International Travel with a Baby: Our trip to Asia

All parents can relate - the thought of traveling with a little one can be STRESSFUL.  When you talk about international travel, the stress can quickly double.  The flight, packing, jet lag - the things to think about can be overwhelming.  I'll be sharing some tips based on real life experiences in our travel w/ our little one.   Hopefully this will help some of you who are traveling for the first time with your little ones!

Part 1: The Flight

We bit the bullet and booked our tickets to Taiwan with our 10 month old - this was a 13 hour flight and we were super nervous! Here were the things that we needed to know in preparing for the flight:

• Passport:  You will need his passport for the international trip. To apply for his passport, we needed photos (Costco works well), the original birth certificate, and application form - we submitted it at our local post office. We applied for his passport 5 weeks prior to the departure date.  We were afraid we wouldn't get it back on time but the passport arrived within 2 weeks w/o expediting it.  

• Less is Better:  Pack as lightly as possibly.  We opted out of bringing his comfortable stroller, and instead just brought an umbrella stroller and ergo carrier.  Many baby items such as diapers and wipes can be bought at your destination so you may be able to lighten your load.  One tip is to put your baby's items in separate bags from your own so it's easy to find when you need it.  If your baby is prone to blowouts, please make sure you bring plenty of extra diapers on the plane! =)

• Bassinets:  Call ahead to ask your airlines if you can get a seat with a bassinet and to find out what the height and weight requirements are.  Give your legs a much needed rest as your little one gets a snooze in the bassinet.  Our baby also enjoyed sitting in it, and we placed some toys in there for him to play with.

• Tickets:  Under the age of 2, most airlines will just charge a fee for taxes that comprises of a % of the adult ticket that was purchased.  Take opportunity of traveling with your baby while the ticket is much cheaper!

• In Flight Entertainment:  Bring a few new toys on the plane with you to surprise him when boredom begins to hit.  Snacks are a must to keep your baby happy.  Make sure you are wearing comfortable shoes as you will be walking up and down the aisles from time to time.

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