Travel Notes

Nigel and I are getting into a rhythm traveling together. There are some things that work for us, and some things we'll do differently next time. For starters, I think it was really helpful to practice going to the airport. The week leading up to our RVA trip, Nigel pulled his carry on bag around the house, pretended to walk through a security scanner and practiced taking his shoes on and off. Fortunately, I was allowed to carry Nigel through the scanner to and from RVA, but at least we were prepared.

On our way out of DFW, we got to the airport pretty early and also found that our gate had changed. Lucky for us, DFW has a train system that loops around the airport. Nigel (left, on the train) had a blast riding around. Our flight left a little after our normal lunchtime, so we packed sandwiches to eat before boarding. Additionally, DFW has playareas scattered throughout; there was one right next to our gate, so Nigel got out some extra energy! We had no issues on the way to RVA; Nigel watched his DVDs and behaved very well.

Our return to DFW was a little more challenging, but nothing major. First, I was given two tickets for Nigel and none for me.... and I didn't realize it until I was almost to the TSA agent. After I ran back to the ticket booth and we cleared security, we learned that since the plane had to depart from a short runway, the pilot could leave behind 30 people or dump fuel. He chose to dump fuel, which meant we had to make a pit stop in Nashville to refuel. I left the DVD player overhead in my pack, thinking I would get it when it was safe to use electronic devices and the seat belt sign was off. Mistake! There was so much turbulence that the pilot never turned off the seat belt light during the hour-plus-long flight. Nigel got a bit restless, but somehow I managed to keep him from a meltdown with snacks, books and the in-flight magazine. Next time I'll be sure to have the DVD player in my lap when we take off.

The next time we travel I'll also leave behind the stroller. Nigel hardly ever uses it anymore, but I brought it along just in case. Each way I checked the stroller at the ticket counter, and each time we landed I didn't remember it until we were halfway to the car. Not a big deal, but considering we didn't use it the entire time we were in RVA it was an unnecessary worry. I'll also bring along smaller suckers for the ascent and descent. Nigel wasn't able to suck on the Tootsie pop and Blow Pop (random suckers I'd saved from various places since we don't buy candy), and therefore he did complain about his ears.

How do you and your child navigate the skies?