International Travel with Children: Surviving In Flight and On the Ground

I’m sharing a few more tips and tricks, based on my own experience, about how to best survive long international trips with children. Last week I shared some of the things I am doing now (three months in advance) to prepare for my solo trip to Australia with two kids in tow, as well as some of my favorite travel toys, books and activities to keep them entertained. Today’s post is focused on the making it through flight and long waits during layovers with you sanity in tact.

Surviving in the air

So now you’re all packed and you managed to get the kids out the door and to the airport about 2 hours before your flight. You even made it through security with all the necessary documents and passports – and without leaving one of them on the photocopier at your office over 20 miles away from airport. (True story that ended well thanks to a very kind co-worker and a speedy courier).

While a lot of the hard work is over at this point, you have about 22 hours in the air and another 8 hours in layovers looming before finally reach your destination. Here are the things my husband and I do every time we travel to try and make sure those many, many (many) hours are as stress-free as possible.

1. Don’t settle when it comes to seat allocation

Never consider your seating arrangement absolutely final until you are safely buckled for takeoff and all tray tables are in their fixed position. The seats that you get when you purchase your ticket do not have to be the seats you end up with. In fact, I begin negotiating for better seats from the moment I book them on line and I don’t stop until I am satisfied that we have the best arrangement for our family – even if that means talking to the person at check in, at the boarding gate, the flight attendants on the plane and your fellow passengers.

This is what I aim for:

Everyone seated together – I know it should be obvious but we have, in the past, been seated across the aisle from one another or where one parent is sitting in front.
Zone Defense – For a family of four, the airplane configuration will help you determine your best options for seating. For example, if the plane has rows of three seats each, then you may be better off choosing two sets of two seats together.
The bulkhead – especially important for families traveling with infants as some international airlines offer a bassinet that hangs from the bulkhead. These bassinets can be used for children up until the age of two (although 12 months is probably most appropriate) and will give you somewhere to put the baby while you eat your dinner or even catch a few moments of sleep. The bulkhead also offers a little more legroom, although placing your child on the floor to sleep is not allowed (I’ve tried).
Special upgrades – Sadly, our budget doesn’t allow an upgrade to business class and most airlines no longer offer the surprise upgrade at the gate – especially for families traveling with small children. Although it did happen once on a flight home from Australia with Thomas as a baby. Fond memories… This time, I’m looking forward to trying out the new Air New Zealand Sky Couch which will allow us to spread out across three seats and, hopefully, get a little more sleep. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Check the car seat – Car seats take up a lot of valuable space in economy seating and limit your options for moving around. I recommend checking it with baggage or, better yet, renting one at the destination.

2. Organize on board and keep the essentials in reach

The first thing I do when I get on board the aircraft is make the kids sit down while I organize our belongings. Kids backpacks with essential books, toys etc. and my camera bag go under the seats in front for easy access. The larger carryon is put in the overhead bins and reserved for things we’ll only need to access on the ground. Here are the items I put in the seat pockets for easy reach:

A couple of kids books and activities to keep them occupied during taxi and takeoff.
My kindle and a magazine (because you can’t read the Kindle during takeoff).
Bottles of water
Gum for ear popping
Headphone for myself and the kids (in case you’re allowed to watch TV during takeoff)
A few snacks to get us through the beginning of the flight because you know they’re going to complain about being hungry as soon as the seat belt sign goes on.

If you have a baby, then I highly recommend purchasing a compact changing pad/diaper carrier. That way you can store 3 or 4 diapers and some wipes in the seat pocket and access your diaper bag only when you need to re-stock. I used one similar to this for both boys and it was easily one of my best, and most-used, baby purchases.

3. Let some (but not all) of the rules slide

Our kids have a fairly limited TV-watching schedule at home. During the week we limit them to about 30 minutes a day. We allow a little more on weekends but, still, we have limits.

While we’re flying over the Pacific, however, these limits pretty much go out the window. My goal during this time is to keep everyone happy and comfortable and if that means more in flight entertainment then so be it. Thankfully, the international airlines we choose to fly with provide us each with a TV of our own so I’m not forced to watch endless episodes of Blue’s Clues. Definitely worth spending a few extra dollars on airfare.

Of course we still limit TV viewing to an extent so it doesn’t interfere with critical sleeping time and I will take time out to read books and play games but, let’s face it, when you’re forced to sit in your seat for 14 hours, TV is the best form of entertainment for a couple of energetic boys. I also make sure I reinforce at every possible moment that this is a special rule for the aeroplane and that everything will go back to normal after we leave the airport.

