Flying in general is not always the easiest. Throw in a kid or two and now your anxiety level shoots through the roof. You might be thinking, “What are they going to do for 8 hours? How am I going to entertain them for so long? How can I make sure people around us are not annoyed by my children?” Even when you feel you’ve prepared all you can, there’s still a level of discomfort you might feel. And that’s normal. From short flights back on in the US, to long flights across the ocean to the other side of the world, we’ve been able to test out some recommendations and tips that will hopefully alleviate your stress and allow not only you, but your children to have an enjoyable long flight. TIP 1: Tell your kids early! If you’ve already booked your flight way in advance, let your children know! Give them time to really understand what they’re going to expect. This is a great time to let them feel involved with the trip and get a gage of their excitement(or discomfort). You can then work with them on what to expect even at the airport, especially with long wait times or layovers. These were the most difficult parts for the boys because of all the security checks and waiting at the terminals. We usually tell our kids a couple months in advance before a flight. A couple weeks before our departure date, we discuss the flight schedule with them, what a flight attendant is, show them pictures of the plane and fun things to look forward to. We also go over the on-flight food provided by the airline(which you can lookup on the airlines website) and work on their manners and etiquette. Not everything goes to plan once on the plane, and some thing are out of your control. But doing simple prep with the kids beforehand has made a world of a difference for everyone involved. TIP 2: Bring a Tablet Yes, we know. Limiting screen time is important for the mind of a child especially during their younger years, but there’s no shame in using it as a device to keep them entertained and keep mom and dad’s stress level low. Since we have Netflix, we opted for the $14.99/month plan to be able to download movies on to their iPads so they can watch movies wifi-free. Most International Flights have in-flight entertainment(no, not a stand-up comedian). Each seat is usually equipped with a touch screen television and also comes with movies, applications, games and even music to listen to. The tablets were a great supplement to the already- provided entertainment. One thing we had started to realize after a couple flights was that the child head phones are a must! The ones provided by the airline will fall out over and over again until you go crazy having to put them in their ears every couple minutes. TIP 3: Surprise Bag! Our flight from San Francisco to Taiwan was 14 hours long. After a couple hours, everything you’ve planned to keep them entertained might at at point, seem a little dull. To keep things fresh, try preparing some treats or toys that they can open every couple hours. Every three hours(unless they were sleeping, fingers crossed), they opened a new “surprise bag” that had some type of toy, trinket, puzzle or snack. This helped our kids look forward to something and also gave them more of an incentive to behave and practice patience. Some examples could be: cheap lego sets, small puzzles, coloring books, trading cards, Chex Mix. Instead of throwing everything you’ve come with at them the first hour, having surprise bags will keep things fresh and exciting. TIP 4: Suckers and Gum Take-off can be exciting or nerve-wrecking for children, but it can also be painful. Having intensive ear pressure during takeoff can be painful for little children. If they’re old enough, give them a piece of gum to chew on or a sucker to suck on during takeoff. This has helped our boys and they also like the excuse for extra sugar, as much as we parents don’t. We’ve also tried melatonin, which is a natural medicine that regulates sleep and fights insomnia. There is melatonin for children. When we give this to our children, they are asleep within 30 minutes. We only use it for dire circumstances, but it works like a charm. TIP 5: The Golden Row
Try choosing the front middle row. If you have a toddler or new born, it can be tough to keep their arms and legs to themselves. That’s normal, they’re kids. The front middle row allows kids a lot of space with no one sitting in front of them! Some flights even have bassinets available for babies as well to bring out if you’re in that row. That’s a lot of space! If you’re babies crying, there’s no worse feeling them not being able to get up on a whim and rock them to sleep. This “Golden Row” is a great area for people with kids and flight attendants understand that. They’ll do everything in their power to make sure you and your child are comfortable. In the end, just remember that you can do this! Long flights with children can be dreading, but being prepared and communicating with your child alleviates a lot of the stress you might face while on the plane. What other tips have you found helpful for long flights with children?
