Prepping a family for an international trip

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presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,081
1,748
113
#1
If you are going to fly your kids on a long, international trip, here are some pointers:

1. Take empty water bottles-- an empty disposable bottle is fine.
They won't let you take the water through the security check, but you can take the bottle. In a country with potable water, you may be able to fill it at the water fountain on the way into the plane. If not, you can ask them to fill it in the plane. Airplanes at high elevations get drier than deserts, an uncomfortable environment that feels weird and makes it hard to sleep. Everyone needs to stay hydrated. Having some water with you in the seat keeps you from calling the flight attendant all the time.

2. Wear comfortable clothes.
Loose, comfortable clothes that can pass for smart casual are a good idea. Long sleeves may be a good idea for long flights since it can get cold at higher elevations.

3. Some clothes to change into in your carry on.
You may need this with kids if there is a spill. A dark t-shirt can also work as a face mask to sleep when it's bright outside. Young adults and teens may want to shave (men) and put on unwrinkled clothes so as not to look like a sloppy thug or drug user bringing drugs into the destination country. Jackets and extra socks are helpful if it gets cold.

4. Snacks.
Kids may whine if they don't have food when they want it. On long international flights, they may actually feed you for 'free'. But it is good to have snacks while transiting or even while in the airplane. Beef jerky is filling and not available in every country.

5. Chewing gum.
For some reason, a lot of kids haven't figured out how to pop/depressurize their ears on a road trip through the mountains or on an airplane. I can move a little muscle around the ears and do it, but a lot of people need to chew or open their jaws. Chewing gum helps with this. The kids got excited about chewing gum during take-offs and landings. This does not work for trips from Singapore, where gum is illegal (I hear because of kids messing up sensors on the MRT subway), but I have never been harassed for a few pieces of gum upon arrival.

6. Check-ins in cardboard boxes.
If you are actually _moving_ overseas, you will probably get more bang for your buck out of cardboard boxes for check-in luggage than suitcases. Suitcases use up a lot of the weight allowance. We have used heavy duty boxes from Lowes or Home Depot. Even though the large boxes seem like a good idea for meeting the size limit, we found that filling them up exceeds the weight limit, so medium boxes worked best for us. Not every country has as good of shopping options as the US, so you may have to scrounge up boxes for the return trip, but you can also hide those boxes behind furniture for the return trip for a year or two if you are careful to check and keep cockroaches out of your home and away from the boxes.

7. Stuff they don't have in that country.

In some parts of Asia, it is hard to find anything over a 9 or 9 and a half shoe. In Indonesia, socks have a rubber band at the top and it is hard to find the tube sock style for dress socks. If you don't know the language, it might be hard to ask for dental floss. In South Korea, I had to figure out how to ask for dental floss at the counter of a pharmacist-- there was no self-service shopping. Take essential items with you that you can use for a while as you figure out how to shop.
 

MatthewWestfieldUK

Well-known member
May 13, 2021
871
498
63
#2
'Lonely planet' guide is great for learning about a new location.
Packing as little as possible helps, gives an excuse to talk to people when u need something
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,081
1,748
113
#3
'Lonely planet' guide is great for learning about a new location.
Packing as little as possible helps, gives an excuse to talk to people when u need something
Lonely Planet is better than those upscale guides.

It was late at night. I was thirsty. I had just mored into my new apartment and had nothing to boil water with. My employers had dropped me off for the first time there late after work. I had no car. I could find no water in the store and I could not speak Korean. I was trying to take back a bottle of soju vodka I had mistaken for water. The Fodor's guide I had was full of worthless phrases like "Do you have this in 24 carot?" No water questions, no where is the bathroom.

I was playing charades to the shopkeeper to communicate I needed water. She was laughinh snd saying 'soju' maybe thinking I was drunk. I thought dhe was saying 'soldier'. Looking in tge phrasebook, I said "pokp'o" waterfall.

