Getting to your family holiday and break destinations
taking the plane
Children often find flying, or at least the prospect of flying, very exciting… sometimes in contrast to their parents. Harnessing this excitement can help overcome long check-in lines as well as a lengthy flight itself. It's worth spending the time preparing to make the flight as hassle free as possible to get your family holiday off to the right start.
Our 10 top tips for flying with kids
1. Be prepared – make sure you do all the hard work in advance. Book children’s meals, parking spaces, bassinets and seats, to make sure you all sit together. You don’t want to suddenly find yourself in seat 12 e and your kids in 27d and 27e (then again, who knows, maybe you do!?).
2. Read them a book – Buy a book on flying and excite them about what’s about to happen, e.g. Going on a Plane by Usborne First Experiences (approx £1.50). It prepares little ones for the strange happenings ahead and makes them feel more comfortable once they’re onboard,
3. Give them their own luggage – letting them have their own little suitcase makes them feel more part of the journey and more adult. Even if they just check it through in hand luggage it means they are as important as you and for kids, let’s face it, that matters.
4. Arrive in plenty of time. If you’ve got small children – you don’t want to be running down long corridors to catch your plane if you’re pushing a buggy. Normally airlines invite families with kids under 5 to board first, allowing you to get to your seat in relative ease. And if you do have a buggy, you should be able to wheel it all the way to the airline steps and the ground crew will put it in the hold.
5. Take off - Tiny ears can suffer even more than adults as cabin pressure changes at take off and landing. Give babies a bottle of milk or water to suck on. Older kids will be thrilled with a boiled sweet. But don’t hand them out too early otherwise they’ll finish it halfway through the slow taxi along the runway.
6. Take pressies and snacks - Many airlines hand out kids’ goodie bags (Virgin and BA do particularly good ones) full of games, pens, small gifts etc. But a good idea is to supplement this by bring along small cheap presents (puzzle books). Wrap them up before you leave and produce one every hour to keep kids entertained. Take simple snacks like biscuits, rice cakes and drinks in case they don’t like the airline meal. But remember in a small space, chocolate is going to go everywhere! Also, due to pressure, carton drinks tend to spurt open at 32,000 feet once you pop the straw in and bags of crisps tend to inflate making them even more difficult to open.
7. Ask for help - In a couple of years’ time with the introduction of the mega twin-deck Airbus A380, parents could be able to take advantage of crèche’s and trained child carers. Meanwhile it’s basically up to you, although on longer flights air crew are sometimes keen to help (although not during meal times!). Alternatively choose to fly with Gulf Air who have recently introduced Sky Nannies – crew members who are specially trained in childcare and are there to help parents out with meals, setting up bassinets and general assistance throughout the flight.
8. Get them a log book - . Post 9/11, the traditional visit to the cockpit is obviously banned. However some airlines still provide the log book. In the old days you used to wander casually up to the cockpit to meet the captain, have a look at all the different buttons and levers and ask him to sign your book. Today airlines like BA are re-introducing the much-loved books. And while you can no longer visit the cockpit, hand your logbook to a crew member and they’ll make sure the captain signs it.
9. Turn on the telly – OK, it may not be the most educational but if it works at home, it can work in the air. More and more airlines offer seat-back TVs (cartoons, kids films etc) along with video games so kids can play each other or indeed other children on the plane. Slack – maybe – but on a long ten-hour flight – crucial.
10. Bring your patience - You can pack all the toys, gadgets,
sweets, games and books you like. But the best thing to pack when
flying with kids is your patience. And plenty of it.
And if you haven't already booked we can help you with great fares on flights to almost anywhere on earth.
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getting to the airport
Getting to the airport can be the most stressful part of the holiday. And getting from the airport can quickly make you wish you had never bothered coming home.
If you live close enough or your budget allows then a cab is a good option versus public transport. Cabs can take you door to door which makes handling children + luggage a lot easier.
If you're going to the airport with your own car then consider dropping the family and luggage off at the terminal before parking....since parking can often a bus journey away. We can help you arrange airport parking through our partners at ABC Holiday Extras, which often results in a better deal.
And finally, if you have an early morning flight it may be worth considering spending the night before at a hotel near the airport. Some airport hotels will allow you to leave your car for the duration of the holiday. We can provide you with accommodation at Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted, Luton, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham or other airport hotels across the country.
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taking the car
Driving is 'ideal' with babies and less so with older children, compared to other forms of transport. Setting off very early or in the evening will enable your kids to cover some or all of the journey asleep. When presented with a choice of motorway or other road, taking the motorway is faster, smoother and you will be more likely to find places to stop with changing facilities.
If renting a car, remember that child-seats should be pre-booked and can add considerably to the overall cost of the rental with some companies. An alternative, if practical, is to bring your own child seat(s) – these may prove useful on the plane too (see 'taking the plane' above). Fully comprehensive insurance is, invariably, also an additional, but highly recommended, expense.
A few tips:
- Ensure that you have functioning, secure and correctly sized child-seats
- Take personal stereos / CD players, games, books
- For longer journeys consider bringing a laptop with DVD drive, or a portable DVD player for watching films
- Buy a sun shade(s) for the back windows
- Stop regularly for breaks
- Bring plenty of water and snacks, stored in a cooler bag.
- Check out our songs and games page to help speed up that trip
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taking the train
The train is often the more family friendly option. Not only can it compare favourably to driving, and even flying, from a journey-time perspective, but it can be less stressful and less expensive.
Train stations are generally located in or near city centres. So if you are going from the south east of England to Paris, for example, the journey will be faster and much easier by train.
A few tips:
- Reserve seats in advance wherever possible
- If you are travelling with an under-5 during peak periods consider buying a ticket with an allocated seat for them if your budget allows. Some train companies will offer a reserved seat to under 5's for just a nominal amount
- Ask for seats within dedicated family carriages or near baby-changing facilities if you have babies (on Eurostar these are located in coaches 1 and 18)
- Take personal stereos / CD players
- For longer journeys consider bringing a laptop with DVD drive, or a portable DVD player for watching films (some train companies now offer these for rent on the train)
- Buy a Family Railcard. Adults save 1/3 on most rail fares and 60% on the cost of child fares. And it costs just £20 for 12 months - so it pays for itself after a couple of journeys.
And if you haven't already booked we can help you with UK train tickets, Eurostar, other International train tickets, and even taking your car on Eurotunnel.
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taking the ferry
Ferries can be a great way to break up the journey and offer a fun experience. Most children find a cross-channel ferry more exciting than a train ride through a long tunnel under the sea.
If your children are older they can be offered relative freedom to explore the multiple levels that many ferries have today. And a growing number offer dedicated children's entertainment.
Ferries can, however, get very crowded during peak periods and can offer a less than pleasant journey during very rough weather. Should a family member experience sea sickness it can help to have fresh air, so bring appropriate clothing with you on deck.
Although ferry crossings can be expensive during peak periods, they generally allow you to bring the car and save on flight and car rental costs at your destination. Thus the overall price is often lower. That needs to be weighed up against journeys that can be substantially longer in duration than flights.
And if you haven't already booked we can help you with great fares on ferries throughout Europe
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