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Before our trip to Thailand, we’ve only flown with our children domestically in the US, and that was a two hour flight from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles. Not a very good preparation precursor to a major move that included a 14 hour flight, 2 hour layover and an additional 4 hour flight to cap it off, all in the same day! Let it be known that we’ve survived with all limbs, but even with the months of preparation there were still some lessons we learned along the way. First of all, we didn’t realize how hard goodbyes really were. For two years we’ve been preparing for this trip. Over time we were so focused on just getting here, that we were getting emotionally unattached to our lives back in the states. It really wasn’t until the moment we hit the security gates when we turned around and our kids were bawling. The didn’t want to leave their cousins behind. They just ended a wonderful summer with them in California and family in Utah. We have the best family in the world. The positive support they’ve given us to fulfill this dream of ours was unexpected and highly appreciated. That moment at the security gates was a realization of the magnitude of our decision, and we’re lucky to have such a great friends and family who were positive influences in reinforcing our decision. Although difficult for our kids, it was a lot easier for us overall to take this leap. Once we got on the plane and were seated and greeted, the kids were fine. We just didn’t prepare for the emotional toll it would take on the kids. Luckily the kids were looking forward to the plane ride so much, by the time we were about the take off they were fixated by what was going on around them . Although a fourteen-hour flight didn’t sound ideal with kids, the airline sure do know how to make families feel welcome. Eva Airways were very accommodating to our family and loved having the boys aboard, providing them with snacks, drinks and their own activity books and toys! To top it off, having touch screen TV’s kept them busy throughout most of the flight and comfortable seating and leg room allowed for easy rest and relaxation. Connor had plenty of room for his Lego building. Aiden had plenty of leg room to lay down and play on his tablet. Emmett had space to move from the row he was in to daddy’s row for short visits. He doesn’t like to sit still. Overall the flights were a success, but a massive time change was something we couldn’t really prepare for. The two biggest adjustments over the first couple days in Bangkok were the humidity and the time difference. Thailand is twelve hours ahead of California, so we were going to bed at 5pm and waking up at 3am. It took two weeks to adjust to our new time zone, something that can’t necessarily be prepared for. We made it, scathed but we made it. We’re hoping our travels can inspire our kids to love traveling, love trying new things and enjoy diversity in new cultures they encounter.
We plan to fly a lot more in the future as a family. What are your go to travel tips with kids? My boys are huge Lego fans, so a Legoland visit was something they had been dreaming of for quite sometime. We finally decided to book our trip a couple months ago after we heard they were opening a new Castle hotel. Finding a cheap hotel/ticket package.I would say I am a master at finding a good deal. After spending hours searching, I found that Legoland.com and Getaway Today has the best package deals. Since we were looking to stay at the Castle Hotel a few days after they opened Getaway Today only had package deals for the Legoland Resort Hotel. That could be different now. Also, Getaway Today lets you put down a $125 down payment on any vacation package. You just have to have it paid off 3 weeks before your arrival date. Stay at the Castle Hotel!If just telling you to stay at the Castle Hotel isn’t enough to convince you, here are a few reasons why it’s a must! You could just stay at the Castle Hotel all day and your kids would be more then happy because they have so many activities and fun features throughout the whole hotel. Here are just some of the awesome things we experienced during our stay.
Let me know what you are looking forward to most and feel free to ask me any questions.
