Confessions of a budget travelling mum!

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.