Top Tips for Traveling with Kids - Airplane
Always have snacks in your bag
I like to travel with a mix of fruit, bars, chocolate and protein. For fruit, I pack one apple per kid and sometimes throw in one for myself as a “just in case”. Apples are great because they are less likely to be smashed when they inevitably make it to the bottom of your bag. I also throw in a few bars, whatever you have in your pantry that the kids don’t eat. If you pack their favorites they will eat them all and the point is to have food for emergencies. I also keep a bar of chocolate. Be careful where you place this item in the pack; it can melt or open and get other items all chocolatey. For protein, I will travel with packs of cold cuts, sandwiches or salami sticks like Turkey Tom Toms.
Have them carry their own backpack
I have a separate blog about which backpack is best to travel with. Check it out here. Make sure the backpack is easy to open and access items and comfortable for your kiddo to carry. Help them pack their carry-on and make sure they can fit all their items easily into their backpack. This way they will be faster moving through security and getting off the airplane. If their bag is stuffed it’s going to get messy and it will slow you down.
Wear layers and comfortable shoes
This may seem obvious but kids don’t often wear layers inside. They wear big coats and t-shirts. Traveling with big coats is a pain. I usually have my kids wear pants, socks, t-shirt, sweatshirt or sweater and a windbreaker. We sometimes travel with a scarf or a puffy jacket packed small into a special pocket in their backpack. This way you won’t have to give up your extra layers if the plane is cold. If you are warm traveling, the extra room you left in their backpack will hold their extra clothes.
Get to the airport early
I like to get to the airport about 20 minutes before the airline will allow check-in for the flight. Yes, you read that right. I used to travel alone and arrive minutes before the gates closed but traveling this way with kids is extremely stressful. I have slowly but eventually learned that the more relaxed I am, the more relaxed my kids will be. I have also learned that they always have to use the restroom and if you are waiting in a long line to check baggage or get through security, you could miss your flight due to bathroom breaks.
Use the restroom as often as possible
Kids have to pee a lot, even when they think they don’t. The very first thing we do upon entering the airport is find the bathroom. I then make sure we spot the pot before we get in any line, security, boarding, before the plane starts descending, as soon as we get off the plane, after getting our luggage. Air travel is dehydrating and I make the kids drink a lot of extra water. This means they will need to use the bathroom extra. That early arrival to the airport will make these bathroom trips less stressful for you especially because you never know when it’s not number 1.
Eat before you get on the flight - by the gate
I like this option, as opposed to eating on the flight, for a few reasons. First, it’s easier to access napkins, rubbish bin and water refill. Kids often need to use the restroom during or after they eat and the airport bathrooms are usually much cleaner than the airplane bathroom. Your kid is much less likely to spill something if they have more room to move. You might be out of the zone of diaper changing in the airplane bathroom but wet pants from spilled airplane drink is no fun. Yet another reason to plan extra time at the airport.
Download games/shows/movies days before your travel date
Many people leave this task for the night before they travel but there are too many ways this can go wrong. The download might not work, you could accidentally drain the battery and it adds one more thing to your already long list of things to do the night before. Make you life easy and do this a few days in advance. It is some fun time talking about the trip with your kiddo and helps them start to get emotionally ready for the journey.
Charge all electronics the night before
Check Check and double check! Once the device is fully charged, power off and hand to your kiddo to place in their carry-on. Double check that the device actually got into the backpack.
Pack the day before (or earlier)
This one is a no-brainer. One bag per person, they carry their own toiletries and the stuffies must be limited. Kids don’t mind wearing the same outfit everyday. Doing laundry on vacation is not ideal but it’s a trade-off with the amount of clothes you pack. Consider staying at a place with a laundry facility. You will pack far less and have more room in your luggage for souvenirs and items purchased during your trip.
Show the kids pictures of where you are traveling to
Kids love to know what’s going on. It not only makes them feel included but it helps them know that you respect them and their input. Use this as s time to answer any of their questions and give them a layout of what to expect on their upcoming journey. Kids get travel anxiety. This is a great way to give them a visual and let them know you’ve got this. They can relax and enjoy the journey.
Don’t do layovers
I got this tip from a girlfriend who travels internationally with her two kiddos multiple times per year. I am so grateful for this tip, Thank you Deb! I honestly believe that my kids trust me more and are easier to travel with because they know I am going to do my best to make the actual travel part of the journey as pleasant as possible. Layovers with kids are pure stress. There are too many moving parts between luggage, kids health, food, bathrooms, weather and just regular travel unpredictability. If you have to take more than one flight to a location, find a hotel with a pool and take an extra day. This ensures that any luggage delays are made up for, your kids get some extra time to play and you get some peace of mind. This way too, you won’t end up at your location completely exhausted, just regular parent traveling with kids tired.
