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Please do whatever it takes to shut them up. i hate being in flights with annoying kids,whining and crying..i fly to enjoy myself, not have to deal with tortures in someone elses life
You flight will probably have decent in flight entertainment including games. The movies and games should be enough for a 7 and 9 year old. Try to make sure they get some sleep. When you arrive don't take a nap just drop your bags off at the hotel and go do something. Even if you have no slept much on the flight. Keep busy. Have an earlier dinner if you want and then head to the hotel. Everyone should be very tired by that point which will lead to good sleep.
That is the best way I handle jet lag. Once I get on the airplane I set my watch to the destination. And I try not to allow for any naps on arrival day for overnight flights in time zones that are 4 or more hours going east. Going west is always a bit easier.
From Texas to Germany, most likely. What's your advice on how to fly with 4 pre-teens? Two 9-years-olds and two 7-year-olds. How would one make the flight the best possible for the kids? Activities/stuff to do on board the flights, but mostimportantly, how to make the kids handle jet lag? What's the best idea for them?
Thanks in advance!
I travel internationally frequently. Crossing the Atlantic as well. I see lots of kids traveling. Electronic games. Video players. Laptops. Books. They're everywhere. Time seems to pass quickly/quietly/comfortably for them. Come prepared with diversions.
lots of batteries for the Nintendo's etc.... maybe get some snacks or a bottle of water once you get thru security for them if they don't like the food avail on the plane.
make sure they get up a few times to walk around and stretch legs help with possible "coach class syndrome" blood clots
We are headed over in March and I will prob give my kids some benadryl after dinner since I know from experience it works for them. If I am staying at a Hilton I have rarely had a problem checking in early but a small name pension or lesser known chain may not offer that option. Hubby and I--before kids when we flew overseas would check in before lunch, take a shower and a short nap then have a bite to eat and try to maintain a normal sleep schedule that night.
Normally don't experience probs with jet lag going!
Hubby just went a few weeks ago and stayed at a Mercure and was able to check in early after his 6am arrival in Frankfurt
If you bring any sort of electronic gadget you must have headphones or earbuds.
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... maybe get some snacks or a bottle of water once you get thru security for them if they don't like the food avail on the plane.
Water is available on the plane. Snacks can be purchased from your local grocery store as long as they aren't gels or liquids. Gummie bears are fine, yogurt is not. Granola bars are fine, canned peaches are not. PB&J sandwiches are fine, packets of peanut butter are not.
If this is their first trip to Germany, check by the library ahead of time for children's books or DVDs about what they'll be seeing and doing in Germany. German folk tales - Brothers Grimm, etc. - would also be appropriate.
Teach them a few simple German phrases - hello, goodbye, good morning, good night, thank you, please ('bitte" works for "excuse me", too), etc., and so on. They'll learn more rapidly at this age than will adults, and it will come in handy once you're abroad.
If you think crossing the Atlantic is bad, than try a flight across the Pacific. If memory serves me, its eleven hours from LAX to Auckland, New Zealand.
We've taken our daughter to New Zealand. We took her when she was ten and I'm proud to report that no medication of any kind was necessary. The airline helped by having individual t.v. monitors with a large selection of movies, t.v. shows, and games. When she got tired of that we pulled out a few games we brought along. She was out of school for about a week and so we brought along homework for her to do as well. Than, there were frequent breaks for meals and beverages that helped break up the trip. No major problems, she behaved as well as most of the adults on the plane did.
I took my son to Ireland back in 2004, when he was about 11. No major problems there either. As I recall, the Airbus we flew on didn't have an entertainment system with individual monitors for each passenger. However, the flight attendants were great. There was a monitor that showed the progress of our flight over a huge map of North America and the Atlantic Ocean. My son liked that.
Part of it is just being creative in terms of finding things for your kids to do. Part of it is the airplane and the entertainment system that it has. Finally, a major part of it are the parents and the expectations and demands they make on their children to behave. My children are allowed and expected to talk, ask questions, and even complain occasionally. They are also expected not to fight, be unduly loud, and limit complaining to a reasonable level. If they fail to do these things than there are consequences and they learned that.
Our son is 5 years old now and he's been to Europe 4 times now and once to Asia. We usually fly British Airways (o Europe) or Emirates (to Asia) -- they have individual screens for each seat (with individual movie/TV libraries), so he's occupied with movies and cartoons. We also bring a few books and coloring stuff when he doesn't want to keep staring at the screen. We don't make him go to sleep, but he does usually fall asleep on his own for a few hours.
As mentioned above, the trick is to not sleep once you arrive in Europe. Wash up/shower, go out, see some sights (keep it relaxed, no schedule). Go to bed at a normal time -- you should wake up the next morning adjusted. Although with kids it might take the second morning to get completely adjusted.
Having traveled extensively both east (TATL) and west (TPAC) from Austin, TX for many years, I don not agree with the "it might take the second morning to get completely adjusted" statement. Research has shown that it takes, on average, a day for each hour you are off from your natural "home time". So 9 hours would be 9 days to fully adjust.
Also going east is a lot tougher then going west. You are effectively trying to go to bed at 1:00-3:00 PM (assuming you normally go to bed at 10:00-12:00 PM) and assuming you wake up at 7:00 AM local time, your body is really still on 11:00 PM (i.e. just in time to go to bed)! Makes opening your eyes those first few days really tough.
I find the 3rd day to be the worst, going either way, as you are over the tiredness of the long trip with potentially not much sleep but not in the zone yet. After that it progressively improves.
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