I'm a mam of seven and these are my top tips for travelling with kids

Corrina Stone is a travel blogger and a mum of seven (almost eight) children. She shares her best advice for travelling with children on flights and ferries, including how she never pays more for her family to sit together on a place

'In all of our years of travel as a large family we’ve never been split from our younger kids on a plane.'

As a mam of seven children who loves to travel you can bet your bottom dollar I’ve had my fair share of travel mishaps. Here are my top tips for travelling with kids to help you learn from my mistakes.

Double and triple check 

Before you book your holiday ensure you have travel insurance with good cover — including cancellation cover. Make sure your passports are in date: if you’re travelling within the EU, USA or Canada on an Irish passport it just needs to be in date for the duration of your trip. 

It’s also a good idea to have an up-to-date EHIC card for every member of your family when embarking on European trips. You can apply online or at your local health centre free of charge. Take a photograph of everything and email them to yourself so you always have a copy to hand.

Save on seats

I’m a firm believer in not paying extra when I don’t have to so I don’t pay for seat selection on flights. By the same token, I wouldn't expect anyone to move from their seats to accommodate us. Set an alarm for when online check-in opens to be one of the first to check in, this will greatly increase the likelihood of you getting seated together. 

For transatlantic flights be at the airport early to be near the top of the queue. In all of our years of travel as a large family we’ve never been split from our younger kids on a plane.

Corrina and Colin Stone, who are expecting a baby in October with their children, twins Orla and Aoife, 15, Oisin, 4, Cuan, 2, Lorcan, 7, Cillian, 10, and Seamus, 14. Picture: Moya Nolan

Savvy seating 

If you’re flying short-haul with an infant under two years old, you pay a flat infant fare of €25/£25 for them to sit on your lap for the duration of the flight. However, you can buy a child fare for your infant instead, ensuring you have a seat for them. They will still have to be on your knee for take-off and landing. 

Not only will this mean you have extra room during the flight but sometimes the child fare is cheaper than the infant fare. You just need to contact the airline after booking to advise them that the child ticket is for an infant.

Baby on board 

The majority of airlines will allow you to take two items of baby equipment free of charge for all babies or children up to the age of 12. You usually have the choice of a car seat, booster seat, buggy or travel cot. You don’t need to book these in advance but you do need to get tags for these items at the check-in desk or kiosk. 

I always bring our own car seats when we’re hiring a car for multiple reasons, such as we know the provenance of the seats, we know the seats are age appropriate for our kids and it saves a fortune instead of hiring them. I wrap our car seats in the kids' blankets and slip in their small pillows too for extra protection and pop them into a large zipped laundry bag. 

The added benefit is that the children have their own blankets and pillows so it helps them to fall asleep faster when on holiday. You then need to bring these to oversized baggage in the airport and collect them from the luggage carousel at your destination. Your buggy can be brought as far as the boarding gate. If you’re not checking in any luggage you can get a tag for your buggy at the boarding gate.

Keep them entertained 

Every time we travel each of our kids has an entertainment bag to bring on flights or ferries. Depending on the age of the child I pack these with snacks, colouring books, crayons, snacks, new little toys such as toy cars, reading books, snacks, small sticker books, magazines — did I mention snacks? Honestly, eating a small amount often has staved off many a toddler tantrum while travelling with my kids.

• Follow Corrina Stone and her family on her Instagram page, @itscherrystone. Corrina and her sister Sue also have a Facebook group called Mums on the Run, which offers travel advice for parents travelling with or without the kids.