Scoutdown here. Have been really swamped at work. We came back from the Bahamas a few weeks back. It was a good family trip, but frankly I didn’t get enough time away from the kids! I want to provide a more full report on what we did, where to go, where to stay, what to do, etc.
I also got really obsessive about (a) packing and (b) surviving a long plane trip with a long layover. My biggest tip for surviving a 6 hour layover at MIA is to buy a 1 day pass to the American Airlines Admiral’s Club near Gate 35. They have a kids room with 3 computers, 1 TV showing cartoons, and a sitting area for the parents. It was the best $75 we could have spent to keep the 2 kids happy during that 6 hour layover. And not that many parents knew about it since it was hidden in the back!
Here’s some advice I had found on the Web about flying on planes with children of various ages (here, here, here, and here)
- Get to the airport early (common sense, but hard for us to remember!)
- Talk about the trip in advance to your child. (I have already been doing this with my 5 year old, repurposing his bedtime story to our trip to the Bahamas)
- Make pit stops early and often.
- Bring extra diapers and wipes, more than you think you need. Be prepared for flight delays and cancellations!
- Bring an extra change of clothes for the children…and also for the parents (this is a good tip we have not done before but wish we had!)
- For older kids, turn them into “travel reporters.” I love this idea. This means - disposable camera, notebook.
- SCOUTDOWN TIP: Use an umbrella stroller and bring some bungee cords. We have traveled with a 2001 Maclaren Techno XT umbrella stroller and it has been great. In fact, we bring and can even strap (with a little bit of forcing) our Britax Roundabout carseat into the stroller.
Many of the suggestions I found (e.g. get to the airport early) seem obvious, but are sometimes harder to do than one would think.
OK I’ll get around to the trip report. I have specific family friendly ideas about Freeport/Lucaya. We were generally pleased with the Sheraton Our Lucaya Resort and I’ll post some pictures of that too…