Full day flight w kids—in exchange for an awesome vacation

thegiver

Wed, May 29 2019, 8:29 pm

Is it possible? What do u do about carseats oncw u arrive? How do u travel if u cant all fit into a sedan? Rental? How do u politely probe the Kashrus of all the ppl who invite u for meals?

Kids are 10, 7, 5, 4 and 1

Ahhhhhh!! Is it worth it??
We don’t do movies. Cd player coloring books playdough games. And what about the 1 yo who wont probably want to sit for more than an hour? (Except for maybe 6 hours of broken sleep)

pesek zman

Wed, May 29 2019, 8:39 pm

Yes! Life is short! Go see the world!!

How long is the flight and is there jet lag?

Car seats: either bring and gate check or rent at your car rental place

amother

Fuchsia

Wed, May 29 2019, 8:44 pm

Very possible. And worth the hard work.
Borrow a doona for the car seat, use it on the plane too.
Electronic games (game boy)
Books, magazine for kids even backdated ones they didn't see.
Little snacks that take time to eat.

Regarding kashrut that's tricky. Asking is sort of not so nice. How about saying " Thank you so much for the offer we really appreciate it but dh and I are machmir and we only eat xzy hechsherim. I don't want to put anyone in a spot"
Based on her answer you'll know if they eat according to your standards.

aqua1

Wed, May 29 2019, 8:45 pm

You don't need to schlep the carseats through the airport to the gate if you are planning on checking them. You can check them for free at check in with the suitcases.

thegiver

Wed, May 29 2019, 8:59 pm

[quote="pesek zman"]Yes! Life is short! Go see the world!!

How long is the flight and is there jet lag?

Flight 22-30 hrs including stop over. Jetlag—totally-is there a way to avoid jetlag?

Frumwithallergies

Wed, May 29 2019, 9:04 pm

Still worth it!

Mnay years ago dh and I went to Italy with children all under 5 years old. I brought 5 bags of lolypops and bribed my kids as we walked through museums etc (which I love!). There are ways to keep kids quiet and happy without too much compromise but you need to guage and know your kids.

That's quite a trip! 22-30h? Wow

cnc

Wed, May 29 2019, 9:04 pm

[quote="thegiver"]

pesek zman wrote:

Yes! Life is short! Go see the world!!

How long is the flight and is there jet lag?

Flight 22-30 hrs including stop over. Jetlag—totally-is there a way to avoid jetlag?

I would never do it.

momsrus

Wed, May 29 2019, 9:10 pm

[quote="thegiver"]

pesek zman wrote:

Yes! Life is short! Go see the world!!

How long is the flight and is there jet lag?

Flight 22-30 hrs including stop over. Jetlag—totally-is there a way to avoid jetlag?

22-30 hours?

No way!!

How do you get invited to meals with a family?

Gerbera

Wed, May 29 2019, 9:10 pm

My friend goes to Australia every summer with her 7 kids under 13 travelling from Canada. It's just as long as the flight you mentioned. It's well worth it for them!! They don't do movies either but she's become a pro at entertaining her kids. They go for a month. How long would it be?

That being said I'd never do it unless I had help come with! We have been to England twice...last time we had 6 kids under 8. I'd never ever do it again!

You need to know yourself and your family. Diff ppl cope in diff ways so what may be easy and exciting for one is a nightmare for another.

amother

Wheat

Wed, May 29 2019, 9:19 pm

[quote="thegiver"]

pesek zman wrote:

Yes! Life is short! Go see the world!!

How long is the flight and is there jet lag?

Flight 22-30 hrs including stop over. Jetlag—totally-is there a way to avoid jetlag?

Sounds terrible. Why do you want to go?

pesek zman

Wed, May 29 2019, 9:25 pm

I change my answer. I thought you were talking about an adorable trip to Europe. Not a ridiculous 30 hour flight. There are definitely families who do it. I know many of them. But family aside, I have no interest in a flight that long. And if you do it, I suggest easing the movie/tv rule for the flight, otherwise it will be another layer of torture for you and them

momsrus

Wed, May 29 2019, 9:29 pm

pesek zman wrote:

What’s an adorable trip?

amother

Fuchsia

Wed, May 29 2019, 9:33 pm

Maybe consider a DVD player or preloaded iPad. We don't watch movies
but for our flight overseas it was a lifesaver since they never get to see it otherwise.

amother

Plum

Wed, May 29 2019, 9:33 pm

We recently went to Thailand with our three kids -6, 5, and 2 (the 2 year old was almost three), and we had an amazing time!!! Total flight time was approximately 21 hours (with a short stop over), and we also took a round trip inter city flight for around 2 1/2 hours once there. My kids literally played on their tablets/watched movies the entire time though, but they were great. We do travel a lot with our kids, but this was our most ambitious trip with them. Would you allow your kids to play games on tablets? It would probably be super hard to entertain them otherwise.

pesek zman

Wed, May 29 2019, 9:42 pm

momsrus wrote:

What’s an adorable trip?

I mean a ‘short’ flight to Europe, since even my recent 12 hour flight to Greece is a joke compared to what OP is describing

amother

Red

Wed, May 29 2019, 9:42 pm

Here's my advice.

1. Address kashrus issues before traveling. Decide what issues you will be willing to loosen up on, if any. Discuss it with a Rav if necessary.

2. Be consistent about bedtime when home. When on the plane tell your children that when lights are dim, it means it is bedtime and they need to rest quietly or sleep or they could chv wake up people.

3. Make sure your children are well fell.

4. Have a positive attitude. If something is delayed, do not show any upsetness or stress - the kids will pick up on it. Dont talk about jet lag. Just be excited in the moment.

5. Take along a lot of activities that can fit in a small backpack like coloring books, pictures, magnets, small toy set, etc.

Regarding jetlag - I think it is a personal thing which varies from person to person. If you think about it, you'll feel it. If you view it as being tired after a Chasuna and know it will pass, it should be easier. Good luck!

Last edited by amother on Mon, Nov 16 2020, 4:32 pm; edited 2 times in total