My parents are trying out a plan where they live part of the year elsewhere to try to alleviate my mom’s asthma symptoms. This plan is a bummer for an assortment of reasons, but one thing that IS nice about it is that it gives me an excuse to do some mild traveling, and I LIKE mild traveling.
I was planning to go visit them for a few days this summer, and then I had the idea to bring a child with me. Only Rob has ever been on an airplane, and he was 10 months old at the time so that doesn’t count. The main activities will be shopping and hiking so I decided to bring Elizabeth, who likes both. (The other four kids were like, “Aw, WHAT?” until I explained the planned activities, at which point they reluctantly agreed with the selection while also trying to use it as leverage for future trips of their own.)
This has generated a lot of excitement, as you can imagine, and also a lot of stress. I’m really looking forward to going, and so is Elizabeth. Buying the plane tickets was the usual advanced-math logic puzzle: “Let’s see, THIS flight is a good price but there’s a 30 minute layover and that’s too tight; THIS flight leaves at a reasonable hour but has two 3-hour layovers; THIS flight is perfect in every way, except that there’s no return flight on the day we want…”. When I finally found flights, it let me choose our seats from a seating chart; but then, after I’d spent a lonnnnnnnnng time choosing The Exact Perfectmost Seats, it informed me in red text that seat selection was not actually decided until check-in time. Ah.
I’d rather not have to check bags, so we’re going to try to manage with two carry-ons each, and I’m already fretting about that. I bought some of those plastic bags that squeeze all the air out of things (the roll-to-squeeze kind, not the vacuum-to-squeeze kind); we’ll see if those help. I’m more worried about the lugging of them through the airports, and with the managing of overhead compartments.
I’m also fretting because our flight home is a night flight. Elizabeth is very excited about this and thinks she will stay up all night and that it will be fun; I am picturing something more like her getting over-tired and crabby and weepy and not being able to sleep and complaining all night. She’ll be 9 years old by then, though, and I think I’m imagining her toddler self. Or possibly I’m imagining me.
When I was buying the space-saving bags I saw some travel neck pillows; do those help someone sleep upright without slumping onto the person in the next seat and/or doing that thing where you fall asleep and your head starts to fall and then you startle awake, over and over and over again? There were several different varieties; are some better than others? They’d take up a fair amount of space in our limited-space luggage, so I want to make sure they’re worth it. Do you know of anything else that helps on a nighttime flight? I’ve never been on one before.
I know there are lots of excellent reasons for not checking bags (it’s cheaper, it’s faster, it’s safer), but I truly believe that air travel is a smoother process for everyone the fewer carry-ons you have. I always check my suitcase and just travel with my purse and a backpack or briefcase. It’s easier to move through the airport and keep track of my stuff. The worst case scenario on the plane then becomes if there is no room for my backpack overhead, it can go beneath the seat. And that’s not so bad. But then the rest of the boarding is spent watching people try to jam suitcases into bin that won’t fit, flight attendants playing overhead bin jenga, and the knowledge that we will inevitably leave late because of all of this nonsense.
To me the next preferable option is gate checking your bag. Not all airlines offer this, but it can be a sneaky way to check a bag without having to pay. You will still have to get it to the gate, but they will check it there, and since those bags are often loaded last, they come out of the carousel first. I’m in Canada, so I don’t know the US situation, but Air Canada now often offers to gate check because they anticipate not enough room in the bins.
Especially if the flight is crowded and you’re worried there won’t be room for your carry-on bags in the overhead, gate check-in can really be a blessing in disguise. The attendants are grateful they don’t have to deal with another bag, and airlines that charge for checked baggage at check-in generally won’t do it at the gate.
Gate checking is the best! Yes, US Airlines do this too. Whenever I’m getting ready to board, and they ask if anyone would like to volunteer to check their carry-on at the gate, I beat a bath to the flight attendants’ station. It’s free and super convenient.
