Parents love tips; after all, anything is better than trial and error when it comes to children. So here are five travel tips that have already been tried and tested on all ages.

· The art gallery tip, from reader Fiona Frank: "We managed to get two quiet hours in the Uffizi gallery in Florence, despite having two energetic children (aged eight and 10). We offered €1 for every 10 dogs they found in the paintings, and double points for a warthog. The kids were completely engaged and even got told off by a guard for getting too close to the paintings. Luckily for our purses, there weren't too many hunting scenes."

· The car tip, from reader Matthew Wickes: "Record all of you singing something you like and play it back in the car, so everyone can sing along to it."

· The health tip, from Dr Jane Wilson-Howarth, author of Your Child's Health Abroad: "In steamy places, I keep a roll-on insect repellent in my trouser pocket, to apply to everyone when necessary. And if bitten, any white toothpaste cools the skin and reduces the itch."

· The kid's tip for parents, from Storme, aged 10: "Never forget suck-sweets on airplanes, as kids like to think they're doing something to stop their ears aching even if they wouldn't ache anyway. And let them choose their own bed in the hotel room;otherwise, they'll just get into yours in the night."

· The cheap hotel tip, from me: My kids hate washing their hair in the shower, but most cheap hotels don't have baths. That leaves the sink, where I've often found there's no plug (presumably to stop you washing your clothes therein). So, I always pack an all-fitting plug. Then there's no reason for my kids to be dirty. Well, that's the theory ...

Happy travelling with your (hopefully clean, healthy and uncomplaining) children in 2003.

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