The one rule I do continue to enforce whether we’re in the air on on the ground at home, is a limit on sugar. It goes without saying that you do not want to hop your kids up on sugar right before you’re about to board a plane.

Oh, one more thing. Some people recommend taking along Benadryl or some other medication that may help your child sleep while in flight. Word of warning. Samuel was given Benadryl after an allergic reaction when he was a baby and it had the exact opposite effect. He was wound up for hours. I, personally, don’t think the benefits of medication are worth the risk.

Surviving the Layover

Unless you’re traveling to and from hub locations like LAX and Sydney, it can be almost guaranteed that you’ll have a layover or two – or three in our case. Maintaining your sanity during a layover is just as critical as it is in the air. Here are a couple of things we do to help make 6 hours in LAX move just a little more quickly.

1. Find a place to hunker down and create a home

It’s incredibly tempting to walk leisurely through the airport and check out some of the shops, especially when you have many hours between flights. Instead, Kei and I have developed a habit of heading directly to the gate for our next flight. On our way there, we’ll pay close attention to food options, bathroom locations and any areas that might serve well as our home base for the next few hours. Since I’ll be alone with the children this time, I’ll make sure we include a bathroom break because packing up a bunch of toys and books so you can take your child to the potty is something you want to as few times as possible.

When we’ve found a relatively comfortable area to call home, we set up a perimeter. Somewhere next to a wall is good – even better if it’s a window with a view out to the aeroplanes – and make sure you’re next to an electrical outlet. If possible, we move seats around and create our own little play area to keep children and toys contained. Another thing we do is establish rules so the kids know how far they can venture.

2. Look for a place to play

Many airports have awakened to the fact that kids often travel with their parents and (shock!) might want somewhere to spend their time doing something that doesn’t involve climbing over seats (and other passengers) in the boarding area or pulling items off shelves in the bookstore. If possible, look for a map of the airport online before you begin your journey so you know where these special places will be in relation to your transfer gate. If you find that the play area is immediately next to your gate, then go out and buy a lottery ticket because luck is definitely on your side.

Vancouver, BC airport has a fantastic play area and TVs with children's programming scattered all over the place.

3. Pace yourself and try to keep the kids awake

I’ll be traveling alone this time so I won’t have the option of taking a catnap during our layover. Instead, I’ll be doing all I can to entertain the kids and keep them awake while we’re on the ground so there will be a greater chance that they’ll sleep on the plane. My strategy involves a constant rotation of activities, including encouraging them to play with their toys, watching a movie or playing a game on the iPad, reading them a book or two, coloring and drawing and, when we’ve reached the point of boredom and frayed nerves, bringing out a surprise toy or book. Every couple of hours I’ll pack up our gear and take them for a walk to get them moving, grab something to eat and visit the bathroom. then we’ll rinse and repeat until we’re finally able to board the plane again. The key is to ensure we have as few “I’m bored”‘s as possible.

The San Francisco International airport has a mini aquarium AND an airline museum. One of the better places to be stranded with children.

Remember – Not everything is in your control.

As much as you try to pre-plan and organize and entertain, there are some things that are bound to happen that will be completely out of your control – both good and bad. Over the past few years we’ve experienced delayed flights, cancelled flights, being refused boarding, an unexpected upgrade, lost luggage, an extremely long wait on the tarmac after landing, wonderful flight attendants, grumpy flight attendants, crabby fellow passengers, wonderfully helpful people, great airports and crappy airports.

The one thing that remained constant during each of these situations is that we came prepared for anything – spare clothes in the carryon, extra toys to keep the kids happy, the ability to smile through the trauma of not being able to board the plane (OK, maybe not that last one). Each of these situations, as bad as they were at the time, would have been a whole lot worse if we hadn’t planned ahead.

Is there anything else you’d like to know about traveling with small children? Anything I haven’t covered here and in my previous posts on this topic? Have some tips of your own that you’d like to share? Let me know in the comments.

Seven Kids Travel Items: To Keep Them Entertained and Help Maintain Your Sanity

As I mentioned in my previous post, part of my planning strategy for a trip to Australia with the kids is to bring items that are age appropriate and will keep them as busy as possible during the marathon flight and multiple layovers.

I should caveat by mentioning that, although I have pretty good idea of what my kids are interested in, it’s very difficult to predict which toy or activity that will be the most successful. On one trip, it was a set of Wiggles figurines that kept Thomas most entertained. On another, it was a Blues Clues notepad. The key is to take a variety of items, some well-tested and some new, and hope at least a couple of them provide enough entertainment to keep your child interested for a good portion of the journey.

Here are some of my favourite travel activities and products that I’m hoping will go a long way to keeping my 6 year old and 4 year old occupied.