She gets it. "Mool!" She took the liquor, gave me water and change.

The next time I moved to a foreign country, I learned 'water' and 'bathroom' in the language before getting off tge plane.

And I bought a Lonely Planet phrasebook. I learned basic Indonesian out of one of them. The travel book is okay, too, especially if you are looking for cheaper places to stay, etc.
 

Gideon300

Well-known member
Mar 18, 2021
4,811
2,800
113
#4
'Lonely planet' guide is great for learning about a new location.
Packing as little as possible helps, gives an excuse to talk to people when u need something
If you are going to fly your kids on a long, international trip, here are some pointers:

1. Take empty water bottles-- an empty disposable bottle is fine.
They won't let you take the water through the security check, but you can take the bottle. In a country with potable water, you may be able to fill it at the water fountain on the way into the plane. If not, you can ask them to fill it in the plane. Airplanes at high elevations get drier than deserts, an uncomfortable environment that feels weird and makes it hard to sleep. Everyone needs to stay hydrated. Having some water with you in the seat keeps you from calling the flight attendant all the time.

2. Wear comfortable clothes.
Loose, comfortable clothes that can pass for smart casual are a good idea. Long sleeves may be a good idea for long flights since it can get cold at higher elevations.

3. Some clothes to change into in your carry on.
You may need this with kids if there is a spill. A dark t-shirt can also work as a face mask to sleep when it's bright outside. Young adults and teens may want to shave (men) and put on unwrinkled clothes so as not to look like a sloppy thug or drug user bringing drugs into the destination country. Jackets and extra socks are helpful if it gets cold.

4. Snacks.
Kids may whine if they don't have food when they want it. On long international flights, they may actually feed you for 'free'. But it is good to have snacks while transiting or even while in the airplane. Beef jerky is filling and not available in every country.

5. Chewing gum.
For some reason, a lot of kids haven't figured out how to pop/depressurize their ears on a road trip through the mountains or on an airplane. I can move a little muscle around the ears and do it, but a lot of people need to chew or open their jaws. Chewing gum helps with this. The kids got excited about chewing gum during take-offs and landings. This does not work for trips from Singapore, where gum is illegal (I hear because of kids messing up sensors on the MRT subway), but I have never been harassed for a few pieces of gum upon arrival.

6. Check-ins in cardboard boxes.
If you are actually _moving_ overseas, you will probably get more bang for your buck out of cardboard boxes for check-in luggage than suitcases. Suitcases use up a lot of the weight allowance. We have used heavy duty boxes from Lowes or Home Depot. Even though the large boxes seem like a good idea for meeting the size limit, we found that filling them up exceeds the weight limit, so medium boxes worked best for us. Not every country has as good of shopping options as the US, so you may have to scrounge up boxes for the return trip, but you can also hide those boxes behind furniture for the return trip for a year or two if you are careful to check and keep cockroaches out of your home and away from the boxes.

7. Stuff they don't have in that country.

In some parts of Asia, it is hard to find anything over a 9 or 9 and a half shoe. In Indonesia, socks have a rubber band at the top and it is hard to find the tube sock style for dress socks. If you don't know the language, it might be hard to ask for dental floss. In South Korea, I had to figure out how to ask for dental floss at the counter of a pharmacist-- there was no self-service shopping. Take essential items with you that you can use for a while as you figure out how to shop.
Good advice. Mine is better. Leave the kids at home!
 
T

TheIndianGirl

Guest
#5
Other things to pack:

- a small book/or magazine
- ear buds
- a camera
- a hidden travel pouch/bra wallet
- small first aid kit which includes thermometer, oximeter, alcohol swabs, bandaid, immodium, vitamin C, etc.
 
