Airports & Transportation: Charlotte International Airport – CLT (Charlotte, NC)
Our family LOVES traveling!!! We especially enjoy it if we are able to get a reasonable priced flight out of the nearest airport, Greenville, SC (GSP). If we cannot get a flight out of Greenville then Charlotte International Airport CLT is our next airport of choice. Charlotte is not too far from Greenville and often has great tickets. We try to always leave a little bit earlier than we anticipate because with traffic and the occasional rain shower it can slow you down. Plus we typically park in the long term parking and catch the shuttle to the airport so that takes a little more time then a quick drop off at the airport.
On our last two big trips we flew out of Charlotte International Airport CLT. One of our trips was up to New England and the Midwest and our most recent trip from Charlotte was to Anchorage, Alaska. Brina and Karlie went to their last day of their Robotics and Software Computer Game Programming Camp at the Roper Mountain Science Camp while Jake and I tackled the last few items we needed to get done at work. I came home from work, picked up Jake, and then we picked up the girls from camp on our way to the airport. Traffic was pretty good and we only had a few sprinkles of rain on the way to Charlotte so we made good time, despite our unscheduled potty break stop a couple exits before the airport. Jake was able to wrap up more work items and a couple calls on the way to the airport as I drove.
We quickly found out that the Charlotte airport can be a little busy on Friday afternoons and evenings. It took us longer than normal to find a parking spot in long term parking. We were beginning to think the lot was completely full, but we found one eventually near the end of the lot. Once we found a spot to park and got all our luggage out of the van we immediately made our way to the canopy to wait for the next bus to arrive. Thankfully they have a bus pick up people every few minutes. The first bus that arrived at our canopy location was completely full so we had to wait for the next bus which we could see coming down the road. They had a bus probably every 2 to 6 minutes going through the parking lot.
The long term parking bus drops you off at the basement level and directly across the walkway from the check in counters. Once you get into the airport you’ll need to take either the escalators, stairs, or elevator up to the 2nd floor to check into your airline and drop off your luggage.
We’ve had great experience even during the busier times of getting through the check-in lines fairly quickly and smoothly. You can go through any of the TSA check points because all the terminals merge immediately after the check points. We typically pick the TSA line with the shortest line or one with the most open lines at the time. As long as you follow the TSA guidelines (take off your shoes if over 12 years old, no liquids, etc….) you should get through pretty quickly. The terminals are well marked and easy to get to as well. If you are looking for a snack, drink, or restrooms they have a number of options and locations just outside the main terminals as well as along the terminals.
It can get crowded at times, but we’ve always had good luck flying out of Charlotte. The employees are friendly, professional, and do their best to get you on and off your plane in a timely manner. They do not have any control over the weather, but otherwise we’ve had no issues. Thankfully this flight was the same. Quick, easy, and on time! Thank you CLT!
Travel & Vacation: Family Vacation…..Way Up NORTH!!!
Picture of the last Alaska Airline plane we got on!
North to ALASKA!!! We took a family vacation to Alaska this summer! We had a blast! We packed a lot in our time in Alaska. We flew Alaska Airlines. The girls did amazing on all the flights. We flew through the night both on the way to Alaska and on the way home too. They went through the airports fine, helped with the luggage, entertained themselves on the plane (and even rested). Thankful for kids who love to travel and explore new places.
Jake and the girls getting on the plane….notice they are entering the back half the plane. First time on this type of plane!
Sleeping Beauty on the plane!
Another one bites the dust….
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family, ways we relax, and tips on how to make trips more enjoyable. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Travel & Vacation: We Are On Our Way!
Brina and Karlie on the plane! Whose ready to fly to Florida!?
We recently flew to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to go on a cruise with extended family. The girls love to fly and were super excited to experience their first cruise. Thankfully we had a direct flight from Charlotte to Florida and everything went smoothly. We spent the first evening in Fort Lauderdale with our family before getting on the ship the next day.
All buckled in and ready for take off…we got an extra passenger in our row (isn’t he cute!) 🙂
Karlie entertaining herself on the plane. Who knew that an ice cube on the straw could be so entertaining!? Ha!
