Travelling with kids can be overwhelming and chaotic. Even as adults we find flying tiring. It’s the stress of missing your flight, the check-in queue and worrying about whether your luggage is over the weight threshold.
Adding kids to the mix might really tip you over the edge — unless you’re well prepared.
This February, many families are preparing to make trips abroad during the half-term – and with young children, this of course doesn’t come stress-free.
Travel company eShores has partnered up with The Yorkshire Dad, a UK dad blogger to reveal what NOT to do when you’re travelling with your little ones.
1. The first pointer is — don’t assume you have to queue up where the majority of people are queuing or where most people are parking.
Most airports have options to help out families – you just need to be aware of them! Research the airport you’re flying from to see whether they have family-friendly parking bays. These are often larger and located next to the bus stop for the terminal shuttle buses, helping make the trip to the airport much smoother.
Many airports also offer fast-track lanes through security if you’re travelling with kids (although some limit this to children in pushchairs), so always double-check
the options available to you at the airport before you arrive.
2. The next thing is don’t leave your luggage drop off too late, try to check whether your airport allows any early baggage drop-off options. Many allow night or evening before drop offs. This way you can avoid queuing with your children getting restless and bored.
3. Don’t pack too many liquids to take to the airport. Instead, try to buy most of your products at the airport. You can even check if Boots allows you to preorder to their airport stores for pickups.
This also allows a much smoother process passing through the queues – something any parent will be pleased to hear.
4. Don’t fly in the daytime if you can avoid it. Night time flights are great to allow your child to sleep on the journey! You can tire them out in the day and hope for a smoother flight.
5. Don’t forget to charge your electronics or forget your toys and snacks. Karl Young of The Yorkshire Dad explains that keeping children busy before they show signs of a disastrous tantrum is the best way to combat travelling chaos.
He explains: “Before we travel, I ensure all electronic devices are fully charged, and we have chargers within reaching distance if needed. We bolster our snacks, games and book/magazine supplies before we arrive at the airport, which helps us ensure that we always have something ready should we hear those dreaded words: ‘I’m bored, are we there yet?’”
6. Finally, try not to get too stressed at the thought of going to an airport. In fact, make it into an adventure. The Yorkshire Dad suggests: “Exploring what the airport has to offer has also been an effective way of killing time when travelling with the kids. Whether it’s plane spotting, a walk around duty-free or trying to find the most obscure toys, the lounges can offer a welcome distraction for children of any age.”