As my husband and I were planning a trip out of the country, we noticed we had a 10 hour layover in New York at JFK at 6 am. Since we both have never been to New York, we did tons of research on how much time it would take to see our most desired locations in Manhattan. We started writing a list of things we would really like to see while dotting them on a map. Afterwards, we looked into how long it would take to travel to each location. Although we were apprehensive to leave the airport and meander our way through one of the largest cities in America with only 10 hours to spare, we gambled and it payed off! We thought it would be wise to begin on the north side of Manhattan, then work our way South. We took the train from JFK to the American Museum of Natural history, which is located right a cross the street from Central Park and is about an hour ride. I always add an extra 10-15 margin of error when planning a trip with public transportation in case of complications. Luckily, New York Public Transportation is awesome! Trains are running every 5-10 minutes, taxis are everywhere and an uber is easy to hail too. This city is like a well oiled machine! Also, don’t be afraid to ask a local if your confused(which you will be). Despite the stigma of New Yorkers being closed off or rude, we found them to be super friendly and helpful! Since we were on an early morning train, it was crowded but manageable. There are many factors in deciding which mode of transport you want to use in New York but the fastest from JFK is the train. Take the Sky Train from the airport terminals to Jamaica Street Station and hop on the train towards the city. If you have time and want something more comfortable, hail a taxi or an Uber from the airport. Finally in the City! (8:30 AM)After we got off the train at 81st, we crossed the street heading East to Central Park. There is no way describe how much we enjoyed walking through Central Park. It is a MUST if you have time. From the mere size of the park, to the monuments and landscape. Even the joggers and people walking their dogs, it did not disappoint! We love to people watch. Since we are movie junkies, we looked for recognizable landmarks. We went to Bethesda Terrace, where many movies like Home Alone were filmed. For a great and CHEAP overlook view of the park, we made our way to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel which is a five minute walk from Central Park. We came across this hotel when looking for scenic views of New York City. After figuring out that The Top of the Rock Observation Deck(Rockafeller Plaza) cost about $34 per adult and $24 for children, and Empire State Building was even more money. We found a great alternative, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Restaurant. It had a beautiful view of the city overlooking Central Park. It is considered fine dining so the prices are high but cheaper then the entry fee to Top of the Rock or The Empire State Building. So, if you are looking for a great view for the price of a meal, we highly recommend this restaurant. Time Square (9:45 AM)After a delicious breakfast overlooking Central Park, we hopped on the 59 Street Subway located across the street in Columbus Circle to head to Time Square. It was a short ride, so make sure to get off at the right stop. The sheer size of the the Time Square area is breathtaking. Be on the look out for peddlers(people asking for money). I had to learn the hard way how to say no to people because I'm always willing to talk to everyone. From people dressed as cartoon characters, to aspiring hip hop artists trying to sell you their mix tape, to people handing out tour guides. I really had to work hard to politely decline. My face below is a result of us being sucked into a picture of Mickey and his minions. Grand Central Station (10:30 AM)After spending about 20-30 minutes walking around and taking pics in Time Square, we walked a couple blocks to the Grand Central Station. You will see the Chrysler Building in the distance as your walking there, which I had mistaken for the Empire State Building initially! I even posted the pic below to my Instagram account stating, “I can say I have reached the top of the Empire State Building”. Haha Luckily, I caught my mistake before I got called out. ‘Face Palm’! Grand Central Station is huge and is a great time to take a break, people watch and peruse the enormity of the infrastructure. We then made our way towards Madison Square Park, but not before stopping at Magnolia Bakery on the bottom level for their famous banana pudding! Growing up in Texas, banana pudding is my achille's heel, so I had to make a pit stop to fuel up on one of my favorite sweets. Magnolia Bakery ended up being delicious and I loved the extra caramel toffee chunks they add in the pudding. There are many shops and restaurants to choose from at the Central Station, making it a great stop to relax, rejuvenate and refuel on delicious food. Madison Square Park and The Flat Iron Building (11:30 AM)Our last stop before heading back to the airport was Madison Square Park. We stopped at the ‘Shake Shack’ for a burger and fries. It was reasonably priced. I would compare it to an ‘In and Out’. Tyson was in love with it, although it's not hard for him to fall in love with anything edible. Afterwards we still had about 45 minutes till we had to catch the subway. So, we walked across the street and took some pics of the Flat Iron Building seen pictured below. You've probably seen a picture or painting of this building in any boutique, New York Magazine, or even in an IKEA. Alas, we headed to the 23 Street Station after about an hour sightseeing around Madison Square Park. Taking