Take the stress out of traveling with your child. And train a young road warrior
Once upon a time when I was young and single, I got hired by an international company right out of school and worked my way up to a role where I was flown all over the globe seeing clients. I was literally travelling 32 out of 52 weeks and have been to all but two continents in this world. I was very fortunate to be trained and immerse in the business world by this company and much of who I am today can be traced back to these early experiences. Since I would go through 2 or 3 airports a week, every week, I’ve learned a thing or two about making travel efficient and stress free. They are timeless travel especially in the post 9/11 world. I now travel often with my daughter for leisure and I impart these lessons to her to make our travel less stressful.
Never check a luggage and wear your heaviest shoe on the flight. You’d be surprised how little you need when you travel for a week. If you are not going to a northern climate in the winter, you’d need even less clothes. A good pair of jeans can last for days. Bring comfortable runners for casual or training and there’s certainly no need to bring bottles of toiletries. Chances are, if you visit family or friends (especially hotels) you’d have all the shampoo you can use. Not checking luggage also saves you money and especially saves you time. If you must check luggage, never, never, never put your medication, itinerary or anything important in it. Assume the worst case scenario that your luggage will not show up. My daughter and I have actually taken a trip to Asia on two trolleys and backpack carry-ons. Do inspect her packing before you zip it up; she’d be glad you snug in some essentials like socks and underwear!
The display panels contain a lot of travel information for everybody so teach her to discriminate what is essential for her travel needs. She’s at an age where she can take her boarding pass and scavenge her way to the departure gate. The secured portion of an airport terminal is one of the safest places in the world; everyone inside is cleared and there are police everywhere.
Get priority access. Since job changes, marriage, having a child and more job changes, my travel requirements are now only personal. All of my hard earned frequent flyer points, elite status and priority check-in privileges have all expired. But with automation, self-printed tickets and QR codes on your cell phone, you can skip the queues so long as you don’t have checked luggage. Also register on being a pre-checked passenger by enrolling with Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Even if you travel only twice a year, it may be worth getting a Global Entry, Nexus or Sentri. There are dedicated lines with biometric machines to confirm your pre-cleared status when you travel. You breeze through the line while others wait endlessly for their turn. Only caveat is that everybody in your party must have pre-clearance status for you to use those lines, so make sure your daughter is also pre-cleared.
Expect nothing from your airline. Unless you are flying business or first class, expect little to nothing for the cost of your ticket. Gone are the days when I was served a hot breakfast during a 40-minute flight (yes that did happen!) Bring your own food, empty water bottle, wet napkins and puzzle/activity books with lots of pens and pencils.Bring your own headsets and entertainment, too. On some flights, expect no TV screen as many airlines have switched to app enabled content on your own mobile device, so install the app before you board. If you expect nothing, then you’d be delightfully surprised if they do come around and offer you a drink and a cookie. If you’re nice to the flight attendants, maybe they will make your ride a little better in ways you can never know.
And finally, teach your daughter to navigate the airport, the train station, customs and hotel check-in desks (and teach her to read parking lot signs). Display panels contain a lot of information for everybody so teach her to discriminate what is essential and relevant for her travel needs. She’s at an age where she can take her boarding pass and scavenge her way to the departure gate. The secured portion of an airport terminal is one of the safest places in the world; everyone inside is cleared and there are police everywhere. With literally no loiterers, there isn’t a safer place for your daughter to become a road warrior in training than to investigate the millions of square feet of terminal space. Since breezing through security with only your carry-on luggage, there should be plenty of time leftover. Simply hand your daughter her boarding pass and ask her to take you to the departure gate. Not only will she be charged with the new found responsibility, she quickly learns and becomes very aware of her surroundings and timing.
There’s one last thing. Don’t forget to have legal documents giving you authorization to travel with your child without the other parent. Chances are, you won’t be asked. But if you are and you don’t have it, well, there’s a special line for that. Bon voyage!