Time to start booking - travelling with young children!

[RachaelOs]

Hi,

 

Very excited to have received our visas on Friday! Me, my husband and our 2 daughters aged 3 and 1 are now starting to make plans to head out in early May. I have no doubt I will have lots of questions but let's start at the beginning - Flights out there!

 

Our youngest daughter will be 18 months so won't get a seat unless we pay for one so I thought maybe instead of doing that we'd stop somewhere - Singapore or Thailand - for 2 or 3 nights. Just thought I'd see what peoples experiences have been with travelling with little ones of their laps, stopping over for a few nights somewhere - any magical ways of getting out there with children that won't scar us all for life!

 

thanks for any feedback xxx

[Caz and Ian]

great thread Rachel id be interested in this feedback X

[kadina]

Hello,

 

Weve done the flight when my son was just 3 months and he had the bassinet, but also when they were older 2.5years my son and my daughter then 15 months, I didn't even realise you could have that option of no seat at that age?? we paid a fraction of the adult cost for the kids tickets and he had a seat, we even paid when he was 3 months old, you may get lucky like we did and get some spare seats near you, once the flight gets going a lot of people move around to spare ones. Try and get bassinet seats you have little ones so you will get a look in but people with very young infants will get priority, it may be that you can get a bassinet seat for half the flight like we did this time. I personally don't recommend risking not having a seat it will not be a good idea to have them on your lap due to DVTs etc , I recommend Singapore for stopping over the airport is amazing and Singapore airlines xx

 

Hi,

 

Very excited to have received our visas on Friday! Me, my husband and our 2 daughters aged 3 and 1 are now starting to make plans to head out in early May. I have no doubt I will have lots of questions but let's start at the beginning - Flights out there!

 

Our youngest daughter will be 18 months so won't get a seat unless we pay for one so I thought maybe instead of doing that we'd stop somewhere - Singapore or Thailand - for 2 or 3 nights. Just thought I'd see what peoples experiences have been with travelling with little ones of their laps, stopping over for a few nights somewhere - any magical ways of getting out there with children that won't scar us all for life!

 

thanks for any feedback xxx

[DougM]

Back when I was young, I flew with British Eagle to Singapore and all little ones were put in "Sky-cots" These were bassinets that hung from the overhead lockers. Not sure how old babes had to be to get a seat.

[snifter]

We flew when our son was 22 months old. TBH we just went straight through with a few hours on the ground in Singapore airport to break the journey. I don't really go for stop overs as don't think its worth it with young kids. They don't appreciate the sights or the costs and all that lol, so get it over with. If you want to see Singapore and so on, go for it but remember you will have to still contend with your child in the city seeing the sights etc.

 

Having them on your lap isn't so bad. Consider carefully if you want a day or night flight out of the UK. We opted for night but if you are not keen to have a sleeping child on your lap sleeping then consider a day flight where they will be up and about, moving round, can watch the films etc. Look at the times you depart, land at stop over and take off again etc in local times so you can see. And you'll be able to work out the best times for your family and what ties in with your needs/wants.

 

Also consider your route. If you fly via Dubai you get a shorter first leg then a much longer second. If you fly via Asia its a longer first leg, shorter second. I prefer the latter and we now only go via Singapore and its airport as the facilities for those with kids are top notch. We always get a flight with a few hours at least in the airport so we can shower, freshen up, let our son on the soft plays, sky train and now he is bigger use the swimming pool on the hotel roof (open to all, not expensive and you get a towel and can shower etc). He had a fab time this time round and you can take younger children in it too. We just like it has decent things for kids and after hours stuck on a plane he loved being able to run round the soft play and stuff while we kicked back with a coffee.

 

Also I don't really get your logic in not paying for your child to have a seat but then paying to stop over for a few nights which will add up cost wise and may well come out to more or less the same as a seat on the plane when you factor in taxi to the city, hotel, food, spending money and so on. I'd pay for the seat and be done, have a few hours between flights to break it up (if the airport you stop at is decent for that).

 

I found Singapore to be the cheapest when we booked and they now offer the same 30kg luggage allowance in economy as Emirates. I also think they are a fab airline with kids and the service we have had from them when flying with them in the past has been top notch. We personally prefer the route via Asia also. Dubai does not appeal in the least for a stop over or sightseeing in any way shape or form to us.

[Guest Guest75]

Congratulations on the visa.

Don't fret too much abut the kids, yes it's a long day - but only a day to get here!

[RachaelOs]

Thanks everyone. It wasn't so much about saving money it was more about what would be best use of money - i.e. do people find stopping over for a few days beneficial for children. I read a thread the other day where lots of people spoke highly of Singapore airlines so I think I'll concentrate my efforts there. Exciting!

