First time abroad in 20 years, and first time with kids..please give me an idiots guide!

[MooseAndSquirrelLoveFlannel]

As the title says, it's our first time abroad in 20 years. 3 kids first time abroad ever(teens/tween). Things have changed so much from when we last went, so I need an idiots guide on what we need to do.

We're off to Tenerife in July from Luton Airport with easyjet.

Do we book seats? If so, how?
What about insurance?
How do people usually get to the airport and then back again after the holiday? (DH doesn't want to drive, We're in Milton keynes)
Insurance?
We have EHIC cards, presume we still don't need a visa as its been delayed?

What do we do once we get to the airport? Do you still queue at a desk to check in?
How early do you arrive?
Is there still rules on liquids and what goes in hand luggage/suitcases?

I know it's loads of questions, but I'm so nervous and worried I'll mess it up and screw up our first holiday in decades.

I feel like I literally need a check list and step by step guide of what to do. Flight times are 3pm out of Luton and then an 11am flight home if that's important. We have hotel transfers.

Please, someone take pity on this old, menopausal lady and talk me through this like I'm an idiot.

Get travel insurance now - no brainer.

id personally check in asap when it opens and run the risk if not sitting together but I e found easyJet good in seating families.

get to airport at least 2-3 hours, check in bags then go straight through security to departures. Wonder round shops, get something to eat, and watch out for the gate number.

Cab to airport or friends?

max liquids in hand luggage is 100ml, no issue in checked bags. Airport provides bags for liquids, which includes lip balm.

buy water after security to have when you arrive.

You should always get travel insurance the minute you have booked your holiday, so do that now.

Re seats, depends how fussed you are about sitting together. If it's important to you then you need to go online and book them now. You'll have to pay extra for that.

As you've not been away for a while I'd recommend getting to the airport 2.5-3 hours before departure. That gives you time to check in, get through security etc without rushing and getting stressed. You can probably check in online up to the night before so when you get to the airport you just put your luggage in the drop but again, as you haven't flown for ages, you might prefer to check in with an actual person at the airport.

When you go through security you need to take all monies, laptops, kindles etc out of your bag and place them loose in the tray. Avoid belts and shoes with metal bits as you may have to take them off to go through the scanner.

They no longer announce gates so do keep a close eye on the info boards. Some gates are a very long walk away.

We usually get a taxi when we go away. I book it a few days in advance and tell them how much luggage we'll have so they send a big enough car. You can also book your return journey then and they will probably ask for your flight number in case you are delayed. We usually ask for a pick up 45 mins after we land to give us enough time to get through passport control, get our luggage etc. Otherwise you'll pay extra for the taxi to wait.

Any recommendations around travel insurance? There are so many different kinds!

Taxi is a good call, we'll need a van style I guess with there being 5 of us.

I didn't realise I could book plane seats early! We'd obviously like to be seated together as the kids have never been on a plane before.

Luggage... what have you booked? Check all dimensions carefully.

Book you seats ASAP, especially in school holidays.

Check in online beforehand. Then its bag drop at airport if you have booked hold luggage

Who booked your flights? Just wondering as if you want to book seats together you would usually do it when booking. Do you know what luggage you have booked? If you log back in you should be able to see. If you haven't booked it yet it's worth playing around with the options. If you haven't booked any luggage then all you can take us a small bag that fits under the seat in front. As there is 5 of you, I would assume you won't need a suitcase each.

If you didn't book hold luggage and you want it you can still add it in (at a cost) through something like manage my bookings on the easyJet site.

You can take empty drinks bottles through security and then fill from water fountain once through to save paying for bottles of water.

We take an empty water bottle and fill it up at a water cooler after security as bottles can be stupidly expensive in airports.

You can log into your easyjet booking to reserve seats and hold luggage for a charge. If you booked a package there may be some included. Sometimes seats cannot be reserved until a month ahead. You will need to enter passport details (api) for each passenger before you can checkin. Spain has requirements for a longer pre expiry period than other EU countries so do ensure everyone's meets that.

Insurance can be done online easily, from your usual insurer, a price comparison site or likes of Post Office and supermarkets.

Taxi is best for transfers if you are reasonably close.

We booked a whole package through easyjet holidays, we get 25kg each but can't imagine we will use all of that. I'll jump on the booking and see if it says when we can reserve our seats.

I've checked on the government site and it says passport needs 3 months validity on return date. The kids will have 7 months on theirs and mine and DH's are new passports.

So, insurance and taxi are the next things I need to book and sort out.

Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to help, I'm so nervous about getting something wrong and you guys are really helping.

Any advice on Luton Airport? Is it easy to navigate etc?

Ooh, and I need to buy suitcases!

Matalan or TK Maxx have nice suitcases or you can just get some online.
We always get the train to the airport but we travel light and book flights to suit this time wise.

If you haven't flown for a while I found the check in bit where you go through security very stressful with kids. You have to sling all the tech or meds or any hand luggage liquids in these grey trays and it's all hectic and panicked as they are rushing you. I would look that up and make sure you are ready and each bag has those items easy to hand.

You can take food on the plane once through security I was amazed at people with their Maccy D's or subway to scoff as this had passed me by.

I was in charge of passports and EHIC's and dished them out when required.

Taxis can be pretty pricey - can I ask why DH doesn't want to drive? It's very easy to navigate to the car park in Luton.

Can you borrow cases from anyone? Seems like again a lot of additional expense for 1 trip?

