Ten Tips for Family Travel....

Oh, the places you'll go!  BabyFlyer takes in a morning view of a 737 at LAX.

Since BabyFlyer has been out and about quite a bit this summer, we've learned to approach flying at a whole new 'level.'  Overall, it's been great, and we've started to get into the groove of traveling as a family.  Since I've been asked many times for advice on this topic, I feel like this entry is overdue.  Hope it's helpful.

1) Don't panic.

Seriously.  Travel with infants seems daunting as a rule.  I've had many, many people visibly shudder when they think about having to take a baby on even a short flight.  However, it's just like any other challenge in learning how to be a parent- it can be accomplished with the right preparation, practice, and most importantly - attitude. 

2) Leave it at the counter.

As a rule, you don't need much in the airport or on the plane.  Take advantage of most airlines' generous baby gear checking policy.  In the new world of ever increasing baggage fees, you can still check a stroller and a car seat for free!  What's even better- you can put other bulky items in the car seat bag or stroller bag, also for free.  Think diapers, bulky toys, etc.  We've found that on average, even with layovers in our itineraries, we don't need the stroller or car seat in the airport while our baby is still small enough to be comfortably worn in a sling or carrier.  The times we tried taking the stroller with us, it ended up just being used as a luggage cart, while we carried the baby anyway!  So, ditch the extra gear at the counter, and travel light.   

Her "Airport Shirt."

3) Change is good.

Most people pack well for the baby on flights, but may forget about themselves.  Put it this way- if baby really needs an emergency change of clothes mid flight, you just might need one as well.  Throw at least an extra shirt in your carry-on. 

Be prepared for at least one in-flight diaper change on an average flight.  There are fold down changers on every plane, but not necessarily in each restroom.  Ask a flight attendant if in doubt.  As everyone knows, there's not much room in there, so just bring what you need- not the whole diaper bag.  There are also many products with this in mind- a table liner that has pockets for the essentials.

4) Timing is Everything.

When possible, try to plan flights not only around your baby's schedule, but also yours.  Think about the logistics of the day and don't set yourself up for failure.  The overnight flight might sound appealing because baby may get some sleep- but you won't!  Being overtired yourself, or stressed running through an airport on a short layover, can be as bad or worse than a tired baby.

5) Take the pressure off.

Babies' ears can be bothered by the change in pressure in the cabin during take off and decent, especially on older planes where the pressurization systems may not be as calibrated.  Feeding them, or offering a pacifier, will help them adjust and prevent the pressure from turning into pain.  Sucking and/or drinking will also help them relax during what is usually the loudest part of the flight. 

6) Seat selection.

Seat choice is overall a matter of personal preference, but here are a few hacks and guidelines to keep in mind when traveling with a child, especially a lap infant. 

First off, I should say that as a matter of safety, if you can purchase a seat for your infant and install a car seat on the plane for them, it's preferable to do this.  It's also generally more comfortable to have a place to put the baby down, and if you're traveling with a partner, results in a row to yourselves.  However, it goes without saying that air travel is expensive, and the ability to have your baby fly for free (or nearly free) for the first two years can't be overlooked, and many times makes the difference between being to afford the trip or not. 

That said, here are some things to think about when flying with a lap infant:

-Aisle or window?  In general, it's nice to be on the aisle in case you need to get up more than usual- to walk, soothe, or head to the bathroom for a diaper change.  However, if you're planning on feeding baby in flight and want more privacy, the window may be best, especially if you're traveling with a partner who can take the seat next to you.   

-Upgrades?  If you can manage it, whether by cash, miles, or status, moving to a bigger or extra legroom seat can make a big difference in you comfort level.  Keep in mind though that lap infants, and people traveling with children are not allowed in the emergency exit rows for safety reasons, so main cabin extra/premium economy or bulkhead seats are your best options in economy.  If you can move to first or business class, that's even better. 

Mom, I don't think I have enough legroom! - BabyFlyer tries out her first AA Flagship Suite.

-Flying in 1st?  Yes, babies are allowed in upper classes, and you have every right to sit with them there.  Fellow premium travelers generally are fine with, and even complimentary of, a baby traveling with attentive parent(s).  No one expects babies to be silent the whole flight, but it's a good idea to plan ahead and have age appropriate toys and activities to use throughout the flight- small interesting toys, even new toys just for the trip are great.