[amdaloia]

I am from Adelaide, my partner is English and we have two children (currently 28 months and 13 months) and we hope to get my partners visa approval later this year so will be looking at doing something similar by years end - relocating to Adelaide and flying with two young children.

 

My youngest will be under the 2 years bracket for purchasing a seat especially for him but to be honest we are going to do it anyways. (1) because he is a total wriggle bum and wont sit still being held for any amount of time so if he has his own seat he will be much happier (and so will we) (2) it gives you a bit more room to spread out so you arent cramped trying to deal with one let alone two children/toddlers who are active and who will get bored on the plane and who will need room to have their toys out to keep them entertained, and (3) it doesnt work out to be that much more expensive to pay for a baby fare (no seat) than a childs fare (which comes with a seat and baggage allowance).

 

As for stopping over and spending a few days in Singapore, I would say dont do it. You have to go through the whole rigmarole of packing and travelling twice on a trip when it would be better just to get it all over and done with in one day and deal with the jet lag and long flights all in one go. Yes it may be nice to have a few days to relax in Singapore and see the sights etc but can you face doing a long flight, dealing with living out of a suitcase for a few days and then having to do the packing and long flight all over again? I would say while it may be a bit tiresome and frustrating for the kids to do such a long journey at least it will be over and done with and you can spend those extra days in Adelaide relaxing and enjoying the lovely weather or hitting the beaches to unwind

 

We flew to Adelaide and back when our daughter was 9 months and she had the sky cot on British Airways and Qantas and to be honest it wasnt all that great. The BA flight had a bouncer type contraption which had to be secured to a table that came down off the wall and meant that you couldnt actually watch your tvs or have your trays pulled out properly while the child was in the bouncer . The sky cot however from Adelaide to Singapore on the Qantas flight was brilliant and was an actual cot attached to the wall which came down so bubs could sleep in it and we also used it as a little play pen for her when she was awake which was great. If you get that for all flights then you are lucky but they do have weight/age restrictions so if your kids are over the age/weight limit there is no point holding out for those seats.

 

Good luck with whatever option you chose - it really will be a personal choice and whether you think your kids will hold up to the long journey and no break except for the airport stopover or if they will need the break to make the journey easier for them (and you).

 

Also, all the best for settling in Adelaide - I love my home town and have missed it these past 7 years so I am definitely happy to have convinced my partner that moving back is the way to go for us as a family. Mind you waiting on the visa approval is killing me though:wink:

[flossybeth]

It's possible you've already booked by now but - I'd say for the extra cost the seat it's probably worth it as it will give you an extra luggage allowance too which will be handy - add in a few more toys or clothes to see you till your stuff arrives (if you're shipping it) and just having the extra seat will be good on such a long haul flight even if it's just so you can spread sideways with a sleeping child on your lap ...

 

Singapore was a good stop for us on our way the last time over but when we came 10 years ago on holiday and our two children were only 18 months & 6 months I don't think I could have contemplated a stop-over because it would have just been more logistics thrown in.

 

Enjoy your journey here though whichever way you come.

[Rammygirl]

Yes do it in one go. If you stop over you have to collect all your bags, get to hotel, check in etc etc. if you just have a few hours in Singapore between flights you don't need to deal with hold baggage. Aim for a 5 or 6 hour break, you can book a room for a short time if you want to sleep and get shower etc. best do this in advance though as they can get booked up. We have only managed showers because of this ( and pool has been closed on two occasions) but even that is surprisingly refreshing.

 

if you are travelling on an unused PR visa with Singapore you get an extra 10 kg hold allowance each too. And don't forget the carry on of 7 kg plus a handbag!

[Guest TheTodds]

Hi.

 

We flew out with a 20 month old and it was great. We flew from Manchester to Adelaide (Cathay Pacific) with a 2 night stopover in Hong Kong at Disney. It was perfect. We took both night flights so she slept the entirity of both flights and we have such magical memories from Disney. It cheered us up too after all the tearful goodbye's.

 

Good luck!!

 

 

 

Hi,

 

Very excited to have received our visas on Friday! Me, my husband and our 2 daughters aged 3 and 1 are now starting to make plans to head out in early May. I have no doubt I will have lots of questions but let's start at the beginning - Flights out there!

 

Our youngest daughter will be 18 months so won't get a seat unless we pay for one so I thought maybe instead of doing that we'd stop somewhere - Singapore or Thailand - for 2 or 3 nights. Just thought I'd see what peoples experiences have been with travelling with little ones of their laps, stopping over for a few nights somewhere - any magical ways of getting out there with children that won't scar us all for life!

 

thanks for any feedback xxx

[RachaelOs]

Thanks for the replies - I actually booked our tickets today. We're flying on the 7th May from Heathrow, about a 7 hour stopover in Singapore then back on the plane to Adelaide! So excited..... Expect lots of questions from me shortly! X