As babies get older, give them their own seat - if it's financially feasible Our son has been a model lap baby throughout his 8 month birthday: quiet and happy when awake, but often comatose，sports fitness .
Then, things changed. The two three hour flights we took before our son's first birthday were a total disaster. Almost constant screaming, violent thrashing - the whole nine yards. A few weeks later, our outbound flight to Europe started off worse, although he ended up exhausted and slept fitfully in the second half. The return trip was only slightly better, largely because the plane was half-empty.
After these back-to-back ordeals, we sadly decided to give up the lap baby allowance prematurely. It's just too much for a little guy who really hates flying with a growing world awareness.
Invite grandparents, willing relatives or friends on long trips Many people are powerful. It's all the more reason to take grandma and grandpa on an adventure if they're willing to pay their own way. If grandparents aren't interested or can't get in touch, ask a close friend or relative. Just make sure they understand what they're doing: During the holidays, they'll be in close contact with a helpless baby and do some shifts in childcare.
While our son has yet to travel with our friends or other relatives, we have taken his grandmother on two family vacations since he was born: a five-day trip to Seattle and an eight-day trip to Europe trip. On both counts, her presence was welcome, not least because of her willingness to take on babysitting duties at night. My wife and I didn't escape our son's clutches every night, but we couldn't have sneaked out for any unhurried date without the help of grandma.
Adults don't fly for free unless you pay for their way with miles or credit card rewards, which is why it's important to be clear if you need them to pay for their own way. However, adding an adult to your travel party can lower your per capita accommodation costs. When we travel as a multi-generational unit, we often bypass hotels in favor of whole apartment rentals. With three adults splitting the cost of an apartment instead of two hotel rooms, we were always ahead.
fly as direct as possible Why visit a third airport when you can fly directly to your destination?
Easy: Because it's usually cheaper. Without kids, a stopover is a small fee to pay for the lowest possible fare - assuming you don't need to be at your destination at any particular time.
However, once you welcome a small child into the world, you may think differently. Shepherding a baby or toddler through major airports is no easy task, and many parents are happy to pay more to avoid doing so unnecessarily. Of course my wife and I are.
While we're more likely to fly non-stop these days, we've managed to rein in our airfare spending by flying at unusual times -- a traveler's version of an early-bird discount. At least once, it was cheaper to fly directly to our final destination than to fly all the way, which required a stopover before a second quick flight.
Avoid basic economy class when both parents are traveling on business In parental travel with an airline that differentiates between basic economy and "main" economy, always pay the main fare. On a typical route, main cabin may cost 15% or 20% more than basic economy, but it's the only way to keep seats together.
Trust me: you'll be glad you sat together. Getting up from your seat every time you need to hand over your baby - which can happen several times during the flight between feeding and toileting - is inconvenient, and sometimes not during meal or drink service possible.
Playing Mercy - Claim Free Upgrades and Cradle Attachments on Long-haul Flights The worst that can happen is that they say no - which is exactly what they will say 9 out of 10 times on a domestic route. Frequent flyer status holders are more likely to succeed because they can move up the rankings, but airlines only have so much to do on fully booked flights.
Your best chance of success is more likely to come at the last minute. Depending on the airline and airline, some gate agents can move passengers around at their discretion before all seats are assigned.
Your dream scenario here is to upgrade to a bulkhead seat with enough legroom to accommodate a bassinet attachment. A comfortable level sleeping space will make life easier on long flights to Europe.
Bulkhead seats are rare and not available on all aircraft (the narrow-body 757s on our European flights do not). If you don't score, all is not lost. Its precious extra legroom is always affordable.
That's exactly what we get on outbound flights to Europe - $500 or more of additional seat value at no extra cost. We are very fortunate to have such a valuable upgrade. But our experience reveals the reality that households with young children are more likely to score on escalation than unburdened adults.
