Twelve Signs you are Travelling with Children

Struggling through the airport with way too much hand luggage? Crawling around on the airplane floor looking for a half-eaten chocolate biscuit? Jeans covered in an unknown sticky substance? Chances are you are travelling with children. Read on to check-off the other giveaway signs.

Travelling with Kids

  1. You no longer scowl at the woman with a screaming baby on the plane. You give her a sympathetic smile and thank God that it’s not you.
  2. You have unidentified smears and wet patches on your clothing. Being in a confined space for any length of time with small children is just a disaster waiting to happen.
  3. You’re travelling with obscene amounts of luggage. Remember when you used to be able to go away for a weekend with just a carry-on bag? Not anymore. Now you have to take a travel cot, huge pile of nappies, wet wipes, teddy bears, sippy cups, buckets & spades, snacks, toys – that’s three suitcases-worth right there.
  4. You find yourself googling “best family attractions” instead of “best cocktail bars” when planning your holiday.
  5. You’re obsessively watching for the seat belt sign to go out, so you can pull out the iPad and put Frozen on. And because it means the drinks trolley will be coming down the aisle soon.
  6. You’ve run out of animals on Old MacDonald’s farm, the song of choice on many a road trip. Just what sound does a llama make anyway?
  7. You’re crawling around under the airplane seats looking for a dropped pacifier/cookie/toy/crayon* (delete as appropriate).
  8. It takes you five hours to watch a 90-minute movie on the plane.
  9. You’re raiding the hotel breakfast buffet for your kids’ afternoon snacks.
  10. You get excited when you discover your hotel has a playground or a sandpit or a pool with a slide (or better yet, a kids club).
  11. You are sitting on a bed in a darkened hotel room whispering to each other while you try not to make your fork clatter on your room service plate. Or you’re sitting on the bathroom floor reading your book while you wait for the kids to fall asleep.
  12. You’re fantasizing about your pre-children holidays: “Remember when we used to drink gin & tonics on the plane without it ending up in our laps?” “Remember when we used to lie on sunloungers and read our books in peace?” “Remember when we used to have holiday sex?”

4 thoughts on “Twelve Signs you are Travelling with Children”

  1. A very accurate post, I especially like point 11, sitting in a darkened room whispering to each other – it seems we often end up in that boat 😉
    Having two boys I haven’t experienced Frozen, but Cars and Cars 2 I can recite word for word.

    Reply
    • Thanks Matt! Yes we have also done that many a time – along with sitting on the bathroom floor reading my book while I wait for the kids to fall asleep… all part of the fun of traveling with kids! Perhaps you should treat yourself to a viewing of Frozen just so you can know what all the fuss is about!!

      Reply

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