Tips for getting ready for 2014

Even though I'm not planning any big international trips in 2014, I have a checklist of items I like to look at at the start of each year, many of which will apply to both international and domestic trips. Here are some of the travel-related activities I like to start off the year with:

• Check passport for both available pages and expiration dates. If you're planning on traveling overseas, it's good to have at least two blank pages available in your passport. Additionally, some countries require you to have a certain amount available before your passport expires before you can enter.
  
• Start checking airfares. Kayak is one of my favorite airfare comparison search engines. If you are traveling internationally, I recommend Vayama which specializes in international flights; I used the latter to find an awesome airfare to India in 2009. You can also use Bing.com's price predictor to figure out whether you should buy now or wait for a better deal (this service was previously known as Farecast).
  
• If you are traveling internationally, determine whether you need a visa. Obtaining a visa can be tiresome and bureaucratic; I still have nightmares of the amount of time and paperwork required to obtain my husband's Indian visa in 2009.
  
• Check with your insurance to find out what your coverage is while traveling overseas. In general, it's a good idea to review your coverage every year and to understand what's available to you when you're away from home, especially when it comes to out-of-network charges.
  
• Borrow a guidebook/video from your local library or discount bookstore on any places you might like to visit. Guidebooks are constantly being revised and unless you know 100 percent you're visiting that place, it's probably not worth sinking a lot of money into the books. In the past, I've used my Kindle to look up information on the Internet or buy guidebooks when I'm actually "in country".
  
• Review your vaccinations and determine if you need any new vaccines (Yellow Fever, for instance, comes to mind for some parts of South America) or a booster (Pertussis is an example). You might also want to talk to your doctor about any necessary vaccinations or medical care/precautions for your self and/or your children. If you're visiting someplace where malaria is an issue, there are medications you can take beforehand and afterwards, for instance.
  
• If you are a member of Costco, you can check out their travel deals, including discounts on car rentals that are about $20 to $40 cheaper (in our experience) than nearly anywhere else we look and can sometimes feature additional benefits such as a free second driver and a discounted rate on a GPS. We routinely rent our cars using a Costco discount.
  
• If you are renting a car at your destination, talk to your insurance agent about what your car insurance covers. You might also review your credit card to see if you have some additional protection there. Many times rental companies offer additional insurance coverage for a charge that you don't need to take because you're already covered by your personal policy and/or your credit card.

Link of the Day: Take these steps to make your air travel better

CNN has a neat article on how to make your travel experience better. You can read their tips here.

The Transportation Security Agency (TSA) Holiday Checklist

If you are traveling during this holiday season, take a look at the TSA's travel tips/checklist. It gives a good rundown on what's allowed, what's expected, and where to get good information. It's especially helpful if you're not a frequent traveler or if you're coming to the United States from another country; we do have some differences in our security procedures such as needing to take off shoes when going through the TSA checkpoint. You can also check the TSA's website here if you need more details.

Can you take milk on an airplane?

A common concern that comes up a lot from parents traveling on airplanes with small children is how TSA deals with milk -- either cow milk, formula or breast milk. The short answer is YES, you can take milk in reasonable quantities through security (note: "reasonable" is obviously a judgement call, but be prepared to explain why you have the amount of food on you that you did; we had 12 food pouches on us when we flew to Singapore and were questioned on the quantity. Once we explained where we were going and that we expected our 11 month old to need one packet every 3 hours, TSA told us we were fine) . However, some things to make taking milk through security easier:

1. Carry your baby's food in a separate carry-on and declare ahead of time -- BEFORE you start putting your things in the x-ray machine -- to the TSA that you are carrying baby food. Carrying it in a separate bag will make it easier for you to take it out when TSA asks.
   
2.  If your child is old enough, you could consider using milk boxes, like the Horizon Organic ones. Unfortunately, they do not have whole milk options, but for a short trip, it might be a good and convenient option (and less messy too!).
   
