Family trip survival guide: Five follow-up tips

We returned from our 10-hour international flight, only to realize that there are at least five more tips we forgot in our last post on family trips. For future reference:

1. Limit Carry-Ons

Don’t believe your kids when they say they’ll carry their own backpacks. In addition to carrying our carry-ons we ended up lugging three more surprisingly heavy kid backpacks. Our littlest one, the only one willing to carry her own, literally couldn’t because of the weight. She attempted but perpetually fell backwards. Comical, yes, but practical, no.

2. Don’t Forget About You

Of course preparing for the little ones’ travel needs are at the forefront of thought, but don’t forget to pack for yourself. Remember to bring a light sweater and socks for you too. Frigid extremities can lead to a miserable flight no matter how tame your tots are.

Madewell $128 Madewell $12.50

3. Round-trip Preparation

As conscientious as I am for the first leg, I falter miserably for the return flight. This time, we packed in the dark at 5 am, mere moments before leaving for the airport. Needless to say, I had no shiny new toys to attract the kids’ attention. Left with the last resort airport shop, our bags were filled, but our wallets were emptied. Before departing pre-pack toys for the journey home.

WH Smith £4.67 WH Smith £4.67

4. Children’s Headphones

Now matter how intense your technological aversion is, allow your kids to switch-on in flight. But, remember to buy kid sized headphones to avoid the incessant moaning about the slipping and sliding of oversized adult headphones.

Kidz Gear Wired Headphones $19.99

 

5. Choose wisely

If navigating through immigration do not choose the seemingly shortest line. Chose the line that feeds into the most open immigration officer booths. We learned this lesson the hard way.