Summer: Airports, Planes and Security Tips
 Raisingkids Editor Catherine Hanly shares her experience of surviving airports during peak seasons and offers tips on how to make your trip a happy one for all the family.
With hindsight, perhaps travelling to Spain the day after the schools break up for the summer holidays wasn't the best planning in the world. But there are ways in which you can minimise the pain and kerfuffle of travelling with your children during peak seasons. Here's a few I came up with after my trip.
Security Takes Forever
Allow much, much more time than you'd think for security. I know all the papers have been saying that, but my family took nearly an hour to pass through Gatwick Airport's security and that was at 6-o'clock in the morning. This is one of those times when erring on the side of caution when timing your arrival at the airport helps enormously.
Where's Our Buggy?
Nine out of 10 parents with a baby or toddler seem to bring a Maclaren Volo buggy with them. If you want to distinguish yours from all the others at the bottom of the airplane steps or carousel, wrap coloured sticky tape round the frame or anything else that will make your buggy stand out.
Travel Toys
They may seem like a last-minute impulse purchase, but the good ones are worth their weight in gold. This year our golden buy was one of those travel magnetic Snakes and Ladders games. We were happily surprised by how popular it was with our four-year-old. For teenagers - piles of Heat-style magazines and (if budget allows) a Nintendo DS, seemed to keep them occupied.
Fussy Foodies
If your children don't like the in-flight meal, you could be in for a long, miserable flight. Be prepared and bring some healthy snacks and low-sugar food with you; no-one wants a toddler off their face on
E numbers in the seat beside them!
The Big Chill
I'm not quite sure why airplanes have to be so cold, but it's particularly noticeable when you're on the return leg of a trip, wearing t-shirts and shorts. I was really pleased I'd put jumpers for me and my daughter in my carry-on bag.
Last Minute Loo Breaks
Leave taking your child to the loo on the plane till the last minute before you begin your descent. This is a matter of timing, so ask the stewards when you'll have to put the seatbelts on. Coming back to England we were met with a queue of some thousands of weary Brits waiting to go through passport control. It was a scene more like customs at JFK rather than a British airport – not a good sight when your child is bursting for the toilet.
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