 |
|||
MENUAirline Travel Tips
Packing For Your Vacation
|
|
|
|
The family vacation, there's nothing like it. In order to have the best possible time, you want to make sure you make the proper preparations. Check the airlines for special children's rates. In many instances, children under two years old can fly at no charge. Call the airline in advance to see if they have a menu for the kids. Ask if it's possible for them to heat your baby formula on the plane and the type of accommodations on the plane to change a diaper. Don’t expect airline stewards to help you. They are limited to what they can do because they handle the passengers food.
The baggage and carry-on policy
Investigate the baggage policy for children’s tickets. Are they allowed baggage if they are traveling for free? Do they have the same baggage allowance (carry-on and checked) as a full fare adult ticket? Can strollers and diaper bags be carried on, and if so, do they count as your carry-on allowance.
What to include in your carry-on
Every child will want their own carry-on, whether a backpack or a small rolled suitcase. Pack your child’s carry-on as carefully as you pack one for yourself. Include their medications, pediatrician’s name and phone number and any other items they need to make it for at least 24-hours in case your luggage is lost or delayed. You may want to put their important medical information in your carry-on luggage. Consider bringing some of your child’s favorite munchies along on the trip since the airline’s don’t serve meals immediately and may not have exactly what your child wants. Books and puzzles may help them past the time away. Remember that with international travel, you may be limited on items such as fresh fruit that won’t be able to pass through customs. Pack an extra shirt for your child and yourself, accidents do happen.
Plane seating
A final consideration is seating in the plane. If you have small children, see if you can reserve a bulkhead seat. Those seats have more legroom and provide more of an area for your child to move around. The only real negative of the bulkhead seating is you won’t have under seat storage in front of you. If you have a baby, check to see if the Airline can provide a bassinet for you to place in the bulkhead area. Only one child is allowed to sit on an adult’s lap for every three-seat row because of the limited number of oxygen masks available. If two adults are flying together and both are planning on having a child on their lap, you’ll need to book seats in different rows of the plane.
Remember, planning a vacation with kids is not an easy task. They have different demands and needs from adults, much careful planning is required to ensure a safe and happy trip.
