When Family Travel Is Your Business
Q: I'm a pro when it comes to business travel, but I'm a little fearful about our first family trip this summer. Any tips for traveling with children.
— Jim B.
A. Jim, I am a bit out of my element on this one. It's kind of like asking Julia Child about low-fat cooking or Lindsey Lohan about propriety.
Truth be told, there was a time when I would arch an eyebrow in silent judgment, praying that the boarding troupe of diapered ones would bypass me, my row, my section, and my plane.
Now that family and friends have (and travel) with children, I'm a changed man (peer pressure, and sharp rebukes and equally sharp elbows notwithstanding).
Uncle Tom has a new perspective. Traveling parents need all the support they can get.
So what if you've scaled El Capitan in your bare feet. Have you ever flown across the Atlantic with a toddler? I think facing a vertical wall of granite may be the less challenging option.
With help from my extended family of travelers, here are some tips for traveling with wee ones.
1. Book nonstop flights where available.
2. Make sure you have seat assigments.
3. Select seats together or the best seating configuration available. For a family of four, holding seats 1+3 or 2+2 is better than not holding any seats. Once at the airport, check with the gate agent for better seating.
4. Check your airline's Web site for the traveling with children section (Examples: British Airways, United Airlines
5. Consider kid-friendly arrival and departure times
6. Brief your children about the wonders of flying, make it fun (advanced parenting skills required).
7. Pack luggage the day or night ahead.
8. Utilize a travel checklist.
9. Check in online and print boarding passes prior to leaving for the airport (usually up to 24-hours ahead of flight time).
9. Pre-board the flight if applicable.
10. Pack carry-ons with snacks and games to entertain and preoccupy.
11. Consider your family's mealtime before traveling.
12. Remove all old destination tags from luggage.
13. Add ID tags to luggage (inside and out).
14. Know TSA and airline carry-on luggage policy.
15. Double check your departure time.
16. Email your itinerary/travel plans to appropriate parties.
This is just the tip of the sippy cup; consider some of the following sites focused on the specific needs of traveling with childen.
Jim, hopefully there's enough info here to get you and your kids from point A to Point B, from diapers to dorm rooms and in between. Safe and happy travels to you and yours.
Tom Conway, who often wonders if his seatback has a bullseye on it, looks forward to your questions, comments and tips.
Comments
Jim and Tom,
A good list.
Check out my recent blog post titled "10 Family Travel Tips You Can Actually Use" here: www.travelsavvymom.com/blog.
Bon voyage,
Jamie
Posted by: Jamie | May 21, 2008 6:31 AM
Very nice list. After having flown internationally three times with kids between the ages of 1 yr and 4 1/2 years, there are only two changes that I think should be made.
First, the seating configuration of 1 and 3 only works if you are the one and the other parent in with the three. I would recommend always finding a way to make two and two work. Especially if this is during or after an overnight flight. (Your marriage will be better for this.)
Second, I would add the tip to be open to meeting and befriending other families. The friendship only lasts as long as the flight, and can make some of the most impossible flights (or delays) possible and easier. Communal parenting allows parents to rest a little, and the kids are easier to manage with new kids to play with.
All the best,
kerry
Posted by: Kerry | May 22, 2008 9:21 AM
One other tip that may help is that most airlines allow parents to gate check strollers, so you do not have to relinquish it at the baggage check counter. It is one extra item to have to push through the X-ray machines but is a life saver if your flight is delayed and you want to take your little one on a sightseeing stroll through the gate. Since it is one the last cargo/checked items to be boarded on the plane it is the first item to be retrieved and delivered directly outside the plane on the jetway, (usually there waiting for you when you deboard the plane).
Posted by: Adrian | May 22, 2008 9:26 AM
The list is very helpful. A few other observations (we travel annually to China with four kids under 10):
(1) Be active & engaged with kids (especially on longer flights): walk child down the aisle to the galley, play a card game, color, draw. While I can zone out on business travel, with my kids I have to stay active. Besides, nothing with bother a fellow traveler when your child is misbehaving and you're trying to watch the movie.
(2) Bring your own carseat - My kids settle down in their car seat - its comfortable and familiar. Maybe something psychological happens and they get reminded that they are traveling when they are in their car seat.
(3) Order the kids meal (if your airline provides one) - for example, United International flights have kids meals with a toy that my children look forward to.
(4) Portable DVD (or laptop computer): bring along a movie or TV program that will make a couple hours go by quickly.
(5) Pair kids up: our 10 year old sits next to the 4 year old and plays games with them. The 9 and 7 year old play together.
(6) Have a plan for the window seats - all of our kids want one, so we plan to rotate during flight.
(7) Small gifts: we wrap small flight-appropriate toys or games (no sounds producing toys!) to open at different intervals, such as when the captain tells us we are at altitude, or after the meal is served. Kids look forward to the little present.
Posted by: Paul Krause | May 22, 2008 9:43 AM
Things will also go alot more smoothly if you are prepared ahead of the various checkpoints. For example, make sure all metal objects are out of the pockets of you and your kids before you get to the front of the security line. Belt buckles, watches, loose change, jackets and shoes that you are required to remove, etc. Take care of it while you are waiting in line, not when you get to the front. Sometimes you have to "herd" your family. You can't just all wander up to the checkpoints without a plan. Same goes with baggage checks, boarding, etc. It may seem a little "Griswald Family", but it helps keep things organized and moving. Less stress for you, less inconvenience for your fellow travelers.
Posted by: Mantonat | May 22, 2008 2:10 PM