the 23rd Station back to the airport is easy. Take 23rd Street to Penn Station, and from Penn take it to Jamaica Street. Jamaica Street will drop you off at the airport Sky Bus which will take you back to your terminal, about an hour ride altogether. We still got to the airport about 2 hours before our international flight, leaving us more then enough time to go through security and find our departure gate. I even had enough time to plug in my devices to charge, fix my hair and FaceTime the kids before they headed to school back home in Utah. There were so many things on our list, although you could spend months here and still not experience everything New York has to offer. There were a couple things like the Statue of Liberty and the 911 Memorial that we had to skip. There are many things that will bring us back to this amazing city and next time, our kids will definitely be with us. Hopefully this helped you decide what to do and see in New York with a long layover and gave you confidence in knowing it can be done! You don't have to sit at the airport! Even with half the time we were allotted, you could still see enough. What things would you want to see in New York if you only had one day to do it? San Francisco is one of our favorite places to visit with the kids. It is also where my husband proposed to me in 2009, so the saying "I left my heart in San Francisco" is fitting. This city is very close to my heart. But now with kids, there are many factors in involved in making sure you have a great time without going broke! With it being one of the most expensive cities to live and visit in America, we are always on the look out for free or cheap things to do. Check out our experience and how we were able to explore many popular sites of this amazing city while on a budget, reminisce about old memories while making new ones with our kids! How we scored a cheap hotel and parking walking distance to Pier 39 and Guirardelli Square.I am always searching for the best deals on hotels for our next family trip. My criteria consists of: family oriented, close enough to attractions and public transportation and comfort. One thing I like to use when we are on a budget is Pricelines Express Deals. It allows you to pick which area within a city you would like to stay and the star rating of the hotel for a locked in rate. For example; I wanted to stay near Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 with at least 4+ star rated Hotel. So I found one for $89 before taxes. The catch with Priceline Express Deals is that it doesn't tell you which hotel you are staying in until after you pay for it. It is non-refundable so always make sure to double check everything you are looking for in a location, amenities, star rating. I always read the hotel description and look at the comparable hotels listed at the bottom of the page before purchasing. I usually look at pictures of the cheapest hotel they have listed because most we won't end up with the nicest one and I've purchased through Priceline multiple times. If I am okay with staying at the cheaper hotel listed then I will book. If you want to know exactly what hotel before booking then this is not a good choice for you. But, we like to gamble a little bit. In San Francisco there are a few things you have to think about when booking a hotel with kids. If you want a breakfast buffet, you are usually going to have to stay in a lower rated hotel or pay a hefty price for a room with breakfast included at a really nice hotel. So a big reason why we decided to look into staying near the Fisherman's Wharf is because a lot of the hotels have a pool, which is plus for my wild boys. We usually like to have breakfast included but we knew that it we would have to settle with one or the other. Also it is easy to walk to Pier 39 and Ghirardelli Square, which is a plus considering parking city wide is very pricey. over pricey. We ended up booking the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf Hotel, which we loved! It was conveniently located, just a 5 minute walk to Pier 39 and only a 10 minute walk to Ghirardelli Square. It had an IHOP right across the street where we had breakfast and a 7-11 around the corner making it easy to grab water and snacks for the kids. The pool was nice and heated all year round, which the kids enjoyed in December! Since parking was $65 over night, about average price for parking at any hotel in the city, we looked elsewhere. We found a parking garage right across the street which cost us about $22 for 24 hours. You can't miss the parking on Beach St. In the Enterprise Rental Car garage. Just remember they lock the garage overnight at 11pm. If you want to get to Union Square without having to re-park, take the F trolley which comes right outside the hotel or across the street from Pier 39. If you have a hard time finding where the stop is just ask a local or a Hotel Clerk. It cost $2.50 for adults and $1.35 for 5 years and up. You can only pay in cash and they do not give change so make sure to get exact change or close to it. Also, try not to hop on in the early morning when everyone is headed to work and between 4:30-6:30 when everyone is headed home from work. Unless, you don't mind being crammed in a tiny space with your kids. Overall, San Francisco during Christmas was a delight. The main areas of attraction will be busy but the outlying areas like the Piers and Embarcadero were not too crowded. Things to do in San Francisco for free or cheap.PIER 39 is a must when in San Francisco. Yes, everything is overpriced and there are tons of tourist but it is a fun place to walk through with your kids. There are always street performers, which our boys love