Parents wanting a stress-free day out with the kids should leave home at 8.37am and travel no more than 52 miles, according to research by Continental Tyres.

Researchers found the ideal day out will also require around six and a half hours at the beach, theme park or zoo with the children taking part in at least three different activities.

The temperature during the day should be a balmy 20ºC and a party of two adults and two children around the age of eight will also ensure the day is enjoyable.

It also emerged that the family will spend £5.50 on souvenirs such as a novelty pen, t-shirt, cuddly toy or stick of rock and should return home at 5.50pm.

The stats – which were converted into a formula of [(T+J) / D x (G+W)] – S = 1.0 – were compiled following a study of 2,000 families by Continental to launch their www.ContiGreatDaysOut.co.uk initiative.

Peter Robb for Continental said: ‘In the UK we embark on 104 million family days out a year and spend over £6bn in the process so it makes sense to consider how to make a success of every trip we plan.

‘In trying to have the best time possible the choices we make about what time to leave, the stops we make and the activities at our destination will all influence the outcome of the day.’

Experts also factored in the number of toilet stops - one 27 minutes into the outbound journey and one 35 minutes into the trip home.

The actual perfect distance emerged as 51.6 miles – which was deemed far enough away to feel like a day trip, but not too far to travel with restless kids in the backseats.

One ice-cream each for the children and a total cost of no more than £59 as well as a total time for snack breaks of 47 minutes, completed the criteria.

More than four in ten (41 per cent) said the ideal car for a great day out would be in a family hatchback, with nearly half (47 per cent) favouring pop as the music to listen to in the car.

Fruit pastilles were hailed as the ideal treat for the journey, followed by mints and hard-boiled sweets.

For 22 per cent, in-car entertainment would include a DVD player, followed by a Nintendo DS and iPod to keep the kids occupied.

The research also found that the most popular spot for a day trip was the beach (22 per cent) followed by a theme park (19 per cent) and a zoo (11 per cent).

The majority (56 per cent) of Brits opted for taking snacks to munch on and bought other food at their destination while a third (32 per cent) packed everything they would eat and drink for the day.

Peter Robb for Continental added: ‘The research proves that if we travel further and spend more we are likely to find more to do. The formula balances whether that extra time and cost is worth it.

‘With www.ContiGreatDaysOut.co.uk we are helping families by pulling together details of around 300 days out that are offering great value and lots to do.’

The research found London, Blackpool and Bournemouth as being the most popular places to visit in the UK.

On average families have six days out together every year and children quiz parents with: ‘Are we there yet?' after just 28 minutes of being in the car.