3. If you are taking formula, I recommend taking powdered, not ready-to-feed formulations; I did hear one horror story from a mom who had to cancel her trip after TSA made her open every single one of her ready-to-feed formula bottles and as a result, she had to throw them out as she didn't have enough for the trip. When we traveled with formula, we always took the individual Enfamil formula packets as well the tub as a back-up. We never had a problem.
   
4. You can also ask the flight attendants for milk. We have started to take this approach because it's the easiest option.
   
5. Buy milk/water once you have passed through security. Items purchased after you go through security are perfectly acceptable to bring on the airplane.

Expect to go through additional security screening because you are bringing milk on-board an aircraft. Most of the time, this check consists of a visual screening and also scanning through a special machine that does not involve opening the package. Always be prepared, however, to actually open the food/beverage you're bringing through and plan accordingly. Once I got a full body pat-down as well.

You'll also find that strictness varies airport by airport and also day by day. When we flew to India, TSA in Newark scanned every single one of our formula packets (and we had 16!) and I noticed they were scanning another woman's baby bottles -- she had 5-6 of them. Our home airport, however, just ran 2-3 of our formula packets through their scanner, visually checked our food pouches, and called it a day. Expect the type of screening we encountered in Newark to be the norm though and plan accordingly.

As always, I recommend carrying copies of TSA guidelines on you just in case you run into someone who says you cannot bring milk for your baby through security.

The Disney Experience app

If you are heading to Disney World, the article referenced in this post recommended using the My Disney Experience app. I've linked to the Android version but I'm sure you can find the app in the iTunes store as well. Note that it's absolutely free and provides lots of useful information for your visit including maps and more importantly, wait times and FASTPASS information.

Happy August 1st!

I know it's been a while since my last post, but I had a good reason, honest! My in-laws were in town for a week so we spent the week prior to their visit getting the house in ship-shape and then after they left, we were still motivated by the projects we'd begun before they came and it just slipped my mind to come and update the blog.

That being said, I want to talk about visiting grandparents and the impact on kids. Not so much a travel story, but I've noticed since my kid has gotten older, she has become much, much more aware of the people around her and she develops deep and strong attachments to certain people. She is very interested and attached to both sets of grandparents and so when they leave after visiting, she's definitely a sad little cookie.

Since both sets of grandparents live out of town and don't visit frequently, we've taken to Skyping them quite frequently. At my daughter's age, she just wants to see their faces, maybe say a few words. Her attention span is quite literally 30 seconds for nearly any activity, even for beloved grandparents! However, I've noticed once she sees their faces on the computer screen, she's a much happier kid. It's almost like she needs to be reassured that they are still out there and not gone forever. It also helps to show her pictures of the visit so she can remember some of the happy times they spent together.

As she gets older, I'm sure the Skype conversations will get more involved and she will be more participatory. I'm just glad she'll be able to maintain relationships with out-of-town relatives so easily and fluidly. Isn't technology grand?

Tip for Hawaii

We were in Hawaii last month and wow oh wow, things are expensive there! Friends and family had forewarned us, but I kind of laughed off the warnings. How much more expensive -- 25% -- I wondered? Well, the first night we were there, we went grocery shopping and half a loaf of bread -- HALF A LOAF!!! -- cost $6. Whole organic milk -- 96 ounces, so not even a full gallon -- was knocking on the door of $8. We honestly couldn't believe the prices.

Going with my philosophy of packing light, I had checked ahead of time to find out if there was a Target on the island we were visiting (Kauai). There wasn't and I didn't bother looking for any other stores. We had already located a bunch of grocery stores so I figured anything we really needed like diapers or wipes could be found there easily. Once we got to Kauai, we did find out that there was a Wal-Mart and a chain of drug stores called Long's. We mentally made a note and went on our merry way.

On our second day on the island, we were listening to the radio and heard that there was a restaurant opposite the Costco -- wait, hold the horses, COSTCO? It had never occurred to me to investigate whether a Costco was in the area. After all, it's a big warehouse store and Kauai is not a big place. We ended up locating the Costco and lo and behold, it had a gas station. At this point, I probably sound like a crazy person who has never seen a store before, but gasoline prices on the island were running around $4.50 to $4.60/gallon at the end of May 2013. Costco's gas station was $4.17/gallon. A pretty substantial savings, especially since we filled up a couple of times, including just before returning the car to the rental agency.