-Seat choice hacks?  A few last notes- If you're flying international on a wide-body plane, most airlines offer 'bassinet' rows in economy, which are non-exit bulkhead seats with fold down bassinets in front of them.  Calling ahead, and/or asking at the check in counter and gate may get you assigned one of these.  After takeoff, the flight attendant will provide a bassinet so you have a place for baby to sleep.  It's baby's first 'lie-flat seat!'  Also, if you're flying in the US as a party of 3 - 2 adults and a lap infant- find a row that's empty and have the adults book the aisle and window seats, leaving the middle empty.  On some airlines this automatically 'infant blocks' that seat, meaning it will be one of the last filled on the plane.  If it's a completely full flight at boarding, and the seat does get assigned, I promise you won't have a hard time switching with that person for the aisle or window.

7) Stay active.

As motioned above, bringing a good selection of (space-efficient, quiet) toys is important.  With older kids, new toys to be given throughout the flight to keep things interesting can be a hit.  Boredom is the #1 cause of fussiness, generally more even than tiredness, since on average, babies sleep well on planes.  It's the wakeful and playful times that require the planning for.  Also, think about packing a few snacks for them (if they're eating yet), and you too!

8) Get the gear.

You really don't need to invest in too many extras to travel with a baby.  A well packed diaper bag and some kind of carrier you probably already have will get you by just fine if you're a once or twice a year traveler.  However, if you're going to be making it a habit to head to the airport or the car rental on a regular basis, here are some things we've found particularly useful:

A light, simple car seat.  And I mean LIGHT and simple.  The Cosco Scenera NEXT Convertible Car Seat (Otto) (see below) is the current choice for travel.  It makes a good second car seat as it's reasonably priced, and only weighs in at just over 9lbs!  It's FAA approved, if you do end up bringing it on the plane, and installs fairly easily in rental cars (or, you know, taxi vans in Mexico).  I suggest practicing installing it a few times first at home, just so you're comfortable. 

 

Speaking of car seats, think about getting a fairly sturdy padded, car seat cover for checking the seat.  These will check for free, along with a stroller.

People also swear by the car seat rollers or straps that attach your car seat to your rollaboard bag.  These work great if you're planning on checking the car seat at the gate (get a light 'gate check' bag for this to keep it clean), or if you're going to be taking the car seat on board.  You can use the rolling seat as an efficient stroller going through the airport.

As mentioned above, babywearing is a great idea to get through an airport.  Keeps your hands free, and baby close.  Look for carriers that don't have metal (like the ergo baby, or a wrap) and you shouldn't even have to take them out of the carrier when you go through security, depending on the country.  In Mexico we had to take her out, but in pre-check in the US, she gets to stay put.

If your baby uses a pacifier, the last thing you want is for it to fall on the floor of an airplane.  It will be dirty at best, and rolled off several rows away never to return at worst.  We suggest getting a clip/leash like THIS one.  Also useful, are pacifier 'pouches' for storage on the go, and wipes in case it does hit the ground.  You can also use the wipes to clean the 'touch surfaces' of your seat on the plane when you board. 

9) Make the most of the layover.

There may be times when it makes the most sense to power through and take a longer nonstop flight, but it also may be more expensive, or impractical.  Layovers can be a great way to break up a trip, and give time to get organized for the next segment.  If you've been on the fence about getting a lounge membership, this might be the time to go ahead a do so.  Lounges in the US provide comfortable spaces to hang out in a quieter setting, food and drinks, family bathrooms, and some even have kids' rooms with toys, computer games, etc. 

10) Make (good) memories. 

Travel with babies doesn't have to be all worry and stress.  A well planned itinerary leaves time for fun too!  Airlines generally are glad to see their youngest flyers, and are in the process of reviving traditional welcome gifts- many have 'wings' to hand out, and American offers a "Junior Aviator Logbook" that gets filled out by the flight crew.  Many international airlines offer activity books, or other mementos for kids on their flights.  In the 'above and beyond' category - if you find yourself taking a flight with Etihad or Gulf Air, they have debuted onboard 'flight nanny' services to help parents keep their kids happy in flight.  Yes, this is really a thing. 

You can ask for the Jr. Logbooks on AA flights.  Only some planes have them, so you may need to ask more than once, but it makes a fun memento for kids to look back and see where all they've been.  

We're all generally so busy these days, that a travel day can be some of the longest time you might spend as a family without the usual distractions.  A little patience and planning ahead go a long way toward making it a memorable experience.  Enjoy it!

