With strong shoulders and brave hearts, my husband and I decided to take on our first international trip with our two kids, ages 2 and 5. I won’t claim to be an expert on international travel with kids, but I thought I would share some tips and tricks that I learned on my first go around. This article will be primarily focused on the flight itself and what we did to prepare.
Please note, traveling abroad with an infant is a very different ball game of prep {of which I have zero experience}, but you can find some great advice on infant travel here and here! In this post, I’ve linked the exact items we used on our trip, when possible.
Let’s get to it!
Mindset Shift
The best thing we did before we began the journey was have a conversation about expectations. Together we established that things were inevitably not going to go according to plan and when {not if} that happened, we would go with the flow and not let it stress us out. We kept the mentality that the airports and all forms of public transportation we would be navigating would be PART of the fun for the kids, and we would do our best to experience it in their eyes.
The bulk of the planning, preparing and packing was done in the month before our trip. My focus was on comfort and entertainment. We had 2 long flights and 2 short flights to plan for in total. Fortunately, our long flight there was overnight, so I did not need to pack much for that flight. Ideally, we would have liked both long haul flights to have been overnight, but only one worked out that way- that just meant the return flight needed more activities.
Activities
For the activities, my goal was to have enough new activities for each flight, that wouldn’t add too much bulk or weight to our carry-ons. I went around the house looking for the small forgotten toys, activity books, and crayons we already had that we could use. I added a few more things from the dollar store and amazon {list of items I packed is further below}.
I prepared an activity bag for each child that only I could access to avoid having them peek at the other items. I used these mesh zipper bags, which made it easy for me to see which bag belonged to whom. I intentionally made separate activity bags for the return flights only that were kept hidden in our larger checked bag. The element of surprise was really critical to keep the flights interesting and fun. I would give them a new toy one by one every hour or so, as needed. Meals, snacks, and naps helped break things up.
Most airlines use wired headphones for the in-flight entertainment, so I recommend bringing ones you know your kids like, instead of the cheap earplug ones they provide, which won’t even fit a small child’s ear. We personally are big fans of these cozy Bluetooth headphones as they are soft, compact, and easier to sleep with if needed. They work as both bluetooth and wired.
Activity List
Toddler
- Sand timer from dollar store
- Mess free finger painting– LOVED this
- Colorful tape– this was SUCH a hit with both my kids, and they still love playing with it. You can do so much with the tape- hang toys off the tables, make faces on the tray table, make tape jewelry…the possibilities are endless.
- Cheap handheld fan from dollar store- don’t forget to bring batteries!
- Wikki Stix
- Mini play-doh- I packed some in each bag since I knew they would get lost or dried out.
- Twisty fidget toy found at Wal-mart
Pre-schooler
- Notebook- I bought her a cute travel journal, but she didn’t really use it like I thought she might.
- Brain Quest activity book
- Colorful tape, same as above.
- Coloring book
- Crayons and pencils
- Handheld fan
- Tray table activity covers– these were fun, and we handed some to kids around us.
- Mini play-doh
Comfort
Comfort is probably what worried me the most. How could I recreate their bedtime routine on an economy seat? The answer is, you can’t. And you just have to be ok with that. You do what you can, and so this is what we did. Maybe it will inspire some ideas for you.
First, I investigated the seat layouts of our flight options. I decided the middle row of 4 seats would work best for us because we could contain the two kids between us at the ends. I used Seat Guru’s Seat Map to get a sense of the “problems” people faced with seats- this website is very convenient because you can look up your flight’s exact plane, and it will highlight problematic seats. While the bulkhead seats {the first row in a section with no seats in front} are often a favorite because of the legroom, our concern was this was also a high traffic area, which meant more lights and noise when our kids would be asleep.