1. The best kid’s backpack

The boys are finally both old enough to carry their own stuff which means they will each need a strong, reliable backpack. Thomas has used this LL Bean backpack as his school bag for three years and it shows no sign of wear, which is pretty amazing when you consider how much it’s been thrown around. Samuel is conveniently getting a new backpack just like this one, but in blue, for his birthday in May.

The junior size is perfect for kids of this age but be careful not to pack it with too many heavy books. I made the mistake of putting too much in Thomas’ backpack when I took him to Australia as a two-year-old and he was practically falling over backward.

2. Simple fun – Pad of plain paper and crayons/pencils

While activity books may be good for short-term entertainment (we’ll probably pick up one at the airport during a layover as a surprise), nothing beats plain paper and crayons or pencils for a couple of kids who love to draw. They have tons on coloring/activity books at home but always gravitate toward the plain white paper. For this trip, I plan to buy them each a plain paper notebook that they can use as a visual journal for the journey. I’ll encourage them to draw pictures of the things they see around them between the predictable ninja and superhero drawings.

3. The very best kids activity book

Kids activity books can be very hit or miss. My kids will usually color one or two pages, or finish a dot-to-dot, and then discard it to do something else. I remember when we bought a magic pen book for Thomas during one trip and he went through and filled in all of the answers within 10 minutes and then never looked at it again.

The one activity book I would highly recommend is Draw it Again from Klutz. It’s a dry-erase book with photos of objects like candy corn and brocolli that are used as a starting point to draw a picture. It comes with examples that kids can copy or they can create their own masterpieces. We purchased this book from the Moma store at the San Francisco international airport during our flight from hell a couple of years ago and it proved to be the best $15 we spent on that trip. Thomas literally spent hours drawing and then re-drawing pictures in this book (and we had hours to kill). I’ve bought an extra set of markers for our upcoming trip in the hope that the book has the same appeal the second time around.

4. Apps for the iPhone and iPad.

Modern technology has been so good for traveling parents. Before our trip I’ll spend some time loading up the iPhone and iPad with movies and games that the kids will enjoy – some they may even learn from. Here are a few of my (and my boys’) favourite kids apps:

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox and Monkey Math. Great for both Samuel and Thomas although Thomas will grow out of these apps in the next couple of years. Only downside to these apps is that the sound can be a little obnoxious, so you may want to invest in some headphones.

PBS Kids (Free) – Video clips and semi-educational games from the shows that my kids already love.
Draw Something (Free) – Free drawing game that you play with friends. Thomas is really into this game right now and the bonus is that he’ll be able to play with Kei even while we’re thousands of miles away. Only downside is that some of the words can be a little tricky for a six year old but they can choose the words that work best for them.
Where’s Waldo (99c on sale in March) – in the tradition of the classic search and find books.
Ninjago (Free) – another free app (with purchase options within, of course) that supports my kids’ latest obsession with a fun spinjistu game and a few video clips from the show. I find myself needing to put a time limit on this one.

5. Books

I never travel without at least a few new books in tow. I stock up on softcover (i.e. light) books in a variety of subjects. This year our portable library will include Ninjago (of course!) – readers and comic books. Probably a couple of Mercer Meyer titles because they appeal to all ages and some Charlie and Lola which is an old favorite. I’ll also spend some time in Powells searching for books that I’m not going to regret having to read over and over again. Finally, I’ll see what I can find in the way of e-books for the iPad for those times when I can barely keep my eyes open and I need an electronic device to do the reading. We already have The Lorax downloaded, but I plan to do a little research and find a few more before we leave.

6. Action figures

Without a doubt, action figures are the very best thing to bring on a trip for my kids. While the type of action figures has changed somewhat as the kids have become older, the hours of imaginative play time they provide has not. They’re small enough to carry but not small enough to get lost easily, although I know that putting limits on the number that we bring will be a challenge. Do we sacrifice Robin to bring Batman? Good guys or bad guys? Jedis or Droids? I sense a battle ahead.

7. Travel games

I haven’t really tried taking travel games in the past as the kids were a little too young, but I think I’ll try to pack a couple this time around. I’m considering a few I found online such as this memory game from Melissa and Doug and this one with a Dr. Seuss theme and multiple games. I also plan to hit the dollar store to look for some cheaper options.

Do you know of any other travel entertainment options I’m missing? I would love to have a couple of new tried-and-true items to hide and bring out at just the right moment. That right moment, of course, is when we’re all overtired, everything else has been declared “boring” and I find my patience wearing thin. On an international flight, there is no amount of preparation that can avoid the moment when it feels like you’ve run out of options. I’d love to have a little something unexpected to help get us through that moment.

