now that i am a mother to a 3 year old, traveling has become a little bit more....challenging. but over the last 3 years, i have learned tips and tricks on how to make traveling as easy as possible.
we have avoided driving more than 4 hours to any destination: we've driven to reno/lake tahoe, carmel/monterey, and the giant redwoods in humboldt county. kids get restless and impatient very easily and they will get cranky on long trips. if you have to drive, be prepared to make frequent stops for bathroom breaks and to stretch your legs. my tip here is if you can avoid the long drive, avoid it. if your child is still a baby who sleeps most of the day, then driving shouldn't be a problem. but for toddlers, i'm not opposed to it but i would try to avoid it as much as i could.
most of our trips, we've had to fly which involves a lot of research and monitoring airline ticket prices to get the best deals. michelle now gets charged full fare so flying can be costly if not well planned. i opened frequent flier memberships in her name so she can get the miles when she travels. it's free so why not?
anyway, here are some tips when you're flying with kids:
1. pack smart - don't over pack and pack only what you need. remember that you don't have to take the whole closet with you. you can make the convenience store your first stop at your destination so you don't have to pack too much of the things the bulky items like diapers that are available pretty much anywhere.
2. if your kids are old enough to wheel their own little luggage, make them wheel their own little luggage. michelle has her little dora backpack with wheels which we always take when we travel. i pack a change of clothes for her, 2 little boxes of apple juice, snacks, toys (in her case it's always abadi), 1 small book, candy, and my ipod. these are not heavy so she can easily pull her bag and she knows she has all of her little goodies in her bag. i put my ipod in the same bag because after abadi fails to entertain her, after the book, the toys, the candy, i take out my ipod so she can listen to some mickey mouse clubhouse music. the bag fits under the seat too so it's easily accessible during the flight.
3. get there early - give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport and get thru security. you can be the most savvy traveler by yourself, but it's a different case when you're traveling with kids. you don't have control over your time so give your family a nice cushion and avoid being late for your flight. we have experienced the mad dash to the gate to avoid missing our flight and none of use were happy with that experience. we made it to the gate just as the passengers were boarding but we'd rather not do that again. stressful!
4. be prepared to go thru security - i'd like to divide this into sub-categories and trust me, if you follow these tips, going thru security will be faster for you and less stressful.
what to wear, or what not to wear - it goes without saying that you should dress comfortably especially when traveling with kids. i don't wear high heels because i need to be ready to run after michelle all over the airport. she's well behaved, but hey, she's still a kid! wear shoes that are easy to put on and take off - that goes for both parents and kids. every passenger must take off their shoes at the security line so i avoid boots or shoes with laces. if you need to wear a belt, wear it after you've gone thru security as you will need to take it off before you go through the metal detectors anyway. put your coins in your bag as they also trigger the alarm.
technology - put all electronic devices inside your bag (including your cellphone and bluetooth headset) to avoid setting off the metal detector. put your laptop in an easily accessible portion of your carry on since they sometimes have to be swabbed to check for explosive devices (i think!); this way you can easily pull it out of the bag and put on the plastic bins that go thru the x-ray machine.
liquids - if you're checking some of your bags in, put all your liquids in your checked in that bag so you don't have to worry about them. if not, again, bring only what you'll need. for us ladies who carry around a good set of toiletries, buy little bottles of your favorite perfume, lotions, soaps, shampoos, etc. and keep them in a ziploc bag. since i travel often enough, i always have my set of toiletries ready to go. there is a little bit of leniency when traveling with kids. they allow reasonable amounts of water, juices, milk and other beverages for the kid who's traveling. i keep michelle's juice boxes in her luggage so it's obvious that those liquids are hers.
5. use the bathroom before you board - you get to the airport, security was a breeze, now you can relax a little bit as you walk towards your gate. this will be the perfect time to change your baby's diaper, or for everyone in the family to use the restroom before boarding the plane. airplane toilets are not big enough for the average person, let alone another, even if the other person is only 3 feet tall.
6. mommy my ears are hurting - even adults get bothered by the change in pressure especially when the plane starts its descent. if your child still takes milk from the bottle, give them their bottle as close to landing as possible. it helps relieve the pressure in their ears. if your child no longer takes milk from the bottle, have them suck on a lollipop. these things almost always work. but if it doesn't, encourage your child to yawn (or open their mouth really wide, they'll yawn eventually) or blow their nose. during our last 2 trips, michelle's ears didn't bother her too much because of the lollipop, yawning and blowing-nose tricks.
7. new toys - i usually go to the dollar store and get cheap toys for michelle to play with during the flight. they're inexpensive so if she loses the toy, hindi masyado nakakapanghinayang ( i wont feel as if i threw my money away). i take them out one at a time so if she loses interest in 1 toy, i'll put that away and get the next toy.
8. movies - almost everyone now owns a laptop or a portable dvd player. bring that and a couple of your kids favorite movies, and you'll have approximately 1 1/2 hours of peace.
i hope you'll find these tips helpful. do you have any other suggestions when flying with kids?
