Family

International Travel with Kids

Ok, so here’s a good time: Pack 8 bags and 4 carry-ons.   Pack snacks (including candy) in your carry on and then force two children under 6 to behave for over 12 hours in basically the same seat.  Oh, and to carry their own stuff when you are walking through airports.

While it may sound awful and I admit that I dreaded it, international travel with my two kids was not that bad.  The anticipation of moving to Paris was so great (we’re talking about almost six months, here) that when the day actually came, our kids were thrilled and we were too shocked to actually be going through with it that we spent the first half in a giddy daze.

Some things we did: made sure the kids had had a good night’s sleep and full bellies.  That they each had some comfort item (blanket, animal) and their OWN snacks.  Our dear friend Marilyn, created travel boxes for them - complete with their names on them - with activities, markers and toys.  We put them in the kids’ own carry-ons but didn’t tell them about the boxes until we felt there was a dire need (staving off a meltdown somewhere over eastern Canada - “Look! I have a surprise!). These boxes were fantastic (Thank you, Marilyn!).  Balance - each child had exactly the same setup - one Scooby Doo coloring book, one Hello Kitty coloring book. No room to argue but a nice opportunity to trade for a bit.  The kids had bags they could roll and shoes they could take on and off by themselves - this made them as self-sufficient as possible.

On the overseas flight from Salt Lake City to Paris (for all you West Coasters going to France the Delta 170 flight rocks  - get on, eat dinner, watch a movie, go to bed and wake up in Paris) we had an extra, special treat.  We cashed in all our miles AND some extra cash* to upgrade to Business Class.  We figured if anything warranted this luxury, this was it: while moving to a foreign country on an overnight, international flight with two kids  on the heels of a funeral.   The extra space was nice - both in front of our seats and because they reclined almost fully.  However, we did not bring a DVD player on board (expecting that we would each have our own) and were frustrated to find that 2 of the 4 of ours were not working and my husband’s tray was broken which meant endless rearranging anytime someone needed something - which was constantly.  (Boo! Delta!)

When we landed in Paris we had to wake up both kids.  This was the part I dreaded most.  I expected cranky, out-of-sorts kids to staunchly refuse to cooperate at this critical hour.  Lo! To my surpriese they were awesome.  Perhaps because we had built up the excitement of this so much - they woke up “Are we here?!” all smiles.  We made a game of pointing out everything new - the language around us, the signs on the walls, passport check.  They were too busy soaking it up to realize that they were exhausted.  Our bags were ready and waiting when we made it to baggage claim.  We had pre-arranged a shuttle (Shuttle Inter) and the driver was waiting outside the baggage claim exit, sign in hand.  Our driver was kind and waited patiently while we went to the cash machine to get some Euros.  He then helped with our bags and deposited us by the door while he went to fetch the van.  He had a carseat for our younger one and let me use his phone (mine stopped working when we landed, natch).  The 40 or so minute trip to our apartment was a flat 65 Euros which was less, I think, than a taxi would have charged.  I highly recommend this if you are traveling with kids - the less you have to think about, the better.

Another aspect of this was helping our children understand that they must compromise while traveling.  That we simply cannot tend to every need (even the basics  like thirst and the need to go to the bathroom) at the exact moment it is called for.  That is difficult for a 3 year-old to grasp.  But as long as we were happy, relaxed and confident - they seemed to cue off our state.  In the times that we felt anxious - no surprise, so did they. All-in-all this was a success.  With some pre-planning and extra thought to the needs of each person in your group, this doesn’t need to be horrific.  It has made me more confident about traveling with my kids and I look forward to doing more of it while in Europe.

© 2009 Work Life Balance.