5 Unconventional Tips for Surviving Long Flights With Your Kids (2024)

Last Updated on March 11, 2024 by Nicole

Every parent of a teenager has experienced a school morning when your child barely acknowledges your presence. They mutter things best left unsaid and jump down the throat of a sibling at the first available opportunity. It is hard to have these moments and say to yourself:

“Wouldn’t it be great if we could all go on holiday together…!”

and yet, this is absolutely the time you should be thinking about taking a holiday with your child.

They are tired, most likely stressed, and need a change of scenery to reset and become that amazing child again that you once knew.

Most trips from Vancouver, where we live, start with a long flight to somewhere in the world. I spent many years learning how to take these types of flights with my children. I learned to no longer dread them. I know that part of this was because they got older and could handle the challenges of long haul flights with more patience and composure. But, I also think it was because I came up with a few unique and unbeatable strategies for these type of flights. Here are are my tips for surviving long haul flights with your kids with your sanity and sense of humour intact.

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Background

I am a mother of four kids – two girls and two boys. They are all completely different personalities and temperaments. There is also 7 1/2 years differences between the oldest and the youngest. As I write this, the oldest is 26 years old and the youngest is 19 years old.

One of my most favourite things that I loved to do (and still love to do) with my children is travel. We have been doing this together since they were babies and it is unequivocally one of the most important ways in which we reconnect and bond as a family.

I can not emphasis enough how important our family holidays have been in creating the connections we have today as a family, even as everyone’s lives seem to get busier and more complicated.

As of today, I have been to over 70 countries and my children have been to over 40 countries.

However, for many, many years, the initial flight was the worst part of the trip. Kids were tired and stressed from school, and really had no bandwith to deal with irritating siblings or confined spaces.

And that is exactly what a long haul flight on a family vacation is! You strap in a child into a seat, usually next to a sibling, and tell them to not move and be polite no matter the situation. It is a powder keg ready to explode.

Surviving Long Haul Flights On A Family Vacation

The day you take a long haul flight is the day that you try to survive without major fights, drama, and meltdowns.

The day you take a long haul flight is NOT the day that you decide that:

• A new rule limiting electronics and phone usage should start;
• Your kids should stop eating junk food and make better food choices; or
• You are going to tackle that disrespectful attitude of your teenager.

When you fly, especially long distances, you want to keep:

• things simple;
• your kids engaged; and
• your kids happy.

Unique Tips For Surviving Long Flights With Your Kids

The following are my tips for flying with children or teens. (Please take a look at another article for tips for travelling with babies.)

By the time you reach your destination, you won’t be holding hands in a circle singing Amazing Grace, but you should be ready for your amazing family getaway.

Food – Bring LOTS OF IT – On Long Flights With Children

It might seem pretty obvious, but you need to make sure your children have plenty of food when you fly. All of us know that it is very easy to get “hangry” when we are hungry. So, keep it simple, avoid the temper tantrums, or bad attitudes, and make sure stomachs are full or there is lots of food available when hungry.

Airport and airplane food can be pretty horrendous. We all eat it when we do not have a choice, but most of the time, we prefer to eat other things.

If you have time before you go to the airport, pick up nutritious food that you know your kids will like. It should be easily transportable and fit in most carry on bags.

I do not recommend getting something that will need to be reheated on the plane. Some flight attendants will happily microwave the food, but others may refuse.

You need to stay away from liquids as you might not get them through security. You also need to be aware of any rules against transporting food across a border if you will be entering a country with food in your possession.

Of course, there are lots of instances when we can’t pick up food before getting to the airport and snacks for road trips are not enough. You are now left with airport and airplane food.  

Airplane food is very limited. If you have a fussy eater, then you may run into a problem if you are going to rely solely on airplane food to keep your child full. You should do your best to either feed your child a large meal at the airport, or purchase items at the airport that they can eat on the plane when they feel like it.    

The advantages of airplane food is a hot entree will be served hot and of course, it is there when nothing else is available.

