Okay, so most of the time, we don't have the choice. We simply just have to get from A and B, and for many of us, that means travelling up to 24 hours to get there. Even an 8 - 12 hour flight can be a killer if your little people choose not to be the golden bundles of joy that we know and love (mmmm).
On many occasions, we
need to travel through the night. Picture this - hundreds of people are settling back and tuning into the latest flick, enjoying a bite to eat and a glass of wine, or catching up on some much needed zzzzz's. You, on the other hand, are wrestling 1, 2, or even 3 little people who JUST cannot get comfortable, JUST don't want to wear the ear phones, JUST have a sudden urge to run up and down the aisles, JUST want to kick the seat in front continuously, or JUST feel like screaming at full lung capacity, JUST because. Arghhhh!
I always thought night flights were the way to go. Pack some pj's, get them comfy, milk, all the usual bedtime routines, and hey presto, you have sleeping adorable children. And yes, that may work out well, and has in the past worked really well for me, but sometimes, it doesn't work, and you end up being that family from hell, the one that no one wants to sit next too.
On our recent flights from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur, we had two completely different experiences. Leaving Melbourne at midnight was really tough for all. Both my four and two year old were wide eyed and ready to play after a couple of hours of hurtling through the bright lights of Melbourne Airport. Settling them down on board a midnight flight when they proceeded to serve dinner and drinks before turning the lights off several hours later, was really really tough on my little hips. One woman even had the audacity to complain! You should have seen the evil looks that I gave her...
The return flight however was a completely different story. 9pm is my new favoured flight departure time. Just a few hours after bed time means the hips had a few hours of being 'staying up with the grown ups' before settling down in their seats, watching a quick cartoon over dinner, and then settling into a wonderful slumber! Hubby and I even got to watch a movie, and have a snooze ourselves. Bliss. We were even complimented on our well behaved children (thankfully they had not seen our terrors on the journey over!)
So, if you have the luxury of choosing a flight time, its well worth considering the age of the child. Babies are pretty good at any time, however when they become slightly older, its all rather exciting, regardless of how tired they are. Of course, remember to pack all those essential bits that you'll need - check out this
packing list for more info.
And most important - remember you all paid pretty much the same to be on that flight, so you've all got the right to be there. Just make sure you ignore those evil passengers who give you the eye!
Alternatively, get yourself down to your local cafe and celebrate all things yellow by buying yourself a Lemon Slice. And being 'with child' at the moment, there is absolutely no way I can refuse any thing lemon flavoured, and a lemon slice just hits the spot. My personal favourite one of my local cafes, Gourmet on Gamon - the best lemon slice in the West of Melbourne (methinks). Have a read of our friends at Little Eats review of this bubba friendly cafe (and many more of course).