Travel well & enjoy the journey,

~CruisingAltitude 

Light 'em up.....

[The following is my rambling attempt at a 'hack my trip' post.  Wish me luck...]

Burn, baby, burn.

Yup, after the last 12 months of program devaluations across the board, I finally pulled the trigger on my first Oneworld Explorer (all-partner award) ticket.  Actually, I did so a couple months ago in the heat of 2013 mileage season, but the 'grounded' side of life has kept me from getting around to the more important things in life, namely, BS-ing all day about points and miles.  Shame on it.

Anyhow, back to the topic at hand.  Like I was saying, with both the #UnitedUnfriendly devaluation, and Delta's recent 'earn less, spend more' announcement, I've never felt better about burning a chunk of miles on an award flight.  Usually I spend my earned miles either on friends and family, or on upgrades to regularly purchased tickets in order to make my 100k qualifying miles a year, but I've been curious about the deals to be had on an Explorer ticket, and Mrs. CruisingAltitude and I could use a fun trip for our 1yr wedding anniversary.  Besides, I'd bet good money (or even miles) that with the AA/US merger, the current pricing of the Explorer chart, or the award altogether is in mortal danger.

And now for the booking story and rules of the fare... (if you're already familiar with them, skip a few paragraphs, but I've seen plenty of confusion about these tickets, so I thought I'd set out the basics)

Explorer tickets, as I explain them to my non-flyer friends, work a little like a Eurail train ticket, just on the Oneworld alliance carriers instead.  You trade in a certain amount of miles in exchange for a distance you can fly.  That distance can be made of up to 16 segments, over the course of an entire year.  Seems easy, yes?  Well it is, and it isn't.  In addition, the following caveats are involved (there are more, but these are the basic ones you're most likely going to run into):

-You can only transit through any airport up to 2 times, with no more than one 'stopover' of more than 24 hrs
-You MUST fly on 2 or more Oneworld carriers (British Airways, Iberia, Cathay, LAN, etc) in ADDITION to any flight on AA
-You are only allowed one 'open jaw' segment, i.e.- fly into Paris and out of London, traveling by ground between the two cities
-Once booked, you can't change the flight path, or the cities, but you can change the dates and times.  So if you decide you booked too little or to much time in any one place, or want to grab a few more hours in your favorite lounge, you can move the times around after booking.

Now for the pricing.  The current award chart looks like this:

For this particular trip, I booked the Mrs. and I each a 'Zone 5' ticket.  My first thought was to go all out and book the 1st class level, but after piecing out the journey, I realized that since both of the transatlantic (spolier alert, we're headed to Europe) segments only offered 2 classes of service, Y and J (econ and business), a business class ticket translates to first, so why spend the extra miles?

Next question, of course, is why didn't I find a flight that offered 'true' first class??  Glad you asked....

The reason, is there are only 2 Oneworld airlines who fly a 3 (or 4) class plane across the Atlantic- American's new 777-300ER, which was not available for award space, and BA's 747 and a380 service, which was (the 747 service, anyway).  But, anyone who's familiar with bargain-basement award booking knows to avoid TATL (Trans-Atlantic) flights on BA like the plague.  They tack on fuel surcharges which can cost as much as just buying a cheap Y ticket in the first place.  

So, with that in mind, let me give you my take on the fun that is the Explorer ticket.  It can be summed-up in a few fun rules/takeaways:

1) Unless you are ready to jump in and be on the phone at midnight of the 330th day before the start of your intended itinerary, be prepared to be flexible.  Actually, even if you're the type to be ready that far in advance, you may need to be flexible.  This goes both for times, but also for days and destinations.  

2) Plan your 'big tickets' first, and work around those.  This means getting your TATL or TPAC (Trans-Pacific) segments done and going from there.  It's much easier to bounce around Europe or SE Asia than to find 2 premium cabin seats from JFK to LHR. 

3) Wait to book until you get a good agent on the phone.  I can't stress this enough.  These tickets MUST be booked over the phone, and some agents may not know how to do them at all, some may only know as much as you do, and some will work like crazy to get something amazing set up for you.  Keep calling back until you get #3. 

4) When you call to book, have a few scenarios you'd be okay with planned, and a mileage calculator at the ready.

Now to the specifics of our booking....

