Having recently travelled from NZ to Europe with not one, but two four year olds and an eight year old, I know there are a lot of things that you can do in the planning stages of your holiday that can make your journey more enjoyable. In this post I share my top tips for travelling with children.
Here are a selection of things you could consider, or consult your travel agent about during the booking process. And yes, it does pay to use an agent when you are travelling with a family. An agent can help you book your children’s flights and help you with the little extra’s you need when flying with children. For example you may want to book flights that leave at a certain time of day or arrive at a certain time to maximise your experience.
Top tips for travelling with children
When selecting an airline to fly with there are some key things to consider. Which airlines offer the best service for families? Consider which airlines has the easiest checking-in process and whether they can accommodate your particular family’s needs? For example can you easily take buggies, strollers and car seats? Do they provide bassinets for babies on board? Can you book these? Can your airline give you a stroller at the gate?
Food and entertainment are two key necessities for surviving long-haul flights with kids. Emirates, Air New Zealand and Qantas all over great kids meals and kids activity packs to help you with this. When traveling with children, it is important that you have access to food when you need it. Does the airline provide snack options during the flight that are suitable for your kids?
Be sure to also check about transit times, as you don’t want any unnecessary time traipsing around airport lounges when your kids really need to be sleeping. It is also important to ask about any code-share airlines that may be on your route you want to take. Aim to be on a good quality family friendly airline for the entire trip.
The time difference between where you are flying from and too is also important. This will also help you decide what time of day is best to arrive. If the time change is big, then you might not want to arrive too early or too late.
While you’re planning the best time to arrive you also need plan around check-in and check-out times. If you arrive at 7am local time, what time will you realistically be able to check in? What hotels offer early check-ins? What if you arrive really late? Will it be easy to transfer and check in? One tip is to use the hotel’s shuttle services, even if it may cost more, you will easily get to your hotel and they may be more likely to check you in early or late.
I found this post “Family Island Holidays: Know before you Go” from House of Travel very helpful.
I also loved the detailed Preparation and Packing advice offered by Karen at Mummy Do It and it is always important to consider what to do At the Airport!
Being prepared is the best way to make sure you optimise your family holidays. With all these tips and advice, you are going to put your best foot forward on your next family adventure.
Michelle Kitney
Thanks for the links! Since we were staying with family I hadn’t thought about check-in times at hotels, but that is definitely something to think about.