Four cute kids sitting nicely on the bench as we call the hotel cab for a pickup
Everyone made it to Florida. Time for dinner…..how about TGI Friday’s!
Wrapping up the evening playing “Go Ape” with the cousins!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Vacation: We’re HOME!!!!
Brina & Karlie riding on the airplane! Thankful to two kids who LOVE to travel, what a great adventure for them!!! The girls and I had a wonderful trip out to the Midwest to see family over Spring Break and Easter. We are thankful for the amazing memories we made during our visit. The girls learned a lot more about the farm and were able to spend time with extended family. We arrived home late last night (or should we say really early this morning). Today we have hit the ground running and are back to work, school, and a busy routine. I have a lot of catching up to do over the next few days between appointments and work. It was a super fun time in Kansas and our time away went by very quickly. It is great to be home with Daddy and Skipper again, hopefully they are ready for their 3 silly girls!
I apologize for being a little out of touch and off schedule with the posts. As soon as the dust settles I will be back to the full schedule. It was wonderful meeting and speaking with several people across the United States that read this blog. I am very blessed with amazing family, friends, and readers. If you haven’t done so already make a comment for the Giveaway at the end of this week!
Tips on Flying with Kids
AirTran inflight picture taken earlier this year! I have the opportunity to travel with our girls over Spring Break. Thankfully they are wonderful in the car and LOVE to fly in the airplane. A couple months ago we told the girls that we would be visiting family over Spring Break and they have been looking forward to this week every since that day. After we first told them about our little trip almost every day they would ask me how many days until Spring. It wasn’t until a couple weeks later that I realized that they thought that as soon as Spring arrived they would get a break (aka “Spring Break”) and we could go on our road / flying trip. I had to explain to them that their School Spring Break did not always start on the first day of Spring. They have been counting down the days and have been encouraging me to pack our suitcases. Last week we were coming home from Church and Karlie told me to drive faster, when I asked why she said “we need to get home so we can start packing for our trip.” Even though we were not leaving for several days I let the girls get started. I had them find their travel backpacks and to start laying out a few items that they want to pack in their backpacks. After only a few minutes they had a whole pile of items and they felt better about getting started.
Traveling with kids can be a wonderful and fun adventure. Adding special activities while traveling can make the trip even more exciting and memorable for the kids. When the kids are happy it makes the whole trip go more smoothly. Here are a few items we have used on our trips with the kids:
- Special Backpack – whenever we travel, fly or spend the night somewhere the girls pack their travel backpack full of goodies just for them. They have had the same backpacks for the last 3 to 4 years. It has been a great investment and each girl is thrilled to pack items they enjoy in their own backpack. Plus they proudly carry their treasures through the airport themselves.
- Books – our girls love books so they pick out a couple small books to take in their backpacks. We read the books as we are waiting to board the plane, quietly on the plane or whenever we have some downtime.
- Educational Items – in the backpack we pack a pencil and crayons along with a small notebook, coloring book, and workbooks for them to do on the trip. They enjoy doing “school” work for fun and it makes me feel good about them practicing their writing, numbers or other practical skills.
- Snacks – before a big trip we will take the kids to the grocery store and have them pick out one special treat to take with them as a snack on the plane. For this trip Brina picked out Blueberry Muffins and Karlie picked out 100 Calorie Snack Cookies, makes me laugh and proud to see what they chose this time around!
- Creative Games – on the trip we come up with games to play with the girls
- What shapes / animals / objects do you see in the clouds?
- Name everything you see that is ___________ (red, a circle, silly, etc…)
- Find every word that contains a ____________ in it (a letter or set of letters like any word that contains a “b” in it or “th”)
- Count the number of steps it takes to get to the _______________? (to the terminal, bathroom, seat, baggage claim, etc…)
- What is your favorite __________? (memory, food, color, place to visit, etc…..)
- Card Games – “Go Fish”, “Old Maid”, “Uno”, and more!
- Surprise Gifts – inside the girls backpacks we wrap small gifts for them to open up at random times throughout the trip. Most of the time they are so involved and excited about the adventure that they don’t even open the gifts or only get to 1 or 2. Although, they are quick to remind us once we have arrived at our destination and have fun opening them while we are visiting or vacationing.
