Recently a friend of mine reached out to me because she is about to take her nine month old on an adventure to Austria. Sounds amazing! We took Pigpen to London when he was about ten months old, so I definitely have some experience with this. So, if you are traveling with the kiddos to a foreign land read on.....
We were going to England for the National Spine Somethingorother, and Pigpen and I got to tag along and spend the first week with Daddy in Oxford and Stratford Upon Avon before the convention started. Then we headed to London where my days were husband free, and it was up to me to sightsee with my little man alone. I was of course super excited for our adventure, but super duper ridiculously nervous as well. Pigpen had been on several airplanes before our trip across the pond, but no two plane rides are the same. My advice is, bring toys, bring dope (tylenol), snacks, woobies (blankets), and anything that lights up without making too much noise. Think of the things that your child likes at home, and pack those in your diaper bag. Don't forget an extra pair of clothes for him, and an extra shirt for you just in case some weird shit goes down....you never know, and you don't want to go through customs looking like a haggard slobby mom. Not cute. :) Once we were flying somewhere with Pigpen, and he was sleeping like a log when the lady came by for drinks, so I totally went for it.....I ordered a tomato juice. I went against everything I knew to be sensible in my head because I wanted a damn tomato juice; my husband was inspired by my sassiness and too ordered a tomato juice.
Without fail, I knocked mine over; it went all over the cashmere baby blanket covering my child, and all over my shirt. My husband jumped and tried to help me when he saw it spill causing his to spill as well. It was awesome! Pigpen slept through it, but we were covered, and the cashmere blanket...well, disaster. So, when traveling with kids, you should only order water always no matter what, end of story.
I digress, so when planning a trip across the pond you need to think about what you use and do everyday with your child, and then you need to think about how you can make that happen where ever you are headed. We chose to fly Virgin Atlantic because we could upgrade to business class without breaking the bank, and we were able to reserve the first row and rent a bassinet from the airline. It was about $120 more, but totally worth every penny. This was a box that snapped into the wall about eye level for the baby to lay in. Pigpen was huge, and not really a baby at 10 months, but hey, it worked. He slept in that cozy little box while we drank champagne and ate steak. It was worth every penny.
My husband always scoffed at me when I insisted on taking the stroller through the airport. We had a BOB, and I was absolutely 100% gay for this stroller. It was like a dream cart. You could hang stuff off of it, put tons of things in it....it was awesome, and it folded up in two seconds....so easy, and so worth having in the airport. I'm sorry, but having a kid strapped to the front of me while I'm trying to carry my diaper bag, a starbucks, and walk in cute shoes....not happenin, and not my idea of traveling fun. So, take the stroller, and gate check it. You have to wait for it when you get off the plane, but it has always been fine.
What to pack: We were going to England where they obviously speak English, but you never know what kind of things they are going to have once you get there. They call diapers nappys, and they eat fish and chips, curries, and prawns, so I wasn't going to take any chances on our comfortable experience. My son was comfortable in his pampers cruisers, so I packed enough for the whole trip. He loved his organic Gerber mish mosh, so I packed a shitload of those too. He had sensitive skin, so I packed a washcloth from home and some mild soap. My husband thought I was crazy, but I only had one big roller bag, a duffle for Pig, and my diaper bag, oh, and a purse, but that's it. We made arrangements with all of the hotels for a pack n play, and we didn't take his car-seat since we used trains and public transit the whole time. In fact, when we got there, the cabby took the entire stroller and put it in the cab with Pigpen in it and put the brake on (the cabs are huge in London). I was prepared to hold him on my lap like the most secure human restraint on earth, but he was happy in his stroller, and probably much more safe.
I made sure he had at least two blankets from home for his bed, and two stuffed animals. That way each place wasn't sooo different from home. We also downloaded lullabies on my ipod and brought this awesome little speaker dock that looks like a lego to put next to his bed. I also have this great little night light from Ikea called the Spoka. I take it with me when I go places because it travels well, and it's great to have a night light with kids.
We had such an awesome time! We even made arrangements with the hotel for a babysitter two different nights. The hotels were nice, and these were people that they contracted, thus making them liable, so you can trust it. I took a photo of the babysitter holding Pigpen each time before I left so I could show it to the police later if I had to, but the girls were sweet and did a great job. I loved our trip. Be brave if you travel! I learned how to navigate the Tube, London's subway system. One helpful hint about subways and strollers is, look for the handicap accessible stops if you are by yourself. That way you can be certain you will be able to wheel your chariot where it needs to go instead of getting somewhere with 4 flights of stairs and no elevator. I learned that the hard way. We also started to take the ferry instead of the subway....it was a few pounds more, but it was faster and waaayyy easier. Plus, what little boy doesn't love a boat?
That is all I can remember. I hope that helps, and let me know if anyone had any questions about traveling with those sweet little baby angels of yours who would never cry, or make noise, or do anything annoying to other passengers.
Oh, here is some good airplane etiquette. Be nice, be as calm as possible, and realize that it is loud on an airplane, so people probably aren't hearing anything from your area at least two rows away. I always say to my kids out loud, "don't kick or touch the seat in front of you, I'm sure that man will not appreciate it, do your best." That way he knows that I'm trying to keep them under control. Also, if things get out of control, just put on your blinders, don't panic, and think of what your child needs. Don't think about the people giving you the evil eye, just think about calming down, and getting your child whatever it is they want! :) Those evil eye folks will get theirs, and it won't be good, so don't worry about those assholes. And, if you don't have kids, please be nice to the people who do. They don't want to be on the plane any more than you do, so give them a break.
That's all for now......Tootles!
