In Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea and many other London boroughs, the council calendar has schools breaking up on Friday 23 October and going back on Monday 2 November. Fly on the Saturday, come home on the last Sunday, and that is nine days away. Half-term runs have their own rhythm: early starts, more cases than people, car seats, and at least one child asleep before we reach the motorway. A few things are different this October, so here is how I plan it from the driving seat.
The dates, and why they are not the same for everyone
Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea publish one shared calendar. The autumn term ends on Friday 23 October, the half-term holiday runs from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October, and school starts again on Monday 2 November. Greenwich has the same week off, and so do many other London boroughs.
Those are the dates for community schools. Academies and other schools can set their own, and independent schools often run to a different calendar altogether. Westminster Under School, for example, breaks up at 4pm on Wednesday 14 October and does not go back until Monday 2 November. If you have one child at a state primary and another at an independent school, your family holiday is only the part where both are off, so check both calendars before you book the flights.
The clocks go back on the first Sunday
At 2am on Sunday 25 October the clocks go back an hour. That is the first weekend of half-term, and if you have an early flight that morning it is worth a moment's thought. Your phone will change by itself. The clock on the oven, the alarm clock in the spare room and a pickup time scribbled on a note in the kitchen will not.
So when I confirm a Sunday morning pickup, I confirm it in the new time and say so plainly: a 5am pickup means 5am after the change. It also means an extra hour in bed, which on the first morning of a holiday is no small thing.
Heathrow and Gatwick drop-off costs more this year
If a relative is taking you to the airport, the forecourt rules are worth knowing. At Heathrow, since 1 January, the Terminal Drop-Off Charge is £7 every time a vehicle enters the drop-off zone, and there is now a ten-minute maximum stay. It applies to taxis and private hire cars as well as family cars. It has to be paid by midnight the next day, and an unpaid charge becomes an £80 parking charge, reduced to £40 if it is paid within 14 days.
At Gatwick, the drop-off zones outside the North and South Terminals charge £10 for the first ten minutes, then £1 for every extra minute, with a maximum stay of 30 minutes. That charge also has to be paid by midnight the following day.
Ten minutes is plenty for two adults with cabin bags. It is tight for a family with four large cases, a pushchair, a car seat and a child who has just announced they need the loo. When I drop you, I do the unloading while you get the children inside, and the price I quote is fixed before the day, so there is no charge for you to remember to pay online that evening.
Coming home: why I am inside, not outside
Heathrow does not allow pick-ups on its terminal forecourts; under the airport bylaws they belong in the multi-storey car parks. So on the way home I do not wait outside for you to find me. I am in the arrivals hall with your name on a board when you come through, the car is parked a few minutes away, and I take the trolley. Gatwick works the same way, with the car in the short-stay car park.
I track your flight from the moment it leaves, so if it lands late I already know, and the waiting starts from when you actually land, not from the time on the booking. That matters most on the last Sunday of half-term, when what you want is the children home and in bed at a sensible hour before school on Monday.
Car seats, cases and which car
The law says children must normally use a child car seat or booster seat until they are 12 years old or 135 centimetres tall, whichever comes first. Tell me your children's ages and weights when you book, and the right seats will be fitted in the car before I arrive at your door. They come at no extra cost. If you are taking your own seat for a hire car at the other end, it goes in the boot with everything else.
For most families the V-Class is the answer. It seats up to six and takes a full load of holiday luggage with the child seats still in place, so nobody travels with a bag on their lap. For a couple with one child and light bags, the S-Class is quieter and more than enough. You can see the cars I drive before you decide.
Paris or Disneyland by Eurostar
If your half-term is a few days in Paris or at Disneyland Paris, there is one change to plan for. The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully in operation since 10 April 2026. On your first trip under it, each of you has a photo taken, and everyone aged 12 and over has their fingerprints scanned as well. Children under 12 have the photo only. From St Pancras, those checks happen at passport control in London before you board, and once you are registered you will not need the full check again as long as you travel within three years.
Eurostar asks Standard and Plus passengers to arrive 75 minutes before departure, and the gates close 30 minutes before. The government's own advice is to be prepared to wait longer than usual at the border. For a family registering for the first time, I would rather set you down at St Pancras with time in hand than watch you run for the gates, so I plan the pickup from the recommended arrival time, not the departure time.
How I would plan your half-term
A half-term trip is usually two legs: out on the first weekend and home on the last. Book both together and the return is settled before you leave, with the seats and the car already arranged, so the only thing you think about on the way home is getting through arrivals.
Send me your flight or train times, the airport or station, how many of you are travelling, your children's ages and weights, and roughly how many cases, and I will come back with a fixed price for both legs, agreed up front. My airport transfers cover every London airport, and there is more detail on Heathrow and Gatwick if you want it. I have also written about travelling around London with children more generally. When you are ready, send me your half-term plans.