Travel with kids * a summary

Mandy * Madagascar

Shay * Travel as a kid

I just wrapped up my first series with friends... and it was a lot of fun. Eight ladies from different seasons of my life shared their stories, thoughts and tips on one anxiety-inducing topic..."travel with kids"

There are so many wonderful bits of wisdom and humor in these 8 posts. If you are planning an international trip with kids, it would benefit you to read them in full... but if you are anything  like me, then you are scrambling for a cut and dry "to-do list" with exactly what you need to pack in order to avoid disaster.

So, for those of you kindred (cut and dry) spirits - here is a summary of tips from a group of women that have travel extensively with a collective crew of twenty two children. I hope it will encourage and equip your family for adventures of your own. 

Megan * Central Asia

Booking your travel

Shay * Bolivia

If you are traveling with an infant, book tickets through a travel agency to reserve a bassinet. 

Most international flights offer special meals for kids... timed to arrive about 15 minutes before adult meals. Call ahead to order.

If you will be purchasing a ticket for you child under the age of two (but over the size limit for the bassinet), plan to take their car seat on the flight.

If at all possible, stick with your routine and book an evening flight that leaves around bedtime.
 

*A note on sedation*     If you have issues with claustrophobia or anxiety, now is a good time to consider your options for medication. If you plan to drug your little ones, be sure to talk to your doctor and test them ahead of time.

Before your flight

Prepare your kids ahead of time. Make sure to tell them again and again in the days before your trip what is happening. Think through the trip, talk about what will happen, make it a story about what they are likely to experience. Use positive but honest descriptions. Try not to say anything too absolutely like "we will" or "definitely" about things that could change. Use words like "probably and "we are planning to".

Decide discipline ahead of time. Traveling is difficult on kids as well as adults. They are often dealing with feeling tired and perhaps confused by the changes to their schedule or routines. They may be getting too little sleep, or too much stimuli from in-flight entertainment. They may or may not be eating very well because they are tired during meals. I think it is a time to exercise grace with kids. That being said, there are times when their behavior or choices have to be dealt with. Decide ahead of time how you will discipline a the airport, on the plane, ect. Have a game plan so that if you are confronted with defiance or other unacceptable behavior, you will not have to rack your tired, stressed-out brain for how to deal with it. 

Shonda * South Asia

Counting. If you are traveling with your spouse, divide jobs before you arrive at the airport. Who will count the passports, who will count the kids, who will count the bags? Keep each other accountable for knowing the numbers.

Carry-on items for kids

Beth * Hong Kong

KID BACKPACKS - each kid gets a backpack that goes inside an adult size carry-on. Kids get to open their surprise backpack once they are on the flight.

INSIDE THE BACKPACK - be creative and purchase age appropriate and travel friendly items. You know best what will entertain your specific kids - if they like it at home, they will like it on the plane. Here are a few Pinterest ideas to get you thinking. You can wrap items individually for an fun extra touch.

TECHNOLOGY- i-phone, i-pad, dvd player, whatever. If you have a limit (or ban) on videos and television, now is the time to lift it and let them watch to their heart’s content.  

SNACKS- novelty snacks, favorite snacks, airplane snacks... throw the thought of a balanced diet out the window.

SIPPY CUPS OR WATER BOTTLES - bring them empty so you have fewer issues with security... but bring them (even if you have older kids) to avoid spills.

PULL-UPS - Even if you kids "almost never have accidents"- travel can be

Amy * Botswana

busy and exciting don't risk it.

PRESSURIZATION - kids often have trouble with their ears on take-off and landing. It is a good idea to be ready with a bottle for baby and gum for big kids. Pez dispensers are great for kids that can't chew gum. 

BEDTIME- bring familiar items for bedtime... Special books, blankets, pillow, stuffed animals. Bring pajamas and proceed with your normal bedtime routine. (It can also be helpful to bring an eye mask). A black out sheet can be very helpful to drape over a seat or attach with velcro.

Carry-on items for adults

Natalie * United States

EXTRA CLOTHES - for everyone... not just the kids. Don't forget pajamas for the kids and comfortable bedtime clothes for yourself. 

ZIP-LOCKS & GROCERY BAGS - empty bags always come in handy. Zip-locks are nice to store food from a meal if kids are sleeping when it is delivered. Grocery bags are helpful for diapers and other trash that accumulates during the flight.

HAND SANITIZING WIPES - much easier than the liquid. You can have a few in each of your bags for easy accessibility.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF - remember to bring your favorite snacks, magazines, book, etc. and take advantage of the free wine on the plane.

No tips from us - just a photo

In the terminal   

If you have a toddler and plan to take a car seat on the flight - get one of these.

Use a sling to transport your infant - much easier than a stroller. You don't have to take them out every time you go through security. 

Bring an inflatable beach ball. When deflated the beach ball weighs barely anything and takes up minimal space, but pull it out and spend a few minutes playing in an empty-ish corner near your gate. 

If you have young children tag them with paper bracelets. The neon-colored, fibrous, self-adhesive kind that you might find at a carnival or amusement park. Each bracelet has the child's name, parent's name, destination, and an emergency contact number... written on the INSIDE surface to protect information.


Travel tips

Chill out. The more relaxed you are, the more relaxed your kids will be. Just deal with the matter at hand and keep moving forward. One foot in front of the other and you are bound to arrive at your destination eventually. Patience and a happy face. Remember that you don't have any "rights" - If you go into your travels NOT expecting to have the experience catered to your desires or even needs, you will often be more pleased with how it does turn out. In addition, if you do encounter a frustrating detour from what you wanted, it may feel like less of a problem if you have already determined that you are not entitled to anything. 


Tell me a bit about your expereience?

"It thrills me to seem my place as a global citizen and to raise my kids with this awareness."

"We really enjoyed the friendliness and hospitality we have experienced. People here are rarely punctual and more spontaneous than i am used to, but that is because here relationships are more important than the clock."

"Living abroad helped me to seem more clearly not only the fabric of my society, but truly the fibers within my own being. The good the bad and the ugly."

"This experience has challenged our perspectives.  In the book, The Wild Goose Chase, the author states an equation that change in time + change in place = change in perspective. I haven’t even begun to understand all of the change that has taken place in my own thought processes and previous assumptions that were never challenged in the past.  Our biggest takeaway don't put God in a box…you never know where He is going to take you next!"

"The love felt between friends who became like family is something I so badly wanted to bottle up and carry home with me."

"I was most inspired by the freedom of the people in owning less and being less owned; consuming less and being less consumed. Poverty can be consuming to. it is not a good thing. But living among the poor helped me to examine the dangerous false security that wealth has to offer. Money may make life easier, but it doesn't bring happiness."

"I find encountering different cultures to be endlessly exciting (albeit challenging to the core)."


People traveling with kids need all the they can get.
Please add your travel tips, tools and tricks in the comments below,
and if you happen to be flying without kids this holiday season...
be thankful and be nice.

Thank you & links
Mandy * Madagascar
Shay * Travel as a kid
Megan * Central Asia
Shay * Bolivia
Shonda * South Asia
Beth * Hong Kong
Amy * Botswana
Natalie * United Stated