Travelling with kids

We've flown overseas twice with kids, but both times the youngest was less than a year and so they were no big deal. We're about to do it again and the youngest is now a very "independent" just-short-of-three and it's going to be a hassle. Then we're living out of a suitcase in at least six different places for a month before settling down in a seventh place for a year or so. So I am expecting to have some horror stories soon. Actually, I have horror stories from the past too but I've forgotten them I think. And we've had great times: passing around our not-quite-one-year-one among old women in a village in rural Turkey, and getting to experience a bit of life there that we couldn't have experienced without kids. We certainly travel differently with kids: we try to stay in one place for a week or so at a time and then go on day trips from there, rather than jetting from one place to the next each day as we did before kids. I won't say it's better or worse this way, but different and interesting.

Ach!
As noted on the No Car thread, my 6-month-old baby HATES the car, which makes us fearful of travelling by any means. In two weeks we're taking a short car/boat trip as a tester for a plane trip we'll be taking in Aug to show her off to my people back where I came from. We have already started taking her along for short drives to try to get her used to the car & car seat, but OH THE SCREAMS.

Nath, Sunny's got some horror stories to share with you to make you feel better/worse. Apparently, Beeps thought the whole point of the security checkpoint was to run through them without anyone touching her.

Also, she cried for entire flights at a time, passing out cold once the plane went into its ten-minute landing sequence.

And then a guy pushed a woman inside the corridor thingy who then fell against Beeps, and for awhile, I was convinced that the two of them were going to turn around and come home at LAX.

PP, not sure if I feel any better. Grandparents, some do have'em. We are about to go on two day trip. First off both kids are not in the mood. Sick and tired What is the point: sightseeing?!? Kids not interested and mummy too busy looking after kids... "you look tired, nath, we are off and leave the kids with you so it is more quiet. (?!?)" two weeks of this and I have had zero time for myself. Getting up at five am as well. Y'know I shld have stayed at home. My husband was right. My mum invited me so I could rest. Yeah.

Nath, as PP said I just had a nightmare trip with Beeps to Australia - 2 x 2.5 hour flights followed by a 15.5 hr flight. Add another 5+ hours in airports to that too. I dont know what I was thinking being 4.5 month preggers and doing this. It was all tears and screaming and refusing to get off the floor in the airport terminal and having to carry her, her carry on case and my backpack at a fast pace, hoping I dont miscarriage from the sheer weight of it all. Also, people think nothing of shoving you and your toddler over if you arent fast enough for them even if they have a ton of room either side of you. fuckers. never ever ever ever ever again.

oh yeah and that also doesnt account for another 24 hours of hysteria i guess caused by some jetlag, being in an unfamiliar place and sheer exhaustion.

The only saving grace was the portable dvd player, extra battery and 6 wonder pets dvds. THANK YOU NICKELODEON I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU.

only saving grace was the portable dvd player

yeah, this really helps

Damn. And I thought I had it rough taking my kid from Baltimore to DC yesterday.

being in an unfamiliar place

It's easy to forget how overwhelming this can be to someone who hasn't been to that many places in their life.

Oh my gosh, SS, I feel better but do feel extremely sorry for you. WTF. :-(((((( I'm back home so all feels a bit better. That said, I'm never EVER going back until Elisabeth eats properly. At one point she cried for minutes on end because her stool was so hard. (Like hardened clay.) The trip back wasn't that bad really only I had to run around the plane with Elisabeth for about six hours. Yes, six hours of walking around the entire time. But y'know at least she didn't scream and cry the entire time. Also, walking around is good for your condition. hah. When people left the plane, a LOT waved goodbye cause we'd all been chatting about kids and stuff. hahaah It felt like we were one big family. hahaha The kids woke up at 3 am so my husband (who had stayed home) got up and played with'em. I was too jetlagged, nauseous and blasting headache to get up.

SS, man, I feel for you!!!! :-((((( I did the same trip when I was a couple of months pregnant but it was a breeze (with O doing some projective vomiting during the landing).

Im hoping hoping hoping for a saner trip home. maybe the 15 hour flight up front will make the difference?

Much respect to the world travellers. We can barely get through a 20 minute car ride. Though next week we're going on a six hour car/boat trip. PANIC.

Oh gosh, SS, didn't realize you're still there. Hope it's like my return trips: they are usually a little better.

Jetlag is not over any time soon here. :-(

Made it through three day trip to semi-remote islands with 6-mo-old. Barely. She did not like sleeping in her playpen, so she woke up every 90 minutes, so all three of us were cranky and edgy the whole time. But she did eventually mellow out in her car seat, especially when I would reach back (from passenger seat) and show her videos of herself in happier times on my ipod. Vain little girl.
Also had fantastic time on upper deck of ferry, leaning into ocean wind and roaring with manic laughter, while her mom slept in the car down below.

We are off for a year-long trip to France now, with flights tomorrow -> Tuesday. Three kids (ages 2 to 8), two layovers (one in the US, one in Dublin), then the usual shuffle of trains etc until we settle in an apartment for a few days...then off on a holiday that will involve several different hotels and campgrounds and a decent amount of driving. Hopefully all goes well: the big kids have Nintendo DSs so they'll be fine, but the little one is going to be a hassle more than likely, though let's hope not. But once we're settled in the Italian lake district I think all will be well.

back home now. NEVER AGAIN. without reinforcements (PP and drugs), anyway.

SS, it's a bit like pushing a baby out of your body: you quickly forget how horrible it was. But my husband said he kept the Gmail chats so if I ever contemplated going back, he'd shove'em in my face. I am happy you're home! How was the flight back?

(Elisabeth has made a turnaround: in the creche she's in the bigger group... she eats BY HERSELF and ALL OF HER VEGGIES. clearly it's a mommy/control issue. hah)

We got here to France ok, little one and middle one slept on the overseas flight, bigger one didn't but she's doing well. And hey it's Paris.

There was a mean woman on our first flight though, seated a row ahead of us, who complained about our 2 yr old's "squeaky voice" (a fair assessment but wtf she's 2), put in earplugs, and then glared at us every time our daughter opened her mouth, which was a lot. At one point the mean woman got passive aggressivisimo and said in a very loud voice to the woman she was traveling with, "why doesn't she make her use her inside voice", about my wife, and then added, "I'm a mother" to explain why she could speak with such confident authority. My silent reply: yes, you are a mother. I felt better when the mean woman went on to yell at the woman she was riding with, too, and ended up feeling sorry for her evidently shitty life.

brains

Man, one thing I always hate about travel but especially about travelling with kids is all the extra pre-trip expenses that you never think of, i.e. all the crap you realize you have to buy, or don't really have to buy but buy anyway out of anxiety