Ear plugs and if you’re sensitive to light, one of those face mask things, for both of you. You’d be amazed how many people don’t sleep on night flights and how they always sit right next to you and how their light will bore a hole into your soul. Maybe that’s just me… I use a neck pillow when I can remember to pack it. Just the standard U one, but I’m sure others will have recommendations. I also take Benadryl, but since you’ll be responsible for a kid, you might not want to do that. And just in case, pack a good book…
I was going to say the same thing: ear plugs, eye mask and make sure you have a light sweater or throw of some kind – so much easier for you both to sleep if you are cosy.
OMG. I love the overnight flight. I would take that one over any other available flight in a heartbeat. BUT, my kids are experienced flyers. Who don’t get excited about flying, and who are so jaded by the experience that they have the flying routine down pat. On top of that, we usually fly as a group of four, so we can get three seats together- me and the younger two- and my oldest sits alone. She’d actually prefer to be as far away from us as possible, being the mature 11 year old that she is. My kids get on the plane, pull out their blankets, and the younger two generally pass out as soon as we hit cruising altitude. The oldest will watch TV- we fly JetBlue 90% of the time- until I tell her to turn it off. If she’s not sitting near us, she stays up much longer. I don’t sleep much on the plane, because I have kids laying on me, but it’s a quiet flight for them. I lose the next day, while I catch up on sleep, but it’s so worth it.
I wanted to agree with the previous poster that checking bags just makes your life easier in the airport. I understand about the charges for bags and just how onerous that makes checking bags, but especially for the red eye, I can easily imagine my child being whiney about carrying the bags getting on, and basically unable to carry them from exhaustion (or because they fell asleep 25 minutes before the plane landed) getting off. You stand a very good chance of turning into a pack mule. If you can, pack everything in one suitcase.
Also most neck pillows give me neck aches…
The neck pillows that inflate are decent and don’t take up too much room — pack them un-inflated and blow them up on the plane! For the flight, Melatonin might help, although honestly I am usually asleep before the flight takes off because the white noise of the engines puts me right out.
How fun!
I just use the little pillows the airline puts on your seat. I’ll take another if I see one in an overhead bin too. Plus, hang onto the little blanket too, I always use those as it gets chilly.
I do throw in a blow up neck pillow, for when we are doing the 24+ hour slog to S Africa, but we’ve never used it. It doesn’t take up much room, so I don’t mind taking it.
When you say two carry ons each, do you mean two wheelie bags each? I would really advise you to just do one wheelie bag each, plus like a backpack or messenger bag for each of you – for your books, electronic stuff, essential pills, toothbrush etc.
I was thinking one wheelie bag each, and then a shoulder bag or backpack each.
I’m a pretty good sleeper, but I can usually even get a nap on a little 2-3 hour flight if I have a neck pillow, an eye mask, earplugs, and sometimes one of those pashmina things that works as a light scarf and also can be a pretty good blanket. They do still usually have complementary blankets on flights, though, I think. The neck pillow can definitely be a pain as far as how much space it takes to pack, but a lot of them have a little snap that can connect the two ends, and so you can loop it on your purse strap or luggage handle or something instead of putting it IN something. Easier access to it once you’re boarded too, if it’s right there on the outside. And at least they’re usually very light as far as weight is concerned.
I’d absolutely recommend getting everything you need to be as comfortable as possible — it’s hard! But I’m sure you two are going to have so much fun, it’ll absolutely be worth it. Maybe you’ll do some extra hiking on that last day to make sure you both conk out well on the flight. ;)
Unless it’s southwest air or something – I’d call the airline and see if you can reserve your seats now. It will be peace of mind knowing your seats are next to each other (& you won’t have to fret about it at the airport).
I agree with the peace of mind, but every time we’ve not been able to get our assigned seats ahead of time, at the gate when we tell them we’re a family, they move other people around. I imagine they would not separate a parent and child, especially when it’s her first time flying. The gate attendants should be pretty accommodating about this.
Benadryl helps a lot.
I am short enough (so I’m imagining this applies to Elizabeth, although I picture you tall so maybe only her and not you) whoa that parenthetical was too long.
Start over
I am short enough to bring down my tray table and sleep ON it, like bent over collapsed on a table esque. I find it more comfortable than the other airplane sleeping methods.
