| |
|
|
 |
| Tips for Flying with Kids |
Whether you’re traveling for the summer holiday, spring break, winter break, or any other time of year, lots of families will book flights and soar off into the sky with their little ones. Fear not, with a little patience, planning and a sense of adventure, traveling with kids can be an unforgettable and rewarding experience.
Some of the information we’ve compiled might seem obvious to you, especially if you've flown before with your children. Regardless of whether you’ve traveled with kids or not, our experts have compiled some tips and ideas on ensuring a smooth and easy travel excursion with your kids.
|
|
back to main | print  |
|
|
|
|
|
| Tips for Flying with Kids |
Published
On: April 06, 2009 |
 Whether you’re traveling for the summer holiday, spring break, winter break, or any other time of year, lots of families will book flights and soar off into the sky with their little ones. Fear not, with a little patience, planning and a sense of adventure, traveling with kids can be an unforgettable and rewarding experience.
Some of the information we’ve compiled might seem obvious to you, especially if you've flown before with your children. Regardless of whether you’ve traveled with kids or not, our experts have compiled some tips and ideas on ensuring a smooth and easy travel excursion with your kids.
Some Tricks to Air Travel With Kids:
-
Non-Stop Flights Whenever possible, book a nonstop flight. This will streamline your trip and prevent change-of-flight problems. Traveling during non-peak times, late at night, mid-day and Mondays through Wednesdays, will give you an opportunity to be on a less-crowded flight. On these flights, you’re likely to find room for your kids to stretch out and sleep, and a free space for your child safety seat.
- Early Arrival Instead of sprinting through the airport with a baby on your back and toddlers on each arm, try to arrive 3-hours in advance of your flight, so you have ample time to check your bags, get through security and arrive at the gate long before your departure time.
If you are booking connecting flights, be sure that you have enough time to meet your connecting flight. The less stress you have, the better your trip will be.
Dress Comfortably: Be sure to dress comfortably, track suits, comfortable jeans, clothes aren’t restrictive or dressy are ideal for flights with children, both long-haul and short flights. If you need to arrive in dressier clothing, you can always carry dressy clothing on a carry-on bag for you and the kids. On board, let your kids wear comfortable play clothes, and don't forget to pack sweaters, sweatshirts or jackets in your carry-on, especially when traveling with little ones, since airplanes tend to be cold. Don't forget to grab blankets and pillows once you’re on board.
-
Guide your Children through the Travel Process
Don't forget to talk with your children about the trip, explaining each stage of the boarding process and the flight. Make sure young children realize that the bumpiness and engine noises are normal and not a signal of impending danger. You may even want to visit the airport ahead of time with your children, so they know what to expect.
- Snacks and Meals for Kids
Bringing snacks and drinks and a few treats will keep your novice flier happy with minimal reliance on flight attendants. Bring something to suck or chew on (bottles and pacifiers for little ones), for pressure changes during take-off and landing. Keep a tight lid on beverage-service drinks by packing sippy cups from home. You can always ask in advance about on-board kids' meal, though not common, it’s worth asking about.
- Work off Excess Energy Before your Flight
- Flying will be more pleasant if children exercise and play before boarding the plane. Use every opportunity to walk and move around before your flight.
- If you’re parking, instead of taking a shuttle, consider walking to your terminal. Watch planes flying into the clouds while you walk around.
- Instead of asking your children to sit quietly before take-off, consider activities and games that require a bit of exercise. Obviously your kids have to be supervised and civilized while waiting for the flight. Also, watching planes take off and fly into the sky entertains almost any aged child.
Get The Kids Interested and Involved: To build the excitement of the journey, create a countdown calendar. Place it on the refrigerator or someplace where the children can access it. Or go high-tech and find a computer application that will do the same thing.
Entertainment and Playing Wrap toys as gifts to add to the entertainment value. Leave one end of the package open so that you can show the 'gift' to security staff if they ask you to. Forget your policy on limiting screen time, get as much relief as you can from the airplane children’s video channels and games, or take your own video games.
Tire your Kids Out Ideally, your kids will take advantage of their time in the air by catching up on sleep. Tire them out by walking around and exploring the airport before your flight. People watching is always fun, and some airports have intriguing art and history exhibits ,or bright play areas full of fun an climbable toys.
Make Pit Stops Hit the bathroom before the "Fasten Seatbelt Sign" is lit up for the last time. The time between initial descent and arrival at the gate can be a while, especially if your potty-training toddler has to go to the bathroom.
When the captain has the seat belt sign on, children cannot leave their seats.
Flying with kids goes more smoothly when the flight is planned and children understand what to expect when flying. When you fly with children, remember that flying is confining and kids are energetic. Taking the time to explain the process will make your trip a lot more smooth because your children will know what to expect.
|
| |
 |
|
| |
*The 15 USD off offer is on our transaction service fees only, the discount varies based on the transaction service fees charged for that ticket, and the value of discount will be up to the amount of the service fees charged for that transaction or USD 15 per transaction which ever is less. You must use the coupon code upon check out to avail this offer. This offer may be revised or dis-continued without notice.
|
|
|
