EXTRAS
Left: Testing out the airport strollers offered in Frankfurt Right: While she doesn’t usually sightsee on transit breaks, Flip chose a hotel next to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi for a convenient cultural experience
THE BREAK Where you break is as important as how long you break for. Some carriers, including Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways, offer overnight break inclusions to encourage visitors to bolster the local economy. Some Arabian carriers also have helpful add-ons, for example Etihad’s Meet and Assist in Abu Dhabi will pick you up from the gate, escort you through private customs and into a taxi (with porter) from only USD$68. If there is a good time to splurge on a hotel airport pickup, this is it. The process is stress-free and you can order car seats.
HOTEL For sub 24 hour ‘plane breaks’, I’ve spent more hours researching hotels than actually in them. Apart from being near the airport, the hotel must have a pool. Non-negotiable. For toddlers and teens, this becomes a half-day activity. Other considerations: if you have crawlers, are the rooms carpeted? Is there a buffet
to feed kids quickly? Wi-Fi, as this is your chance to catch zzz’s while the kids watch TV? In-airport transit hotels can be winners, if keeping an eye on jet-lagged kids in large airports doesn’t terrify you.
AIRLINES AND HELPERS When Singapore Airlines staff delivered my meal cut into bite sized pieces to eat one-handed, I swooned. This is in stark contrast to alerting an inflight ‘nanny’ on another flight I’d need a brief hand and was informed they were “pretty busy”. Ummm, thanks. Airline service depends on the crew of the day. The biggest assistance you’ll find is from other passengers. A businessman in Frankfurt carried my sleeping two-year-old all the way through customs. A Romanian weightlifter held purée while I fed the baby. People are reticent to step in, but never mind being asked directly. So, ask away, the world is full of good-hearted, been-there-done-that travellers.
Enjoying the pool at Aerotel Singapore at Changi Airport
FLIP’S FAVOURITE FIVE
1
Airport Hotel – Aerotel Singapore inside Changi Airport, with runway views and a rooftop pool.
2
Break hotel feature – The wave pool at the Westin Doha Hotel & Spa in Qatar. Hours of entertainment.
3
Gadgets – Earphone splitters for simultaneous listening, Plane Pal - the inflatable seat-well cushion allowing toddlers to lie down, and the Yoyo Zen stroller that fits into an overhead locker.
4
Seat purchase – Buy kids two years and under their own seat, unless keen for DVT from a 15kg child on your lap for 15 hours.
5
Carry-on addition – A picnic blanket, as it’s an instant playmat in airports and hotel rooms. And swimming floaties. 111