As you may know, my family and I recently traveled (moved) home to Phoenix from Israel just a few short weeks ago. And if you follow me on social media you probably know it was a complete nightmare.
For the past 9 years my husband and I have been doing A LOT of traveling for his career and the whole ball game was changed when we expanded our family. My daughter, Nora (3) had her first flight at 6 weeks old and her first international flight at 6 months old, so we're no strangers to long grueling travel. This time, however, was our first flight with 2 little ones and it was by far the worst.
Honestly, we've never had too many issues traveling internationally, we've become "pros" in a sense after traveling so often, even with kids. The experience we had traveling home from Israel took the cake for possibly the WORST travel experience of all times. Most of the frustrations we encountered had to do with United Airlines so my first tip is just don't fly United if you can avoid it.
Let me first explain the nightmare of a trip we had...
First, when you travel international you can reserve a bassinet seat for your baby. We have always done this since Nora was a baby and never had any issues. On our long 11 hour flight, we as usual reserved a bassinet to find out there were 3 babies on the plane and only 2 bassinets... we got the short end of that stick. Although I wasn't happy about this situation of having to hold my 2 month old for 11 hours I was thankful my husband and I could at least tag team it. We made it through the flight without any other issues until...
We found out there was bad weather at our destination (not their fault) and got rerouted to Boston instead. The worst part is they had barely anyone working the ticket counters. We waited in line for at total of 4 hours just to get rebooked on another flight! And to make matters worse, right when it was our turn the customer service lady told us we had to move to a different line because she was leaving for the night.😡 AtAt
At this point I understand why she wanted to leave, it was 11 pm and everyone was tired. Including me, who had been traveling for 15+ hours with a toddler and an infant. I was on my last limb. I pleaded with the attendant to please just help us, explained our situation and still, she blew us off and left.
After another 20 minutes we finally found someone to help us and got rebooked on a flight to Chicago then to Phoenix at midnight. Waited around again only for them to tell us they were canceling the flight until 10 am because the pilot or crew members didn't show up!!!!
They rebooked us AGAIN for the next morning at 10am and then told us there were no hotel rooms available in the whole city. At this point is was 1 or 2am and all we needed to do was get to a bed.
We tried to find another solution but ended up resorting to sleeping on the floor in the airport. It. WAS. AWFUL.
After a long miserable night (and still no sleep for mom and dad) we made it on our next flight, which again was delayed. We got re-booked in Chicago (AGAIN) and finally made it to Phoenix 44 hours later. Yes, 44 straight hours of travel with a 2 month old and a 3 year old and NO sleep. It was survival mode, that's the only way I can explain how we made it through that. It took us a full week to recover.
Much of what we experienced was unforeseen circumstances and much of it was due to the airline. This was by far the worst experience we've had traveling in 9 years but I have to say we really did a good job to be prepared and stay as calm as we possibly could in that type of situation.
So now I can officially say I'm a seasoned traveler. I think I've experienced it all now! If you're traveling this Summer don't let this story scare you. I can promise you, this is not anywhere near the norm. Here's my tips on traveling with littles.
1. Don't fly United, just don't do it!
I've never had such a miserable experience on a flight. The inconsiderate employees and poor flight management/operation was a HUGE part of it as you can tell.
2. Take a stroller and a baby carrier (a double stroller if you have two)
Having both options SAVED us! I'm so thankful at the last minute I decided to grab our Ergo carrier. There were some time during those long layovers that baby Sofia just did not want to be in the stroller, she wanted to be held and there's no way I could have held her and managed everything else if I didn't have the carrier. That being said in those moments of stress and exhaustion it was amazing to have the bassinet stroller to lay her down to sleep. Nora (3) sat in the 2nd stroller late at night when she was exhausted and slept (thank goodness)!
3. Let them pack a backpack
If you're traveling with a toddler (2 or older), let them pack a little backpack of their own. Help them pack it with things to keep them entertained on the plane. Nora had a coloring book, crayons, a few books, stickers, her favorite toys, some snacks and her Ipad. She was a joy on the flight because she could just open up her bag and play or watch a movie. Which brings me to my next point...
4. Ipad!!!!!!!!!
Ya'll this is everything when you're on an 11 hour flight. We don't let Nora use the Ipad for anything other than when we are traveling so she was SO excited to get to watch some movies on there. She would sit still and watch/play. We had a few of her favorite movies loaded on there as well as a few fun apps with games she could play. She even had her own Doc McStuffins themed headphones, which she loves!
5. SUCKING
If you're traveling with an infant make sure they have something to suck on. Just as our ears get clogged with the change in pressure, so do theirs. This is what often causes babies to scream on flights. Nurse or bottle feed during take off and landing or give them a pacifier to suck on if they're not hungry at the moment.
6. Pack a "treat" bag
This is a trick to have in your back pocket as a "just in case." Pack a small baggie with a few treats (chocolates, m&m's, skittles, etc) the stuff they are not normally allowed to eat and use it as leverage. I know it sounds bad but remember its just to use in case you need it. If you need them to sit down or chill out you can tell your toddler they will get a special treat from your bag if they sit down for the next 20 minutes or if they watch a movie and be quiet. Surprisingly we did not even have to use our treat bag with Nora on the entire trip but she was SO well behaved that at the end I gave her a piece of chocolate from it. She was literally an angel the whole trip!
7. Pack snacks - LOTS OF THEM
I honestly wish I had packed more snacks. We definitely didn't expect to be traveling for so long so I was underprepared in this department so be over prepared for the worst! I packed a bag of nuts, several granola bars, goldfish and it wasn't enough to keep us satisfied during the long layovers. So make sure to double up!
8. Pack extra changes of clothes
I always pack multiple changes of clothes for the girls in my carry on and at least 1 for me as well. It never fails that a baby will have a blowout on the plane or your toddler will spill juice all over themselves or YOU. It was so nice to get out of dirty clothes and change after sleeping on the floor, put on fresh clothes and feel a little more human again. Be over prepared!
9. If you're gate checking a stroller don't bring a carry on with wheels
This is another thing that saved me. Have you ever tried pushing a stroller AND trying to push/pull a suitecase at the same time?! Not easy! I suggest wearing a backpack as a carry on (my favorite is the JuJuBe Diaper bag backpack) and if you need another carry on bring a large overnight bag you can just place in the under carriage of your stroller.
10. Stay calm
In any awful given situation that could happen (hopefully it doesn't), just keep your cool, stay calm. Your kids are watching. The way you treat others they will emulate. Treat others the way you'd want to be treated (even if its a mean flight attendant who doesn't deserve it lol)!
I hope these tips help you on your next adventure mamas! And of course I pray you don't encounter anything crazy but if you do just remember that being over prepared and staying calm will go a long way!
xoxo
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