Mar 4, 2020
8,614
3,678
113
#6
If you are going to fly your kids on a long, international trip, here are some pointers:

1. Take empty water bottles-- an empty disposable bottle is fine.
They won't let you take the water through the security check, but you can take the bottle. In a country with potable water, you may be able to fill it at the water fountain on the way into the plane. If not, you can ask them to fill it in the plane. Airplanes at high elevations get drier than deserts, an uncomfortable environment that feels weird and makes it hard to sleep. Everyone needs to stay hydrated. Having some water with you in the seat keeps you from calling the flight attendant all the time.

2. Wear comfortable clothes.
Loose, comfortable clothes that can pass for smart casual are a good idea. Long sleeves may be a good idea for long flights since it can get cold at higher elevations.

3. Some clothes to change into in your carry on.
You may need this with kids if there is a spill. A dark t-shirt can also work as a face mask to sleep when it's bright outside. Young adults and teens may want to shave (men) and put on unwrinkled clothes so as not to look like a sloppy thug or drug user bringing drugs into the destination country. Jackets and extra socks are helpful if it gets cold.

4. Snacks.
Kids may whine if they don't have food when they want it. On long international flights, they may actually feed you for 'free'. But it is good to have snacks while transiting or even while in the airplane. Beef jerky is filling and not available in every country.

5. Chewing gum.
For some reason, a lot of kids haven't figured out how to pop/depressurize their ears on a road trip through the mountains or on an airplane. I can move a little muscle around the ears and do it, but a lot of people need to chew or open their jaws. Chewing gum helps with this. The kids got excited about chewing gum during take-offs and landings. This does not work for trips from Singapore, where gum is illegal (I hear because of kids messing up sensors on the MRT subway), but I have never been harassed for a few pieces of gum upon arrival.

6. Check-ins in cardboard boxes.
If you are actually _moving_ overseas, you will probably get more bang for your buck out of cardboard boxes for check-in luggage than suitcases. Suitcases use up a lot of the weight allowance. We have used heavy duty boxes from Lowes or Home Depot. Even though the large boxes seem like a good idea for meeting the size limit, we found that filling them up exceeds the weight limit, so medium boxes worked best for us. Not every country has as good of shopping options as the US, so you may have to scrounge up boxes for the return trip, but you can also hide those boxes behind furniture for the return trip for a year or two if you are careful to check and keep cockroaches out of your home and away from the boxes.

7. Stuff they don't have in that country.

In some parts of Asia, it is hard to find anything over a 9 or 9 and a half shoe. In Indonesia, socks have a rubber band at the top and it is hard to find the tube sock style for dress socks. If you don't know the language, it might be hard to ask for dental floss. In South Korea, I had to figure out how to ask for dental floss at the counter of a pharmacist-- there was no self-service shopping. Take essential items with you that you can use for a while as you figure out how to shop.
Thanks for the information. All of that is good to know because I don't think it's something we intuitively expect. We get accustomed to a certain culture and lifestyle and maybe expect that everyone else around the world does it the same way.

Also, kinda thinking about language barriers, taboos, and cultural differences. I've noticed it's entirely possible to offend people with completely innocent and innocuous statements. We should try to consider how what we meant to say can be interpreted differently, especially if we're speaking to a non-native English speaker.

English is a bit complicated, words have more than one meaning. As an English teacher, I've witnessed this cause all sorts of confusion for non-native English speakers who take a literalist's approach to every conversation, not understanding figures of speech or idioms. Sometimes we learn that the hard way. 😅
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,081
1,748
113
#7
Other things to pack:

- a small book/or magazine
- ear buds
- a camera
- a hidden travel pouch/bra wallet
- small first aid kit which includes thermometer, oximeter, alcohol swabs, bandaid, immodium, vitamin C, etc.
A book, or Kindle with loaded books and reading glasses if necessary is really important. They might make you put away your phone.

International flights with kids are much easier now, because usually these days each seat has its own TV with a choice of movies, games, and kids shows. Those 30 hour flights were pretty rough with kids before that. Now you have to monitor what they watch, which can be tough.

Earbuds--yes. Great comment. On a lot of planes, they take up the earbuds they give you-- right before the end of the show.