- Postcards – are fairly inexpensive souvenirs and the girls enjoy picking out and receiving postcards. They will put them in their special drawer and keep it for many months. They will pull them out and go through them to remember the special trips together.
- Mind Your Manners – discuss appropriate manners, rules and guidelines for traveling (especially in a busy airport). This is important to do at the beginning of the trip. You can even make a game out of it.
- Bright Matching Outfits – dress the kids in bright matching outfits so it is easy to see them in the airport. Even if they are right next to you they are easier to see.
- Gum – when the plane is ascending or descending it is smart to have your kids chew on some gum to help relieve any of the pressure especially if they have a cold or stuffy nose. If you have an infant it would be a good time to give them their pacifier. For a toddler a lollipop or a crunchy snack works well.
- Rest – Allow the kids to sleep on the plane if they want to rest. The girls have taken several naps on airplanes. It gives them an extra boost of energy and helps them relax. One time all three of us took a snooze on the flight, we were exhausted!
Keeping the kids entertained is a great way to make the trip enjoyable. For the parents I have a few more ideas of what to do during the flight to help it go by quickly and smoothly. The girls are excited, however, we are traveling after a full day of school and we’ll us arriving at our destination the early part of the next day. I am looking forward to creating more positive traveling moments with the girls and praying that the trip is smooth for everyone driving, flying, and traveling with us. Do you have any tips for flying with kids?
Fun in Flight
AirTran Flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico On Saturday morning we flew out of Altanta to San Juan, Puerto Rico on AirTran. It was wonderful having direct flights! Flying is a little more intense than it use to be especially with all the extra fees to pick your seat, luggage, etc… plus the additional security procedures you go through prior to arriving at the terminal. We both arrived safe and early for our flight. We met up with my brother Lee and his wife Becky who were coming from Baltimore, thankfully their flight ended up being ahead of schedule so everyone made it.
Overall the check in and flight was smooth and enjoyable. Since it was almost a 4 hour flight we found ways to occupy our time. Jake and I played our first rounds of SORRY! Revenge Card Game which is a card version of “Sorry” the board game. It was a quick game and fun. The following are ways that help us make the time on the airplane “fly”:
- Sleep – it is a great time to catch a few winks of rest while in flight.
- Play a Game – usually we stick to card games like “SORRY Revenge”, “Five Crowns”, “Quiddler”, or other card games if we are playing with 2 or more people. There are plenty of games to play if you are the only one wanting to participate as well such as “Sudoku,” “Mad Libs,” crossword puzzle and more.
- Read or Listen to a Book – catch up on a book you’ve been wanting to read. If you forgot to bring a headset usually the flight attendant can get you a set.
- Listen to Music – it is a relaxing way to pass the time in the air plus it tunes out crying children or snoring adults. If you didn’t bring an MP3 player or something to listen to many of the airplanes have built in channels on the armrest and you can listen to while traveling.
- Watch a Show or Movie – we watched a short show on Jake’s phone (both of us brought headphones but many airplanes will give you one for free). That 40 minutes was fun and went by quickly for us.
- Leisurely Eat your Snack – you are in no rush so take your time savoring the pretzels, cookies or snack and sipping on your beverage. If you want more ask, they are more than happy to serve you. We have even made a game out of the snacks….for example count how many pretzels are in each bag, you would be amazed at the difference between bags!
- Write Your Blog Posts – on the way out I wrote a list of blog topic ideas that I wanted to write about and on the way back I started writing out a couple of the articles I wanted to post soon. It gives you a head start on the topics you are wanting to discuss especially after being gone for a week, the schedule tends to be packed already.
- Update Your Journal or Pictures – if you write in a journal update regarding the adventures you are having. If you are not into journals but have a lot of pictures you took during your time away go through the pictures (I have been known to take some strange pictures) during the flight and delete the ones you know you will never print and do not want.
- Work on a Craft – many crafts are small and can be done in a relatively short amount of time. Have you tried drawing, cross stitching, or other small crafts that you can do while flying.
- Write Notes – write your postcards that you were unable to finish or thank you notes to those who made the trip enjoyable. Everyone loves receiving a hand written note of “thanks” or appreciation! Thankfully I had all my postcards done by this time, however, I had plenty of thank you notes to write! Write the notes, address them (if you know the addresses) and when you get home all you have to do is put a stamp on them and stick them in the mail!
- Read a Magazine – airlines always have a couple to look at and there are many months I don’t have the time to enjoy reading through one of our magazines so flying gives me a good excuse to read a magazine I enjoy from cover to cover if I want!
For those who struggle with the pressure when descending the best item I have ever purchased for airplane trips is ear planes. I had one really bad flight and was in so much pain with all the pressure that I never leave home without my ear planes if I am flying. They really do make the trip so much more pleasant for everyone on your flight! You can purchase them at most pharmacies.
We enjoy time in the air because it gives us an extra opportunity to relax and do some fun activities we normally don’t have time to do at home. So next time you fly sit back, relax, and enjoy those extra few moments of leisure. Who knows when you’ll be able to read several chapters of a book or play a game with your spouse. Our time in flight always goes by quickly, hope yours does too.
We arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico early that afternoon and found a Wendy’s across from the airport where we grabbed a bite for lunch and waited for the rest of our crew to arrive. A couple hours later Dad, Mom, Josh, Jeremy and Amber arrived. Thankfully all the luggage arrived with everyone. The next step was finding a taxi to get us to our boat!
A Vacation To Remember series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Starting off with a BANG….
Neat pictures - parts of airplanes at the Marriott. We left for our exciting cruise vacation late on a Friday afternoon. We were all packed, loaded in the van, and ready to go only to discover the van would not start. Oh BOY! Not again, the van has already been in the shop two times in the last couple of months. After a quick call to Jake I tried to explain the situation to the girls. They were in tears because they were super excited about starting their vacation together with friends while we were on the cruise.
We decided to all head back inside and have fun while waiting for Daddy to come home. We read a couple books together as we were waiting. Brina picked out a book about a Ballerina and Karlie picked out “The Empire’s New Clothes”. After reading the books we took a few minutes to snuggle and talk. We did a few extra chores around the house then Jake was home. Looking back it was nice to have a few moments of quiet and relaxing time together before leaving. He was able to jump start the van and away we went only a little over an hour off schedule.
We got the girls settled into their new home for the week. They were excited about spending their vacation with friends and had been looking forward to it for a long time. Jake and I started our first leg of our trip together as a couple. The van was a little quiet without the girls giggling and talking in the back but we enjoyed our time together.
On the way we stopped at Flying J for a potty break and to pick up a snack for breakfast the next morning at the airport. We were flying out early and getting checked in and through the security could take up any extra time so we wanted to be prepared. We had a quick but nice supper at Arby’s. It is always smart to bring coupons on vacation with you because you never know where you might stop to eat. It is amazing how much you can save over the course of a trip by using coupons.
The roads under the bridges were still icy from the snow storm earlier that week but we made it safely to Atlanta and checked into
for the night. They have a wonderful program we have used several times where you park your vehicle at the hotel and they drive you to the airport which costs less then parking even in the long term parking at the airport. You can park even if you are not planning on spending the night at the hotel. This was the first time we used it and spent the night. Since we spent the night our parking was free for a week and it was still less then parking at the airport. Plus with the flight leaving early in the morning we wanted to make sure we were at the airport on time. Marriott had a shuttle going to and from the airport every 15 minutes making it convenient to catch a ride when you wanted to leave for the airport. We did all the planning for this ahead of time and reserved the room and parking online. Love being able to get things done before ever leaving on vacation. Many other cities provide this service as well so it may be worth checking into before you fly the next time if you cannot have someone drive you, it really has saved us a lot of money over the last few years.
Jake and I had a wonderful couple hours to relax before getting a good nights sleep. We don’t have a TV in our room at home so we surfed the channels for a few minutes and ended up watching “Bill Cosby’s Himself”. I had never seen it before, for an example of the show click here. It was nice to relax together and just laugh listening to Bill Cosby. We had no where to be until the morning so we relaxed!
A Vacation To Remember series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