Referring to #1 above, I went into the process thinking something along the lines of Copenhagen (Mrs. CruisingAltitude's studies gave her several sights to see here), Athens (again, by request of, Mrs. CruisingAltitude... 'the light is so beautiful there'...), and maybe a little time in Paris (just because), and Helsinki (I'm told my family's from there....and Finnair is supposed to have a nice fleet).  

What I booked:  Couple days Berlin (Airberlin, no fees and J available), couple days Copenhagen, layover in LHR (Galleries 1st!!), Rome (time for 4 nights in Tuscany), and a night in Dusseldorf on the way home.  The flightpath looks like this:

Now I'm sure the type-a travelers out there would say 'but...but....you're barely going any of the places you planned??  How is that useful??'  Well, here's the thing- these tickets are at the mercy of availability, especially if you want a premium seat, and don't want to pay huge fees.  Really, though, there's something totally fun about being a little cavalier in the planning... nomadic, even?  We've never been to any of these destinations, and we're getting there in style.  Like I truly believe, the travel time itself is a big part of the reward.  Besides, there's some fun to being able to say things to the booking agent like, 'Oh 1st class is unavailable to Athens that week?  No worries, what does Rome look like instead?'  

The whole thing takes about 12 days, with Italy being the longest stop.  The most impressive (if I do say so myself) part is the distance.  It comes pretty close to the 14000 mile limit, and booked into J both ways across the Atlantic, with the JFK-TXL segment being on Airberlin's new fully lie-flat business product.  (As a caveat, this cabin is a 1-2-1 layout, with only 3 rows in the center actually being truly adjoining seats, therefore called the 'honeymoon seats'.  I managed to grab one of these even though, knowing Mrs. CruisingAltitude, she'll probably spend the whole flight happily watching movies and sleeping, rather than chatting with me)

Why thank you....don't mind if I do...

For those concerned with the 'nuts and bolts' of the booking:

These tickets cost 115,000 miles + $287 in taxes and fees, ai (all-in).  Going Airberlin on the way out and AA on the way home kept the fuel charges away.  

If we 'price' our miles around 2cpm (a little higher than the rate I earned them at during last mileage season), the full cost comes out to $2,587.  For comparison's sake, the lowest I could price this itin as a cash ticket at the time of booking was around $4k, with ugly routings in Y, and started at 12k and went up in J.  

Now, I know you're just dying to ask, 'but CruisingAltitude, you forgot you live at LAX and this itinerary seems to start at JFK!!!'  Never fear, my friends, I've got a plan for that too.  Even with my Seattle-born antagonistic feelings toward everything Airbus, I'll admit to having wanted to try out AA's new 321T LAX-JFK.  At the moment, I'm debating whether to go all-out and book an award ticket into 1st to let the Mrs. try out the mini-suites (I thoroughly enjoyed mine on the way back from LHR on the 777-300ER last year), or to get some EQMs out of this whole thing and book Y and upgrade to J (also lie-flat, 2-2 config).  Thoughts??

321T F Seats

321T J Seats

As that's the flights in a nutshell, I'll also throw in a note on the accommodations.  After going through reviews and researching both cash and points nights at both Hilton and Starwood, I decided to take the jump and get into my 3rd hotel program.  Given that the priority was nights in Berlin and Copenhagen, I signed up for the Club Carlson select Visa card, which offers 85k bonus points (and up, depending on your spend).  This, combined with their 2-for the price of-1 awards nights for Gold members (included in the $75 card membership) means our 2 night stays in both Berlin and Copenhagen at the Raddison Blu (in both cities) will cost $75 total, plus tax.  Planning for the time in Italy's still in the works, but I think we may (**gasp**) go independent for it, with only 1-2 nights in branded hotels to accommodate late arrivals/early departures. 

The lobby of the Raddison Blu Berlin - Yes, that's a giant fish tank.
No, I don't know why....nor do I care :)

All in all, I'm pleased with the ticket, and glad I went through the process of putting it together.  It's a great value for the miles and can result in some flexible, adventurous, and if you plan it right, decadent travel.  As a comparison, just booking a 'partner award' round trip from the US to Europe in J class would cost 100k miles, without all the intra-Europe flying and flexibility.  I'm already starting to plan the next one.  HKG for a little time at The Wing?  BKK and on to Phuket?  Possibly something different entirely....maybe that's why they're called 'Explorer' tickets.

Fly safe,

~CruisingAltitude