to watch. If you go to the end of the Pier you can watch hundreds of seals hanging out on the docks. There is also a huge World War 2 Submarine and Ship that you can take pics in front of or if you want to tour them, there are little stands on the pier to pay to get on. There are a lot of places to eat on the pier that can be pretty pricey, except a little Mexican Restaurant on the Pier, Mango's Taqueria which was decently priced for the area. One of our favorite places to eat is Boudins Bakery and Cafe. You can watch them make the bread from the front window and there is a free self guided factory tour on the second floor. We like to just get a couple personal pizzas to share and it is always more then enough for our family. If you are looking for a some souvenirs the pier is loaded with them in every store. We always like to grab a magnet to add to our fridge, from all of our family trips. Ghirardelli Square is my personal favorite place to visit in San Francisco because I have "little" bit of a sweet tooth. Ghirardelli Square was a short walk up the road from our hotel. A side from having the best chocolate in the states, in my opinion. It is super kid friendly with a boccie ball court, a ping pong table and a corn hole game up the stairs outside in the shopping center. There's also plenty of room for your kids to run around and get their energy out. Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate.... After you go into the Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop and Ice cream Parlor, there will be somewhere to greet you with a free sample of chocolate. You order Ice cream from the register counter. After you find a table, while waiting for your ice cream, there is a self guided chocolate factory tour towards the back of the shop. You can watch the chocolate being mixed and poured on to a conveyor belt. Then sit down and enjoy your ice cream... it is heavenly! Golden Gate Park is filled with things for a family to enjoy. It is located on over 1,000 acres, which I found out is larger than Central Park in New York City! And we've been to Central Park, which is hug in itself! So, you can imagine how big it is. There are museums, playgrounds, Japanese gardens, trails, large ponds and so much more. We only had a couple hours before we had to head out of the city so we decided to rent a family bike for $35. It had two seats in the front and 3 in the main cabin. We found Parkwide Bike Rentals in the center of Golden Gate Park, its the only bike rental company located in the park. We did a 2 mile loop and stopped at a playground for the kids to play. It was mostly flat except for a small uphill where we had to get out and push it because it was too hard to peddle. I would highly recommend renting one for the family, our kids loved it. Pink Ladies is a perfect photo opp in San Francisco. If you have watched the famous show, 'Full House' you will recognize these beautiful homes. There is a huge grassy park in front to picnic, walk or just roll down the hill like my boys. It's a great stop for them to get their energy out. These were all the activities that we had time to fit in on a weekend. But San Francisco has 100's of things for a kids to do on a budget some include:
I hope this helps you plan your next family getaway to San Francisco. Feel free to ask any questions or leave a comment with any other activities your family likes to do while in the City by the Bay. It started in a car ride across country. We were driving to New Mexico for my grandmother's funeral. As we pondered sweet memories of her, we discussed how important it was to live life fully because you don't know what can happen tomorrow. The thought dawned on us to make sure we give our children ample opportunity to explore the world around them. This long car ride was the starting point of our new future en devour. We knew traveling could be very expensive. So, we discussed how we could afford to go abroad on a budget. My husband happen to mentioned that he had been following a few families who had traveled to Thailand on a very tight income. Everyone who knows me, knows I don't like to sit on things. Throw an idea at me and I will run with it. So, when Tyson brought up the idea of Thailand, I knew he had an itch for something new. I was excited about the idea but to be totally honest, it scared me to think about leaving all of our belongings and the comfort of our home, to travel somewhere foreign. At the time I had very limited knowledge about southeast Asia, let alone that part of the world. After lots of research and contemplation, I thought why not?! It's only a couple years, right?! There are tons of family friendly activities, the cost of living is cheap, it has warm weather all year round, the food is delicious, there is a huge expat community and not to mention it is BEAUTIFUL! There are some cons like anywhere outside the US. We will have to do visa runs every couple months, the language barrier, and the cost to fly there is pretty pricey. We will make sure to post how we navigate through these issues. But, for now Thailand IT IS!!! Where would your top destinations be to move with your kids? |
Welcome to Boys Beyond the Border! We are the Kuresas... Emily, Tyson and our 3 boys, Aiden, Connor and Emmett. Join us as we go exploring to find new exciting things to do as a family. We share what we have found to be the best travel advise, things to see, food to eat and most importantly most kid friendly activities. Follow along and watch my family experience new cultures, try new foods and make friends along the way.
Emily Kuresa
Mother of 3 boys• with an itch to travel• culture my kids• experience life to the fullest• try new foods• |