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Break The Rules On Long Haul Flights When Traveling With Kids

My kids know that there are a few rules that I throw out the window on the day we fly. First, soda pop is allowed. For one day, I’m not going to sweat drinking pop. If my kids get happy every time the drink cart comes down the aisle because they are about to have their fourth coca cola, then I’m happy for them.

Second, chips and candy are supplied. On long flights, I will often bring a small bag of candy and chips for each of them to nibble when they need it. They know I have the goodies in my possession and they know at some point they are going to get them. Do not underestimate anticipation and how behaviour improves when they have something fun to look forward to!

Third, Macdonald’s could be in play. There is hardly an airport in the world that doesn’t have a Macdonald’s or Burger King (or something similar). If we have a particularly long day of travel, maybe with a layover or two, then I won’t be above letting them have that type of food for a meal. My kids knew this. When it came to flying, my kids almost started looking forward to long flights with layovers knowing that this treat awaited them.

Personal Devices For Family Travel On Long Flights

One of the easiest ways to have a stress free and a happy flight is for each child to have their own electronics or personal devices (one of the long flight essentials that you should have). I have watched amazed and horrified at how long my boys can sit in front of a screen playing video games or watching You Tube videos. This ability is one of the greatest gifts that parents with children on long haul flights will ever receive when it comes to flying. Embrace it!

Most international long haul flights from Western Canada will supply a personal entertainment device to allow each individual to choose and watch their own movies for free.  This, of course, is the best.

Other flights will supply a personal entertainment device or a show for a fee. Still others may offer free movies and shows on any device provided you have downloaded the airline’s app.  

The bottom line is that most airplanes on long flights should have some sort of electronic entertainment offered.

It is important for you to understand what might be available on each flight before you leave home. You should be able to go online and figure out what is offered.

However, aircrafts do change at the last minute with little to no notice. Try and be prepared for all situations.

A flight is not the time to be worried about the airline overcharging passengers to watch a movie.

Don’t forget headphones… the airline will most likely supply them, but for a fee!

Best Seating On Long Flights With Children

We rarely sit in a row together on long flights. We all prefer aisle seats near each other but not necessarily across from each other.

On the first day of our vacation, most of us are tired and a little short tempered. We all need our space and nobody wants to be in the middle seat.

In addition, my husband is 6’4″ and my boys are 6’3″ and 6’7″, and folding themselves into the middle or window seat is both difficult and uncomfortable for them.  

So, instead of forcing each other to be polite and socially engaging while confined to an uncomfortable seat for multiple hours, we accept the realities and work from there.

I do my best to get each of us aisle seats on long haul flights. Sometimes we are across the aisle from one another. Sometimes, we are not. This allows everyone to get up and walk around as much as they need without bothering each other or other passengers.  

It also allows the kids to decompress on the flight for as long as they need. They are welcome to go find each other to talk, or lean across the aisle to share a funny story, but they are also equally welcome to ignore their sibling or be left alone.

It is amazing how such a thin space – an aisle – can be both a barrier or a bridge, depending on the mood and feelings of the kids, and be one or the other without offending or restricting each other.

Contrary to what might be expected, this seating arrangement actually allows us to start to reconnect again.

Think about it…you can’t be the best husband, wife, child or sibling if you do not have the time to rest, rejuvenate and find yourself again. Being together on a flight but separate helps to start this process.

Last Word

In summary, for the best flight experience on a long haul flight with your children, you should consider:

• Feeding them as often as you can;
• Supplying candy and chips
• Agreeing to pop and greasy fast food;
• Ensuring easy and constant access to electronics; and
• Seating each other on a plane near but not necessarily next to each other.

If this sounds contrary to every parental fibre in your being, you are not alone. As I read this, I am struck by how appalled I would be if anyone suggested this as a way to raise my child.  

But, this isn’t about the other 364 days in a year. This is about the one day that you are brave enough to scoop up your children and take them on a family holiday.

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