Here's what happens when you travel with a baby, a cranky husband and too much luggage on a budget airline:
1. You risk getting deep vein thrombosis while standing for what seems like eternity in the check in queue at the airport. Trust me, doing a prior web check in doesn't help at all. I'm pretty sure that budgeted airlines have a web check in facility just because...just because!
While in the queue, you're seriously amazed at how well behaved your baby is. "The queue is just a minor hiccup", you think oh so innocently, "this journey is going on be a breeze". You ignore your baby's little squirms.
2. You steer dangerously close to having a nervous break down when after a half hour of standing in the queue and another 20 minutes of system failures, you're handed your boarding pass only to notice that you've been given separate seats at two different ends of the plane. Another 10 minutes of arguing ensues followed by 15 minutes of system corrections.
By now Baby wants out of the stroller. A minor tantrum is starting to take place. You hand him a lollipop and he starts to calm down. You STILL keep the faith!
3. You risk broken bones, bruises and some serious physical injury while trying to board the plane in what seems like a stampede. As soon as the boarding announcement is made, hoards of passengers make a beeline for the plane. You nudge your way through in complete horror.
Baby starts to cry. Can you blame him?
4. You risk a burst blood vessel in your head as you try to control your temper while asking the air hostess, for the umpteenth time, for a baby seat belt. Why is this even an option?
Baby is starting to erupt into a massive tantrum. You've now started making some strange, often embarrassing noises in an attempt to shush baby.
5. You risk scalding yourself and baby as you try and feed yourself while rocking the baby to sleep at the same time. Yup, you guessed it, there are no bassinets on a budget airline.
Baby is exhausted. You heave a sigh of relief!
Once you land and are told that your baby's stroller will be handed over to you right at the other end of the airport, you really don't care. You
somehow drag your tired and battered body out of the plane, heaving a pile of luggage, a baby and an even crankier husband in tow.
Next time ( yes, there will be a next because we always live in hope) I'll remember to get us some travel / medical insurance.
Someone once said, "There are three critical states of human life: illness, captivity and travel". Budget airlines sure have mastered the art of making you experience all three states of mind, all in a matter of a few hours.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Airports and planes
Our little family seems to have caught the travel bug! Since his birth Neel's been on close to twenty flights, 6 different countries and eaten god alone knows how many different cuisines. And he's only two!
Travelling with a baby / toddler is really difficult. They can be irritable, fussy with their food, have constant tantrums at airports (most of these are in the immigration queue) and turn into unrecognisable monsters (well, mine does anyway!).
The biggest nightmare has got to be the packing. Don't ever expect to travel light with a baby. Your case will be bursting at it's seams with diapers, creams, formula, bottled food, snacks, toys and basically everything your baby needs except the kitchen sink (you have the baby wipes for that). On top of all that you'll have to pack a separate baby bag as cabin luggage for the flight. Here's the challenge: you have to pack toys, food, bottles, formula, snacks, diapers, wipes and whatever else you may need for the journey all into one baby bag and get this, it all has to be under seven kilograms! Most airlines will allow ten kilograms for a baby under two (their generosity knows no bounds!). I have however travelled by one airline who didn't allow my baby any baggage weight, not even a cabin bag!!
Airports and planes I feel are the most child unfriendly places. I usually have palpitations days before a flight and make obsessive lists for practically everything. Neel loves the open spaces of an airport and usually runs wild while we're standing in endless queues. He pushes trolleys and bangs it into everyone and everything in his way while nearly getting run over himself. He drags one of our wheelie bags all over the place feeling terribly important. Nik and I have minor heart attacks the whole time before boarding.
Once we've boarded the plane, Neel's excitement starts to peak. He still hasn't got his head around the fact that he's INSIDE a plane. He instead goes completely ballistic about the planes he can see on the Tarmac outside. While Neel does near cartwheels on my lap, Nik and I start frantically preparing formula in a bottle for take off, keep pacifiers handy and somehow stuff a sippy cup in the magazine holder. I also shove some small toys and crayons down the side of my seat or anywhere. Nik prepares his iPhone in it's plane mode so Neel can play some games later.
Recently, Neel has been a little more aware of take offs and landings. His eyes were like plates the last time our plane took off and I'm not sure if he's figured that he's actually up in the sky. An hour after we're airborne and after a few more minor tantrums and heart attacks, Neel finally settles down to sleep. I think that the sound of the engines lull him to sleep plus of course he's exhausted after running riot in the airport.
So if it is such a bother, why do we travel so much with Neel? It's because HE has fun. He loves the change, the freedom, the attention and the chance to see so many different things. Travelling is our way of teaching him and exposing him things he could never see staying at home. And most of all, it's our way of spending special time with our baby.
We've just returned from a holiday in Bali and I can't wait for our next trip along with it's share of anxiety and heart attacks.
Bring em on!
Travelling with a baby / toddler is really difficult. They can be irritable, fussy with their food, have constant tantrums at airports (most of these are in the immigration queue) and turn into unrecognisable monsters (well, mine does anyway!).
The biggest nightmare has got to be the packing. Don't ever expect to travel light with a baby. Your case will be bursting at it's seams with diapers, creams, formula, bottled food, snacks, toys and basically everything your baby needs except the kitchen sink (you have the baby wipes for that). On top of all that you'll have to pack a separate baby bag as cabin luggage for the flight. Here's the challenge: you have to pack toys, food, bottles, formula, snacks, diapers, wipes and whatever else you may need for the journey all into one baby bag and get this, it all has to be under seven kilograms! Most airlines will allow ten kilograms for a baby under two (their generosity knows no bounds!). I have however travelled by one airline who didn't allow my baby any baggage weight, not even a cabin bag!!
Airports and planes I feel are the most child unfriendly places. I usually have palpitations days before a flight and make obsessive lists for practically everything. Neel loves the open spaces of an airport and usually runs wild while we're standing in endless queues. He pushes trolleys and bangs it into everyone and everything in his way while nearly getting run over himself. He drags one of our wheelie bags all over the place feeling terribly important. Nik and I have minor heart attacks the whole time before boarding.
Once we've boarded the plane, Neel's excitement starts to peak. He still hasn't got his head around the fact that he's INSIDE a plane. He instead goes completely ballistic about the planes he can see on the Tarmac outside. While Neel does near cartwheels on my lap, Nik and I start frantically preparing formula in a bottle for take off, keep pacifiers handy and somehow stuff a sippy cup in the magazine holder. I also shove some small toys and crayons down the side of my seat or anywhere. Nik prepares his iPhone in it's plane mode so Neel can play some games later.
Recently, Neel has been a little more aware of take offs and landings. His eyes were like plates the last time our plane took off and I'm not sure if he's figured that he's actually up in the sky. An hour after we're airborne and after a few more minor tantrums and heart attacks, Neel finally settles down to sleep. I think that the sound of the engines lull him to sleep plus of course he's exhausted after running riot in the airport.
So if it is such a bother, why do we travel so much with Neel? It's because HE has fun. He loves the change, the freedom, the attention and the chance to see so many different things. Travelling is our way of teaching him and exposing him things he could never see staying at home. And most of all, it's our way of spending special time with our baby.
We've just returned from a holiday in Bali and I can't wait for our next trip along with it's share of anxiety and heart attacks.
Bring em on!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)