WE’RE bang in the middle of Easter holiday season with schools off and the long weekend to come. 

Whether staying at home, going on a staycation, or flying further afield, time off will be just the tonic for anyone who can enjoy some. You deserve it!

For those swapping the pretty average weather at home for something sunnier away, I applaud you – especially if you do so in the face of lengthier queues through airports. 

It’s hard enough taking the kids away without having to spend any more time than needed waiting around, which is never going to be top of a toddler’s to-do list. 

Impatient weans embarking on foreign holidays reminds me of a genius story a fellow driver told me a few years back. 

This driver, let’s call him Rab, lived next door to a lovely young family with a couple of excitable (noisy!) kids, meaning the parents were a bit anxious about their upcoming trip abroad. 

So they hatched a plan… 

Rab would be commissioned to take them all to the airport on the morning of their flight. 

Rab would also – secretly – be commissioned with doing a dummy run on the day before the morning of their flight, unbeknownst to the kids. 

It all went exactly as planned – on the day before the flight, Rab went to pick the family up only to be greeted with a couple of kids out of control.

They were beyond high as kites and in no fit state to embark on a flight, let alone wait around for two hours in an airport. 

So, at the front door and with both the kids and all the cases (not even packed yet!) at her feet, Mum said “we can’t go if you are behaving like this, we’ll try again tomorrow but Rab will only be back if you are well behaved”. 

Genius or cruel – you decide – but it worked!

The next day when Rab rang the bell, there they were, the family all lined up and ready to go. 

Two perfectly behaved kids were transformed from 24 hours ago (as were the now packed cases!). 

And off they all went, straight to the airport in near silence, through the queues with barely a hiccup and all was perfect as they boarded the plane. 

Perfect, that is, until the flight was just five minutes in when one kid vomited and the other asked “are we nearly there yet?!”.

Where’s Rab when you really need him?

Anyway, happy holidays to all whether home or away this week. Stay safe.