AD | Collaborative post
During February half-term many families, us included, would be thinking about where to travel to on holiday. This year, everything is different but that won’t stop us from looking forward and planning future holidays. Will you do the same?
This doesn’t mean that we will start booking future holidays left and right, it only means that we will sit down as a family and brainstorm places we’d like to visit in the future. While doing this, we found out that many of those places were outside the country, which meant that we would have to go through one of everyone’s less favourite part of a holiday… the airport.
Weirdly, we don’t mind the airport so much. I think that we have now figured out how to have a stress-free airport experience with the little ones and I thought I’d share with you how we do it. You might not even be thinking about going on holiday but who knows? It might be helpful or at least I hope so!
Be organised and pack light.
Check-in online to save time and be sure to pack only essentials. As this article on Let Them Be Small mentions, “It’s easy to overpack to make sure you have everything you need but do you really need to bring all your toiletries for the hotel stay? Pack essentials only and don’t worry if you end up forgetting about a toothbrush or hairbrush, those are things you can easily purchase no matter where you are in the world.”
Play games together.
Aviation Spares & Repairs, airport equipment supplier, recommends playing airport-related games to keep the whole family entertained while learning about the airport. From I-Spy airport jobs edition – think about pilots, airline crew, plane technicians, baggage handlers – to airport scavenger hunts where you’d have a list of airport equipment or traveller accessories to try to find and cross off the list.
Keep snacks at hand.
Everybody knows that a hungry child (and adults) can get angry and grumpy very quickly, so keep snacks at hand and some water too. I like to bring my own snacks to save some money but if we really need to, a full English breakfast does the trick. Doesn’t it always?
Make the most out of airport activities.
Free airport activities. I’ll say it again. Free airport activities. Yes, plenty of airports offer free ways for travellers to have a less stressful time at the airport. Suburban Mum says that airport activities can range “from petting therapy animals at Southampton airport to ice skating at South Korea’s main airport, Incheon International Airport.” So, make sure to google if the airport you are going to offers any activities and make the most out of them!
If going through an airport seems like too much of a hassle due to what’s happening around the world, consider a British break. As this article on Conde Nast Traveller mentions, a break in the UK “will be much easier to plan because it avoids the international jungle of regulations, restrictions and UK travel quarantine rules that currently obstructs any journey abroad.”
Where will you go for your first post-lockdown trip?