Looking forward to your family flight?
Heading away on a family holiday is a wonderful event to look forward to, where you make memories, have fun, laugh, take photos, and visit a fantastic new destination. There is obviously a downside to this, and that is the flight.
If you’ve ever travelled with your little ones then you will know the endless tantrums, calls of ‘I’m bored’, ‘are we nearly there yet’, and ‘I’m hungry’, or words to that effect, and the fact that by the end of the journey you feel like you simply want to go to bed and sleep for quite a few hours indeed.
Whilst we can’t totally cut out the stress of travelling with the kids, thanks to boredom and over-tiredness, we can come up with a few handy tips that reduce the chance of tantrums, but which could also make the whole thing actually, dare I say it, fun!
See your journey as a series of sectors
This might sound complicated, but bear with me. If you have a four hour long flight, split it down into half an hour sections, and every half an hour come up with a new activity. This is going to take a little pre-planning, so think about it beforehand and write them down. This could be reading a book for half an hour, colouring, watching a film (which will take a few sectors up), or playing eye spy. Keeping their attention moving will mean the flight goes much quicker and boredom doesn’t creep in.
iPads and tablets are a life-saver for long journeys
Load up your device with films, games, apps, and books, and you will be able to cover a large portion of your flight by keeping your little ones occupied. It’s also a good idea to buy a back-up battery, so you know that you have a plan B when the charge light starts flashing red.
Trunkis are the way forward
You could go for a cheaper alternative on the market, but generally speaking, a Trunki is a wonderful invention. Not only do you save tired little legs whilst standing in queues or when you need to walk a long way to the departure gate, but you can store toys and games in there to use throughout the journey.
A reward system works wonders
For every hour on the flight wrap up a small gift for good behaviour. This doesn’t have to be something large, it can be something like a sticker book, or a reading book, a small cuddly toy; basically this is an incentive for your little one, or little ones, to stay well behaved and calm throughout each hour, and receive a present at the end of it.
Take some comfort items
A favourite blanket, a pillow, or a comfortable cardigan, these are all items which can help relax your children into sleep halfway through a flight, a feel of familiarity which will calm them down and help them chill out and relax. A relaxed child, is a relaxed parent!
