specifically, one that you can put detergent in). This is my personal favourite travel tip and makes washing bottles a cinch for when there is no kitchenette. I always place a clean towel along the window sill and after washing the bottles in the bathroom basin using the detergent-filled dish-brush, I place them on the towel along the window sill to dry.

Find hotels with balconies and gardens. Wherever possible, Tessa suggests trying to secure a hotel room with a balcony - that way while your bub is napping you can still get some fresh air and sunshine. Hotels with a garden are also a great idea so that you have somewhere for your little one to crawl around or play outside. We've found Travelodge motels an excellent accommodation option as they usually have large, grassy spaces around the building and you can often park your car outside your room too.

Ask for a high chair in your room. Usually the hotel can provide one from the restaurant at no extra cost and it means you can feed your little one in your hotel room, thus avoiding the chaos and long waits for food in communal areas. Also, order breakfast to your room - kids get distracted easily by eating where there are lots of other people.