Use a luggage cart
Just do it! The kids love it. They love getting it, they love loading it and they love pushing it. It gives them something to do and makes them so happy. It’s like you finally let them push the cart and the grocery store. (Nerver happening) So give them this small victory. The luggage cart also ensures that everyone is more likely to stay together and walk at the same pace to your next stop on the journey. Most likely you are arriving at an unknown location. The luggage cart means that all the kids are responsible for is staying close to you, not hauling their luggage threw an unknown airport.
Make sure you know where the rental place is located and what time they close
If you are renting a car there are two big steps to consider other than price and type of vehicle. First, is the rental pick-up location walking distance from the airport. If not, do they have a free shuttle and if you have to call for the shuttle, does your phone work in the location you are traveling to? Twice, I have had to load the kids and our luggage into a taxi in order to reach our rental location because my phone would not connect through to the international number for the free shuttle pick-up or the rental company would not pick-up. Many cheaper rental cars have pick-up further from the airport and hopping in a cab is not that hard or that expensive. Just make sure you know ahead of time.
The more important double check is, what time are you expecting to get to your rental car location (most likely one hour or more from the time you land) and when does the rental location close. You can easily organize a late pick-up if necessary but showing up to a closed rental car location off-site from the airport at night, with kids is not safe. Hence my next tip….
Make travel plans so you arrive during daylight hours
Whether you are driving, taking public transport or a taxi to your destination, arriving at night with kids is a drag. They are tired, you are tired, most likely everyone is hungry and cranky. You are more likely to make mistakes, navigating, negotiating, reading Airbnb instructions etc. Arriving during daylight allows you and more importantly the kiddos, to get acclimated to your new surroundings. Although waking up in a new location can be a bit like Christmas morning, arriving at night means you have fewer amenities open, less assistance and more potential for trouble.
Be willing to Break some rules - candy etc
We go all out on travel days with shows, movies, games, candy and french fries at the airport. This is an easy budget friendly way to get your kids to LOVE travel days. Yes, this is poor habit building so judge all you want. Believe me, I am immediately filled with shame when my three kids are sitting at the gate with headphones on eating candy. I have this desperate need to tell everyone that I am a loving and caring mother and this is not our everyday. Remember, your parenting goals on travel days are far different than on other days. Get them from A to B with as much easy as possible. Think of travel days as mini “Yes Day”.
Don’t be in a rush
Being in a rush stresses kids out. They just don’t understand why it matters and think you are being crazy and intense. Yet another reason to arrive with plenty of time. The airport itself is an adventure for your kiddos. Let them wander, with your supervision of course. Let them pull you into this reminder that life is about the journey not the destination. Kids are just as happy getting a souvenir from the airport bookshop as they are from the Eiffel Tower. Actually, they will probably like the airport stores better than anything else. This is your chance to build some trust and go slow.
Remember that kids forget
Kids, especially under the age of 8, will not remember where you are going and why. Be patient with the redundant questions and really take the time to recognize if there questions are coming from a genuine desire to know what’s happening OR are they feeling nervous and simply wanting reassurance.
Refill water often and make them drink lots
I know this sounds redundant but water drinking’s one those things we go gang busters with for three days then or get for weeks. My kids are calmer, happier, have more energy and just plain feel better with more water in them. Traveling is dehydrating so have these days be the ones you focus on water intake.
Keep Passports in separate bag
I travel with all four passports tucked neatly into a RFID and slash proof sack that fits neatly around my neck and under my clothes (bulky but hey it’s 4 passports. My most important things that I travel with are passports and the most important stuffy for each kiddo. Everything can be replaced and fairly easily, except for these items. I travel with them on my person and separate from my bag…just in case.
Let them ask questions and be prepared for some homesickness
BE PATIENT!!!!
Kids are resilient but remember they get overwhelmed many steps before we do. If you want to enjoy your travel experience, you have to slow down and make it enjoyable for them. If you are trying to make your trip into an adult adventure, your kids will be miserable and they will make you miserable in return. Toss out your expectations of museums, shopping and dinners out. Find pools, playgrounds, big fields and ice cream. Let them pat every dog and when they are tired, take them back to your place and give them some chill time. The less you push, the more they’ll trust you and the more they will be willing to go on future adventures with you.