Your survival guide: travelling with kids

Planning a winter break with the family to escape the cold? One of the worst things about travelling is the plane trip – it never seems to get any easier! Especially if it’s a long haul flight. And it’s even more challenging if you’re travelling with a baby or small child. So how can you make the flight more bearable for the whole family?
 

1. Plan: do your research and find out which airlines offer inflight entertainment and what food options are available. Movies and food will be your saviour on a long flight.
2. Bring activities: an ipad is a great way to keep kids occupied on a flight, just download a few movies beforehand. If you don’t own one, find out if you can hire one from the airline as many rent them out. Just make sure it’s fully charged before take off! You can also bring books, toys, puzzles, colouring in books, stickers, card games – anything that will keep little people entertained! Just don’t bring out all the activities at once as they’ll get bored of them very quickly. Try not to give them out until your child asks for them or is bored. 
3. Pack snacks: make sure you have snacks on hand for when the hunger pangs strike. Your kids’ tummies may not be in sync with meal times on the plane, and hungry kids turn into cranky kids very quickly!
4. Check in online: save time at the airport and check in online – choose your seats wisely and make sure the whole family can sit together.
5. Have a chat: Before you get to the airport, talk to your kids about the flight and what to expect. It is difficult for anyone to sit still that long, but tell them that they can do it and you are there to help. And you can remind them of all the fun things they will do once you land. You can also teach them a bit of plane etiquette, such as keeping their voices down and not kicking the seat in front of them – this is sure to make you more popular with the other plane passengers!

The passionate holiday experts at Escape Travel can help you plan your trip and make your holiday dreams come true. They offer a huge range of escape fares to all your favourite destinations, including Bali, Los Angeles, London, Phuket and New York. With a huge network of contacts, they also offer an impressive range of tours and local experiences to help you discover the highlights and hidden gems of exotic destinations.