Wednesday, May 30, 2012
My Annual Travel Rant
Monday was Memorial Day. Schools will be letting out for the summer soon. Families will be taking vacations.
Lots of those families don't travel by air very often. Here is some advice that will improve the experience for both you and your fellow travelers.
Traveling with Young Children
Luggage
Lots of those families don't travel by air very often. Here is some advice that will improve the experience for both you and your fellow travelers.
Traveling with Young Children
- Rule #1 - Your kids are your responsibility. Pay attention to what they are doing on planes, in airports, in restaurants, stores, etc . for their safety as well as the comfort of others. It is not safe for them to be running up and down the aisles of planes or unsupervised in waiting areas.
- It is also your responsibility to teach them manners. In Hartsfield a couple of weeks ago, I watched a kid of about 12 run on to the train and plant his butt in a seat labeled "Reserved for Disabled and Seniors." An older gentleman with a cane subsequently boarded. He was very unsteady on his feet. Meanwhile, the Mom with the Dior sunglasses and Coach tote was too busy to suggest her son get up and relinquish the seat. After waiting in vain, **I** got up and offered the man my seat. I have my own AARP card, but I was taught manners.
- Know the current TSA rules. Kids under 12 don't have to remove their shoes any more. Medications, baby formula, and breast milk are allowed in reasonable quantities exceeding three ounces and are not required to be in the zip-top bag. But they must be taken out and declared for inspection at the TSA checkpoint. Pack your carry-on so you can do this quickly, and allow enough time to get your party through check in and security. If you are traveling before 10 AM or after 4PM, it will take longer than you might think, especially this time of year.
- Explain to your child in advance they they will not be able to read their Kindle, play video games or watch DVD's during takeoff and landing. I have been subjected to the sounds of more temper tantrums on this score than I want to think about. It is stupid, but it is the rule.
- Even if the flight is less than 2 hours, remember to take your kid to the restroom before boarding. Airline restrooms are tiny. On a recent flight, a very large Dad with a young child determined that they could not both be in there together. Dad stood in the companionway with the door open while son used the facility. Not pleasant for the fellow travelers.
- Book and confirm your seats well in advance....but even then, the airlines will not guarantee you will be seated together. Deal with it. But be realistic... the business travelers on your plane are under no obligation to give up **their** confirmed seats just so that all six of you can be seated together.
- Kids under 15 (with or without parents), the disabled, anyone requiring a seatbelt extension or portable oxygen equipment, or anyone traveling with a pet in the cabin MAY NOT BE SEATED IN THE EXIT ROW. No one is being mean to you. Those are FAA rules.
- The empty seat beside you is not the right place to change a diaper. Nor is the seat back pocket the appropriate place to discard a used one. Carry a couple of plastic bags in your diaper bag and dispose properly. Cabin crew will help you if you need them.
- I'm a mom and grandmother. If you know how to do so discreetly, IMO there's nothing wrong with nursing on a plane....but it may make folks around you uncomfortable if you haven't mastered the discreet blanket or sling techniques. They aren't being unreasonable. Practice in advance. Wear the right clothes. The enforced intimacy with strangers on airplanes is tough enough without forcing a complete stranger to bury his/her head in Skymall to avoid your TaTas.
Food and Drink
- Fluid restrictions are a pain, and the end result is $3 bottles of water in airports. Clip an empty water bottle to your carry-on and fill it from the drinking fountain --- they have nifty ones with Brita filters in them that even make the water taste decent.
- Granola bars and trail mix (preferably the kinds without chocolate) raisins and Goldfish crackers make great travel snacks. (Small, non-messy, resistant to crushing.) Anything melty, sticky, smelly, drippy or complicated does not work well. And that includes the Cinnabons the size of a roast chicken sold with extra dipping icing in the airport.
- Airport food is getting better-- but that means that most of it is a lot like the food court at your local mall. Too fried, too greasy, too few veggies. There are actual restaurants in larger airports, but the selections are limited. Know this in advance and plan accordingly.
- Know your airline's policy for size and weight of carry-ons. In the US, most airlines permit one piece of luggage and one small personal item (handbag, small daypack, camera case, briefcase) on board, but there are limits. Roll-aboard bags larger than 22" and 25# will typically not fit in the overhead or under the seat. Some rolling briefcases are too "thick" to be stored on small commuter planes. Suck it up and check your bag if you need more stuff.
- You are probably packing way too much stuff.
- Visit http://www.onebag.com/ and take as much of the advice there as possible.
Kids Traveling Alone
- Know the score in advance.
- Obey all the rules.
- Don't expect the airline to make "special allowances" for you.
- http://www.delta.com/planning_reservations/special_travel_needs/services_for_children/children_traveling_alone/index.jsp
# posted by Unknown 
