New Zealand: Flying for the long haul with two kids in tow
DADDY, when do they bring the porridge,” a little voice from the middle seat piped up. My husband and I exchanged glances over her head. In the list of things that we had prepared our three-and-a-half-year-old for before travelling to New Zealand — going to sleep on the plane, using the toilet on the plane, sitting in a seat on the plane for a long time — we never thought to warn her that there wouldn’t be porridge on the plane.
Five flights, 45 hours, five countries — and two kids under four. When I kissed a Kiwi on a random New Year’s Eve in Cork, little did I realise that I was setting in train a series of events that would have us sitting into the car at 7am on a cold December morning, sleepy 15-month-old Maya and her big sister Hannah tucked up in the back as we embarked on the epic trip to New Zealand. We were off to spend three and a half weeks with Scott’s family who live outside Nelson in the north of the South Island. It was a chance to exchange winter for summer, hang out with his family and introduce the girls to their first cousins. That’s if we all made it in one piece — and were still talking to each other when we got to the other side.
There’s no cheap way of travelling with kids. Babies of any age are eligible for a percentage of the adult fare and, as soon as they turn two, it jumps substantially. That said, once you get over having to pay 75% of an adult fare for a small child, you realise that this means she has a seat to herself and, consequently, there are two laps to spare for the wriggly toddler. Which was just as well: the cheapest prices we could find were with Emirates and involved travelling direct. That’s the kind of cheap direct trip which involves two hours in Dubai, an hour in Singapore, a middle-of-the-night seven hours in Brisbane and then a two-hour scramble to change carriers and terminals in Auckland to catch the fifth flight to Nelson. It made me simultaneously anxious, exhausted and nervous even contemplating the timetable, but we took a collective deep breath, booked the tickets and I swung into packing-too-much mode. This, I have to admit, did include spending hours “researching” online and frightening myself with horror stories of children on airplanes.
Expecting the worst, we stood at the check-in desk in Dublin Airport and surrendered ourselves to the airways. From the moment we set out, Hannah was delighted with the whole thing, marching along and carrying, very proudly, her first backpack. As we settled ourselves for the first leg of the journey, she was fascinated with the world outside her window and then, when Scott set up her screen with a film — “can we watch DVDs in the morning? Wow!” — quickly absorbed into Toy Story 1, 2 and 3 which she watched repeatedly for most of the trip. Maya was a little more challenging and needed to be taken on regular parental-supervised walks around the aircraft where she did her utmost to charm anyone whose eye she could catch.
Dubai airport, even though we were there in the middle of the night, was bustling and crowded with speedy shoppers and sleeping bodies. Grabbing a complimentary pushchair, we whizzed the girls through to the next departure gate, changed them into pyjamas and had them running around in circles until we had to get on the plane. They were asleep before we took off, the only hairy moment being when Maya woke up screaming with teething pains and vomited on my skirt. A spoonful of Calpol, her monkey and a cot blanket from home ensured that she quickly settled back to sleep, much to the relief of those around us. The hour in Singapore was just enough time to get off the plane, get the kids out of their pjs and send them on a few races before we returned to the same, tidied up, seats.
For our seven hours in Brisbane, we had decided to leave the airport and go to a nearby motel. The plan was to give everyone a bath and then sleep until our taxi arrived for the return trip. That wasn’t how it worked. A thoroughly wound-up Hannah refused to lie down and kept up a running commentary, mimicking Scott snoring, and sending an exhausted Maya into fits of alternate giggles and tears. We eventually turned on the light, all cuddled up on the same bed, watched a film on our computer and ate up the supply of rice cakes. Before we flew out again at 8.30am, we did an extensive search of the airport but there was no porridge there either.
By the time we touched down in Auckland, Maya had fallen asleep so deeply that she didn’t wake all the way through disembarkation, luggage collection, customs and the walk to the domestic terminal. Scott and I could only look at her in envy. But we were so nearly there and, after coming off a packed international flight, it was a relaxed pleasure to walk out to a little propeller plane — no fuss, no silly liquids rule — to spend just 90 minutes on the Air New Zealand flight to Nelson.
