Survive Holiday Travel By Planning Early
Traveling with kids is never easy. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, two of the busiest travel periods of the year, it can turn into a nightmare of delays and snarled tempers.
Over-excited kids can go wild in airports and on planes, driving parents and other travelers crazy. Car trips on crowded highways can turn into one long whine.
Here are some holiday survival tips for families planning a trip. And if you’re traveling this Wednesday, good luck - it’s traditionally the busiest travel day of the year.
The congested skies:
Get to the airport early - some airlines suggest two hours early even for domestic flights during the holidays. The extra time may help you beat the long check-in lines and gives plenty of time for the bathroom stops and snacks that kids of almost any age seem to need.
Consider taking public transport to the airport, or getting someone to drop you off to beat the parking crush and fees.
Take snacks and drinks with you to beat the wait and prices in airport restaurants. And if you’re traveling through somewhere wintry like Chicago or Denver, be extra sure to pack snacks in your carry-on bag. During a surprise blizzard in Colorado recently, hundreds of travelers were stranded at the Denver airport where restaurants ran out of food.
If you haven’t yet selected plane seats for a Thanksgiving or Christmas flight, do it fast. If you already have seats, but not an aisle seat, try to switch.
Window seats on planes may keep older kids happy. But if you’re traveling with young children - under age 8 or so - an aisle seat and adjacent seats are the way to go. It lets parents and kids avoid clambering over strangers to get to the restroom. And it makes it easy to walk the aisles with a fussy baby or toddler or let older kids stretch their legs on their own.
If you have children who are squirmers, try to get a bulkhead seat. Its big advantage is there’s no seat in front for kids to kick and push against (something that can thoroughly annoy passengers seated in front of kids). The disadvantage is bulkhead seats are near restrooms and galleys and can be noisy, making it hard for youngsters to nap. But many kids are too excited to sleep on planes, anyhow.
Parents traveling on domestic flights with children under 2 can sit them on their laps and avoid paying air fare for them. But on jam-packed holiday flights, especially long ones, that can be uncomfortable for everyone. And in case of turbulence or a crash, an unbuckled infant can easily be injured.
Some airlines - including American, United and Alaska - recently began offering seats at a 50-percent discounted fare for infants to encourage parents to place children in child safety seats aboard planes. (Previously, parents had to buy an adult fare if they wanted to be guaranteed a seat aboard the plane in which they could use a car seat for babies.)
Stuff your carry-on luggage with kid stuff - games, books, perhaps a surprise bag with a few new little toys in it. Story tapes and a personal cassette deck (with headphones) can occupy kids for hours. Many older kids enjoy hand-held electronic games.
Take along a pacifier or bottle (or breast-feed) to ease inner-ear pressure for infants during take-offs and landings. Older kids can chew gum or eat a snack. Also make sure kids drink frequently to avoid dehydration in the plane’s dry atmosphere.
If a child of any age has a cold or sinus problems, check with a doctor about using a decongestant medicine before flying.
And if you’re traveling with babies or toddlers, take extra clothes for them - and you - in case they throw up or spill food.
On the road:
Be prepared for winter driving. Take extra clothing or blankets, and food and water in case of delays or breakdowns on the road.
Make sure kids keep their seat belts buckled; don’t put youngsters in front passenger seats with airbags (which could cause injuries when they deploy); use a car seat for babies and toddlers.
If you’re renting a car at your destination, take along a seat-belt safety clasp - the H-shaped piece of metal that makes automatically retractable seat belts safe to use with a car seat.
Time your driving to young children’s naps; some families on long road trips even drive at night while the kids sleep.
Plan on stopping at least every few hours to let the kids burn off steam - take a Frisbee or ball so they can play at freeway rest areas.
Take toys, snacks and personal cassette decks/electronic games to amuse the kids. Removable stickers that can be put on windows will keep toddlers happy for a while.
For older kids, check bookstores for travel-oriented game and sticker books and atlases. The Rand McNally company publishes a good selection, especially their Backseat Books, which have games that parents and children can play together, too.
Travel safety:
Childproof motel rooms.
Rearrange furniture so toddlers won’t bash into sharp-cornered furniture or trip on lamp cords. Move furniture away from windows; carry some extra plastic plugs to cover electrical outlets.
If staying with relatives or friends, make sure medications are out of reach; grandparents unused to having young children around may leave pills on a bathroom or kitchen counter or bedside table. Move household cleaners in the kitchen or bathroom out of reach.
Losing your bags is an annoyance; getting separated from your child in a busy airport or a strange city is terrifying.
Review basic safety with kids - about sticking close to you, not going off with strangers, and approaching someone in authority (such as a uniformed security officer or store clerk) for help if they’re lost.
Make sure older children know the name and phone number of where the family is staying. Put a piece of paper with that information in the pocket of young children. Or they could wear a plastic or velcro wrist band with such information written on it. Wrist bands are available in some travel-accessory or children’s stores.
In case children do get lost, parents should carry current pictures of their kids to help police in a search.