Tips for traveling with a baby on an airplane

March 18, 2020 By Anne

There are lots of things which may have once been easy to you but now feel daunting with a new baby. Especially if you have had complications during your birth or are searching for a birth injury diagnosis. Everything can feel very overwhelming. You may have family far away and need to make the trip to see them despite feeling anxious about it. Whatever your situation, here are our top tips for traveling on an airplane with a baby.

Direct flight or a long break

If possible, try and book a direct lift. Take-off and landing are typically what puts pressure on the ears of your baby and may cause them to cry.

If you have to book a connecting flight, then try and leave a good amount of time between the flight, two hours or more will allow you to stay calm, take your time and change your baby.

Gate check extra gear

At no extra charge, you can usually check in things like pushchairs and car seats. At your airline’s gate, speak to staff, and they should be able to take these things off you before you get on the plane. This will also allow you to have everything you need right up until you get on the plane.

You may be able to pick it up from the airline gate when you get off the plane, or you may have to pick it up from the baggage claim. Ask the staff what their procedure is.

Pre-board

When you travel with a baby, you can board before anyone else. You may consider avoiding this to spend less time on the plane. However, getting settled before crowds of people board can make a big difference. Anything to reduce stress to you and your baby is a good thing.

Buy a seat for your child

Although children under the age of two can usually fly free, you may want to consider buying them a seat. This will give you space to spread out. It may also be safer for your child to have their own seat.

Bring plenty of supplies

Bring plenty of diapers, formula, bottles, food, any medicines you need, and some spare clothes. Baby formula or breast milk is exempt from liquid limitations when flying. Often when flying, things can go wrong. Delays and cancellations happen all the time, and you don’t want to be stuck without something you need. The last thing you want is a hungry or frustrated baby.

Protect your baby’s ears

A pacifier or for toddlers chewing on a cracker can help to protect the ears. Speak to your pediatrician who might prescribe your ear drops or suggests earplugs.

Prepare distractions

You may have to spend your entire flight keeping your baby happy. Bring some toys or something to keep them distracted.

Stay calm!

The most important thing is to stay calm. You might do everything you can, and your baby might still end up screaming. And that’s ok, it happens. Soon enough, you will land, and you will get to see family or explore a new place.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

4 Things to Do with Your Children on Your Day Off

October 28, 2019 By Anne

Whether you are a looking for activities to do with your children at the weekend or during the school vacations approaching, you are likely worried about keeping them entertained for a long period of time. It is important that you have a varied selection of activities that you can do with your kids. Children can easily become bored, and bored children are more likely to misbehave and be disruptive. So, by having a few different activities prepared, you can limit the amount of bad behavior and tantrums that you’ll have to endure. Therefore, we have put together some great ideas of things to do with your children on your day off. Whether you are home or away, you and your kids can do these activities without too much time or preparation.

Head to the Local Park

Most parents have experienced naughty and restless children due to them being been stuck in the house all day, so as nice as it is to spend your day off at home relaxing, you should take an hour out where you can to go to the local park. This is a great way to give your children some free time to run about and explore without you having to worry about them destroying the house! If you live locally to a park, then great – you don’t even need to take the car, and the walk will burn off some extra energy. But don’t worry if you don’t have a park nearby – the car journey there will be worth it, and the one on the way back will probably be silent!

See a Show

During the school vacation when you have some spare time together with your children, you may decide to treat them and catch a show together! This is both a fun, educational, and cultural activity that you can enjoy just as much as your children will. Whether you take your kids to see their favorite band, to see a sports event, or even to see the latest theatre performance, you will find all the tickets you need at TicketSales.com.

Have a Duvet Day

While it is important to keep your kids entertained and active, you should also remember that it is impossible to be doing something with them every minute of every day. At some point, you or your children are going to need a rest, and spending some quality time together doesn’t necessarily mean doing something that costs a lot of money or effort. So don’t feel bad about jumping under the duvet on the sofa and watching your favorite movies together.

Exercise

Generally, parents are conscious of ensuring that their children regularly engage in physical exercise, and the best way to do this is to make exercise a fun activity. So, spend your next day off together going swimming, joining a dance class, or going for a long walk in a local nature spot.

By following these tips, you can make the most of your time off having fun with your children!