I took Gabriel on his first flight (with me, he had been with his dad before) when he was six. It was a 5 hour flight night flight for the way home, and he was good for the whole time, alternating between coloring, playing with small toys and sleeping. Gabriel is not a particularly well-behaved child, so I’m not telling you this for smugness purposes, I’m telling you that there is hope.
I vote blow-up neck pillows to conserve space, and also give you something to do while everyone tries to get their bags in the overhead compartments. ;) Bring a pashmina – a lot of flights I’m on do NOT have pillow or blankets any more.
I have had my luggage get lost, and it BLOWS…but that’s happened very rarely, and it’s never been catastrophic. I love when gate-check works out, but I confess to not being sure one can ASK to gate-check – it has always just been sort of a happy accident when it’s happened to me. Or I’ve been on a super small plane where rollerbags didn’t fit overhead at all. Where I’m going with this is: I almost always check my roller bag. You don’t have to wait that long for your luggage, and I like having my hands freer, and I hate being stressed about where my bag will go and will I make everyone behind me want to murder me as I struggle to get it in place, etc. Add a child and her luggage – even a 9 year old, and just…no.
If you DO decide to do all carry-on, I second the recommendation to try try TRY to just do one rollerbag for both of you, and also – I get very stressed out about the overhead situation, but my actual experience has been that the vast majority of the time, it too works out fine, and there is someone taller and stronger than I am who takes pity on me and helps me, and even does so in a non-condescending or patronizing way. Perhaps I just need to stop worrying so much about every little thing. ;)
Love the second to last paragraph. We used to be big travelers before kids and during the first child’s early years but the idea of flying with two seemed so daunting we have never done it even though she’s eight now. My mom has moved far away, too, though, so we are taking our first cross-country trip with two kids this summer and I have been dreading it (the logistical part of it).
We took a red-eye with my son when he was 4. I’d give you advice but I remember almost nothing about it, so I guess it wasn’t that bad.
I have done a lot of traveling and I vote yes on the neck pillow. (I used to fly back and forth to Indonesia and that was a 36 hour trip. Not all in the air, but you left on Monday and got there on Wednesday.) The blow up ones are perfectly acceptable if you can find one. I have had trouble finding them in the last few years. And don’t blow it up until you reach cruising altitude because air expands.
Can you treat the overnight flight as a “sleepover” kind of event? Yes, you get to stay up late and have snacks/tech/games but you still need to sleep for a bit. Also, if you’re visiting your parents in a place where you’ll have access to laundry you can pack WAAAY less. When we visit my parents in South Carolina each person takes: 1 pair pants, one hoodie, 2 tees / 2 shorts, 3 each unders and socks, wear sneakers and pack sandals. It can all easily fit in a backpack. Then we do laundry at their condo every other day. It’s so great not having to haul so much stuff back and forth and the backpacks can fit under the seat if the overhead is crammed.
I was wondering if it might work nicely to ship clothes to your parents’ home ahead of time. That way you wouldn’t have to check luggage or haul a sizable carry on? Maybe? If it was only a couple days’ worth for two people, it might cost less to ship than to check bags.
My kids have been on several overnight flights. They have travel neck pillows, which helps. Also what helps is giving them Gravol, which has a side effect of drowsiness. They usually sleep through most of the overnight flight, then they are pretty much fine the rest of the day, then it’s a few days of extra sleep to make up for the short night of sleep. They’ve been fine with it. One thing is: how many time zones are you going through? That makes a bit of a difference, I find. My kids are 8 1/2 and 10, and they actually prefer night flights since it seems faster (since they’re sleeping through a lot of it).
I just flew last week and a new thing is charging for carry-ons AND gate checked bags. The airline I was on (Frontier) only allowed one personal item free (like a purse). This is new…. just wanted to let you know to investigate it. Hopefully it will not catch on. Seriously??
It’s just Frontier, but this might be interesting…
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/09/upshot/why-you-should-pay-frontiers-carry-on-bag-fee-with-a-smile.html?rref=upshot
Yes, Frontier is charging more for carry-ons than checked baggage, but most airlines are following suit. I would call your airline to verify. It’s to discourage people from bringing large carry on bags. Most airlines will tell you what size your carry on can be (i.e. backpack, large tote etc, but only one per person). This took effect on April 28th, and I bought my ticket on April 29th go figure.
