First time abroad help

[Pinkbutton85]

I know IABU because I could just google this and I will. But I like your answers too.

We're going away on the 30th of this month to Peurto Pollensa, Majorca for 2 weeks. Myself, OH and out DD's who will be 3 and 4 at time of travel.

I have never left the country before. Well, besides to Wales ;)

I'm in a panic about what I need to do, what I can and can't take. Any tips for my first time flying as well as my children's first time? What can and can't we take on the plane? I believe we're flying with Tui.. don't quote me though.

We have 3 15kg bags allowance and 4 5kg hand luggage allowance. If I bring coloring bits on the plane, are there little fold down tables on the seat in front that the girls could use? Could I take their kindles on there with headphones?

Majorca - What do I need and what do I not need? We've hired a car, at a hotel along the pine walk of peurto pollensa and the hotel has a pool. Can you withdraw money out there with a Visa debit card? Do they still charge you to use your mobile with Vodafone? (Hotel has Wifi)

Ah, so many questions.. Sorry

Not sure how it works with TUI but check if you can do any part of the check-in process online in advance of getting to the airport.
I usually fly easyJet and can check in days in advance via their website or app. You need to provide details including passport numbers for yourself/DP/kids and then receive your boarding passes via email (for you to print) or via the app, where you can just show them on your phone.
This can help speed things up at the airport. As you have hold luggage you’ll still need to queue at “bag drop” but that should be faster than queuing for full check-in.

Navigating an airport can be a bit daunting if you’re not familiar with what’s expected of you when, so here are my top tips:

• Pack your liquids in your hold luggage as much as possible, as PP suggested secure them with sellotape and plastic bags to avoid spillages. The 100 ml restrictions apply to hand luggage only. Flammables are not allowed anywhere on the plane though so this might exclude nail polish remover (check website, if in doubt leave out and buy there).

• in your hand luggage, prioritise things that you’ll need at the airport or on the plane, as well as anything you couldn’t do without such as medication and any valuables. A few light layers of clothes are also good as temperatures on the plane can be variable.

• put your passport and boarding pass where you can access them easily as you’ll need to get them out repeatedly.

• when you arrive at the airport find the check-in for your airline and queue up. (Or, if you’ve done the check-in online, find the ‘bag drop’ counter, they are usually in the same area).

• Once you’ve completed that, go straight to security. You’ll need to have your boarding passes ready to go through the first gates. This is where your hand luggage will be checked, as well as anything you may have on your person. The easiest way to get through it is to put anything from your pockets into your hand luggage including phone, jewellery, anything metal. If you do have any liquids they need to be taken out of the hand luggage into a separate little see-through plastic bag. These are provided at Gatwick as you come into the security area. In fact Gatwick is very good at guiding you through the whole security procedure.

• Once you’re through, check the monitors. They will show at what time to expect the Gate information to be displayed. Until then, you can relax a bit - there are shops and restaurants etc and you can now buy water or other liquids as they have all been vetted.

• As soon as the gate info is displayed, make your way there.

• You might have to go through passport control at this stage or perhaps that’s only done on the Spanish side.

• Generally speaking, i’d recommend doing all the steps as soon as you can and not be fooled into thinking there is plenty of time, as distances can be quite long and there are frequent queuing situations.

Having said all that, don’t worry, staff at Gatwick are very helpful and it’s well organised, you’ll be fine! And flying is amazing! I still remember my very first flight and how amazing it was to see everything from above, including the sea and the Alps... have fun with your children looking out of the window at the toy world below, and at the clouds that look like big tufts of cotton wool, and perhaps you’ll see the sunrise from above the clouds at that time of day.

Have a brilliant holiday!

Let everyone know how it goes- and don't forget the suncream.

@Pinkbutton - if you don’t have a credit card - you can get a Caxton card and load that up with money - it’s accepted everywhere. And no charges.

If you have a baby or toddler, you may get priority boarding - we did when we flew with Monarch to Rhodes, with 3 year old DD. Useful to avoid any more waiting than is absolutely necessary with fractious little ones.

id check in online to get all your seats together there is no guarantee though they try and seat families together

This is a great article

hubpages.com/travel/what-to-pack-for-a-family-beach-holiday

I travel a lot, and I still panic. My mantra is "Shops exist in other countries too". So if I forget suntan lotion / knickers / phone charger / sun hat etc, don't worry! There will be plenty of shops selling exactly what you need (and cheaper in a lot of cases too).
The other day I was driving to Norfolk, and I had to remind myself there were shops there!

some very good tips on here
Take medication ( decant and label into small amounts if liquid ) in hand luggage so it can be taken while you are waiting for forever at the carousel for your suitcases, also god forbid if your suitcases go missing you wont be with out it,.

Bumbags are great for when you are out and about you and OH can have one each and if you think they can manage one each for DDs it is amazing how much you can get in them ,
basic 1st aid kit , wet wipes ( a visit to KFC where you can erm get individual ones ) very handy . hard sweets like polos / refreshers / or dried fruit to snack on. fav little toy, sanitary products, if you put cash in them make sure you ware them in-front not one your bum or pickpockets could help themselves .
All this and you will still have two free hands to hold onto DDs hands / icecream / beer / wits ( I always need two hands to keep hold of my wits lol )

Have a great time

I allow a lot of time at the airport. I'd rather be sat at the airport with a coffee than in a panic. appreciate this may not be as relaxing with 2 little ones. I flew with tui last week and would keep in mind that most passengers are taking luggage (probably) so check in/bag drop can take longer. Security lines can be slow (not sure about gatwick as fly from Manchester) a 5.50 flight is likely to start boarding at 5.
My hand luggage rules are:
Do I need it at the airport ?
Do I need it on the flight?
Is it hard to replace (contact lenses, glasses, prescription medication)?
Is it valuable?
Add one set of clothes for the weather at the destination and swimwear.
That way if the case wanders off I can lay by the pool and have a change of clothes.