Inside the store, we found another surprise. All the same "tourist" products were available but at much less cost. For instance, we found a package of 12 Mauna Loa chocolate covered macadamia nuts for $25, compared to an average price of $3 to $4/box at the grocery store. Kauai coffee was $15 for a 24 ounce bag of beans compared to the same price at the actual coffee plantation for a 14 ounce bag. We didn't check the price of produce there, but for dry goods, we found the prices were pretty comparable to the mainland. Of course, I think you'd have to spend A LOT of time in Hawaii to make it worth purchasing the 8-pound pack of pasta, but for certain products, it might very well be worth it.

So, that's the frugal tip of the day -- if you're going to Hawaii (or heck, any expensive place), check to see if there's a Costco or Sam's Club or BJ's available to save some bucks. Do note that you must be a member of those stores to shop there.

Link of the Day

I thought this article was great: How to survive plane travel with toddlers.

What I like about it is that the author is completely realistic about what it's like to travel with a toddler and how difficult it is and no two situations are alike. Well put.

Link of the Day

It seems like I've been posting a lot of travel-related stories lately but I hope you find the information useful! Here's another story: New trick to get the best seat in coach. Not exactly kid-related but could have some information and product recommendations that you find useful.

One little point I will quibble with -- don't think you actually get noise cancelling headphones in first class, though for the amount of money airlines charge for first class, you certainly should! If you are looking for noise cancelling headphones that work great but don't cost an arm and a leg, check out Able Planet Clear Harmony Active Noise Cancelling headphones. I got these for my husband for a Father's Day gift last year and he loves them. Right now, they are priced at $129 but I've seen them as low as $89.

Looking for input

Have you ever used a breast pump on an airplane? In a car? Please share your experiences here in the comments! Please include any details you think would be helpful to other parents. Thank you!

If you're gate-checking a stroller or carseat...

Gate checking baby gear (i.e. carseats, strollers) on most airlines at the time of this writing is still free as long as the gear meets the airline's requirements for a gate check (for example, American Airlines requires any stroller over 20 pounds to be checked as regular baggage; check with your airline to make sure your gear meets their requirements so there are no surprises at the gate!). However, to save time, when you get to the gate area, talk to the gate attendant immediately about needing a gate check. They'll tag your item and will answer any questions you might have right there and then so you don't have to worry about the process while trying to board the aircraft.

When boarding the aircraft, step to the side of the ramp (just before the aircraft door) to fold your stroller or any other preparations you need to to do prior to leaving the gear, so other passengers can pass you easily. Make sure the gate check tag is clearly visible on your gear so the crew know it needs to be loaded on the aircraft.

When deplaning the aircraft, you'll need to stand on the ramp to wait for the gate check items to be returned to you. Most of the time, gate checked items are not returned to passengers with other baggage items, but at the aircraft door. Again, it's helpful and considerate to stand to the side so other deplaning passengers can move past easily while you're waiting for your checked items to appear.

If you have any questions about any airline's policy, do check with the gate attendant prior to departure or with the flight crew before you deplane.

A tip from a friend

A friend the other day shared her best air travel tip and it's so simple but so very awesome. I'm jealous I didn't think of it myself!

My friend advises families traveling together to split up before boarding the flight with Mom and kids (or Dad and kids or whatever permutation your family may be!) being the absolute last to board. Have another family member board on time with their boarding group to secure overhead baggage space and then speak to the gate attendant about being notified at the absolute last minute to board the aircraft. This way one member of the family gets the overhead space needed and the kids aren't on a plane waiting and waiting for everyone else to board.