I took some time researching the different ways people create “beds” on flights. There are many types of inflatables and hammocks to extend the seat and create a mini bed, which span a huge price range. We wanted an affordable option, so we went with these inflatable foot rests, which we found worked very well. They inflated easily and quickly by mouth {no pump required} and folded very compact into our carryon. Deflating took only a few seconds as well. I used the blanket they provided to cover the seat and inflatable to create a smoother surface.
The most important thing is to look up your flight’s rule towards these accessories, as some airlines may not allow these. In general, I got the sense that inflatables were more widely accepted than hammocks, but please check your specific airline rules. Also these cannot be used during takeoff or landing, and it seems the preference is they also not be used in an aisle seat that could hinder someone from exiting in case of an emergency. This was another reason we liked the 4-seater middle row.
For additional comfort, we packed two toddler pillows, which we already had at home. Pro tip: have a separate pillow case for travel only as it will get dirty. We also packed this super compact and soft travel blanket, which we used to create a tent while they slept to block out the light {more on that in a minute}. Using a compressible packing cube, I packed a set of pajamas for the kids and fresh clothes for the family, which would double serve as our emergency set in case our luggage was lost {you never know} and also took some weight off the checked bag.
Finally, you can pre-order child meals through your airline ahead of time, which I strongly recommend. Airlines will normally serve the child meals first before the rest of the flight. This was helpful in getting them ready for bed as soon as possible to maximize time asleep on the flight.
Sleep
The most difficult part was getting them in a comfortable sleeping position. We set up their pillows to be on the footrest, so that if they kicked around, they would be kicking their own seat and not the one in front. Our 5 year old watched movies until she fell asleep. Our 2 year old needed a bit more soothing. He fell asleep in my arms, and I laid him on the seat once he was deeper in sleep. There were moments of crying, and rather than trying to quiet him, I let him self-soothe and get comfortable. In our case, his crying was only ever a few seconds whenever he would change positions. The headphones came in handy here to play some soothing music. I recommend getting them used to headphones many times before the flight.
The travel blanket turned out to be very helpful given its large size to create an overhead tent. We tucked part of the blanket behind the moveable head rest part and the other side inside the locked tray table. This worked pretty easily without needing clips to hold it in place. They turned the cabin lights on about an hour before the morning meal was even served, so keeping it dark allowed them to sleep longer.
You can see just how dark it was under there!
Other Flight Tips
Some miscellaneous tidbits:
- We opted for a carry-on backpack that had multiple compartments, and opened like a suitcase, rather than having to dig around deep.
- Everything, and I mean everything, was packed in separate packing cubes.
- We used luggage straps to link suitcases together to free up our hands as much as possible.
- We used our favorite compact travel stroller, the gb Pockit, as well as a lightweight backpack carrier for my 2 year old. So I would carry one kiddo on my back, and push the other in the stroller, while my husband wore the carry-on backpack and rolled suitcases.
- Take advantage of airport play areas to burn energy!
- Weigh your bags before going to the airport- travel with a suitcase scale. Look up your airline’s baggage weight limits beforehand.
- Pack some snacks, but not too much. Go for high protein over sugary treats. Get rid of bulky boxes and avoid “new” snacks. Go for things you know they will like, but also remember, they will be fed on the flight too.
- Add a unique sticker to the back of each passport book- this helped me identify passports much faster without having to fumble around opening them.
- Download the free Mobile Passport Control app for your return to the U.S. This moves you through customs much faster {honestly- the lines appeared equivalent to Global Entry}. Please note, you can pre-enter passport information, but you don’t actually complete a new submission until you’ve arrived, it’s time-sensitive. You can do this on the plane or while you’re walking to customs. It’s fast.
- Don’t forget to pack charging cables of different lengths and adaptors for your travel country.
- If you plan to bring a tablet, pre-load with movies and games.
That’s all I got! I really hope this helps someone on their international flight journey. You got this. We had so much fun on ours, and the time spent preparing made it a much smoother and more enjoyable experience.
Let us know if you have any tips and tricks for a successful international flight for little ones too!
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