June 25, 2025 • 25 mins
Join travel advisors and destination experts Ryan and Julie as they share essential tips for navigating airports with young children. From pre-trip preparation to boarding strategies, this episode covers everything parents need to know to make family travel less stressful and more enjoyable.
Key Topics Covered
Pre-Travel Preparation
- Working with travel advisors for comprehensive packing lists
- Essential gear: strollers with travel bags, baby carriers, and separate backpacks for kids' items
- Prepping children mentally for their first flights through books, toys, and step-by-step explanations
Airport Navigation Strategies
- TSA PreCheck benefits for families (kids included under 18)
- Seat selection importance - budget for assigned seating
- Southwest Airlines family boarding tips and restrictions
- Document requirements: birth certificates for children under 2
Packing Essentials for Kids
- Snacks (multiple varieties)
- Comfort items: stuffies, blankets, loveys
- Layers and change of clothes
- Entertainment arsenal: activity books, fidget toys, magnetic tiles, reusable stickers, mess-free coloring kits, building toys, and tablets with downloaded content
Security and Boarding Tips
- Stroller handling through TSA
- Baby carrier protocols
- Gate check procedures for strollers
- Managing boarding passes and parent assignments
- Ear pressure solutions: avoid lollipops, use crunchy snacks like goldfish
Transportation Planning
- Budget for hourly airport parking vs. shuttle services
- Plan transfers in advance (airport to hotel, hotel to cruise port)
- Consider car seat requirements for ground transportation
Expert Advice Highlights
- Start with shorter flights for first-time flying families
- Keep kids in strollers until reaching the gate
- Choose iced coffee over hot when chasing kids
- Maintain low expectations to reduce stress
- Proper preparation prevents most travel disasters
Where in the World
This week's featured listener location: Tupelo, Mississippi - birthplace of Elvis Presley, featuring his childhood home, museum, and memorial chapel.
Want to plan your next family adventure? Visit Wonder and Beyond Travel for personalized travel planning that takes the stress off your plate.
Next Episode Preview: Sports travel - how to cheer on your favorite team or attend bucket list sporting events.
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Visit our website www.allthingstravelpodcast.com and click on "Plan Your Next Vacation"
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to all things
Travel.
Families with younger kids tendto be hesitant to travel.
It's hard enough parenting athome, let alone packing all the
kid related items, the kidsthemselves, and bringing all
that through the airport.
That's what we're here fortoday.
We're gonna share the best waysto survive the airport with the
(00:20):
little ones in tow.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (00:23):
Listen in with travel advisors and
destination experts.
Ryan and Julie.
He's your travel professorteaching you everything you need
to know to have a magicalvacation.
And I'm a Disney loving Marylandmom of three and a specialist in
family travel.
we're discussing incredibledestinations.
Top vacation tips or sharingpersonal stories?
(00:43):
It's always all things travel.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (00:48):
So Julie, both of our sets of kids
have traveled since very young
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (00:54):
Yes.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (00:55):
the stories that are in my brain of
situations that we've gottenourselves into, or, you know, I,
I remember, you know, I.
Well, I'm, no, I'm not gonnaembarrass my kids Caleb did such
a good job last week on thepodcast.
I'm not going to mention, havingto quickly put a diaper on him
in the plane so that he didn'thave an accident.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (01:18):
Poor Caleb.
Okay.
Alright, so I'm interested Ryanif things feel the same as what
you were doing or if you'relike, okay, I didn't do that
ryan_1_06-08-2025_1 (01:28):
absolutely.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (01:29):
compare and contrast
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (01:31):
this is such your wheelhouse, I did
not have smaller kids when Ifirst started.
doing travel and that's alwaysbeen your focus.
it's interesting because, havingsmall kids that travel, and
growing up, traveling throughairports, my daughter now goes
on trips for, her college or herteams and she just can't stand
(01:54):
it.
Because she's like, they don'tdo it right.
People don't know what they'redoing.
she's like, I have TSA precheckand nobody else does, so I can't
use it.
Or they don't know where thegate is, it's been interesting
to kind of watch her navigatethat because, she's been
traveling on planes since shewas a baby.
she started as a lap infant andwent from there.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (02:12):
those lap infants.
How fun.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (02:15):
Well, hey, before we get into all of
these great tips for travelingwith kiddos, especially through
the airport, I wanna remindfolks that last week we talked
about a really fascinating trendin travel and that is yachting
vacations.
Whether it's a catamaran, asailboat, a small yacht, or a
group yacht, there are lots ofdifferent options for yachting.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (02:38):
All right, so we are gonna start
with the, before you get to theairport part of this, which is
prepping and packing.
I'm just gonna go through myplans as far as that goes, and
what I tell my clients to do.
The way that you start all ofthis is working with a travel
advisor that can give you anextensive packing list to
(02:59):
include all the kids specific
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (03:00):
Yeah.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (03:01):
and then going to purchase all of those
items.
things that I always think aboutwhen I am getting ready to take
my kids through an airport isbringing my stroller.
has a travel bag and a strollercaddy, which is like that top
thing that you
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (03:18):
huh.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (03:19):
drink or your snacks in, and being able
to fold your stroller.
fit it into the bag.
I have so many clients that arelike, well, I don't really wanna
bring my stroller.
I don't know how much I'm gonnause it in whatever destination
they're going to.
and I'm just like, yeah, but itkeeps them contained and I think
that is like, you can't discounthow helpful that is to have them
(03:43):
sitting in the stroller, buckledin, not running around while
you're carrying your luggage.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (03:49):
So you're going to laugh at this,
Julie,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (03:51):
God,
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (03:52):
as you're talking about this.
I think I have only evertraveled air wise with an
umbrella stroller.
I don't think we ever traveledwith a real stroller on a
flight.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:08):
That be nice.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:10):
Yeah,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:11):
part of it too, is we go to Disney so
much and you know that when youget off
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:16):
sure.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:16):
MCO at Orlando International, you're
not like.
Where you're
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:22):
A
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:22):
exiting the airport
ryan_1_06-08-2025_1 (04:23):
Absolutely.
Yes, totally, totally.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:26):
then you have to go over here for
baggage.
You have to go over there formirrors connect.
Like there's a lot of back andforth walking, so I just always
say get
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:35):
I'm not saying it was a good idea,
I'm just relaying our, yeah.
Yeah.
I,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:39):
should have talked
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:40):
the first two times I went to Disney
with the kids, we rented thestrollers at the parks, and by
the third time they didn't needstrollers.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:51):
Okay.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:52):
So very different experience, but
that's okay.
That's what makes it good.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:55):
that's what I'm here for.
So I also like to do, if, one ofmy kids is under the age of one,
I like to have them in one ofthose carriers that I can wear.
again, part of that is because Ihave three little minions, so.
I don't always wanna bring mytriple stroller everywhere.
It's nice to have one kidcontained on me.
They can sleep and the otherone's in the stroller.
(05:15):
And I'll talk a little bit moreabout how that works on the
plane
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (05:19):
Hmm.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (05:19):
and with security later.
I also like to recommend thatyou have a separate book bag for
all the kids' items, and this iswhere you end up doing a lot of
the prep work for traveling withthem on the airplane.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (05:30):
So I do have a story about this'cause
I agree with you a hundredpercent.
the second time my family wentto Disney, it was a surprise for
the kids
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (05:40):
Oh.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (05:41):
so.
I was in charge of the packingand I kept getting Miriam's
things throughout the day, andshe kept figuring out that
things were gone.
every night it's like, where aremy markers?
it's the day before the trip andwe're packing in the bedroom and
like she's, she went to bed, butwe would give her some time
(06:04):
'cause she was older to, andshe's like knocking on the door.
She's like, someone is stealingmy stuff.
Like, she's like, so seriously.
She's like, I don't know what'shappening, but there are things
missing from my room.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (06:18):
Your kids were not built for surprises.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (06:21):
and we're just like, can you just go
to bed?
I guarantee at five o'clock inthe morning this is all gonna
make sense.
But yes, having a separatebackpack with things packed is,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (06:33):
It's helpful.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (06:34):
really important.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (06:36):
Okay.
So I am also very, very big onprepping my kids.
This is a big thing nowadays,but in the parenting world to
talk to your kids aboutsomething before it happens.
before their first trips, wewould get, a toy airplane play
airplanes.
read books about airplanes,maybe even Reenact it.
Tell them about all the stepsthey're gonna go through before
they get on the airplane.
(06:57):
watching a show, things likethat.
Just prepping them so that theyknow, hey, we are gonna get up
have breakfast, get in the car,drive down to the airport.
When we get there, we have topark and then go to where the
airplanes are and kind ofexplain.
Then we have to go throughsecurity.
when they think about going Onan airplane, all they know is
like airplanes in the sky.
They
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (07:16):
Right.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (07:16):
all these steps.
letting them know what's goingon.
It's gonna make them be a littlemore patient in the process.
always recommend that you applyfor TSA pre-check.
Kids are included
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (07:27):
Yep.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (07:27):
right now, they're not included in
global entry, but they areincluded in TSA precheck and
having that is such a stressreliever.
for going through security, nothaving to take all those kids'
shoes off and all those kinds ofthings.
sometimes you go and there's noline at regular security and
you're like, oh, I don't reallyneed this.
(07:48):
But it is a nice stress relieverto have.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (07:51):
Not opening my bags and leaving my
belt and shoes on are worth it,even if the line is shorter in
the regular line.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (07:58):
that's what I say too.
Sometimes people will be like,oh, we didn't need this because
the line is short.
And I'm like, right, but youstill don't have to take off
your shoes and take out yourlaptop and the iPad all that
stuff.
so if you're on a flight thatyou choose the seats ahead of
time, to have all your seatstogether.
just go ahead and budget thatcost into the cost of your trip.
(08:18):
You don't want to have theairline assign your seats and be
stressed about where are wegonna be?
Are we gonna be together?
That's just not worth it.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (08:26):
Right.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (08:27):
We're not really sure what Southwest
seating is going to look like inthe future, but for right now
when we're recording this, theyhave family boarding.
So if you are planning on doingfamily boarding, you wanna be at
the front of that line whenyou're waiting for your
Southwest flight you check infor your flight 24 hours in
advance.
I talk about Southwest a lotbecause in Baltimore we're a big
Southwest hub.
(08:48):
you check in 24 hours inadvance, and then you don't
really have to do anything elseuntil you get to the airport.
The next day you're at yourgate, and when it gets close to
boarding time, they will boardpre-orders, which are those who
need extra time boarding.
They have already talked to agate agent to get that pre-board
status.
Then they're going to board whatSouthwest calls the A group,
(09:11):
which is usually like businessclass type people, like they fly
a lot and they have priority.
You can also pay to be in the Agroup if you choose.
that is family boarding.
It's kind of a free for all.
So even if you
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (09:26):
Yes.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (09:27):
even if when you check in, you're
assigned to the B group or the Cgroup, you can board with family
boarding, but only if you have akid who's under six.
And I've seen them be reallystrict about that.
I've also seen them be reallystrict about its immediate
family.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (09:42):
Yes, it's two adults, so if you're
traveling with grandma andgrandpa, grandma and grandpa are
gonna board separately and,don't assume we don't really
have to worry about checking inbecause we're gonna do the
family board.
Because that could cause issues
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (09:57):
Yeah, and they didn't use to be very
strict on that, but I have seenit the past couple, maybe two
years that I've flown Even if, Ihave three kids, if I were to
pass one of my children off to agrandparent and have them be in
the family boarding line,they're still not going to
accept that those kids boardingpasses are tied to the parents
so they know what's going on.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (10:17):
when we traveled together in July.
can I borrow one of yourchildren
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (10:23):
if you take him the whole time.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (10:24):
Oh, nevermind.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (10:25):
So the other thing is for Southwest
this is how they do it rightnow.
If you want to make sure you'rein that first group that's
boarding, you can add early birdcheck-in.
You're still not guaranteed theA group, but you don't have to
do the physical check-in.
It's done for you and you'remore likely to get in the A
group.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (10:42):
Yeah.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (10:43):
you know, a Southwest is choose your own
seed.
It's open seeding, so that's howthat helps you to get on the
plane earlier.
I also like to have paper andmobile copies of all your
documents.
And for kids this means havingeither a photo on your phone of
their birth certificate, orbringing the real birth
certificate, especially if yourkids are two and under.
(11:06):
They don't always ask for thistype of documentation, but you
don't wanna be at the airport inthe situation, and then they ask
for it and you don't have it.
This really comes into play whenunder two is free and you
haven't paid for a seat and theyare trying to challenge you on
that.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (11:23):
Got it.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (11:23):
So you definitely wanna have that
document.
the next big thing people askabout is car seats and what to
do with them if you want to planto bring your car seat.
ahead and do that.
Make sure your car seat isapproved to be on an airplane.
There's a sticker on it thatwould say that.
I would definitely pay toupgrade to be in that first
boarding group so that you haveplenty of time or maybe at
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (11:45):
Uh,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (11:45):
dad upgrade and be in that first
boarding group or one parent sothat they have time to get in
and install that car seat whilethe kid is not waiting
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (11:54):
yeah, I like that idea.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (11:55):
At this point, we've learned we are
sucking it up and paying forhourly parking at the airport
because at BWI, it's a walk tothe terminals.
it's really quick.
We don't have to take a shuttleor a tram over to
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (12:09):
Right.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (12:10):
and we've done that a couple of times, but
like the first, maybe four yearsof traveling with the kids, we
would.
Pay to park at the cheaperplaces and take the shuttle to
the terminal, and we would belike loading our entire life
onto the shuttle plus the
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (12:25):
people love to see you coming.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (12:27):
It was terrible.
finally we were like, forgetthat.
let's park an hourly.
We can just walk right over tothe terminal.
It's so much easier.
So just build that into the costof your trip.
The last piece is to make surethat you've planned your
transfers in advance.
Depending on where you're going.
This is something we work withyou on and this is why it is so
(12:47):
crucial to work with a traveladvisor.
I was on the phone with myfriend today who is coming on
our cruise with us, and I'm veryexcited.
They have never cruised beforeand I'm talking to them today
and they booked this hotelthat's near the port for the
night before, and I was like,great job.
You are arriving the day before.
I'm proud of you.
You listened to that advice.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:07):
Yeah.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:07):
did you book any transfers?
And they're like, what's atransfer?
so how are you gonna get fromthe airport to the hotel?
And then the hotel to the portand then the port back to the
airport.
they were like, we haven'tthought about that.
well, you can't Uber unless youbring your car seat.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:23):
Right.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:23):
And they're like, well, we're not
bringing your car seat.
I was like, okay.
So then we're gonna be payingfor private transportation,
which is like$300 from.
airport to the hotel, thenprobably like 200 from the hotel
to the port.
So we ended up reworking theirentire plan because this wasn't
something that they hadconsidered
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:41):
Sure,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:41):
So having those things situated in advance
is really helpful.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:45):
Great.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:46):
add on Ryan before we start
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:48):
No,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:48):
other things?
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:49):
and you know, we've said this before
on this podcast, I think thatlast piece of advice is for
anybody, not just people thatare traveling with kids.
I think knowing how you'releaving the airport and how
you're getting back to theairport just saves so much
stress.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (14:06):
all right, I'm gonna run through a
quick list of packing items forkids before we get to where in
the world.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (14:12):
Yeah.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (14:12):
The top of this list is snacks.
if you're a parent of littlekids, you know you have to have
snacks on you at all times andall kinds of snacks because they
probably don't want whatever itis you have.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (14:22):
Right.
Absolutely.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (14:24):
Their their favorite stuffy, lovey
blanket, whatever their comfortitem is.
And my kids don't really alwayshave a particular one.
So I just say, Hey, go picksomething to bring with you.
layers and changes of clothes,you know, the temperature on the
plan can be
ryan_1_06-08-2025_19263 (14:39):
Mm-hmm.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (14:40):
always make sure I've got a little
jacket for them.
And especially the younger ones,I always make sure I have a
change of clothes.
'cause you never know whensomeone's having an accident
ryan_1_06-08-2025_1 (14:49):
Absolutely.
Or you're headed right to theresort or you're headed right to
the cruise and you want thatswimsuit
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (14:57):
Yeah.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (14:58):
having stuff like that for the first
day, not just travel.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (15:02):
Yes.
So, and then here is the bulk ofit, the activity books and all
the things that are gonna go inthat kid's backpack.
these are my favorite things Ilike to pack for the kids, I
don't bring all of this everytime I have a bin just full of
all of this.
And I let them go and pick acouple things for every trip.
So books, especially things liketouch and Feel, lift of Flaps
(15:25):
and look and vines.
Something that will entertainthem and can entertain them
without you reading the wholetime.
Any type of window suction,toys, like those little
spinners, squids, things likethat for the littler ones.
building toys.
Magnet men, squids, mini magnettiles, those kind of things
occupy my kids forever.
And it's great because they,they go really well for all
(15:48):
ages.
I like to do travel Play-Doh ortravel sensory kits.
That's not something I do everytrip, but if it's a longer plane
ride, it's very different fromthe other activities.
So it's helpful.
Any type of fidget toy likecolor separators Wiki sticks.
Push and peel sensory activityboards, any type of sorting
toys, things like that, they'reusing their hands and it's very
(16:09):
hands on and it's kind ofoccupying their mind that way as
well.
I also do a lot of bookactivities.
dotted activities stickeractivities, foil, fun, fun with
foam.
Those are all great activitiesthat I take with my kids.
They have paint with water booksthat will occupy them as well.
Reusable sticker books and messfree coloring kits are my top
(16:31):
things that I take because theyare the least messy.
the last couple ones we've triedrecently are things like
magnetic puzzle books andsticker by numbers or sticker by
letters for kids that aregetting a little bit older.
I've also seen for really littlekids just take a roll of,
painter's tape, like the bluetape.
Just stick it everywhere and letthem peel it off and then stick
it back on.
Kids are entertained by thecraziest things that you don't
(16:53):
even think
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (16:54):
Love it.
Love it.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (16:55):
and the last thing is the tablet.
make sure your movies aredownloaded and that you have
headphones.
The courtesy on the airplane isanytime you're listening to
anything with sound from yourphone, your tablet, your
computer, please have headphonesin.
So not everyone has to listen tothose things.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (17:13):
Well, hey, before we talk about what
to do on your trip, I wanna talkabout where in the world is.
All things travel, and when Ilooked at new locations this
week, a new place for all thingstravel was Tupelo, Mississippi.
And in this location, Julie, Iam gonna meet our listener at a
(17:35):
very famous birthplace.
Tupelo, Mississippi is thebirthplace of none other than
Elvis Presley.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (17:42):
that's cool.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (17:43):
And so yes, so, so there is a center
that contains Elvis's,birthplace home, a small museum,
and a memorial chapel, and youcan tour all of those places.
I think that would be a reallygood travel spot to meet our
listener and thank them forbeing featured on today's All
(18:04):
Things travel
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (18:04):
That's really cool.
What a nice slice of history.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (18:07):
hey Tupelo, we are so glad you're
listening.
Do us a favor, reach out via,our website, wonder and beyond
travel.com and click on ContactUs because I would love to send
a little thank you gift down toTupelo for being featured on
today's show.
Julie, we have prepped for thisvacation.
(18:30):
We are exhausted, but we havelots of foam toys painters tape
and doodads and worldly gigs.
what do we need to do next?
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (18:41):
When we go on the cruise, I'm just gonna
send my kids into your room withtheir book bag.
You'll come back, there'll besuction toys on the, windows,
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (18:50):
Ah,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (18:52):
Okay.
So
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (18:53):
it's all good.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (18:54):
let's talk about when you're getting
to the airport and what thatlooks like.
The biggest thing is to try toreduce the number of luggage you
have because you're also incharge of these little people,
and it's just not as easy tobring that luggage as you think.
to consider just one to twolarger suitcases that you're
going to check.
I recommend checking luggagewith your kids because it's
(19:14):
easier to drop off that big bagand then just have a book bag or
two and the kids
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (19:20):
A hundred percent my family of
four and part of this was flyingSouthwest.
Usually I'm thinking,Indianapolis to Orlando, you
know, so free check bags Butyeah, it was two suitcases for
the family of four,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (19:32):
you put all of it checked.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (19:34):
a hundred percent.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (19:35):
so you also want to, as I alluded to
earlier, have all their items inone book bag.
And then I like to do snacks andmy items in another because.
be serious.
I'm not really taking anythingfor myself on the plane.
It's not like I'm going to beable to read a book or anything
like that because I'm gonna justbe handing out snacks and
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (19:56):
Wait,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (19:56):
time.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (19:57):
you sit down and put on your noise
canceling headphones.
you turn on Spotify or whateveryou downloaded from Netflix.
No, that's not how your flightsgo.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (20:07):
That's not how my flights
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (20:08):
Oh, man.
Okay.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (20:10):
so when you get there.
Something that parents arealways really nervous about is
what does security look likewith kids?
When you have TSA pre-check,it's very stress free because
you don't have to do any sort ofthat prep of taking things off
You are just gonna follow theinstructions for your stroller.
They'll have you wheel it to theside.
They used to have me try to foldit up and put it through, and I
(20:33):
haven't had to do that
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (20:34):
Yeah.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (20:35):
of times.
So if, if maybe if you have avery small one, they have you do
that, but I'm not folding up mytriple or double anymore in
doing that, it'll just go to theside.
They'll kind of wipe it down,whatever.
And whatever testing they do forthat, the kids will walk through
security with you.
there's always two differenttypes of, metal detectors.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_19263 (20:51):
Mm-hmm.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (20:52):
to go through.
Um, you cannot wear your kids inthe carrier during that.
the carrier has to come off, andgo through the machine.
also make sure you dump out anybottles.
So if you have a really littleone and they're doing like a
bottle of milk or whatever, makesure you dump that out and make
a new one once you get through.
we learned this the hard way.
I always used to bring my kidswater bottles and fill them up
(21:14):
at the airport to take'em to theplane, and then they would
always pressurize and on the
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (21:20):
Oh,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (21:20):
open'em and we would get soaked.
So just not a great idea.
Maybe just don't fill the water
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (21:26):
and, and, and, and, and then that.
And then that's what always whenyou would do the color by water.
after that.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (21:32):
Oh my gosh, right?
Why we need to change ofclothes.
Okay.
I recommend that you keep thekids in the stroller if you can,
until you make it to your gate.
With the exception of security.
Find a spot to eat in an areafor the kids to move around in.
Even if it's not exactly at yourgate, go to an empty one.
Give up on having a hot coffee.
Just get an iced one.
because the hot coffee is justgonna be such a nuisance while
(21:53):
you're chasing these kidsaround.
Once you're at the gate, prepyour stroller bag and get your
gate check tag.
go to the airline workers atyour gate and tell them you want
to gate check your stroller.
They tag it.
When you board the plane, dropit off to the side.
They'll tell you what to do withit.
When you get off the plane, pickit up in the same spot, you
dropped it off.
(22:13):
I like to talk to the kids aheadof time.
Before we board about whichparent they're walking on with.
Even if we are literally walkingside by side, I tell them,
you're gonna hold mommy's handand you're gonna hold daddy's
hand just so we move a littlebit quicker.
the gate agents have wanted thekids to hold their boarding
pass, which is kind of annoying.
(22:34):
maybe they wanna make sureThey're scanning each persons
instead of mom holding all five.
But talk to your kids aboutdoing that as well.
Just tell them, hold this.
Don't do anything with it.
During takeoff, this is anotherquestion I get a lot, what do I
do during takeoff so my kids'ears don't pop?
little babies, they say pacifieror give them something to drink
or nurse them when the kids area little bit older.
(22:57):
I tried lollipops a little,'cause like the sucking motion
would help with the ear popping,but then everything just gets
sticky.
So I try not to do that anymoreSo like gummy snacks or any
snack they have to chew.
Lately I've been doing goldfish'cause they're crunchy.
And then you get out thatactivity book bag of all the
wonderful things that you havepacked.
I always give them an option ofitems to start with.
(23:18):
It's usually like a fidget toyto start with because you can't
put the tray table down rightaway for any of the coloring
type things.
I try to hold off on my tablet.
You do you with your parentingstyle?
I try to hold off.
sometimes it actually helps tohave the kids sit next to each
other so that they can playtogether as opposed to mom in
the middle, one kid on eachside, put them next to each
other and they can playtogether.
That's helped me a little bit,so yeah.
(23:40):
Whew.
What a
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (23:41):
Wow.
Yeah.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (23:43):
do you have anything to add?
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (23:45):
No, I,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (23:46):
of that you
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (23:46):
I, I, I think this is great.
I think it's one of those thingswhere we did a lot of what you
talked about.
and I think it worked great and,then you get to a point where,
everybody is, watching this orreading a book it does change.
the more prep you put in,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (24:03):
Mm-hmm.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (24:04):
easier the trip's gonna be.
And I've seen parents where youcan just tell, they assume this
is gonna be a nightmare, and sothey act stressed out and
irritated the entire trip.
And then you have other parentsthat have planned out ideas and
work with their kids and it'sjust a completely different
(24:26):
experience for them.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (24:28):
Yeah, once you get stressed out, they
are gonna get
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (24:31):
Yeah,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (24:31):
to go into it with the lowest of low
expectations, which is prettymuch how we approach every day,
so that's just kind of how youspread.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (24:39):
Yeah.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (24:40):
one last thing, just start with a short
flight.
don't start with a six hourflight.
Start with a two hour flight.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (24:45):
The world is full of wonder and your
next great adventure is waitingat Wonder and Beyond Travel, we
work with you to create a one ofa kind journey, taking the
stress off your plate So you canfocus on the joy of exploring
and the memories that will staywith you forever.
If you're ready to startplanning or you just wanna dream
a little bigger, head over toWonder and beyond travel.com.
(25:07):
We would love to help you getstarted.
You can reach us at Wonder andbeyond travel.com.
We look forward to talking toyou next week on all things
Travel.
when we tell you how to cheer onyour favorite team or see that
bucket list sporting event,
Hello and welcome to all things
Travel.
Families with younger kids tendto be hesitant to travel.
It's hard enough parenting athome, let alone packing all the
kid related items, the kidsthemselves, and bringing all
that through the airport.
That's what we're here fortoday.
We're gonna share the best waysto survive the airport with the
(00:20):
little ones in tow.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (00:23):
Listen in with travel advisors and
destination experts.
Ryan and Julie.
He's your travel professorteaching you everything you need
to know to have a magicalvacation.
And I'm a Disney loving Marylandmom of three and a specialist in
family travel.
we're discussing incredibledestinations.
Top vacation tips or sharingpersonal stories?
(00:43):
It's always all things travel.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (00:48):
So Julie, both of our sets of kids
have traveled since very young
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (00:54):
Yes.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (00:55):
the stories that are in my brain of
situations that we've gottenourselves into, or, you know, I,
I remember, you know, I.
Well, I'm, no, I'm not gonnaembarrass my kids Caleb did such
a good job last week on thepodcast.
I'm not going to mention, havingto quickly put a diaper on him
in the plane so that he didn'thave an accident.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (01:18):
Poor Caleb.
Okay.
Alright, so I'm interested Ryanif things feel the same as what
you were doing or if you'relike, okay, I didn't do that
ryan_1_06-08-2025_1 (01:28):
absolutely.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (01:29):
compare and contrast
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (01:31):
this is such your wheelhouse, I did
not have smaller kids when Ifirst started.
doing travel and that's alwaysbeen your focus.
it's interesting because, havingsmall kids that travel, and
growing up, traveling throughairports, my daughter now goes
on trips for, her college or herteams and she just can't stand
(01:54):
it.
Because she's like, they don'tdo it right.
People don't know what they'redoing.
she's like, I have TSA precheckand nobody else does, so I can't
use it.
Or they don't know where thegate is, it's been interesting
to kind of watch her navigatethat because, she's been
traveling on planes since shewas a baby.
she started as a lap infant andwent from there.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (02:12):
those lap infants.
How fun.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (02:15):
Well, hey, before we get into all of
these great tips for travelingwith kiddos, especially through
the airport, I wanna remindfolks that last week we talked
about a really fascinating trendin travel and that is yachting
vacations.
Whether it's a catamaran, asailboat, a small yacht, or a
group yacht, there are lots ofdifferent options for yachting.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (02:38):
All right, so we are gonna start
with the, before you get to theairport part of this, which is
prepping and packing.
I'm just gonna go through myplans as far as that goes, and
what I tell my clients to do.
The way that you start all ofthis is working with a travel
advisor that can give you anextensive packing list to
(02:59):
include all the kids specific
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (03:00):
Yeah.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (03:01):
and then going to purchase all of those
items.
things that I always think aboutwhen I am getting ready to take
my kids through an airport isbringing my stroller.
has a travel bag and a strollercaddy, which is like that top
thing that you
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (03:18):
huh.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (03:19):
drink or your snacks in, and being able
to fold your stroller.
fit it into the bag.
I have so many clients that arelike, well, I don't really wanna
bring my stroller.
I don't know how much I'm gonnause it in whatever destination
they're going to.
and I'm just like, yeah, but itkeeps them contained and I think
that is like, you can't discounthow helpful that is to have them
(03:43):
sitting in the stroller, buckledin, not running around while
you're carrying your luggage.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (03:49):
So you're going to laugh at this,
Julie,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (03:51):
God,
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (03:52):
as you're talking about this.
I think I have only evertraveled air wise with an
umbrella stroller.
I don't think we ever traveledwith a real stroller on a
flight.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:08):
That be nice.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:10):
Yeah,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:11):
part of it too, is we go to Disney so
much and you know that when youget off
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:16):
sure.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:16):
MCO at Orlando International, you're
not like.
Where you're
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:22):
A
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:22):
exiting the airport
ryan_1_06-08-2025_1 (04:23):
Absolutely.
Yes, totally, totally.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:26):
then you have to go over here for
baggage.
You have to go over there formirrors connect.
Like there's a lot of back andforth walking, so I just always
say get
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:35):
I'm not saying it was a good idea,
I'm just relaying our, yeah.
Yeah.
I,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:39):
should have talked
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:40):
the first two times I went to Disney
with the kids, we rented thestrollers at the parks, and by
the third time they didn't needstrollers.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:51):
Okay.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:52):
So very different experience, but
that's okay.
That's what makes it good.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (04:55):
that's what I'm here for.
So I also like to do, if, one ofmy kids is under the age of one,
I like to have them in one ofthose carriers that I can wear.
again, part of that is because Ihave three little minions, so.
I don't always wanna bring mytriple stroller everywhere.
It's nice to have one kidcontained on me.
They can sleep and the otherone's in the stroller.
(05:15):
And I'll talk a little bit moreabout how that works on the
plane
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (05:19):
Hmm.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (05:19):
and with security later.
I also like to recommend thatyou have a separate book bag for
all the kids' items, and this iswhere you end up doing a lot of
the prep work for traveling withthem on the airplane.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (05:30):
So I do have a story about this'cause
I agree with you a hundredpercent.
the second time my family wentto Disney, it was a surprise for
the kids
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (05:40):
Oh.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (05:41):
so.
I was in charge of the packingand I kept getting Miriam's
things throughout the day, andshe kept figuring out that
things were gone.
every night it's like, where aremy markers?
it's the day before the trip andwe're packing in the bedroom and
like she's, she went to bed, butwe would give her some time
(06:04):
'cause she was older to, andshe's like knocking on the door.
She's like, someone is stealingmy stuff.
Like, she's like, so seriously.
She's like, I don't know what'shappening, but there are things
missing from my room.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (06:18):
Your kids were not built for surprises.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (06:21):
and we're just like, can you just go
to bed?
I guarantee at five o'clock inthe morning this is all gonna
make sense.
But yes, having a separatebackpack with things packed is,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (06:33):
It's helpful.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (06:34):
really important.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (06:36):
Okay.
So I am also very, very big onprepping my kids.
This is a big thing nowadays,but in the parenting world to
talk to your kids aboutsomething before it happens.
before their first trips, wewould get, a toy airplane play
airplanes.
read books about airplanes,maybe even Reenact it.
Tell them about all the stepsthey're gonna go through before
they get on the airplane.
(06:57):
watching a show, things likethat.
Just prepping them so that theyknow, hey, we are gonna get up
have breakfast, get in the car,drive down to the airport.
When we get there, we have topark and then go to where the
airplanes are and kind ofexplain.
Then we have to go throughsecurity.
when they think about going Onan airplane, all they know is
like airplanes in the sky.
They
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (07:16):
Right.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (07:16):
all these steps.
letting them know what's goingon.
It's gonna make them be a littlemore patient in the process.
always recommend that you applyfor TSA pre-check.
Kids are included
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (07:27):
Yep.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (07:27):
right now, they're not included in
global entry, but they areincluded in TSA precheck and
having that is such a stressreliever.
for going through security, nothaving to take all those kids'
shoes off and all those kinds ofthings.
sometimes you go and there's noline at regular security and
you're like, oh, I don't reallyneed this.
(07:48):
But it is a nice stress relieverto have.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (07:51):
Not opening my bags and leaving my
belt and shoes on are worth it,even if the line is shorter in
the regular line.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (07:58):
that's what I say too.
Sometimes people will be like,oh, we didn't need this because
the line is short.
And I'm like, right, but youstill don't have to take off
your shoes and take out yourlaptop and the iPad all that
stuff.
so if you're on a flight thatyou choose the seats ahead of
time, to have all your seatstogether.
just go ahead and budget thatcost into the cost of your trip.
(08:18):
You don't want to have theairline assign your seats and be
stressed about where are wegonna be?
Are we gonna be together?
That's just not worth it.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (08:26):
Right.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (08:27):
We're not really sure what Southwest
seating is going to look like inthe future, but for right now
when we're recording this, theyhave family boarding.
So if you are planning on doingfamily boarding, you wanna be at
the front of that line whenyou're waiting for your
Southwest flight you check infor your flight 24 hours in
advance.
I talk about Southwest a lotbecause in Baltimore we're a big
Southwest hub.
(08:48):
you check in 24 hours inadvance, and then you don't
really have to do anything elseuntil you get to the airport.
The next day you're at yourgate, and when it gets close to
boarding time, they will boardpre-orders, which are those who
need extra time boarding.
They have already talked to agate agent to get that pre-board
status.
Then they're going to board whatSouthwest calls the A group,
(09:11):
which is usually like businessclass type people, like they fly
a lot and they have priority.
You can also pay to be in the Agroup if you choose.
that is family boarding.
It's kind of a free for all.
So even if you
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (09:26):
Yes.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (09:27):
even if when you check in, you're
assigned to the B group or the Cgroup, you can board with family
boarding, but only if you have akid who's under six.
And I've seen them be reallystrict about that.
I've also seen them be reallystrict about its immediate
family.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (09:42):
Yes, it's two adults, so if you're
traveling with grandma andgrandpa, grandma and grandpa are
gonna board separately and,don't assume we don't really
have to worry about checking inbecause we're gonna do the
family board.
Because that could cause issues
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (09:57):
Yeah, and they didn't use to be very
strict on that, but I have seenit the past couple, maybe two
years that I've flown Even if, Ihave three kids, if I were to
pass one of my children off to agrandparent and have them be in
the family boarding line,they're still not going to
accept that those kids boardingpasses are tied to the parents
so they know what's going on.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (10:17):
when we traveled together in July.
can I borrow one of yourchildren
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (10:23):
if you take him the whole time.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (10:24):
Oh, nevermind.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (10:25):
So the other thing is for Southwest
this is how they do it rightnow.
If you want to make sure you'rein that first group that's
boarding, you can add early birdcheck-in.
You're still not guaranteed theA group, but you don't have to
do the physical check-in.
It's done for you and you'remore likely to get in the A
group.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (10:42):
Yeah.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (10:43):
you know, a Southwest is choose your own
seed.
It's open seeding, so that's howthat helps you to get on the
plane earlier.
I also like to have paper andmobile copies of all your
documents.
And for kids this means havingeither a photo on your phone of
their birth certificate, orbringing the real birth
certificate, especially if yourkids are two and under.
(11:06):
They don't always ask for thistype of documentation, but you
don't wanna be at the airport inthe situation, and then they ask
for it and you don't have it.
This really comes into play whenunder two is free and you
haven't paid for a seat and theyare trying to challenge you on
that.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (11:23):
Got it.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (11:23):
So you definitely wanna have that
document.
the next big thing people askabout is car seats and what to
do with them if you want to planto bring your car seat.
ahead and do that.
Make sure your car seat isapproved to be on an airplane.
There's a sticker on it thatwould say that.
I would definitely pay toupgrade to be in that first
boarding group so that you haveplenty of time or maybe at
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (11:45):
Uh,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (11:45):
dad upgrade and be in that first
boarding group or one parent sothat they have time to get in
and install that car seat whilethe kid is not waiting
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (11:54):
yeah, I like that idea.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (11:55):
At this point, we've learned we are
sucking it up and paying forhourly parking at the airport
because at BWI, it's a walk tothe terminals.
it's really quick.
We don't have to take a shuttleor a tram over to
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (12:09):
Right.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (12:10):
and we've done that a couple of times, but
like the first, maybe four yearsof traveling with the kids, we
would.
Pay to park at the cheaperplaces and take the shuttle to
the terminal, and we would belike loading our entire life
onto the shuttle plus the
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (12:25):
people love to see you coming.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (12:27):
It was terrible.
finally we were like, forgetthat.
let's park an hourly.
We can just walk right over tothe terminal.
It's so much easier.
So just build that into the costof your trip.
The last piece is to make surethat you've planned your
transfers in advance.
Depending on where you're going.
This is something we work withyou on and this is why it is so
(12:47):
crucial to work with a traveladvisor.
I was on the phone with myfriend today who is coming on
our cruise with us, and I'm veryexcited.
They have never cruised beforeand I'm talking to them today
and they booked this hotelthat's near the port for the
night before, and I was like,great job.
You are arriving the day before.
I'm proud of you.
You listened to that advice.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:07):
Yeah.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:07):
did you book any transfers?
And they're like, what's atransfer?
so how are you gonna get fromthe airport to the hotel?
And then the hotel to the portand then the port back to the
airport.
they were like, we haven'tthought about that.
well, you can't Uber unless youbring your car seat.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:23):
Right.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:23):
And they're like, well, we're not
bringing your car seat.
I was like, okay.
So then we're gonna be payingfor private transportation,
which is like$300 from.
airport to the hotel, thenprobably like 200 from the hotel
to the port.
So we ended up reworking theirentire plan because this wasn't
something that they hadconsidered
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:41):
Sure,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:41):
So having those things situated in advance
is really helpful.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:45):
Great.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:46):
add on Ryan before we start
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:48):
No,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:48):
other things?
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (13:49):
and you know, we've said this before
on this podcast, I think thatlast piece of advice is for
anybody, not just people thatare traveling with kids.
I think knowing how you'releaving the airport and how
you're getting back to theairport just saves so much
stress.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (14:06):
all right, I'm gonna run through a
quick list of packing items forkids before we get to where in
the world.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (14:12):
Yeah.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (14:12):
The top of this list is snacks.
if you're a parent of littlekids, you know you have to have
snacks on you at all times andall kinds of snacks because they
probably don't want whatever itis you have.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (14:22):
Right.
Absolutely.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (14:24):
Their their favorite stuffy, lovey
blanket, whatever their comfortitem is.
And my kids don't really alwayshave a particular one.
So I just say, Hey, go picksomething to bring with you.
layers and changes of clothes,you know, the temperature on the
plan can be
ryan_1_06-08-2025_19263 (14:39):
Mm-hmm.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (14:40):
always make sure I've got a little
jacket for them.
And especially the younger ones,I always make sure I have a
change of clothes.
'cause you never know whensomeone's having an accident
ryan_1_06-08-2025_1 (14:49):
Absolutely.
Or you're headed right to theresort or you're headed right to
the cruise and you want thatswimsuit
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (14:57):
Yeah.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (14:58):
having stuff like that for the first
day, not just travel.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (15:02):
Yes.
So, and then here is the bulk ofit, the activity books and all
the things that are gonna go inthat kid's backpack.
these are my favorite things Ilike to pack for the kids, I
don't bring all of this everytime I have a bin just full of
all of this.
And I let them go and pick acouple things for every trip.
So books, especially things liketouch and Feel, lift of Flaps
(15:25):
and look and vines.
Something that will entertainthem and can entertain them
without you reading the wholetime.
Any type of window suction,toys, like those little
spinners, squids, things likethat for the littler ones.
building toys.
Magnet men, squids, mini magnettiles, those kind of things
occupy my kids forever.
And it's great because they,they go really well for all
(15:48):
ages.
I like to do travel Play-Doh ortravel sensory kits.
That's not something I do everytrip, but if it's a longer plane
ride, it's very different fromthe other activities.
So it's helpful.
Any type of fidget toy likecolor separators Wiki sticks.
Push and peel sensory activityboards, any type of sorting
toys, things like that, they'reusing their hands and it's very
(16:09):
hands on and it's kind ofoccupying their mind that way as
well.
I also do a lot of bookactivities.
dotted activities stickeractivities, foil, fun, fun with
foam.
Those are all great activitiesthat I take with my kids.
They have paint with water booksthat will occupy them as well.
Reusable sticker books and messfree coloring kits are my top
(16:31):
things that I take because theyare the least messy.
the last couple ones we've triedrecently are things like
magnetic puzzle books andsticker by numbers or sticker by
letters for kids that aregetting a little bit older.
I've also seen for really littlekids just take a roll of,
painter's tape, like the bluetape.
Just stick it everywhere and letthem peel it off and then stick
it back on.
Kids are entertained by thecraziest things that you don't
(16:53):
even think
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (16:54):
Love it.
Love it.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (16:55):
and the last thing is the tablet.
make sure your movies aredownloaded and that you have
headphones.
The courtesy on the airplane isanytime you're listening to
anything with sound from yourphone, your tablet, your
computer, please have headphonesin.
So not everyone has to listen tothose things.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (17:13):
Well, hey, before we talk about what
to do on your trip, I wanna talkabout where in the world is.
All things travel, and when Ilooked at new locations this
week, a new place for all thingstravel was Tupelo, Mississippi.
And in this location, Julie, Iam gonna meet our listener at a
(17:35):
very famous birthplace.
Tupelo, Mississippi is thebirthplace of none other than
Elvis Presley.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (17:42):
that's cool.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (17:43):
And so yes, so, so there is a center
that contains Elvis's,birthplace home, a small museum,
and a memorial chapel, and youcan tour all of those places.
I think that would be a reallygood travel spot to meet our
listener and thank them forbeing featured on today's All
(18:04):
Things travel
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (18:04):
That's really cool.
What a nice slice of history.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (18:07):
hey Tupelo, we are so glad you're
listening.
Do us a favor, reach out via,our website, wonder and beyond
travel.com and click on ContactUs because I would love to send
a little thank you gift down toTupelo for being featured on
today's show.
Julie, we have prepped for thisvacation.
(18:30):
We are exhausted, but we havelots of foam toys painters tape
and doodads and worldly gigs.
what do we need to do next?
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (18:41):
When we go on the cruise, I'm just gonna
send my kids into your room withtheir book bag.
You'll come back, there'll besuction toys on the, windows,
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (18:50):
Ah,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (18:52):
Okay.
So
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (18:53):
it's all good.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (18:54):
let's talk about when you're getting
to the airport and what thatlooks like.
The biggest thing is to try toreduce the number of luggage you
have because you're also incharge of these little people,
and it's just not as easy tobring that luggage as you think.
to consider just one to twolarger suitcases that you're
going to check.
I recommend checking luggagewith your kids because it's
(19:14):
easier to drop off that big bagand then just have a book bag or
two and the kids
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (19:20):
A hundred percent my family of
four and part of this was flyingSouthwest.
Usually I'm thinking,Indianapolis to Orlando, you
know, so free check bags Butyeah, it was two suitcases for
the family of four,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (19:32):
you put all of it checked.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (19:34):
a hundred percent.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (19:35):
so you also want to, as I alluded to
earlier, have all their items inone book bag.
And then I like to do snacks andmy items in another because.
be serious.
I'm not really taking anythingfor myself on the plane.
It's not like I'm going to beable to read a book or anything
like that because I'm gonna justbe handing out snacks and
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (19:56):
Wait,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (19:56):
time.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (19:57):
you sit down and put on your noise
canceling headphones.
you turn on Spotify or whateveryou downloaded from Netflix.
No, that's not how your flightsgo.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (20:07):
That's not how my flights
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (20:08):
Oh, man.
Okay.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (20:10):
so when you get there.
Something that parents arealways really nervous about is
what does security look likewith kids?
When you have TSA pre-check,it's very stress free because
you don't have to do any sort ofthat prep of taking things off
You are just gonna follow theinstructions for your stroller.
They'll have you wheel it to theside.
They used to have me try to foldit up and put it through, and I
(20:33):
haven't had to do that
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (20:34):
Yeah.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (20:35):
of times.
So if, if maybe if you have avery small one, they have you do
that, but I'm not folding up mytriple or double anymore in
doing that, it'll just go to theside.
They'll kind of wipe it down,whatever.
And whatever testing they do forthat, the kids will walk through
security with you.
there's always two differenttypes of, metal detectors.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_19263 (20:51):
Mm-hmm.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (20:52):
to go through.
Um, you cannot wear your kids inthe carrier during that.
the carrier has to come off, andgo through the machine.
also make sure you dump out anybottles.
So if you have a really littleone and they're doing like a
bottle of milk or whatever, makesure you dump that out and make
a new one once you get through.
we learned this the hard way.
I always used to bring my kidswater bottles and fill them up
(21:14):
at the airport to take'em to theplane, and then they would
always pressurize and on the
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (21:20):
Oh,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (21:20):
open'em and we would get soaked.
So just not a great idea.
Maybe just don't fill the water
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (21:26):
and, and, and, and, and then that.
And then that's what always whenyou would do the color by water.
after that.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (21:32):
Oh my gosh, right?
Why we need to change ofclothes.
Okay.
I recommend that you keep thekids in the stroller if you can,
until you make it to your gate.
With the exception of security.
Find a spot to eat in an areafor the kids to move around in.
Even if it's not exactly at yourgate, go to an empty one.
Give up on having a hot coffee.
Just get an iced one.
because the hot coffee is justgonna be such a nuisance while
(21:53):
you're chasing these kidsaround.
Once you're at the gate, prepyour stroller bag and get your
gate check tag.
go to the airline workers atyour gate and tell them you want
to gate check your stroller.
They tag it.
When you board the plane, dropit off to the side.
They'll tell you what to do withit.
When you get off the plane, pickit up in the same spot, you
dropped it off.
(22:13):
I like to talk to the kids aheadof time.
Before we board about whichparent they're walking on with.
Even if we are literally walkingside by side, I tell them,
you're gonna hold mommy's handand you're gonna hold daddy's
hand just so we move a littlebit quicker.
the gate agents have wanted thekids to hold their boarding
pass, which is kind of annoying.
(22:34):
maybe they wanna make sureThey're scanning each persons
instead of mom holding all five.
But talk to your kids aboutdoing that as well.
Just tell them, hold this.
Don't do anything with it.
During takeoff, this is anotherquestion I get a lot, what do I
do during takeoff so my kids'ears don't pop?
little babies, they say pacifieror give them something to drink
or nurse them when the kids area little bit older.
(22:57):
I tried lollipops a little,'cause like the sucking motion
would help with the ear popping,but then everything just gets
sticky.
So I try not to do that anymoreSo like gummy snacks or any
snack they have to chew.
Lately I've been doing goldfish'cause they're crunchy.
And then you get out thatactivity book bag of all the
wonderful things that you havepacked.
I always give them an option ofitems to start with.
(23:18):
It's usually like a fidget toyto start with because you can't
put the tray table down rightaway for any of the coloring
type things.
I try to hold off on my tablet.
You do you with your parentingstyle?
I try to hold off.
sometimes it actually helps tohave the kids sit next to each
other so that they can playtogether as opposed to mom in
the middle, one kid on eachside, put them next to each
other and they can playtogether.
That's helped me a little bit,so yeah.
(23:40):
Whew.
What a
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (23:41):
Wow.
Yeah.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (23:43):
do you have anything to add?
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (23:45):
No, I,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (23:46):
of that you
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (23:46):
I, I, I think this is great.
I think it's one of those thingswhere we did a lot of what you
talked about.
and I think it worked great and,then you get to a point where,
everybody is, watching this orreading a book it does change.
the more prep you put in,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (24:03):
Mm-hmm.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (24:04):
easier the trip's gonna be.
And I've seen parents where youcan just tell, they assume this
is gonna be a nightmare, and sothey act stressed out and
irritated the entire trip.
And then you have other parentsthat have planned out ideas and
work with their kids and it'sjust a completely different
(24:26):
experience for them.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (24:28):
Yeah, once you get stressed out, they
are gonna get
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (24:31):
Yeah,
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (24:31):
to go into it with the lowest of low
expectations, which is prettymuch how we approach every day,
so that's just kind of how youspread.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (24:39):
Yeah.
j_1_06-08-2025_192633 (24:40):
one last thing, just start with a short
flight.
don't start with a six hourflight.
Start with a two hour flight.
ryan_1_06-08-2025_192633 (24:45):
The world is full of wonder and your
next great adventure is waitingat Wonder and Beyond Travel, we
work with you to create a one ofa kind journey, taking the
stress off your plate So you canfocus on the joy of exploring
and the memories that will staywith you forever.
If you're ready to startplanning or you just wanna dream
a little bigger, head over toWonder and beyond travel.com.
(25:07):
We would love to help you getstarted.
You can reach us at Wonder andbeyond travel.com.
We look forward to talking toyou next week on all things
Travel.
when we tell you how to cheer onyour favorite team or see that
bucket list sporting event,
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