5 Tips For Travelling Via Plane With The Family

For further tips and reading on packing, check out this great blog by Bookmundi.com here!

Summer is just around the corner (Yay!), the kids are off school, the holiday is booked, and you’re excited for a relaxing few days/weeks away. We want to ensure your trip is just that, relaxing. So we have devised 5 helpful tips for travelling with a young family in tow.

1)Preparation is key!

We cannot emphasise this enough. You may be the most seasoned traveller to ever roam the Earth, but travelling with kids is a completely different ball game!

If you usually show up at the airport 2 hours before your flight time, you may want to extend that to 2.5-3 hours earlier depending on your kids age group.

Now that you’re travelling with children you have more baggage to check-in, which means some time spent queuing. Pushchairs may have to be let up and down at security, so you have to be factor that in. Also if you’re travelling with very young children getting through security with baby bottles/food can be time consuming. Remember, airports are also busier at this time of the year, so ensuring you’ve prepared that little bit extra time means you won’t be legging it to the gate.

2) Invest in a Travel Organiser.

Before when you went travelling solo or as a couple it was easy to keep track of your passport and tickets etc. Now with a family and multiple passports, tickets, travel insurance documents etc etc it can be easy to misplace or momentarily lose bits and pieces. A travel organiser or travel wallet allows you to keep everyone’s information and documents in one secure place!

3) Pack light.

Overpacking is very common when going on your holiday. It can be tempting to pack 12 outfits and 5 pairs of shoes for a short trip, but you won’t wear half of what you’ve packed. Most airlines operate a strict baggage weight policy so you’ll save yourself a few bob as well by not having to fork out for the kilos in your case!

How to pack light:

  • Pack items that are versatile and can be mixed and matched to form a combination of outfits.

  • Pack one extra change of underwear and socks.

  • Realistically, 2 pairs of shoes is all you need. One for daytime and another for nighttime.

  • Bulky items like hair products, shower gels, sunscreen and aftersun can be purchased (often at a much cheaper rate) in supermarkets at your holiday destination. Google before you go to locate your closest one.

4) Bring amusements!

By this we mean ensure you’ve got some books, playing cards and/or colouring books with you for both the flight and the holiday itself. Children bore easily and when you’re trying to stay safe in the sun, playing cards or reading in the shade can keep them amused for a few hours. You can also get travel editions of many games, they’ll provide hours of entertainment and won’t take up a lot of room in your hand luggage!

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

5) Bring Snacks.

Again, both for the plane and the holiday. There is nothing worse than listening to hours of “I’m hungry” in a confined space, hurtling through the air at thousands of miles an hour.  Ensure you have packed some healthy snacks from home as airplane food and your child may not be the best of friends! This is also true of food you may encounter on holiday. With a different culture comes different cuisine. While you and the rest of your adult party might love the local food, the little ones or fussy eaters might not. Having some healthy snacks from home can keep them happy until you can find a restaurant that serves “plain” food.

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