Three Things I’m Doing Now to Prepare for an International Flight with Children

This is the first in a series of posts I plan to write about traveling internationally with small with children. I decided to write this series partially to share the information I find myself giving friends and colleagues on a regular basis, but mostly to help make the time until my vacation move just that little bit quicker.

I may have mentioned once or twice that I’ll be heading back to Australia soon for an extended vacation. I’m very lucky that the fabulous company I work for has rewarded my years of dedicated service with a lengthy, although well-earned, sabbatical.

The catch is that this time I’ll be traveling at least one leg of the trip alone with two children. Secretly, I’m looking forward to an adventure with my boys, especially now that they’re old enough to enjoy it and both are fully potty trained. At least I say that now, I may have a different perspective after 13 hours in the air or even just two hours of layover at LAX

This will be my 6th international trip after having children so, clearly, I’m no rookie. And the one thing I’ve learned from past experience is that there is no substitute for proper advance planning to ensure a successful trip. That doesn’t mean it can’t all go horribly wrong (see our last trip to Australia part 1, part 2 and part 3), but at least if it does go wrong it (mostly) won’t be my fault.

So, here I share three things I am doing now to help ensure a successful flight before we even get to the airport.

1. Choose your airline and flight duration wisely – and pay extra if you have to.

There was once a time when I would scour the internet for the cheapest flight because, honestly, who wants to pay an huge chunk of change just to get to their destination a little earlier? Well, all I can say is that choosing a shorter flight with an international carrier is well worth the extra expense.

Here’s why:

US domestic airlines make most of their money from domestic flights and don’t invest as much in their international service (at least in my experience). Airlines from smaller countries (e.g. Qantas and Air New Zealand) rely on their international passengers for a huge chunk of their business and are much more invested in keeping you happy.
Airlines that focus on international travel understand how important it is to keep families happy. This is especially helpful if you’re traveling with an infant. When Samuel was a baby, the flight attendants moved people around after we had boarded the plane just so we could sit in the bulkhead. We didn’t ask for this extra attention, they just understood how we’d be most comfortable and made it happen. Side note: you should always ask for the bulkhead when booking a flight or, at the very least, before boarding the plane if possible. Most planes have a bassinet that that will save you from having to hold the baby for the entire time,

Photo of Japan Airlines in the 60's. If only traveling were this pleasant now.

You’ll never be more relieved that you spent an extra couple of hundred dollars for one less layover than when you’re about to board the last leg of you flight with two cranky kids after the caffeine overdose has stopped doing its job.

2. Be a minimalist

This is the one step that I struggle with every time, but my goal (as always) is to pack as little as possible in our checked luggage and carry on’s. This will also be our first trip without a stroller which, while cumbersome, came in very handy when transporting tired children and all of our stuff during transfers and layovers, so it’s more important than ever that I carry as little as possible. Here’s what I plan to take on the plane.

1 Camera bag/personal item – containing camera, passports, important docs, kindle, iPad. This bag will never leave my body while we’re off the plane and will be safely stowed under our feet while we’re on it.
1 wheeled carry on – containing a change of clothes for each of us (critical as we learned during our flight from hell during our last trip part 1, part 2 and part 3), a few toiletries such as deodorant and toothbrushes (in the outside pocket for easy removal when going through security), books or other heavier items that are too much for the kids to carry, healthy sugar-free snacks such as nuts and granola bars, surprise toys and books to be revealed at strategic times, headphones for all of us and, of course, chargers for phone, ipad, kindle and camera – because you DO NOT want to be stuck in an airport with a dead battery.
2 small children’s backpacks – one for each child that they will be encouraged to carry on their own. Each backpack will hold a few small toys/figurines (but none with small parts that can be easily lost), a couple of small travel-size books, drawing materials (paper and few pencils/crayons) and their favorite stuffed friend. I may also give them each their own snack bag so they can help themselves to snacks as they want them rather than asking me every five minutes.

In addition, I’ll try to fit everything else into one piece of checked luggage, although I suspect this may be difficult because we’re traveling to an Aussie winter. On second thought, two lighter pieces might be better than one humungous one.

3. Plan for your child’s age.

Our first trip to Australia with children was when Thomas was just two months old and, of course, traveling with a two month old is a lot different than traveling with a six-year-old (a two month old is easy). We took our last trip just before Samuel turned two and it was challenging to keep him occupied. I anticipate that this time will be a lot easier now that the boys play well together and are interested in drawing, coloring and watching movies.

Another big advantage this time around will be the advances in technology that will allow me to offer up a movie-filled iPad, as well as the iPhone if they need some time apart. I’ll save the kindle for myself.