Blow up neck pillows! And I vote check your roller bags. We’ve flown a lot with our kids (currently 10, 7 and 4) and dragging extra bags…ugh. Years off my life.
Have fun!
I never ever ever check luggage. I can pack for 3 weeks in a roller bag and carry on.
I use the roll-to-squeeze bags for winter (fluffy) items but don’t think they help much for everyday clothes. Roll the clothing you’re packing instead of folding. It’s reduces wrinkles and takes up less space.
Since you’ll be visiting your parents can you do a load of laundry while your there?
Personally, I don’t like overnight flights. I don’t think the neck pillows are worth it considering how much space they take up. I typically use a scarf as blanket or pillow if needed. Try to do your normal bedtime routine before you try to sleep on the plane. Use Wisps (http://www.target.com/p/colgate-wisp-peppermint-mini-toothbrushes-16-ct/-/A-13781006 – my local Target has them in stock) to brush teeth.
Most airlines do not provide food on domestic flights. It doesn’t matter if it’s an 8 hour flight to Hawaii, they’re not going to feed you. Pack snacks accordingly and possibly eat in the airport before boarding the plane.
My red-eye flight kit always includes:
– ear plugs (provided by some airlines, so research ahead)
– ear buds and music-playing device (noise-cancelling earbuds or headphones are ideal) because some flights require loud noise to fall asleep to rather than just silence, i.e., a loudly crying baby must be drowned out
– an eye patch (provided by some airlines, so research ahead), but since I hate the feeling of something on my eyelids when I try to sleep, also…
– a light hoodie, which I put on backwards on the plane so my arms and torso are cozy warm and the hood can be pulled up over my face to block all light
– a water bottle (buy one after security, of course, or bring an empty re-fillable one from home) because I get so thirsty in the middle of the night and HATE to feel like I’m disturbing every one else’s sleep by trying to call for the flight attendant. Note that some airlines will bring water around, but I like to bring my own in case I sleep through that service or in case they just don’t offer it right when I’m thirsty.
– a neck pillow of some sort (sometimes this is a second hoodie sweater, which I can roll up and stuff behind my neck, sometimes this is a small squishy pillow from home or a normal neck pillow that I just suck it up and lug around because I hate the head-bob thing, and sometimes this is an inflatable neck pillow which miraculously deflates and folds up to the size of a wallet).
– a book, in case I can’t sleep.
I hate lugging luggage (hee) through the airport. I check my bag(s) the very second it is possible, fees be damned. The only thing I take on the plane is a backpack. I wear my most comfortable shoes, and in the backpack I have an extra pair of socks and underwear, and my toothbrush, deodorant, hairbrush and medications. Basically the things I would be miserable without if my luggage were lost. A couple books, my kindle, some snacks, water bottle (fill after security, of course) and the smallest purse that will fit my wallet, cell phone and keys. I would much rather wait 20 minutes post-flight to get the rest of my stuff than hike through the airport schlepping a bunch of things. And when you throw a kid into the mix…well, the odds of her being willing/able to carry her own stuff get smaller the more stuff she has. Whenever I’ve traveled with kids, I’ve always packed as though I’ll be the only one available to carry stuff, because that’s how it always ends up.
Now that I’ve laid all that on you…How fun! First plane ride, first night plane ride ( I LOVE night flights) trip to Grandma’s house…no wonder the boys were jealous!
A definite YES to earplugs in addition to any earbuds you may have for ipods and the like. I also second bringing a big shawl for each of you to use as a blanket in case they don’t have enough, and bringing your own water bottles or buying them after security. Also, LOTS of snacks (and/or maybe money that she can choose to spend on airport snacks? Since it’s a new thing, Airport Food might be a fancy treat to her, and if she’s picking and choosing, you can avoid struggles over $5 orange juice bottles.)