My husband is always in the first boarding group so we always board together and the result is we sit on the plane for at least 30 minutes waiting for the entire aircraft to be boarded and baby is always antsy during this time as we can't pull anything down from the overheard bin for her to play with and she's pretty much exhausted all other options such as the flight magazine while we're waiting for boarding to finish. Following this tip means my husband is the only one who sits on the aircraft waiting while baby gets an extra 15-20 minutes to run around in the gate area before we board.

If you try this, let me know how it works for you! And remember, key to this plan is to let the gate attendant know what you're up to, so they know to tell you when the aircraft doors are about to close.

Going to the bathroom while traveling alone with baby

Safaa raised the question of how to handle the call of nature while traveling alone with baby? Depending on the mode of travel, the question of bathroom usage can be very tricky. I've had experiences traveling alone with baby by air and also by car so hopefully my hints can be helpful to you. I will say that it's not easy and can be stressful.

First, traveling by air, I found a friendly flight attendant to hold baby while I went to the bathroom. I wasn't terribly concerned about asking someone on the flight to hold baby for me, but I definitely preferred a flight attendant and luckily, found one who was willing! Just be advised that you'll need to wait at least until all flight attendant duties are over -- i.e. meals and beverage -- before asking and when the seat-belt sign is off. If no flight attendant is available when you need to go, consider asking a fellow passenger who looks friendly and responsible; there is always a grandmother or a mom who wouldn't mind a few minutes of baby time on board. Finally, as a last resort, you can take baby into the restroom with you and seat baby on your lap while going. This last bit is awkward and clumsy but if you're concerned about leaving your child with a stranger, this is probably your best bet. If you baby-wear, that's another option as well.

Traveling by road is a little easier, but I would never ask a person I find in the bathroom at a rest stop to hold/watch baby. Too many escape routes. At least on an aircraft, you know it's very unlikely for the person you ask to watch baby to take off with said baby.

When traveling by myself on the road, I usually put baby in a stroller and then wait for the handicap stall to be available and then wheel baby in and then use the bathroom myself. In many cases, the handicap stall is the one that has the changing table in it so I can take care of baby at the same time. If you baby-wear, that's another option as well. And if you're really, really lucky, some bathrooms have stalls that are equipped with a child seat attached to the wall that you can strap baby into while answering the call of nature. IKEA stores, by the way, have this nifty seat as do some airports.

Above all, when you are traveling by yourself  with baby, be hyper aware of your surroundings, especially on the road. Know the route well, travel in broad daylight, and carry a cell phone to let your loved ones know where you are. If something doesn't feel right to you, don't take a chance and keep going until you feel comfortable and safe.

Talk back to me

Do you have any tips or questions about traveling with a baby? Share them with me! I can be reached at seemag1@yahoo.com.

Rules & Regulations for Children on Airplanes

Here is a good summary of traveling on airplanes with children. Additional information provided by TSA can be found here. I know a lot of parents will print out the page on carrying food for children to show TSA "just in case" there are any problems at security, especially those carrying a breast pump and breast milk; personally speaking, we've had ZERO problems with TSA when carrying formula powder and food pouches through security. They just require us to remove them ahead of time for some additional scanning. Still, if it's a concern, it's worth having a copy of the regulation on you.

Car Seats

Car seats are obviously required for car travel but can also used in airplanes if purchasing a seat for an infant (child under age 2; after age 2, child must travel in their own seat). I recommend the following when researching a car seat purchase. Check out Car-Safety.org and also The Car Seat Lady and also NHTSA for tips and recommendations on what seat to buy. The Car Seat Lady has a huge section on using carseats on airplanes here and it's well worth checking out.

Breastfeeding and car trips

I've talked a lot about airline travel just because we have so much experience with it and tend to travel that way a lot, but car trips with a baby can be equally stressful!

When Baby was between 4 to 8 months old, I traveled about 3 hours one way by car by myself and it was definitely stressful since I couldn't really check on Baby unless I stopped the car and if she was upset, I had to stop wherever I was to console her or feed her. Luckily, I knew the route I was traveling like the back of my hand so I knew of good and safe places to stop. However, a few times, I was caught unaware with a hungry baby who was rejecting her bottle and I had to pull over on shoulders to breastfeed. One time, I pulled in the parking lot of an abandoned and dilapidated restaurant and another time, it was just a 'park area' in a wood area. Scary. I sat in the back of the car with Baby hoping for a fast feed so I could get the heck out of dodge!

