International travel tips for traveling with kids

I am a compulsive planner. I cannot sleep at night because of the ideas that are wandering through my head. Last year, on my way home from Holland, I started a list (of course I cannot find it) of travel tips for kids when traveling in foreign countries. Here are a few tips that I came up with:



1. InFlight Entertainment: Pack over-the-head head phones. The cheap crap that the airline supplies do not fit on kids ears and fall off. The earbuds also do not stay in very well. This year I am purchasing these ahead of time! I spent 9 hours reattaching headphones to two sets of ears and I was ready to scream!
2. Order kids meals: We all know that airline food SUCKS! Make it suck a little less by logging into your itinerary a few days before your trip and ordering kids meals. These are usually grilled cheese, chicken fingers or mac n cheese. My kids are not big fans of scored flounder and chicken parmesan. (I wonder if they would care if I ordered one for myself?)
3. Traveling with a baby: Request the bulkhead seats and a bassinet on your flight. Most airlines have these specially designed bassinets that hook into the wall on the front seats. No one wants to hold an infant for 9 hours on an international flight. I also think no one wants to "splurge" on a $1,500 designated seat either. So give your arms and your nerves a break with this nap time necessity. Of course these are the most uncomfortable seats in the plane but at least you will have some extra leg room. :)
4. Hit the dollar store! I once had a friend suggest stopping by the dollar store before a big trip. Plan for one new activity for every hour of flight time. Card games, small puzzles, coloring books. This year we will have our iPads so I plan on downloading new games, music and videos. Also check your local library for DVD rentals and new book releases.
5. Benadryl: Ok, so before every one starts freaking out, hear me out. I have 2 very wild, loud and excited boys. We will be flying through the night. So how do you fool your child into thinking it is bedtime when really it is 4:00 in the afternoon? Skipping a nap will not cut it. They need several hours of good sleep to make our journey through customs (4am our time) a little more tolerable. I have had several doctor friends of mine that have recommended a little Benadryl to help expedite the REM.
6. Tattoo your child: I know this is the dumbest advice EVER! My husband and I once took our boys to Disney World. They were, of course, very active and FAST! They were gone in a nanosecond. As any parent knows, those few seconds when you cannot locate your child can be frightening. So we came up with a plan to write our name and numbers on their arm (in permanent marker) just in case the little buggers did manage to escape. I also put a note in their backpack with contact information. I always tell myself that if someone did try to kidnap my child they would return him very quickly but you cannot bank on that. :)
7. Borrow: If you plan to visit family, the most logical advice I can give is borrow! Every time we visit my husband's family we have an out pouring of helpful baby gear donations. From toys to cold weather gear (I never can pack for the right weather!) to pack n plays and car seats.
8. Take plenty of DVD's: As for every vacation, there is down time. Have you ever tried to watch Sponge Bob dubbed in another language? It isn't fun. Take plenty of DVD's to play on your laptop or download movies/TV to your smart phone. Note: our DVD's are formatted differently than most countries so don't plan on playing on movie night on any hotel players)
9. Medicate: It never fails that one of us gets sick when we travel. With kids you never know. Remember to pack children's pain reliever, cold and cough, neosporin and whatever else the season may call for. There is nothing worse than being in a foreign country and trying to find Motrin or Advil at 2am (when everything is closed!) They do not have 24 hour grocery stores in other countries. Ask your pediatrician for some emergency antibiotics. Sometimes, given the time of year and circumstances, they may oblige. Last year, I came down with the worst case of tonsilitis I have ever had. I spent one week of our two week vacation in the bed. When describing the symptoms they thought I could be contaminating their small town with the swine flu! (It was during the big outbreak) Their wimpy antibiotics hardly touched my infection. I wanted some good old amoxicillon so bad!

Of course, this is how we travel. It is by no means a guideline but mere suggestions. Please, please, please give me some travel advice! I am always looking for new and inspiring ideas on how to tackle traveling with these two wild kids of mine (that I love so dearly!) :) (wish me luck!)