GOING on holiday is normally an exciting time, but for parents of small children catching a flight can often be a difficult experience.
However, travel TV host Samantha Brown has shared her tips when travelling with kids – including why you should never board first.
As a mother of twins, Brown has picked up some pearls of wisdom while travelling round the world with them, including taking them on a long haul flight to Asia when the kids were just five-years-old.
In an interview with CNN Travel, Brown divulged her main tip – which is to never use the pre-boarding option when taking flights with kids.
She says to instead wait in line with your regular boarding group.
While this might sound like a nightmare for parents who want to get on when it is quiet, she insists that by waiting in line, children will not have to sit in their seat on the flight for as long while others board the plane.
It also gives some hyperactive children a bit of extra time to burn off energy in the boarding gate before being sat still for the duration of the flight.
For parents of very young children, Brown suggests, if you are travelling with a partner, to take on different jobs.
She advises one person to go ahead during pre-boarding to set up all the luggage, which may include bulky items such as pushchairs and car seats.
The other person, she said, can stay behind with the children.
The TV host also emphasised the importance of having snacks available at all times, both for the kids and for hungry parents.
Brown did admit that her advice isn’t foolproof and even said that her kids have been known to cry for the entire flight, but after taking 45 flights in 2019 alone, she might be worth listening to.
A flight attendant recently shared their top tips for flying with small children, from seats to avoid to the extras you can ask for from crew.
And if you don’t fancy sitting next to kids on your flight, an airline has launched a new service so you can avoid noisy toddlers.