The only thing about night flights that was somewhat of a surprise to me is how there’s a collective decision for everyone to get quiet at some point after the first beverage service. It may help Elizabeth go to sleep, even if she’s planning on being up all night. Have a great trip!
It’s a bummer that your parents are kinda moving BUT it’s a fabulous opportunity to spend one on one time with the kids making memories. I used to take my son somewhere for Spring Break every year – just the two of us. Now that he’s in college, we don’t get to do that so often anymore but he still tells me how much fun he had on those trips, remembers them all and asks when we can go somewhere again; just the two of us.
Sorry, no tips for luggage, etc.
I’d definitely bring earplugs and those inflatable neck-pillows (not sure if I’d want to have *actual* pillows to lug around, the blow-up kind is fine for me). At some point I figured out that they don’t help me much when the are around the back of my neck, but better around the front, since otherwise my head still drops and my muscles ache later. It works best when they aren’t fully inflated.
For the ear plugs, get a few different kinds beforehand and then try which kind is most comfortable for you and for Elizabeth. Some are softer, some harder, some thicker, some thinner. There are probably kids-sized ones as well. If you have smaller ear canals, larger/more expanding ones can be a bit painful after a few hours. There’s also degrees to how much noise they take out, and you might prefer a kind that let’s a little bit of ambient noise through. It can feel really odd if you hear nothing at all of your surroundings, and it might even keep Elizabeth up (for me, it also makes the sound of my own heartbeat distractingly dominant). Do a test-sleep with them beforehand, then you have an idea if they work to get you and/or Elizabeth to sleep at all.
As was said above, I’d also recommend an empty bottle to fill before boarding, as well as some saltwater-nosespray and chapstick. The air on any flight always dries me out completely, and that’s small stuff that still does wonders to keep you both more comfortable.
You’ll have a great time regardless, I wouldn’t stress out too much about the flight. The worst thing that might happen is that you both don’t sleep but watch a couple of movies instead. You could put some kids-stories on your phone you know she likes, so she could rest while listening with her head in your lap even if she doesn’t sleep. You’ll be fine!
I am wondering the same thing as shin ae – would it be worthwhile to ship your clothing to your parents ahead of time? My neighbor’s sister visits him from Kansas and carries no luggage onto the plane at all, because she mails it to his house a few days before her flight. That would leave you with more room for pillows/flight amenities, or allow you to cut down to one bag each.
I once went to Europe for two weeks with just a carryon suitcase and a backpack, so you could totally do that! Remember, most things can be borrowed or bought at your destination if you run out of suitcase space, and you can do laundry on the trip if you don’t bring enough clean clothes. However, it does make things smoother at the airport if you check your bags–security is more efficient, getting through the airport is easier, and you won’t have to carry a huge suitcase down the very narrow aisle on the plane. (Though it can get a bit expensive if your airline doesn’t let you check any bags for free.) If you’re worried about the airline losing your luggage (which doesn’t happen often), bring a backpack with toiletries and a clean outfit so you’ll be prepared.
Another thing you could do is bring carryon bags on the way there and check your bags on the way back. That way you won’t have to stress about fitting everything into the suitcase while you’re still on vacation (especially if you buy souvenirs), and if your luggage gets lost it won’t be as big of a deal since you’ll be at home anyway.
I hope the strategy works well for your mom!
I am (or can be) obsessive about packing light, the two t-shirts and one pair of nylon pants for a week plus a bar of soap for all hygiene needs kind of obsessive, and if you are like that, then carry-on only is good but otherwise I’d recommend either checking bags or mailing, as others have suggested.
Note that in the end, as long as you have ID, a credit card, your phone, and any essential prescription meds, anything you need can be obtained at your destination — unless your mom is going somewhere far more, er, undeveloped than I am imagining.