And then we were there. The memory of watching the girls’ faces as they finally got to see their grandparents in real life — rather than over Skype — still makes me well up. Every cramped, uncomfortable. sleepless minute was suddenly worth it.
There were still 24 days-worth of golden minutes ahead of us until we had to get on an airplane again. And there would be porridge for breakfast.
1. Clothes: Dress to impress — if kids look cute, they get away with much more. Easy-to-remove light layers are essential as temperatures can vary a lot on planes. For a long trip, per child you’ll need two sets of day clothes, plus pyjamas.
2. Eating: After the first leg of the journey, when they didn’t have any meal for Hannah, I confirmed her food at each subsequent check in. She enjoyed the novelty of the kids’ trays but didn’t eat a whole lot. Classified as an infant by Emirates, Maya had no interest in jars of baby food but the tetra packs of baby milk were a lifesaver. Mealtimes rarely seemed to coincide with the girls being awake and/or hungry so zip-lock bags were handy for tray leftovers. Pack some familiar snacks along with a few (low-sugar) treats and their own small bottle of water, which they can suck for takeoff and landing.
3. Sleeping: There’s no point in trying to stick to any kind of schedule. Let the kids sleep when they will and grab some shut eye for yourself at the same time. Otherwise the small people aren’t the only ones who will be having meltdowns.
4. Activities: Emirates’ touchscreen entertainment system was easily manageable for Hannah but impossible to watch with Maya who was irresistibly attracted to changing channels. The airline was also good at supplying kids’ blankets, toys and magazines.
Good things we brought: Crayons, colouring pencils, small notebook, colouring books, sticker books, a familiar book and toy, pipe cleaners, sparkly bracelets, a new book, Hannah’s own backpack.
Things that were never used: Finger puppets, plasticine, snap cards, any toys with lots of bits to lose, child-sized headphones.
5 Visas: The girls and I — all on Irish passports — needed visas to leave Brisbane airport. This is easily sorted online but needs to be done in advance.
Every travelling child needs a special job to do and looking after teddy’s passport can now be an essential part of the trip. A brainwave from Cork woman Catherine Lougheed, these personalised documents for teddies, dollies, or any other child’s comforter are proving very popular with travelling teddies. The miniature person-alised passport includes teddy’s name, picture, and the child’s name. They cost €8.99 and are available from www.teddypassports.com. They also do blankies.
Tropical Sky is offering deals to South America in the next couple of months, featuring Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, and Peru. The prices range between €1,369 and €2,089, with airlines such as Delta, Iberia, KLM and Star Peru. Call 01 6649999 or visit www.tropicalsky.ie
Easter deals are available at the Park Hotel Kenmare, featuring a range of activities for adults and kids alike, including a family egg hunt. The two-night special offers one dinner, and entertainment for the kids. Prices are from €405pps and full details are on www.parkkenmare.com
Offering stunning views, the Renaissance Bosphorus Hotel is featured in a trip offered by Insight Vacations to Istanbul, ex Dublin, with Turkish Airlines. Prices for an April 13 departure begin at €1,329 and details are available on www.insightvacations.com or 01 7753803
In Cork, Franciscan Well Brewery has launched a tasting tour that is sue to get beer fans licking their lips. Built in 1219 on the present day North Mall, the 800-year-old site is in the heart of Cork’s vibrant historic quarter. With tasting, the tour costs €10. Details on www.franciscanwellbrewery.com
With restaurants so reasonably priced in Thailand, Discover Travel in East Cork is offering a deal on the four-star Khao Lak Merlin Resort in Phuket, where punters will be tempted by a food/drink/accommodation combo. Ten-night packages ex-Dublin are on sale at €1,659. www.discovertravel.ie
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