Travelling through Europe by train with nothing but a backpack and a guidebook has always been my idea of fun. But when Eleanor was born five years ago it seemed my independent travelling days were over. Henceforth, I was told, holidays must consist of package resorts and interminable cross-country car journeys. Luckily, I ignored this advice and am happy to report that backpacking with kids is not only possible, it's sociable, educational and a lot of fun.
Most kids love train journeys and thrive on seeing new people and places. They can be good company and often spark off conversations and experiences you would never have as an adult travelling alone. Since Eleanor was tiny, our little family has enjoyed camping and hostelling across the UK from Derwentwater to Dalston.
Last summer we decided to venture further afield. With our homes on our backs, we set off for 10 days in Spanish and French Catalonia.
Our budget flight to Barcelona was easy and uneventful and the airport bus took us straight to the Plaça de Catalunya. After a nap in our cheap but cheerful hotel, we dined out fashionably late and spent the night snuggled up in a single bed. Over the next three days, we took in all Barcelona's top attractions for five-year-olds, including the Gingerbread houses of Gaudi's Parc Guell and the fantastic Barcelona Aquarium.
On the third day we went to buy tickets to Perpignan, capital city of Roussillon, the part of Catalonia that lies over the border in France. We took the local, slow train with carriages full of lively local pensioners on day trips to the coast and art students visiting Figueres, Salvador Dali's birthplace. Our leisurely progress gave us plenty of time to admire the pretty coastal towns and Eleanor was quite happy looking out of the window.
Eventually, we trundled into Roussillon. Along with the rest of Catalonia, Roussillon was once part of Spain. Until recently people in Roussillon spoke Catalan and much of the culture and cuisine is still Catalan in flavour. These days the region provides much of France's vin de table (including Corbière and Minervois) and out-of-season fruit and veg.
Our little train passed along the Côte Vermeille and through the picturesque fishing village of Collioure, famous as the summer base for Matisse. The vivid colours of Fauvism were inspired by the coast's spectacular sunsets.
Finally, we pulled into the station at the centre of the bustling, cosmopolitan city of Perpignan. Here we met up with friends who ran us to a campsite at Torreille Plage on the coast. Just after pitching our tent in the leafy Camping Les Tropiques, the weather took a turn for the worse. After two storm-tossed nights we decamped to a very reasonably priced mobile home where we enjoyed the luxury of fridge, shower and table and chairs.
The beautiful, sandy beaches of this part of the Roussillon coast are clean and stretch for miles. Sometimes known as the "other south of France", this region is still unspoilt by tourist developments. Away from the coast there are fields of artichokes and traditional villages nestling in a flat landscape with the stately Corbière mountains towering in the distance.
Camping Les Tropiques offered easy access to the beach, a pool, play areas and evening entertainment (films with English subtitles).
When the time came to go home, it turned out the only train to Barcelona that suited us was the speedy and more expensive Talgo. Somehow, the atmosphere just wasn't the same, but it got us quickly and cleanly to Barcelona airport and we made it back home without a hitch.
Eleanor had such a good time backpacking that she's already planning our next trip. I'm ready to go, too, only this time I don't think I'll bother with the tent.
The kids are alright
· Get the kids into local time habits. Dinner at 8pm and staying up late at night can add to your holiday enjoyment.
· Bring a few pens and books for long train journeys - although kids often find friends to talk to instead.
· Carry muesli bars or dried fruit and a big bottle of water. Healthy snacks and drinks can be expensive and hard to find.
· Make breakfast in the hotel room. It can save a fortune.
· Give your kids the same equipment as you - cool, comfortable shoes, a hat and a backpack.
· Chose hostels or hotels that have somewhere central to sit and socialise after the kids are asleep, otherwise you'll be stuck in your room all evening.
· Get them into looking at maps. Understanding where they are going helps them enjoy the trip.
· Encourage them to have a go at the local language. Even stumbling over the basics is a real ice-breaker.
· Don't be too ambitious. Plan one major destination per day and alternate city sightseeing with the beach or something less stressful.
Way to go
Getting around: The train from Barcelona to Perpignan is £20 return, under fives travel free. An interrail pass gives unlimited travel for 16 days for one zone or 22 days two zones (France plus Benelux is one zone, Iberia plus Morocco another) from £159 for under 26s from Rail Europe (0870 584 8848, raileurope.co.uk). Euro Domino Passes for individual countries (Spain £80, France £131 for three days, which can be non-consecutive)
Getting there: Jet 2 (0870 737 8282, jet2.com) flies Leeds Bradford-Barcelona from £39 o/w. Ryanair (0871 246 0000, ryanair.com) flies Stansted -Perpginan from £50 rtn.
Where to stay: International Youth Hostel Federation (iyhf.org).
Package vs independent travel
Read Felicity Lawrence's account of her family's all-inclusive trip to Rhodes