My plan, however, is to save the iPad as a last resort and instead try and fill their time with age-appropriate books and toys. I’ve been taking a mental note of things that they’re interested in right now and squirreling away a few books and activities in preparation. For Thomas, I plan to take a couple of level 1 readers that he can (hopefully) practice reading to Samuel. I also found some Ninjago comic books with lots of pictures that will keep them interested if I need a break from reading.

As for toys, both Thomas and Samuel love creating worlds with their Superhero/Star Wars/Ninjago figurines. They’ll take some from their existing collection but I’ll also bring along a couple of surprises to share at a strategic moment.

The thing to keep in mind is that you can never be 100% sure of what will most grab their attention. For Thomas a few years ago, it was a few Wiggles figurines that kept him entertained for (literally) hours. On another trip it was a dry erase activity book that saved our sanity. The key is to bring a variety of small items that don’t take up too much room, but provide them with options so they’re less likely to get bored.

So there are just a few of the most important things I’m doing to prepare in advance of our trip. In the next few related posts I’ll share tips for staying sane in flight and during transfers, as well as some of the kids travel items that I’m counting on to help keep the kids entertained.

Up In The Air

Hi, my name is Nicole and I am addicted to taking photos from the windows of Aeroplanes.

The following were taken with my iPhone and processed with instagram. If you’re interested, you can check check out all of my instagram photos on my Tumblr page.

You Know You’re in Austin, Texas When…

It’s easy to find somewhere to park your horse.

The street performers look like they just busted out of prison.

You feel like you’re walking through one enormous outdoor art gallery.

You turn a corner and find yourself face to face with a mariachi band.

You are subject to some extremely direct marketing.

Someone hands you a slab of meat that is bigger than your head (and you’re tempted to eat the entire thing because it’s SOOOO good).

You have absolutely no problem finding a place to grab a quick drink (or two or three).

And driving off into sunset is just as incredibly beautiful as it sounds.

Got home late yesterday afternoon and settling back into life while trying to recall everything I did during a wonderful few days in Austin – thankfully not all work-related. Back with more photos and stories soon.

Today’s Photo of a Storm Brewing Over Seattle

If you’ve been following my whining on Twitter, you’ll know that I found myself stuck in Bellevue, WA (just outside Seattle) for a day longer than I anticipated. Thankfully we were able to drive home yesterday during a brief break in the snow and freezing rain. I hear that I-5 is now closed halfway between Portland and Seattle – at the same location where we stopped briefly for lunch, the power went out and a tree fell across the freeway onramp, all within the span of 20 minutes.

So, I count myself lucky that I didn’t find myself spending the weekend. As much as I love Seattle, I love my family more and I was VERY tired of looking at the walls of my hotel room while ice literally rained from the sky.

They were warning about snow when I took this photo of Seattle from the windows of our Bellevue office on Monday.

Today’s Photos of Chinese Lanterns Hanging in Fake Venice in Las Vegas

Today’s Photos From The Air

This next one reminds me of the song they used to play during the opening credits of Weeds. “Little boxes on the hillside…”

Newport, Oregon Day 5: Samuel Spots a Seal (or five)

Day 5 was our last full day in Newport, although I’m sure it feels as though we were there a lot longer thanks to the speed at which I’ve been posting these recaps. Still, posting like this helps drag out the vacation, and the summer, just a little longer.

I began the day with another walk around Nye Beach to soak up a little of that beachside atmosphere.

Then we enjoyed a little Zen time at the beach thanks to Kei’s rock creation.

Then it was time to head back in the direction of the lighthouse to visit the rock pools. A ticket to the lighthouse is valid for three days which worked out perfectly. Visiting the Lighthouse and rock pools on the same day would have been too much for the younger members of our crew.

We walked down the hill toward the rock pools thinking it was just a regular beach, when Samuel spotted the main attraction just meters away.

We were pretty impressed that Samuel was the one who saw them first (and he was incredibly proud of himself) so I asked him to recreate the moment.

Then, braving the cold wind, I walked around and took a few quick photos before we decided to make a beeline back to the warm van.

For dinner, we drove to a great Japanese restaurant in the old town section of Newport. It gave us a chance to walk around the historic port and check out these very loud and aggressive creatures.

We weren’t the only ones. Apparently they’re quite the attraction.

After dinner we took a walk down to the dock. Well, some of us walked…

The sun was setting and the colors were beautiful.

Finally, I decided that my nerves could no longer take the sight of my children running on such narrow boardwalks. As we walked back, Mayumi requested I take a few photos of things you might not see very often in Japan.