All the airlines are handling social distancing at bit differently on their flights but one thing we continue to run into is issues when booking our seats. When traveling with a group, your best bet is to call the airline to select your seats, otherwise, the middle seats might be blocked from selecting online.
I was really happy to see this article published June 16 outlining repercussions and ways that airlines are enforcing the mask rule. One of my suggestions is to bring a more comfortable face covering for a longer flight so your nose or backs of your ears don’t feel too much discomfort. We used a headscarf and fishing mask (I like this one).
When you get to the airport many restaurants and shops are still closed so I would make sure you have some food available in case your options are slim or you don’t have the time to wait in a 30 min line for the only coffee shop available – which was the case on our recent morning flight. And this mama needs caffeine!
And heaven forbid, your flight is delayed and you have to spend several extra hours in the airport (we were at the John Wayne airport for 7 hours in June because of a mechanical issue ), you need some snacks in case there are limited options. In our case we had lunch, happy hour and dinner all at the same wine bar. It was that or McDonalds !
Our four year old did pretty well with the mask requirements, following social distancing (she’s pretty used to it by now), keeping her hands to herself, etc.
Air travel with the 2 year old is a different story. I would suggest a stroller for younger kids (even if not totally necessary) just to keep them constrained and from touching EVERYTHING. I also wish I would have bought some kind of “special” hand sanitizer or wipes so the 2 year old would be more excited to use them and use them often - maybe ones that smell good or have a Disney decoration or, in the case of my girls, anything with pink.
Below are some additional tips:
Bring snacks
Some of our favorites: individually wrapped granola bars, fruit slices, cheese cubes, crackers, PB & J sandwiches, nuts, grapes, fruit snacks (don’t forget napkins & hand wipes)
Water bottles to be refilled
Umbrella stroller for the kids
Airplane friendly activities (including charged electronics)
For younger kids the “Water Wow” books are great, activity books, stickers, coloring books and cards. I usually bring a few “new activities” that they haven’t seen before. We love our Amazon Kindle and ipad - -make sure you have good cases for them.
What would you add to the list?
Drop your favorite family air travel tips in the comments below!