If you (also) haven’t flown since Rob was 10 months old then air travel has changed a lot, and not for the better. Plan to pack food for your flight (Ebags has a cooler I am coveting, the Crew Cooler II. But I cannot recommend it because I haven’t gone beyond coveting, though I do generally like their stuff) and to have extra in case of delays — and of course remember you can’t get liquids through security. Besides the pillows/eye covers/ear plugs others are recommending, I’d advocate Vapur (or similar, mine are off-brand) collapsible bottles that can be collapsed to get through security and then filled up on the other side (of course you can also take plain empty bottles to fill, or buy one bottle of water once you’re past security and then fill it up repeatedly). Wear slip on/off shoes to simplify security, unless policies have changed (again) on that, you’ll need to get them on/off. For space reasons I’d recommend a Kindle (or 2) over actual books, but, your call.
I may already have recommended them here, I’m evangelical about them, but I really cannot say enough good things about Envirosax (google, or try Amazon). They weight nothing, fold up tiny, open to hold fast quantities of stuff, are sturdy as heck, and come in beautiful fabrics. Not as your main luggage, but to stash in a carry-on and then use if you end up discombobulated and need to cram everything back together quickly, or want a tote to keep some items accessible in flight. Or for anything, really (again evangelical)! I also recently saw RuMe (myrume.com) bags and am now coveting those too, but, again, unable to recommend (because only coveting). The cfold, in particular, looks like it would make a great carry-on. FYI, I am invariably outraged when (as so many seem to) the bag weighs as much as the stuff I want to carry, so that is a big part of the Rume (and Envirosax) appeal to me. I don’t need my carry on to be designed for Navy Seal tactical operations, I just need it to hold stuff.
Have fun!
I love my envirosax!!! I always keep one in my purse so I can be prepared when I’m out an about! I used them for groceries just this morning.
I recently purchased a few Baggu because I liked the print and they are noticeably smaller than the envirosax.
I have a zipper pouch from RuMe and I like it. The fabric is thinner than the envirosax. I haven’t seen the totes in person.
I personally LOVE swanning off the plane and straight out the door while others have to wait for their checked bags. However I have never tried juggling a kid as well so I am willing to defer to others in this.
I’ve never used a neck pillow but ikea has blow up ones for cheap. Comfy pants are nice. Before traveling with wee ones, I never checked luggage. Either way works I think. I take so much stuff now I have to check but if I could travel lighter, I would. I think you two will do great.
I’ve always preferred not checking bags. It’s just a pain to wait after your flight to pick it up. I wanna get my stuff and be out of the airport as soon as I can! Just traveled a 6 hour flight with my 4 year old and didn’t check anything! The less waiting, the better in my opinion. If you need help maneuvering luggage on the plane, flight attendants and even other passengers are helpful, especially when they see you are with a child. I would try to get it down to one suit case, and a back pack for each of you. Wear comfy clothes and layer up. Planes get cold and it seems many no longer offer pillows or blankets anymore. Take yummy snacks. Enjoy your trip!
I vote for shipping what you can ahead of time. If you know far enough in advance, ship it the slowest rate they have, and it won’t be too costly and will make life sooo much easier.
I love red eye flights. My kids (5 & 7) have always done great on them. They are very experienced flyers so they know the drill by now and know what to expect. I would REALLY encourage you to just check your bags and have a backpack or other small-ish carry on. Especially if you have a connecting flight to catch and are going to have to maneuver through crowded airports with a child, even a wheelie bag will get real old, real fast. I have always checked my bags and in 35+ years of flying I have never had my luggage get lost. I make sure to bring lots of snacks, fully charged iPads with a few new apps or movies loaded and a small, squishy pillow (those neck one are kind of useless for kids, I think) and the kids are usually asleep about an hour or so into the flight. Good luck!
Ive never had luggage get lost either – you can pack everything you need for a short trip in one wheelie carry on — you will still be taking twice as much as you actually use – especially if you can do laundry. try to remember that there is a Target at almost every destination — you don’t need to pack it all :) I use a neck pillow, but I use it backwards – put it on the front of my neck to keep my head up. it fits me better than trying to rest it against the seat for me.
” Or possibly I’m imagining me.” Ha ha ha!