Immodium is powerful. A doctor told me more than 8 pills in a row might shut the digestive system down. It's also a temporary fix. That stuff has to get out of there. It is good if you travel alone and you have to be able to get to the pharmacy to buy other stuff.

There are some good meds outside of the US, that are hard to get in the US. In Indonesia they have a kind of powdered gatoraid kind of stuff that has glucous and other things needed for restoring fluids and sodium if one has an upset stomach. For some reason, water mixed with stuff can go down easier than water when one cannot hold down water. Pharmacies used to have activated charcoal, but there was a shortage the last time I was there.

In Indonesia and China and some other countries, you can walk into a pharmacy and buy amoxicillin. In Indonesia, a strip of 10 used to be a dollar. It hadn't gone up that much a few years ago when I was there. A box of amoxicillin was about $5 in China in 2016.

In Indonesia, if you go the doctor for a cold, they prescribe amoxicillin. At least this was the case in 20 or so years ago. Since they'd prescribe it anyway, I figured it made more sense for me to determine whether I needed it, go to the pharmacy myself, and buy it without wasting a couple of hours and $10 at the doctor. It is good to have onhand mainly for digestive problems.

If you do go to the doctor before you come back, you can have them prescribe everyone some amoxicillin. That way it is legal in the US, and you can have a stash for emergencies if you are too poor to go to the doctor in the US and don't want to pay $80 for a $1 or $2 medicine. I don't think we've ever used foreign amoxicillin in the US.

I should also have said a passport holder. They have the kind that hang around your neck. Get a comfortable one that isn't just a rope digging in. I put tickets in mine, but a whole family's tickets won't fit. It also helps to take pictures of stubs as you get them and check that the picture is clear to send them in by email to collect frequent filer miles. You might be able to get a free domestic ticket from a few international flights.

A fanny pack can be useful for men to carry stuff if you can stand looking like someone with a fanny pack. Everyone gets a carry on and a personal bag, so for men, it is better to have a backpack. It makes sense for women to do this, too, and put the purse-- and whatever else in there. Backpacks are good for maximizing space if you are moving overseas.
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,081
1,748
113
#9
It is also useful to go on the Internet, find a forum full of expats who went to the target country and ask what they do not have there, or what is hard to find. Locals there may not have the same perspective on what expats will miss, but you can ask them also.

If I were going to Indonesia, I might eat steak before leaving, so I wouldn't miss it, and maybe lay off on the chicken. Beef is more expensive, more than three times more. They do eat a lot of chicken. If I were crazy about pork, I might consider that. it's hard to find there.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,173
113
#11
Learn phrases and important words if going to a place that doesnt speak your langauge, and also learn to read signs for toilet, exit, etc.

I am not sure that I would take young children on long trips for 2 years or be away from them for that long but I guess you do what you have to do.

Because of pandemic though its all moot most countries are not letting people in, and you need to do 14 days quarantine/isolation before you reach your destination.

That might mean you will be taken to a hotel and have to stay there with your children and not allowed out. You also may need to be fully vaccinated...BEFORE you travel.

They will test you to make sure you havent picked up anything.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,173
113
#12
The other thing is travel insurance...if you fall ill or have an accident in a foreign country, or something happens to the flight, if you havent paid any insurance you may face a HUGE bill or may not be able to obtain care or medical assistance in that country.

Something to consider.
 

presidente

Senior Member
May 29, 2013
9,081
1,748
113
#14
I am not sure that I would take young children on long trips for 2 years or be away from them for that long but I guess you do what you have to do.
I've moved the family overseas when I got a job in another country.
 

Cabrillo

Active member
Sep 6, 2021
420
221
43
#15
They'd take everything but the flashlight and the duct tape on the plane.
I forgot. I haven't been on a plane since 84 except a 1 way flight from DFW to Seatac. They took away my sword cane :cry::ROFL: