AIBU to take dc on a 12+hr flight?

[Playdoughinthecarpet]

Am looking at holidays for summer 2017. Dh and I have got a fortnight off together in the summer holidays (minor miracle for us!) looking at prices for all inclusive and the prices are crazy £3'500 for Ibiza (where I fancied going) the same for Portugal where we went, out of school holidays for half the price last year.
Dh can get cheap long haul flights which would make, for example Mauritius cheaper than Spain.
Has anyone flown long haul with boisterous 2 year old? Not too worried about 5 year old. Do people have harnesses/car seats? How do you handle other passengers who might be 'less patient' with small travellers? Am planning for the worst (had a couple of short nightmare flights with Dd when she was younger) but a half day flight is another level! Would you put yourself (and the rest of the passengers) through the flight for 2 weeks on a beach or opt for a(nother) rainy caravan holiday with cooking/washing?

Go overnight, they sleep.

I wouldn't go to Kenya with young children due to political unrest but perhaps someone will know better then me and advise differently.

I've flown to Mauritius with a 2year old, it was really tough, even though we upgraded to night flights to minimise the amount of time he'd be awake on the flight! We have family out there but always stay in hotels.

Also bear in mind that there just isn't much to do for children, it's not really an ideal family destination unless you are prepared to do a lot of driving. Hotels tend to be in self-contained resorts. Although it's such a small island, there is pretty much one moan route and it gets very congested. If you're happy with just he pool/beach though, you'll be fine.

Also be prepared for sudden rain!

DHs family are in the US and we lived in Asia for a few years also so ours were on planes from babies. DBs were also.
It was fine other than ears on take off and landing.
We always booked a seat or crib.
Times flights to coincide with sleeping times.
And took lots of little toys in a rucksack. Things that don't fit down the side of the chairs or your fingers suffer.
Magnetic anything - e.g. dress up, farms - puzzles, colouring (pencils and don't forget a sharpener ) scribble doodle boards, books, and little dolls, animals etc. Taken out slowly!
TV helps too but we had to ban it on night flights as it made DD1 too excited.
Once older - from 3 ish we used audio books - ones with different voices per character not the reading out loud songs person ones - on iPods with children's headphones. Winnie the Pooh and roahl Dahl were a hit then narnia.
Puzzles and cards too.

Oh and snacks and wipes!
With planning it was fine.
Go for it.

I'd be concerned about diseases more than anything. Young children are susceptible. Have you considered a resort in Brazil? Child friendly, similar to Spain and Portugal funnily enough and we're only 2 hours behind at the moment.

Peru I wouldn't imagine as a relaxing with young kids and agree with pp about Kenya. Maybe S.E Asia such as Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia

Do it. I wouldn't let a flight put me off. DD travels fine, has never been a problem as long as you are prepared!!

Peru is great with kids but a bit far for a two week holiday. Flights are expensive as well. I think with long flights and time differences it's sometimes worth just going shorthaul. Mexico is another good option.

I'd do it (and have done several times). We don't go in for entertainment or kids clubs much so they are happy with a fortnight in the pool or on the beach. The flights are fine, just bring books and colouring things and there's inflight entertainment to watch too. I don't get the big deal

We have, it's fine just needs planning. Lots of snacks and a visit to the pound shop for cheap and cheerful toys (which I wrapped in tissue and they opened each hour). Cabin crew were great and we're happy for the almost 2 year old to potter around as she wished.

£3500 to Portugal?

Look for Ryan Air flights to Faro (we fly return from Glasgow in July for £625 for 4 people), and then for a hotel or villa separately.

I bet you can get somewhere decent for under half that!

Main problem with SE Asia is that no public transport or taxis have any seat belts............ and the traffic is crazy!

I think it depends entirely on the children. Some are good travellers and some can't sit still for more than an hour or so. We flew to Orlando this summer and all the little ones on our flight were well quiet and behaved. However, we once had a nightmare flight from Bali to Hong Kong with an 18 month old nearby who screamed during the entire flight.