I am a big fan of what I call my dog bone pillows. They are actually called neck bones and they are wonderful behind the head. There’s a strap on each end so they are no problem at all to carry. If your head tends to bob in only one direction (mind goes down), you can also position them under you chin with the bulk of the pillow supporting your head under the side where you tend to “bob.” It’s a little tricky but it works for me. Here’s a link: http://www.amazon.com/NeckBone-Chiropractic-Pillow-Original-Bones/dp/B009AMM5X4/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=05JRY4G7N2WPBX1BNZ8K
I’m kind of interested in how Paul will do with the boys and running the household while you are gone. :)
I do use the neck pillows on long flights, but the type doesn’t matter. Other than inflatable – that’s a space saver. If you do wheeled carry-ons, make sure to not overpack them. So much boarding time is spent with people trying to cram too-full bags into the overhead compartment. Unless it is a really, really small wheeled bag you can’t put much, if anything, in the outside compartments and have it still fit. If time is a concern I can anecdotally share that at most airports the checked bags beat me to the baggage area. The process of getting off the plane, stopping at a bathroom, then walking to the baggage claim area means the bags are often already there.
I can’t sleep on planes very well so I am reading this with much sympathy. A neck pillow is nice to have (I bought one at the airport and it has a little loop you can snap to your bag so it doesn’t take up bag space). I would not recommend Tylenol PM or Benedryl unless you have a lot of experience with the drowsiness factor. When I took Tylenol PM before a 9 hour red-eye, I ended up feeling drunk and unable to read, which was awful. The best red-eye I had was one where I actually did get a little bit tipsy at the airport bar because they continued to delay my flight so I continued to drink. When the flight finally took off at 1 a.m., I crashed out. But I wouldn’t recommend that since you are a responsible adult traveling with a child.
Overall, I find I fare best when I prepare for not sleeping then I feel happy if I do happen to sleep. I always travel with plenty of books on the Kindle, iPhone/iPod, water, snacks, etc. I always pack a nice thick pair of socks (I usually travel in flip flops, which I slip off and put on the warm socks) and a sweatshirt because I hate being cold.
I have never flown with my 6 year old but I did drive with him to Colorado (10 hr drive) when he was 3 and that included night time driving. I got him several new books and movies and also made sure to have his favorite small blanket. This isn’t an option for you but we stopped and ran him every once in a while but you could try to make sure you do LOTS of walking on the day of the return home flight.
We just did a red-eye with our five kids (ages 8, 7, 6, 3, and 5 months) in December. Here’s our thoughts:
1. pack light – you can do laundry there and wear the same things over and over.
2. wear sweatpants, a comfy shirt, a sweatshirt (hoodie) that you can snuggle up with like a blanket.
3. those neck pillows are great. I only had the non-blow-up ones. The kids brought a small pillow pet.
4. pack some snacks, like almonds or chex mix or something like that.
5. you will really make your life easier if you check one bag and just carry on your backpacks. Just sayin’
It’s easy to over-think it all and pack too much. All you really need is some snacks, some sort of blanket-like thing and some sort of pillow-like thing, a magazine, and a good book. Done and done.
Whatever pillow option you choose, it does not have to count as a carry on and you can just bring it with you without packing it. I brought my teddy bear on this last flight. It worked well.
I fly with kids (currently 6 and 8, though we’ve been doing it for about 7 years) at least once every year (4.5 hour flight, direct, each way), and some of my suggestions would only be useful if your daughter was younger. Having said that, here is what I’ve found:
The adults end up hauling all the carry-on whenever we get rushed or the kids get super-tired, so we don’t bring as much carry-on as we’re technically allowed. It’s worth the wait for our baggage. Mind you, we’re not going to visit parents and don’t have easy access to laundry. We also don’t usually do much shopping at our destination – if you’re buying clothes there anyway, you don’t need to bring as many with you, and might even want the extra room in your luggage for when you come back.
My son has a severe egg allergy and most flights don’t offer more than beverages and small snacks for free anyway, so we bring our own food (individual packets of cookies, sandwiches, and instant soups in disposable cups – they give us the hot water on the flight, no problem, though we have to remember to bring utensils).
