Long plane trip

[sista]

Hi everyone,

I was hoping to get some ideas on what to take when I travel in July. I'll be on a long plane trip to Europe and I have a 7yr old girl and 6yr old boy - I need to keep them super busy so any ideas would be appreciated. This is their first time so when the excitement dies down after 5 mins I don't want them to give me or anyone else a headache!

Am I allowed to take on board my own snacks?

Thanks

[sista]

*bump*

[Phteven]

Yep, you an take your own snacks on board but at the other end you might have to dump them if they are fruit or dairy etc.
They do have regulations about liquids now.
I always take some snacks because airlines acn be odd about the times they serve meals and if the childrens' body clocks say that it's meal time they'll crack it if they don't get something to eat.
Most long-haul flights have seat back entertainment and it always has a children's channel so if you let them watch the TV it will help them to pass the time.
I take pencils and paper but only 6 pencils and then I get a cup and the rule is one pencil at a time and it has to go back in the cup before they get the next one. If they drop a pencil getting it back can be a total menace - they roll so you end up scrabbling around the feet of the passengers behind you (since the plane is always going up or down hill they vanish to the end of the plane if you don't get it within a few minutes). Beofre I go I like to google 'name of country colouring in' and print out a few sheets with pictures of our destination for colouring. Your children might be a bit old for colouring in but I'm sure that you can find some on-line resources that you could use.
Activity books are great as well - all the dot to dots and so on keep them busy for ages and they only cost about $4 at Big W.
Etch-a-sketch is great because it's one peice so they can't drop the parts. Anything that has lots of parts is evil - they will fall down and there will be one part that you will never find again.
Book are good but they are heavy and you will have to cart them all around the airport when you change planes half-way.
I take some spare clothes in case of spills.
When you change planes try and encourage them to run around a bit - the excercise will help them sit still for the next leg.
Airline food can be a bit constipating so try to get them to drink heaps of liquid.
As soon as the plane is full and before it takes off have a look around for an empty row and if you see one stake a claim straight away - having more space so they can lie down makes a huge differance.
Wheelie bags are great for kids because they're much easier for them than back-packs etc but my boys make me drag them after half an hour *sigh*.

[sista]

Thanks for the ideas, the etch a sketch I think I'll definitely get for sure - I'll get a few actiivity books together in their carry bags and lots of snacks too. I'm still undecided as to what to get - a backpack or wheelie bag, they're old enough to carry whatever they like by themselves. At least on our return trip I'll know better hehe

What I wanted to ask was also do I need confirm my tickets with the agent or with the airline for our return trip? I already have the e-ticket, I'm just not sure if I need to do anything else in regards to tickets and/or seating.

[Phteven]

You don't usually need to reconfirm these days. If you did your travel agent probably would have told you.
With seating you can usually go online to the airline's website and assign your own seats if you have your booking number but when you check-in ask the person who is checking you in to put you near some empty seats.
You usually need to give the airline at least 24 hours notice for halal/vege meals. You can usually do that online as well - look for the link that says manage my flight or similar.

[sista]

Hi Brontide!

Thanks for replying back - I think the etch a sketch plus some activity books will be great. I'm also thinking of getting some sort of handheld game too. I'm sure that plus the excitement and the kids channel might get them through. Gosh I do hope they have a decent movies channel for the kids though! I've already checked the halal meals option but I think I'll reconfirm it again about a week before I go just to make sure. I'll pop by the agent tomorrow and ask them if there's anything else, I hate leaving things to last minute. I've got to get a list going of things I need to get for the flight too.