Flying with Children - Stress-free Journeys
Family Friendly Holidays, Some Tips & Tricks to Reduce Stress
Jul 6, 2009
It is that time of year again. As the school summer recess fast approaches many people are planning a holiday in the sun, but how can one avoid some of the rigors of traveling with a family? Older children may be able to cope with the stresses of air travel, but the youngest members of the family are a different matter.
Some of the Problems of Traveling with a Family
- The youngest members of the family - babies and toddlers - will be pitched out of their normal routine. Lack of naps is a recipe for a bad-tempered child, putting extra pressures on them and the rest of the family.
- Airports are not child-friendly. The are noisy, hot places where there are too many exciting temptations for vulnerable toddlers.
- Low cost airlines can be challenging for the unprepared.
Stress Free Travel with Infants
Flying during the day can ameliorate some of the stresses. Where possible book flights that don't interfere with the normal routine too much. Hopefully young children will be able to catch a short nap here and there which will offset the loss of their routine.
Where possible try to book your flights far enough in advance so that you can get pre-boarded allocations. The number of seat allocations for pre-boarding are limited on low cost carriers and if you are too late then you will still get some priority if you are traveling with children, but you won't necessarily have the pick of where you want to sit.
Late arrival is not a good idea as you may find that your family is split up, although most airlines will of course try to seat small children next to a parent.
Feeding Small Children During Travel
Another tricky area for parents to manage is feeding toddlers who can often be finniky over what they eat. Low cost carriers will offer soft drinks and sandwiches on board at an extra cost, but this may not be to your child's taste.
One cost effective way around this is to prepare a picnic to be consumed in the airport quite soon before departure. Hopefully the children will then be satisfied during the flight. You can also pack a meal for consumption during the flight although the restriction on hand baggage can be a limiting factor here.
Handling Delays at Airports When Traveling with Young Children
One of the biggest problems encountered during travel these days is the inevitable delays that can be caused by a range of problems such as pilot / crewe or mechanical plane problems. One way of handling it is to have a pass into the VIP lounge. Regular travellers may find that it is cost effective to pay an annual membership to the VIP lounge.
How to Join a VIP Lounge Scheme
You don't actually have to be a film star to be able to use a VIP lounge. An annual membership to such a scheme can be purchased for as little as £70 with a fee of approximately £15 per person to use a VIP lounge. If there is an extended delay this could work out to be a life saving option for a family with toddlers or babies.
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