Anne

Vacation Activities the Whole Family Will Love

October 15, 2019 By Anne

There’s a lot to look forward to when planning a family vacation. Unfortunately, many families get to their destination and wish they never left home. Without careful planning, members of your family will be bored, which can make you feel frustrated.

It doesn’t matter if you’re traveling with a toddler, a teen, or if grandma decides to tag along, you can find fun things to do nearly everywhere that the entire family will love.

Catch a Show

One of the best things you can do when traveling with other family members is to catch a show. When you choose the right one, you can ensure even the youngest and oldest members of your family are entertained.

A play in a local theater or a musical concert in an outdoor amphitheater will do, but if you think outside the box, you can make sure everyone makes memories they will never forget. For example, “The General Jackson Showboat Lunch & Dinner Cruises provide an amazing adventure to those visiting Nashville, TN.” Because shows take place on a riverboat and dinner is served, everyone is sure to have a good time!

Have a very young or very old family members with you? Avoid buying tickets for shows after 8:00 PM. Instead, choose a matinee.

Visit a Museum

It doesn’t matter where you go, chances are, there’s a museum nearby. There are museums of history, museums of art, and funky museums full of collections you would never expect. There’s a lot to look at in a museum, which makes it perfect for the whole family.

Another benefit of scheduling a trip to the museum on your next vacation is the fact that many museums are free, or admittance is granted with a small donation. It’s an affordable way to spend the afternoon when you’re traveling with a large crew, and you will all will reap the benefits a trip to the museum has to offer.

Get Outside

You probably spend a lot of time thinking about the places you’re going to go when you’re on vacation. If you’re traveling with multiple family members, you should rethink your strategy. Instead of focusing on shows, theme parks, and restaurants, consider making the outdoors your destination instead.

Getting outside comes with many benefits, including health benefits. It will reduce stress, which is a good thing for a family vacation, and the entire crew is sure to have a great time. A few ideas for spending time outside on vacation include:

Bring a picnic lunch to a local park.
Find a nature trail and go for a walk.
Spend the day sitting on the beach.
Rent bicycles and go for a ride.
Go camping in a tent or an RV.
Buy fishing licenses and go fishing.
Rent a boat and let the kids water ski or kneeboard.

Go Shopping

Going shopping can be a lot of fun when you go on vacation! You just have to mindful of the ages of the people coming with you.

For example, if grandma and grandpa are coming along, make sure you plan plenty of time to sit and rest. If you’re bringing the kids, especially if they’re little, come prepared with a convertible stroller and all the supplies you’ll need for the day. Older kids will have a fun time shopping if you provide them with a budget so they can buy a few things to take home.

No matter who you’re shopping with, it’s a good idea to choose places that aren’t very crowded. Avoid big sales and the busiest shopping times so you don’t lose your toddler or grandma in the crowd.

Get Hands-On

Vacations can do a lot of things, which includes making you smarter. Although some locations are more likely to boost your brain than others, you can find ways to learn and get hands-on, no matter where you go on vacation.

For example, the kids will love taking paddleboard or surfing lessons, and grandma and grandpa will love watching them learn. Craft classes are especially fun for the whole family. Let the kids take turns on a pottery wheel or learn how to use a loom to make a family rug. You can find painting classes, cooking classes, and much more that will be fun for the whole family!

The more people you travel with, the harder it is to keep everybody happy. That’s especially the case if you’re traveling with very young or old family members. With these tips, you’ll be able to find at least one thing to do that everyone will love!

Anne

4 Tips For Running A Business While You Travel

September 29, 2019 By Anne

Running your own business has a lot of great benefits. You can be your own boss and set your own schedule, and if you do well, you can make some good money. But there are also some downsides because people are always relying on you to keep things ticking over. That can make travel quite difficult because it’s hard to stay on top of things when you are out of the country. But if you find the right balance, it’s possible to travel and run your business at the same time. Here are a few simple tips to help make it work.

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Create A Strict Schedule

Having a schedule is always important if you want to work productively but if you are traveling, it’s especially vital. When you are away and you are trying to balance work with a bit of sightseeing, you need to split the day up into clear chunks. Everybody works in different ways so you need to think about when you work best. If you’re productive in the mornings, you can get up early and sort out any business matters, and then take the afternoons to explore. Alternatively, you could take the days off and work in the evenings if that is when you get the most done. You also need to consider when people are going to be in the office back home because your schedule needs to line up with theirs to some extent.