If you use compare the market for insurance you can get free cinema tickets for a year which is a bonus.

Next thing is to look at spending - often your normal debit / credit cards will charge a lot to spend abroad. Use money saving expert to read up best overseas credit cards (pay off balance as soon as you get home!!) or pre paid debit cards can work well.

Google maps is great for telling you transport options. Put in airport and your destination and click the public transport route, it'll tell you times and next ones due. There is also an option to see how much taxi/uber is. I use maps all the time on holiday and never left me down. Just looked at an example and say you are going to playa del Americas it's a 30 min bus journey.

Get insurance as soon as possible, if you get it now it will also cover you if something happens to stop you going.

You will probably 'check in' online, a few days before you go, then print out your own boarding passes, so you don't need to queue at the airport. You will get the option to book seats then if you haven't already. You usually need to pay to book seats, but depending on age of the kids, might be worth doing. Without booked seats the won't put the kids completely alone, but they might end up in the row in front or across the isle from a parent.

Have you booked check in bags, or just hand luggage? If just hand luggage, you can go straight to security when you arrive.

You are only allowed liquids in less then 100ml. This needs to be in a separate clear bag for security, so put it in a side pocket or easily assessable place in your hand luggage (or check-in bag if you have one).

Will you need car seats or push chairs for kids? Airlines will take some baby equipment for free, but check what's allowed on their website.

EHIC… you’ll eventually need the replacement, the GHIC, and you might need it before you travel.

Check, I can’t remember if you’re allowed to use the EHIC until it expires or you must replace it with a GHIC.

Travel insurance, before you buy any, you might have it with your bank account. Nationwide are one who offer travel insurance, phone cover, breakdown cover with their premium ( pay a monthly fee ) account.

Everywhere in Tenerife takes card payments, so as @FusionChefGeoff points out, it’s best to have a card provider that doesn’t charge for transactions.

Also, if you’re ever asked do you want to pay in Euros or Pounds , PICK EUROS.

If you’re thinking of going to Siam Park, in July, you might want to budget for all day fast passes. Get cheap flip flops or ideally, water shoes from a supermarket or Decathlon. They can be worn on all the rides. Anything loose like flip flops have to be left at the bottom ( and there’ll be dozens of them! )

Can we ask where you’re staying?

Google tells me there is a National Express coach from Milton Keynes to Luton airport. Might be worth looking into depending on where exactly you live in Milton Keynes.

I packed all the liquids etc in the hold cases, didn't even have a lipstick on me.

Then just put my phone and bag on the tray next to each other.

Avoided a lot of stress.

Try Insureandgo for insurance, you really should book as soon as you book the holiday.

Taxi to airport or book long stay parking?

Check if your EHIC cards are still valid, if not order GHIC cards

You can check-in online sometimes up to 4 weeks in advance, then just drop bags on arrival

We tend to stay at a Premier Inn or similar close to the airport the night before but plenty of coaches and trans do direct services.

Look at the airport website, it's likely there will be a How to video on there for inexperienced flyers.

Put phone chargers /adapter plugs and essentials in hand luggage. And possibly have a mixture of clothes in the suitcases.we found our the hard way when a case went missing last year and I had to spend a fortune at the airport on a phone charger and had no contact lenses for 3 days!
Also have a bright suitcase or something on it that makes it easily identifiable.

I’ve got a Revolut bank account for holiday use, took no time at all to set up.

Make sure you’ve got enough adapters for plugs.

Adaptors and I bring an extension lead, best travel tip I ever got!

With easyJet I wouldn't pay to book seats now, I'd set a reminder for when check in opens 30 days ahead and check in online the minute it's possible. If you're not seated together then (and you likely will be with easyJet) you can still decide to select different ones and pay at that point.

If you're checking suitcases in then put all toiletries in the cases and don't have any liquid, gel or paste items in your hand luggage at all, to save the faff with plastic bags at security.

You can take sweets / snacks for the flight through security in hand luggage rather than paying a fortune for them after, so long as they're not liquid (Crisps are fine, yoghurt is not!).

Take empty water bottles and fill them after security.

The temperature on a flight can vary from freezing to roasting so dress appropriately in something comfortable and layers.

Agree with a PP, water shoes for Siam Park are a godsend. Mine were a couple of £ from Sports Direct.

We’ve bought these type of plugs to use in Europe for phones and tablets

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pipestation-Plug-Adapter-USB-Ports-White/dp/B0CHSB62W2/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1FYUREKOHRVEJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EP0EKM2MJobYjsK1hLc36_mcL1UUIduVplJQeb2nBrR4PWet8N4JnulrDoAU4M32bjCUy-VL5o8-CNq_wJbQLVS8z4_hY3OX5LxwiMo2jYnCrWnwoEU7UKHjpsNaWQtsRda0Axoty6SXOXS8W4NJTMsZb4McnnnrrpO5p2AKDUFhhiPGfh92uMja-tJ2yDMDThiyklV0WBBpigjNxTgOKq7F9IHO0SZshHBFH5Gi9-A.Qxq_mj4elOFSMjw7Z0R2EfGNKB0KsUZV8V3mpcyB2Lc&dib_tag=se&keywords=european+usb+charger+plug&qid=1711272411&sprefix=Euro%2Caps%2C77&sr=8-3

No tips, I read this hoping it would answer some of my questions about taking DC abroad for the first time, but we are going on a different holiday, Eurostar not flying. I love how helpful everyone has been though and hope you have a great holiday that’s less stressful with all this advice.