Traveling is always daunting, but knowing what to expect can help especially when traveling with children. I have some family travel tips to share with you from a flight attendant’s daughter… that’s me!
I’ve been around airplanes since I was a baby, and my children have flown since they were small as well. My husband had maybe flown once when I met him, but we’ve traveled a lot together and he travels for work now.
When he travels solo, it’s a much different experience than when we travel as a family, as you can imagine. He only has to worry about his self on work trips, but he still hasn’t missed our daughter’s stomach bug mid-flight and catching her vomit in his hands on our last family trip. Lots of fun.
Anyway, my flight attendant mother always has stories to share, so today I am taking her experiences to give everyone an idea of what it’s like from the flight attendant’s point of view.
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My top 6 family travel tips –
#1 Always bring your own diapers, wipes, formula, and food for the littles –
I know this seems self-explanatory, but it’s a common occurrence. The plane does not have any of these things. The plane just isn’t that big, and the galley is tiny.
If you will be traveling for a long time, make sure to pack what you need even if it’s a short flight, just pack an extra diaper or two. Every airline and flight attendant are different, but none of them have access to these things while on the plane.
On our first trip, when our oldest was a baby, I took waaaaaay too much. Don’t be extreme like me ha-ha. I probably had enough diapers to last us week just in my diaper bag that was with me. I had more in my checked bag (slaps hand to forehead and sighs). First time mom ha-ha.
#2 Headphones –
Headphones are one of the best inventions ever. Make sure to bring them for anyone that is going to be on an electronic device. Truly, a lifesaver… and headache saver.
#3 Get the kiddos some wings –
One thing that flight attendants love, is handing out wings to the kiddos. Every flight we have been on, no matter what airline, the flight attendants always ask my kids if they want wings, even now with my boys being older.
My mom especially loves this, but she loves kids. She’s always handing out wings and talking with the kids. Usually, they will offer the wings first, but if they get busy and forget, feel free to ask. Sometimes they run out, so maybe ask quietly so the kiddos aren’t disappointed.
#4 Feeling uneasy or a kiddo that’s unsure of flight? Talk to the flight attendants –
Plenty of times my mom has been asked by a parent to help reassure their daughter or son that everything is okay. I have another article about my fear of flying that hit a high point in adulthood. Odd, I know, I address that, too.
Anyway, because of my experience with being a fearful flyer, she usually uses me as an example. Flight attendants are always willing to help in this area, I mean, they do it every week, they know a thing or two. My mom has been in terrible turbulence where she hit her head on the ceiling of the plane and she’s still flying.
When in doubt, talk to a flight attendant. They hear it a lot and are more than willing to soothe some fears for a few minutes.
#5 Snacks and things –
Finding food that travels well is hard to do, but make sure you have enough food for you and the kiddos. All the airplanes will have are the little packages they bring around during their service. Other than that, there’s nothing.
When my kids were younger, I would have a quart or gallon size (depending on how far we were going) ziplock bag for each person filled with heartier snacks and fun snacks.
When we would fly when my kids were babies, I would either nurse on the plane or sometimes I had pumped beforehand and brought it with us in a bottle.
For toddlers and older, I try to have things they love, and more snacks with protein. We have also brought PB&J sandwiches before, depending on what time the flight is. My friend told me about these handy little pouches that she uses when traveling. They are helpful for organizing kid activities, snacks, and even just phone, tablet, and computer charging cables. She also uses a label maker to make labels for each bag.
And then sometimes, you find out the day before that your aunt’s funeral is across the country in two days, so you start packing everyone’s things and get on a flight the next afternoon. In that case, I had no time to plan for food. Luckily it would only be a 3-hour flight, but everyone was starving by the time we got to the gate.
There were no burger joints in our terminal, I walked to the next terminal and nothing, so $50 later we were all eating teriyaki chicken from Panda Express with half of it getting thrown away because no one liked it. In those cases, you take a deep breath, and hope that everyone really enjoys their biscotti cookie on the plane. 🙂
In conclusion –
I hope this helped to ease some traveling thoughts. Sometimes everything goes right, and sometimes nothing does, we’ve had some of both. It’s still an experience together as a family and no matter which way it goes, you will still have awesome family memories to look back on. Unless you’re traveling with your baby, then you can just tell them about the awesome family memories. 🙂
Happy travel friends!