Take Days Off

When you are trying to balance work and business, it’s easy to let things get on top of you and end up working every day to catch up. But if you do that, you will burn yourself out and then you won’t enjoy your travel and you won’t be running the business effectively either. That’s why it’s important to take days off as you normally would if you were at home.

Use A Virtual Mailbox

If you are away, you might miss out on a lot of important business correspondence, so you should use a virtual mailbox service. You can pay for physical mailing services that will collect your mail and digitize it so you can view it online from wherever you are. Good communication is key in business so it’s important that you don’t miss out on any important letters.

Watch Your Travel Spending

Managing your money properly is very important if you want to keep your business afloat, but that can be hard when you are traveling. It’s tempting to spend lots of money on business class flights and expensive meals. But if you do that, you will burn through your money very quickly and if the business runs into trouble, you won’t have anything else to put back into it and keep it running. It’s important that you find ways to save on travel and make sure that you keep some money aside to act as a buffer. That way, the business will be secure in the face of financial problems.

Running a business while you travel can be tough, but if you follow these simple tips, you can get the balance right.

Anne

What Are the Best Ways to Save on Travel?

September 3, 2019 By Anne

When you’re a mom, the responsibilities of travel planning may fall on you. You want a great family vacation that will allow you all to enjoy your time and one another.

You want to build memories with your family as a mom, and the rigors of busy everyday life may not allow for that like a vacation will.

At the same time, vacations are expensive, particularly when you’re traveling with kids.

You may want to balance getting the best experience and maximizing your time with staying within your budget.

The following are some general tips that can help you save money on family travel.

Look for Packages

If you’re going somewhere that has a lot of attractions and you want to do several of them, start looking for vacation packages. An example is Myrtle Beach.

If you’re planning to travel to Myrtle Beach, there are a lot of different family-friendly attractions, but the ticket prices can add up quickly.

Look for a Myrtle Beach vacation package which might contain multiple discounted tickets to different attractions and in some cases may also include discounts on lodging and accommodations.

What’s great about packages is the fact that not only can you save money, but these packages can also make it easier to plan and organize your trips, since they can offer a built-in itinerary.

Be Strategic with Flights

If you’re going to be flying to your destination, there are a lot of ways you can save money on flights. One is to use a travel rewards credit card and accrue miles. Look for a card that lets you earn miles on everyday spending such as groceries and gas.

Some airline cards will only offer generous rewards when you’re spending with the airlines themselves, but others will give you competitive rewards for regular purchases.

As well as using miles or airline points for flights, there are other ways to save money.

You can take the evening flights, which may be cheaper, for example.

If you’re traveling with kids, this may actually be better than daytime flights because your children are more likely to sleep.

If you can be flexible with your dates, you might also be able to save money.

Be cautious of budget airlines too.

Sometimes they can be a good deal for family travel, but not always.

Once you factor in all the added fees, budget airlines may end up costing more than traditional carriers.

Saving Money on a Cruise

A cruise, in general, can be a good family-friendly vacation that’s also budget-friendly.

With that being said, there are certain ways your expenses might start to add up on a cruise, and you should be aware of them so you can avoid these extra costs.

For example, excursions when you’re in port, aren’t included in the price of a cruise, and you pay for them later. They can be outrageously expensive, particularly if several people in your family are going.

One option is to avoid the excursion altogether and enjoy the quiet of the boat when everyone is off it. Another is to book your excursions outside the cruise company. This can save you quite a bit, and the companies you can buy from are generally the same ones the cruise company uses.

You can also book a car and serve as your own guide in the ports.

Look for Favorable Exchange Rates if You’re Going Abroad

If you’re going out of the country, when you’re selecting a destination, you should think about the exchange rate because you can save quite a bit if it’s favorable compared to the dollar.

Of course, with that being said, don’t go to a dangerous country for the most competitive exchange rate.

There are a lot of places where you can find smaller differences in the exchange rate, and you can still save around 30% on the cost of your trip.

Use a Cashback Website

A cashback website is something you can use as part of your booking process, so you get something back for the cost of your booking. There are certain browser plugins that will automatically identify any cashback opportunities when you book anything related to travel.

Finally, don’t underestimate the importance of perks like free breakfast options in a hotel because you end up saving quite a bit each day. Even if you choose a hotel that doesn’t offer free breakfast, you may be able to contact them directly and negotiate to have it included with your stay.