For those of with young children, travelling is definitely all about the destination, and the journey the very embodiment of the art of survival. The thought of being stuck on a long-haul flight with no reprieve for many hours with your demanding baby or toddler is enough to put anyone off from booking that holiday you sorely need.
So here are 5 tips to help you survive, and maybe even enjoy, travelling with your family:
1. Choose night flights
On a 13-hour day-flight, inventing and maintaining quiet, sedate games and activities will quickly become challenging. Choose a night flight to kill most of those hours and to give you a chance to relax and enjoy some of the flight.
Spend that extra bit of money in choosing a night flight as opposed to a day-flight to help you keep your sanity particularly if you have two young children, then at least (in theory) you will only have one child to stay up with. It also helps if you hold back on their nap time on the day of travel so hopefully, by the time you have them settled on the flight, they will be asleep as you taxi down the run-way.
2. Consider whether you want to use the bassinette
If you’re not buying an extra seat for your baby or toddler, a bassinette should be the obvious relief from having to travel 12 plus hours with a 25-pound bundle on your lap. However, bassinettes need to be taken down by a cabin crew member every time there is turbulence. When have you ever flown a flight – especially long-haul – and not experienced some turbulence?
So imagine your little one finally dosing off to that liberating, much-anticipated sleep and you carefully place him/her in the bassinette and think you are at last free. Then the ‘fasten your seat belt’ sign comes on and the captain announces ‘we’re experiencing some turbulence’.
It is most airlines’ policy that you must take your child out of the bassinette and strap him/her to you until the turbulence passes. If your child is a light sleeper, then this factor alone can make or break a long flight. You will constantly be placing your child in and out of the bassinette and thus frequently disturbing their sleep. If you’re putting your child down to sleep for the evening, you may be better off strapping them to you the whole time, or keeping them in a sling or baby carrier (especially if you’re travelling alone and need a toilet break).
3. Incorporate a stopover
A stopover is a great way to revive weary families. Most long-haul flights have fuel stops anyway, so why not arrange a couple of nights stay at this destination. It helps break up the jet lag, bring the children closer to the time zone of your destination, and two 12-hour flights with a couple of nights break in between is a lot more palatable than one 22-hour flight with only two hours airline fuel stop.
Some airlines offer fantastic stopover packages for families so be sure to enquire about these when booking your trip.
4. Take your buggy to the aircraft
Most airlines will allow you take your buggy with you right up until boarding the aircraft. A member of ground crew will take the buggy down to the hold. In some cases, you can also request to collect your buggy immediately after alighting from the aircraft. In addition, most major airports provide complimentary buggies just a short walk from disembarkation.
An important tip: ensure the buggy is tagged correctly upon check-in. Sometimes your buggy will end up in baggage claim whilst you are expecting it upon disembarking or vice-versa because it hasn’t been tagged correctly. It is important to be clear with check-in staff where you wish to collect your buggy. A good travel agent can help arrange this for you also.
5. Pack a ‘distraction’ kit
Pack a bag dedicated to distraction. Sweets, treats and surprise items they’re usually not allowed can kill many hours in a confined space. Now is the time to give then unlimited access to the iPad, and load it with their favourite programmes or songs, pictures and videos. BBC iPlayer now allows you to download episodes and keep them for 7 days, so stock up prior your flight.
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