What I will say is that the flight won't be relaxing for you because you will need to keep your children entertained the whole time they are awake.

Also please do make sure they don't kick the seat in front. I think that is more rage inducing than anything else.

There are plenty of child friendly hotels in Mauritius, with excellent kids clubs run by lovely people . Trip on a glass bottom boat, trip to the bird park / zoo, trip to the crocodile and giant tortoise place.... sand, sea, swimming, pool...What do 5 year olds need?

We've taken our 3 boys long haul (Singapore and Australia mainly) since they were babies and it's always been fine. Especially once they are old enough to watch screens!

I recently flew long haul (night flight from Argentina). The flight out was great. I drank wine, watched tv and then slept for most of it.

Coming back there was a very distressed child near me - about 18 months old I would guess. I got very little sleep but however bad it was for me and other passengers it must have been 10 times worse for the child and the mum.

Unless you are 100% certain your child will settle well I wouldn't do it. There are lots of nice places to holiday without an unnecessary long haul journey.

We took dds age 6 and 4 to Australia. Flights were OK, forget which airline but was very child friendly. Kids were boarded 1st, cabin crew came to see them before we took off. Plus they opened a new check in desk for us when they saw us queueing. We took loads of books, colouring, and snacks with us, plus there were kids TV channels and games they could play on the plane.

The flight home wasn't fun though. We flew straight back, with only 5 hr stop over (stopped in Malaysia for 3 days on outbound journey) so 36 hrs of travelling was pretty hard core. They were bored and fidgety and didn't sleep much. So I'd look at a long stopover to break up the journey if you can.

Not too fussed about destination just yet, more flight duration. Using reward scheme points for hotel so not having to pay too much in cash. Dh's got 4 return flights to Mauritius for £600 so using this as rough estimate. Be perfectly happy on a beach with kids for that price. Have taken loads of good advice from here, will be buying magnetic toys when I come across them just in case. Wrapping activities sounds good and I think an overnight flight is a must!

Dh's colleague!

We took are 4 dcs aged 14-3 to Marituis this year. Go for it! Best holiday ever!

If you are looking at sub Saharan Africa then Zambia (9 hours direct flight London to Lusaka) is beautiful. The people are lovely and they drive on the left! There is a lodge just outside Lusaka called Chimanooka. Fabulous.

I sat next to a mum and 2 kids of that age on a BA premium economy flight which was 10 hours a few years ago and was dreading it when I saw them next to me. The 2 guys in front got pissed and kicked off and vomited on my seat. the cabin was full so the mum said 2 year old could sleep across her and the 6 year old and I had the 2 year old seat. They were by far the best passengers in the cabin and I loved them so it just goes to show you can't really tell. I think it depends on you and the kids. If you are a performance parent, you will piss people off. If you have wriggling fidgety little ones who are trying to be good people should piss off.

They're direct flights?

We have taken DS on long haul flights from the age of 3- never had any issues. Pack lots of little goodies- snacks and toys to eek out over the flight.

I choose to fly with the "best" airline I can possibly afford with DS, I'd rather scrape together another few hundred pounds than fly with an airline with less entertainment, fewer drink runs etc. The night flight with Qantas where we discovered their larder system was a happy time. You can spend ages entertaining a (not tired even though they should be) 6 year old with a wander down the aisle to a large array of chocolate, crisps and juice.

I have a 4 year old and a 2 year old. We fly long haul with them at least once a year. Often taking two or three flights to visit family at home. One of the flights is just over 13 hours and it generally takes us around 29 hours door to door.

Is it fun? Not really. However, it's not terrible either. It's fine.

Always fly at night. Never take toys that are noisy. Buy your kids proper children headphones for the flight. Put them in pyjamas for the night flights so they get comfy. Bring their favourite snacks. Always have 'emergency' sandwiches. Bring a few changes of clothes for everyone. My wee one regularly throws up on me on a flight.