Thank you all!

I am now considering buying a lightweight pushchair for the kids. Neither wanted to go in a pushchair from as soon as they could walk (10m for youngest, that was fun lol)

Are pushchairs part of luggage allowance or how does that work?

No charge for the pushchair with Tui. Try not to overthink it, it’s just a big bus in the sky with stricter security. And they have shops in Majorca! It’s a holiday not a military operation, although it does often feel that way with kids

No charge for pushchair and you can keep it right Til you get on the plane.

Oh and until
Ds wS 5 although he was very good and long toilet trained I put a pull up on for the plane journey. You won’t be able to visit the loo for a while after take off and landing and with change in cabin pressure better to be safe than sorry

No roaming charge currently for as long as we're still in the EU.

So you can use the internet without wifi, and it won't cost you anymore than it would normally in England.

ake medication ( decant and label into small amounts if liquid ) in hand luggage so it can be taken while you are waiting for forever at the carousel for your suitcases, also god forbid if your suitcases go missing you wont be with out it,.

I travel with 7 medications, 2,liquids and 2 controlled drugs. I've always been told that they are in the original bottle and labelled- can you confirm this decanting? Would save me taking a 450ml bottle!!

Also I always carry a letter from my GP, I have to for controlled drugs and you do for certain medication in certain countries, but also I carry a prescription for the meds. Helps if worst happens and your bag with meds in gets taken.

Sorry for the lack of practical tips but just to echo a pp - once you are there and sorted do look into the train trip from Palma to Soller and then the tram to the port. It’s a really lovely day out! I love Majorca and I’m envious right now!

Take a change of clothes for each of you in the hand luggage, so if your luggage goes missing for a day at least you can change into something clean

You can hire buggies in Puerto Pollensa. The hop is called multi hire,

I’ve been talking DD to PP since she was 6 months old. It’s a very family friendly and safe resort. There a playpark on the beach now and another good one just off the main square.

It shouldn’t be too hot - low to mid twenties in the first couple of weeks in June. Pools can be a bit chilly still but the sea of nice and warm.

There’s a Lidl in Pollensa and Eroski supermarket in the port for any essentials. Much more reasonably priced than the Spar shops

Hope you all have a lovely time!

Choose a child each to be responsible for. Eg you keep an eye on the 3yo and make sure she is still holding her favourite cuddly toy, take her to the bathroom, wipe her face, pick up her rucksack where she dropped it, keep an eye on her crayons if they fall on the floor, have her snacks at hand, hasn't lost a jumper/shoe etc. Partner keeps an eye on the 4yo.

You may find in your anxiety you go overboard with controlling everything and your partner getting off scott free!

Supermarkets out there are good. I'm mainland Spain but i'm sure Mercadona and Spar (supermarkets) and Clarel (like Superdrug) are in Mallorca. Chinese Bazaar shops sell cheap croc shoes, beach crap and all sorts of €1 delights including crayons and other toys. Invaluable shops!

Are you any good at art? Could you draw some pics on a piece of A4 and let the dc tick off what they see - a person in uniform (security), a plane, a flight attendant, a cloud, a cafe, a suitcase... Just small things to pass the time. You may find they have no interest in electrics on the flight but want to waffle on for the entire two hours about what they see

Enjoy your hols!

Oh you are going to have an amazing holiday. Mallorca is just beautiful .

I have nothing further to add to the excellent advice you've received except to highlight forthelife - My mantra is "Shops exist in other countries too". They DO! Even when I packed the entire house into 3 cases but forgot my contact lens solution and cried because wanted to go home . DP got despatched to the pharmacy and all was well.

Also, watch out for marble floors in your accommodation, shops, restaurants etc. They can can be slippy. But that might just be me and DS

I’ve just come back from a week in Majorca with an almost 2 year old and if I could go back in time and do it again, I’d do it without all the stress that was all in my head. It was fine. I took a trunki full of toys for her but she napped on the way there and back and when she was awake she was eating snacks and watching duggee on the tablet.
Tui let you combine your luggage, there was 4 of us mine was 17 ohs 20 my dads 10 my mums 13 lol.
Palma airport is quite a hectic and huge! Airport and can be a bit daunting. I’d head to the gate straight after security and take snacks instead of buying there.

Change of clothes saved us also as daughter was sick on me at Palma airport after the transfer.

@doodar check with the car hire firm as they sometimes block up to £2000 on your card for any damages, thats when you pick it up.

Also bear in mind that it is highly common for the car hire firm to only accept a card in the name of the lead driver. If you try and present a card in a different name (say you are the lead driver and you want to use your husband's card for the deposit), they will charge you for an additional driver. And it has to be a credit card, not a debit card.

I mentioned this on another thread and a couple of people were unaware, so warning you as well OP!

(Some places will be more flexible, but the more popular places - like Majorca - can get away with it, so I expect yours will!)

Do you have travel insurance? If not, make sure you get it now. Really important. An EHIC card isn't enough to cover you in case something serious happens while you're away, and if one of you falls ill the night before you're due to fly (as happened to a recent poster) you don't want to have to cancel/fork out for new flights yourself.

Make sure you leave yourself enough time to do all luggage check in and securityat the airport. Most airlines suggest around 2 hours although can depend on time of day. So with your flight time I would be aiming to get to the airport around 3:50 - 4:20 am.