There’s nothing like a summer holiday to help improve family wellness. However, while the prospect of making memories and having fun in the sun seems like heaven, getting to the airport and on the flight with the whole family is probably your idea of hell. If you have small children, travelling can be – to put it mildly – difficult, but it doesn’t always have to be.
Firstly, if you can drive to the airport, or have a nice friend or relative take you, take that option. There’s no point trying to do the trip on public transport. It’s enough of a hassle trying to get your kids in a car on time to make your flight, but what if one lags behind and you miss your bus or train? Your children will also feel more comfortable in a familiar environment; such as your car, and so driving to the airport is the first step in making the journey as hassle free as possible.
When it comes to the flight itself, a little pre-planning always comes in handy when kids are involved. Checking in online, as soon as you can, will help you to get one thing ticked off your worry list, and choose the right seats for the flight. It’s important for children who are nervous about flying to be with their parents, so checking in early will help you to get seats together and, as an added bonus, maybe even a little extra space. You can also plan ahead and get your children a kid’s meal on the flight, which they’ll be more likely to eat, and the meal may come with some form of added treat or entertainment.
Yet, though there are things you can do to ease the journey and guard your family’s wellbeing against unnecessary arguments, that is not to day that travelling with your kids in tow will be problem-free. Expecting the journey to all run exactly to plan will only leave you disappointed, and annoyed with your kids for ruining your perfect plan. However, if you anticipate the little things going wrong, you’ll be ready for them when they do. Staying calm is absolutely vital in this situation, as your kids will pick up on any stress that you’re feeling, and everyone’s emotional wellness will suffer. This could make for uncomfortable flying so stay relaxed, be prepared, and let things take their natural course.