I bring a very small empty bottle to fill with water once we’re through security, but it’s only a few swallows so we can use it for swallowing pills if needed or get a quick gulp if we’re parched – the one thing all flights give that I’ve been on is water and other drinks like juice or pop. Don’t fill a huge bottle and weigh yourself down if you’re like us and don’t need to constantly drink.
The overseas flight I took last spring provided pillows, blankets, food and movies. This doesn’t seem to be commonly the case for economy flights within North America. An inflatable neck pillow was nice to have, but if I could find a more comfortable version I’d think it’s worth the extra $ and space to bring it.
It’s easier to fall asleep against the window than propped up in a center or aisle seat.
Bring your own earphones or ear buds.
I load books right onto my iPad using the Kindle app, download some brainteaser game apps, and save some interesting TED talks right on my iPad for entertainment. No need for separate devices.
I carry a very small backpack with my camera and lenses/other camera equipment. I put snacks and travel necessities (e.g. gravol for motion-sickness-prone family members and Advil for migraine-prone me) in the top, and there’s a sleeve for my iPad against my back. If it’s just me travelling that’s good enough. If I’m with the kids and need more space for entertainment stuff, more food, documents, etc. I take a small second carry-on bag. The kids sometimes take Trunkis if we need more space or they want to take their own mini-pillows/stuffies.
We all wear comfy clothes in a couple of layers.
Hello!
Re: the neck pillow thing. I have found them to be cumbersome and annoying to carry around, they also get grubby and the you put your face on them! I live in Australia which means I have to take a minimum 8-10 hour flight if I want to go ANYWHERE ELSE so I do a fair bit of long haul sleeping flights….. I just discovered recently that if you wear a padded neck brace, like the kind you wear if you have hurt your back or neck then you can sleep perfectly well while being supported and it stops you being hunchy and getting a bad back that way. It can also loop around the strap of your handbag. Try it! And happy travels!
Emz
How exciting! You have tons of good advice here already…I quit reading all of them, so I’ll just tell you what has worked for us in the past. Every person rolls a 21″ upright carry-on “roll aboard” suitcase and has a backpack on their back. I have a small cross body bag/purse that I stuff into my backpack before boarding, so no one yells at me about having more than two items. I keep it out in airport though, to have access to cell phone/wallet, etc. In the 21″ suitcase, is all the clothes and things that aren’t needed during the flight. So, in the off chance there isn’t enough overhead space and it needs to be gate checked (will turn up again on baggage carousel at your final destination) you don’t miss anything in there during the flight. In the backpack goes books, electronics, jewellry, money, valuables, magazines, snacks, bag of liquids (one quart sized ziploc bag per person with no more than 4 oz in each liquid), etc. I have found I feel calmer when travelling if I pack an empty leak-free (!!) water bottle for each person (have it filled after security, or jsut buy every person a water bottle after security), and lots of snacks. Sometimes when plane is sitting on a jetway for a long time or something… it makes me feel less panicked to know I have food and water. I also usually pack clorox wipes to wipe down the tray tables, empty ziploc bags, kleenex, advil, pepto, feminine hygeine products–I clearly overthink this. The Backpack goes under the seat in front. Suitcase goes in overhead bin. I like the inflatable neck pillows, because I have found that I really only need a little bit of air in them. The pre-filled ones are too bulky for my neck and hard to carry around. The inflatables, can be flattened and packed away and forgotten. Ear plugs are a MUST if you plan to sleep. I recommend a pashmina as a blanket/sweater, additional wadded up thing to stuff behind your lower back if needed. My kids don’t usually end up sleeping til the plane is about to land and then sometimes cry the whole way off the plane while I’m yelling at them to drag their suitcases. Although, that’s a younger age group, now that I think about it (5 and under). Rebecca (age 8) is fine pulling her own bag and getting off in the middle of the night, etc. Maybe some whining, but not too bad. It will be totally worth it! Can’t wait to hear about it…..
Oh…my other trick is to take off all jewellry before going to airport. I put it in an inner zipper pocket of my purse and put it on after security. Just easier than stripping it all off in security line. And if I’m wearing no socks, I put a pair of socks in an easy outside pocket so I don’t have to be barefoot in security (HEEBIE JEEBIES!!!)