10. Welcome — don’t fear —
airport security. Security checkpoints force parents to be lean and
efficient with their packing. Take what you need but don’t take what is
unnecessary. Security can also be a good reason not to take stuff on the plane
that you don’t want your kid to have (i.e. your kid’s new water gun). And
insisting that you keep all your little bottles and creams in a Ziploc bag —
what a great idea!
11. Don’t line up early for
trains and airplanes
or anything where you have a reserved seat. If you’re
one of those people who like to maximize their time on the airplane, by all
means, board early, get that seat warm, burn through all your snacks before
anyone else has even boarded. How great! You’ll have enough time on the
plane without artificially extending it. As my son said on our return trip from
Tokyo, “We have to go when they say final call right Papa?” Right!
12. One parent in charge.
Don’t share the burden of any one duty while traveling. Packing for example.
One person packs and knows where everything is. Two people pack and no one
really knows where anything is. Same with hotels. One person plans them,
arranges them, and books them. Do you have that confirmation email or do I?
Na-Uh!
13. Get online storage for photos.
Besides losing the kids, my photos are what I’m most concerned with losing.
Forget your bag on the train platform and there goes your camera — and your
photos. You can get free online storage at Adrive (50GB) or SkyDrive
(25GB). (You will need a laptop, of course, to upload your photos.) Upload your
pictures every night or two and then when you take your camera out on that
fishing trip you’re not worried about dropping your camera and losing the last
2 weeks of photos.
14. Hire a car and driver. If
you’re traveling in an inexpensive or developing country consider getting a
driver instead of driving yourself. Prices are usually reasonable and they’ll
know the ways and customs of the road better than you will. (Tip: have the
address of your destination for longer distance trips. When you start your trip
the driver will inevitably say, “Oh yes, I know where that is”, which
translates to “I’ll ask for directions when we get there”. An address, instead
of just a name, will help speed the process.)
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