Delta Airlines blogger Jerry Fletcher recently offered up some great travel tips I thought I’d piggyback onto his advice to help make a great list even better!
- Jerry suggests that you bring an extra set of clothes in the carry-on bag for the kids. What about the parents?! You never know when a diaper will leak or a child will miss the barf bag.
- Adults must remove their shoes to pass through airport security, so wear slip-ons to move you through the line more quickly. Good advice, indeed, but I also recommend wearing socks with your shoes (forget the flip-flops). Who knows what is on those airport floors!
- If your kids are used to a three point harness in their regular carseat, consider leaving the clunky carseat at home and purchase a safety belt harness instead. The harness takes up very little room, and you can just rent an actual carseat from the rental car company. You can find a harness belt here. And the FAA approves it, too!
- Considering all your family’s gear, it is sound advice to board the plane early…but only for one of you. Assign one parent to get on quick and get everything strapped in and put away, and get the snacks and games ready to go. Have the other parent keep the kids back until the plane is almost fully boarded. This way, you can let the kids get some more wiggles out until the bitter end!
- All your favorite electronic gadgets will make the trip easier…but you must remember the chargers! There are various types out there, so check out what will work for your phone, pad, etc. Without their power, all the fun, electronic time-passers will be nothing but dead weight.
- The Delta blogger knows the value of packing a small toy or two- a child’s favorite, or- better yet- a surprise new one. To add to the fun, I throw in a roll of painter’s blue tape. The kids can make roads or tracks for their vehicles, make a tic-tac-toe board on the tray table, or let their imaginations simply go wild. And it comes off easily, like it was never there!
- Snacks are a definite must for the whole family- think mostly granola bars, trail mix, and little snack packs like peanut butter and crackers. Lollipops and gum may also help with take off and landing so throw a couple of those in too.
