• 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
    1. What shapes / animals / objects do you see in the clouds?
    2. Name everything you see that is ___________ (red, a circle, silly, etc…)
    3. 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”)
    4. Count the number of steps it takes to get to the _______________? (to the terminal, bathroom, seat, baggage claim, etc…)
    5. What is your favorite __________? (memory, food, color, place to visit, etc…..)
    6. 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!