My biggest tips to breastfeeding moms whose babies won't take a bottle during the drive is to carefully study the route ahead of time (if you don't already know it well) and pick out good places to stop along the way. Always try for a populated area but as my experience has shown, it's not always possible! Ask friends/family for recommendations and perhaps check out the route on Google maps to identify large population areas where there could be a convenient area to pull off.

I don't have any experience, by the way, of pumping while in the car (I'm assuming the pumping is not happening while driving!), so if anyone has any thoughts to share on the subject, please do so!

Changing diapers on an airplane

If you're on an airplane for any length of time, you know you're going to have to change a diaper. Our standard operating procedure is to change baby a few minutes before boarding and then hopefully she can hold out until we land (provided the flight is 3 hours or less). However, we all know this isn't always possible.

I've heard different schools of thoughts on changing diapers on planes and there is a certain segment that advocates changing the baby right on the airplane seat. Let me stop you right there. Don't do it. The flight attendants won't like it (and one actually stopped me the first and only time I attempted it with a stern "No"), the other passengers will not like it, and finally, it's simply not sanitary. Remember, those planes are only cleaned in the most cursory manner between flights so any bacteria etc left behind from the diaper change will be traveling along with others long after you're gone.

The best place to change the baby is in the airplane restroom and most airlines do have changing tables. Trust me, I know it's not easy to move in one of those bathrooms, I know you have to wait in long lines sometimes because not all of the stalls on an airplane have changing tables, and I know those bathrooms are not always clean and sanitary. Still it's the most considerate and hygienic thing you can do for your fellow passengers and the best part is, you have no issues actually disposing of the diaper and wipes as the trash can is right there.

Here are some tips to make the diaper change on an airplane easier:

1. Undress baby as much as possible at your seat.

2. Take only what you need into the bathroom. Leave the diaper bag behind and carry a changing mat, a small pack of wipes, diaper rash cream, and a diaper into the bathroom. On one super long flight, we made individual baggies holding supplies for the diaper change, including disposable changing pads, and when it was time for the change, that's all we took into the bathroom. We then put the wipes, dirty diaper, and changing pad into the baggie and disposed of the whole thing right there.

3. If the wait is really long for the stall with the changing table, do ask the flight attendant if they can help you. We once waited 15 minutes and finally asked the flight attendant for help.They called up to First Class, found out the bathroom was empty, and promptly escorted us there for the diaper change.

4. Handle any change in wardrobe at your seat. It's easier and most people aren't going to get bent out of shape by seeing a baby receiving a wardrobe change.

While most airplanes do have a changing table that folds out from the wall just behind the toilet, there are a few models of aircraft that don't. United Airlines' 757-200 series of aircraft do NOT have changing tables in any of their bathrooms and it makes for a very, very uncomfortable diaper change. I put the cover down on the toilet and changed baby there. I hated every minute of it and so did she. I've flown that particular model of aircraft twice in the last two months and every time, I've dreaded the diaper change. In the most recent flight, a flight attendant offered me a blanket to lay over the toilet and while I didn't take her offer, in retrospect, I should have. I'm still looking for good ways around this situation, so if anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them!

Link of the Day

If you have children (or even if you don't), at some point you'll be considering a trip to Orlando to visit Disney World. But what if Disney isn't your cup of tea? There are other things to do in Orlando as the article Going Beyond Disney in Orlando shows.

Link of the Day

The NY Times has some neat tips on how to save money on travel in 2013 and they aren't necessarily what you would expect. I especially like the tip on picking up the phone and talking to people. Recently, my husband and I booked a hotel overseas through a national travel website, but then learned we could get a cheaper rate by booking directly through the hotel. The cheaper rate even included breakfast! For other savings, check out For Traveling Savings in 2013, Go Retro.