Hey There,
Kev and I always planned on doing extensive travel when our first child was born, but that didn’t happen b/c ya know… Covid. So instead of traveling that first year of our kid’s life… we got pregnant again. Yay! But seriously though… yay!
Anyways we FINALLY did it! A few years later and an extra child in tow, but we finally jetted off on our first post-babies’ international trip to London & The Cotswold’s… for 9 days. All made possible because we booked the big-ticket items with points & miles.
Here’s how it went…
I’m still relatively new to points & miles but I’ve racked up a TON of Chase points in the past year – so I splurge and book a fancy hotel in London for 3 days. Because Europe is stingy about only having 3 people in a room and we have 4 – I had to book a suite. That’s 100,000 points gone but totally worth it. Here’s what it would have cost if we’d paid cash… No thanks! And here’s what we paid in points… much better.
I then book our flights with the Delta points I spent 10 years building up. At this point I know how to earn that many points in just a few short months, but I already have the points – we’re putting them to use. I book 4 Premium Economy round trip flights from LAX – LHR for 108,000 points/person + $319.05/person (because Delta charges Taxes/fees + fuel surcharge. Again – I know better now, but I have the points so we’re using them). If we’d paid cash for these flights, it would have been $3,253/person. YIKES!
Then I start to dig into all the TODDLER GEAR I am going to need for this trip. Holy hell. We buy 2 travel car seats with carrier bags b/c they’re $90 each which is cheaper than renting them for $20/day /car seat. We buy a carrier case for our gigantic and amazing Uppababy Vista dual stroller – I’m not ready to invest in travel strollers yet b/c I spent so much money on this puppy & I’m determined to get my use out of it. Then there’s rain gear, kindles, headphones, blow up little mattress thingy’s for the airplane so our kids will sleep… the list goes on. I buy ALL the stuff and yet somehow pack all 4 of us in carry ons only (minus the 2 car seats, which I checked… and the stroller, which gets gate checked). I’m so proud. I wonder why I couldn’t figure out how to pack in just a carry on before we had kids.
We fly there. Our kids are an absolute DREAM. It’s a miracle.
Days 1-3…
The dream quickly turns into a nightmare. Our kids don’t understand time changes. Nobody is sleeping. Everyone is cranky. We somehow manage to see a lot of London regardless.
Aha Moment: Next time we won’t hit the ground running in a big, busy, loud city. The kids need a few relaxing days to adjust to the time change.
Case in point.
Days 4-9
Get MUCH better. We head to the Cotswold’s. The kids do better in a slower paced environment. Plus, we’ve got an Airbnb so we can do laundry and they LOVE it for some reason. They want to spend THE ENTIRE TRIP in the flat. We learn to keep our expectations low and the 4 of us start to get into a groove.
We get to see a lot of what the Cotswold’s has to offer. Yay! I’ve been itching to come here for almost the entire decade I was building up those Delta points, I’m thrilled.
Oh, I forgot… on the way to the Cotswolds we stopped to do “The Making of Harry Potter ” tour. This one’s for me. Our kids couldn’t care less. But I am in my happy place. Another bucket list experience in the books and it’s even better because I got to share it with my kids… even though they have no idea who or what Harry Potter is, and they won’t remember any of this.
On second thought, it’s for me and my husband. Someone missed their calling as an actor.
Time to go.
We head to a park to burn off energy before our red eye flight. It works… they’re passed out before the flight even takes off.
Again, the kids are a TOTAL DREAM on the plane. One guy even stood up at the end of the flight and was SHOCKED to find out there were toddlers sitting behind him the whole time. PROUD MOM MOMENT! Also… hoorayyyyy! Our kids can travel! The beast is unleashed – as soon as we get home, I start booking more trips.
How? With my extra point stash! The plan is to go nuts while we can because once elementary school starts, they have to actually GO to school.
This was a total win in my book. And now I know a bit more about how my kids travel and can adjust accordingly for next time.
If you’re thinking of taking the plunge and going somewhere great with your kids in tow – good for you!
First time traveling with kids? Here’s a few tips:
- Give them a few days upon landing to adjust to the different time zones.
- Stop at a grocery store FIRST THING and pick up a butt-load of snacks. They’ll want to eat all the time but never when you’re sitting down to a meal.
- Get the blow-up mattress thingy’s for the flight. Total game changer.
- Give up on the ‘no screen time’ version of yourself for the flights. You’ll all be happier.
- Take some sort of high value treat so you can bribe them on the plane when you a tantrum is coming on. M&M’s worked well for us.
- Bring a water bottle, milk bottle or pacifier… whatever. Just something they have to suck on for take-off and landing. Helps regulate ear pressure.
- Don’t leave that water bottle closed during take-off or it will explode in your kids face when they go to drink from it and CAUSE a tantrum. Learned that one the hard way.
- Make sure you’ve got a few changes of clothes on the actual plane for both them and yourself.
- Lastly, even if they’re potty trained you might want to put them in a pull-up for the flight. The bathrooms are loud and can be scary and who knows if they’ll suddenly decide to hold it. Better to have options.
- Take a deep breath and CHILL. Once you get the inaugural flight out of the way, it gets much better. Even if they’re beasts… at least you’ll know what to expect.
Good luck & happy travels!
