17 Simple Tips for Long Haul Flights With Kids

Planning long haul flights with kids can feel daunting – keeping them entertained, still and quiet in a confined space seems like an insurmountable challenge. 

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be. A few simple tweaks to how you normally travel and long haul flights with kids will be more like a walk in the park than walking across lego!

With a little planning, a lot of snacks and a bit of flexibility you can transform the experience from chaos to something surprisingly manageable – you may even get some downtime!.

What’s in this post? 

In this post we cover the tips to flying long haul flights with kids that we’ve learnt over several long haul flights with kids of all ages. 

We also answer some common questions about long haul flights with kids including how to keep kids comfortable and entertained on a long flight, and if you’ll be allocated a kids and adult seat together.

If there’s something on this list you’re particularly interested in you can skip straight there by clicking on that section in the contents below. If not, then scroll down to read all of our simple tips for long haul flights with kids. 

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1. Pack a variety of activities

Flights are boring for kids at the best of times, let alone when you’re on a flight that’s 5+ hours. 

When planning a trip with kids make sure you pack a variety of activities to keep them entertained on a long flight. Some activities or things you could add to your kids carry on packing list include,

• Books
• Activity sheets
• Colouring book and colouring pens
• Travel board games
• A pack of playing cards
• Toys like cars or action figures
• Tablet and wireless headphones (bring the cable too though for the in-flight entertainment system)

Also, pace yourself with the activities. Don’t get everything out at one time and don’t let them know everything that’s in the bag. We cycled through most of the activities we took with us on our New York trip within the first hour until I realised that I needed to set minimum time limits playing with one thing. 

2. Pack kid friendly headphones

If, like me, you look online and see they provide you with headphones don’t assume that they have over ear ones for kids rather than earphones.

This can cause real issues if you’re relying on the on flight entertainment system to pass the time! Now we’ll always bring a set of headphones so that

3. Use screen time

If you have strict limits on screen time at home consider being flexible with this and relaxing the limits during your travels. Alongside reading, colouring and other activities or games, using screen time to keep kids entertained when flying will give you some time to relax and can help calm them down before they need to get some sleep. 

4. Bring your own snacks

You do get food on a long haul flight but it’s never enough food and you can guarantee it’ll come at a time when they aren’t hungry only to be starving an hour later!

Avoid this by bringing some snacks with you. You can take food through most airport security scanners but check the airport you’re traveling from to be extra cautious. Also you should check the restrictions on what food you can bring into the country you’re visiting incase you bring any restricted food in. 

5. Bring extra drinks

Just like the point above, you do get drinks on a long haul flight but we found that being on a plane for that long gives us really dry mouths and the little cans they provide just aren’t enough for a long flight. 

Don’t forget that there are rules around what liquids you can bring through airport security so don’t buy anything before you travel. Most airports have at least one shop in the departure lounge to grab some extra drinks and most airports have water fountains you can use for free if you bring an empty bottle. 

6. Get on local time

This is a lesson we learnt the hard way so I’ve got to share it! 

When you land, try to get yourself on to the same time zone as your destination as soon as possible. The easiest way to do this is to wait to go to sleep until it’s evening in the destination you’ve travelled to. 

I know a daytime nap is tempting, especially if you land early in the morning but it’ll totally throw your body clock out and it’s harder to go back to a good routine once you’re out of it. 

When we went to Sydney in Australia we were so tired we ended up going to sleep mid afternoon on our first day and paid for it when we woke up at 3am. We did eventually manage to get into a better routine but it took some time and we still had to fight the tired feeling. 

7. Save a special toy for immigration queues

You make it through the long haul flight, step off the plane and are greeted with a queue to get through passport control that has far too many rows of people queuing. We’ve been queueing for up to 3 hours before and it’s normally a stressful experience trying to keep the kids still enough to not venture into the other lanes or start banging into the people around you. 

You’ll have cycled through the toys you brought with you so make sure to keep something special for the undoubtedly huge immigration queue that will keep their attention. 

Remember, in a lot of immigration halls electronics aren’t allowed so don’t rely on a tablet or phone to keep the kids busy. 

8. Dress comfortably

No one is giving out prizes for the best dressed on an airplane so wear something comfortable to travel in, easy to sleep in and easy to get in and out of one of those tiny plane toilets. Don’t just limit this to your clothes, also wear snug socks and shoes that are easy to slip on and off. 

Dressing kids in comfortable clothes is a must as they need to be able to shift around and even curl up on the seat to sleep if they want to. 

If we have a late night flight I’ll always put them in PJs so they’re ready to sleep. To help them feel refreshed in the morning it’s a good idea to bring something for them to change into once you’ve landed. 

9. Buckle their seatbelt over the top of their blanket

If you think they’re going to fall asleep or they’re getting snuggly with a blanket then do their seatbelt up over the top of their blanket. 

Do this so that if the seatbelt sign comes on you don’t need to move them around to get their seatbelt on and when the seatbelt is checked by the cabin crew they can easily see it without having to disturb your little one. 

10. Download TV shows and movies on apps like Netflix and Disney+

Yes, long haul flights have in-flight entertainment systems and most have a good range of TV shows and movies to watch. 

However, if there are shows that never fail to keep your kids attention or shows they listen to so they can sleep a little easier then download these before you go. 

You can download on Netflix and Disney+ to watch with no internet access, but make sure you check the downloads before the flight home as some expire 48 hours after you start watching it. 

11. Pack a chapstick

There’s a unique problem that we’ve found on long haul flights that we’ve never experienced on any other flight. 

The air is so dry, we were all so thirsty for most of the flight that we went through all of the extra drinks we bought with us and took every opportunity we could to get extras from the cabin crew. 

The air was so dry it made our lips sore, almost like they were burnt but we were flying from one chilly area to another so there was no sun involved! It lasted for around 2 weeks and was really painful. Ever since then we’ve taken chapstick on our flight.

Burts Bees is a popular chapstick option for adults or children over 3, it’s made of beeswax (make sure you check for allergens if you’re prone to this), it isn’t tested on animals, and although it’s now become more popular, it started as a small family owned business. You can pick up the Burts Bees Lip Balm on Amazon for around £4 or $6.

12. Book a night flight

When you’re on a long haul flight there’s a lot of hours to try and keep them busy in a confined space. An easy way to pass some of the time is to book a night flight so they can sleep. 

Some tips to help them (and you) get some sleep on the flight are, 

• Try to time the flight with their bedtime so they can stick to their normal routines. 
• Bring any comfort items they might use at bedtime at home – cuddly toys or blankets etc. 
• If you can seat them next to the window. You won’t need to move them if you need to stand and they can use the wall of the plane to lean against. 
• Hunt down the kid friendly part of the airport or find a closed gate to let them burn off some energy. 

13. Check the connection length

Indirect flights may seem great, usually lower prices than direct flights and it breaks up a long flight. Make your travel easier with kids by avoiding an awkward connection length.

Too long and you’ve got to try and keep them entertained or pay a fortune to keep them still and quiet, too short and you’ll be running through an unfamiliar airport trying to drag them along next to you. 

Always check the connection length to make sure it’s a length of time you’re comfortable with and research the airport to understand what connections are like at that airport and if there’s anything there for kids to do to keep them entertained. 

14. Choose your meals ahead of time

Most long haul flights allow you to choose what meal you’d like ahead of the flight, this is particularly useful if you have dietary requirements or are travelling with children. 

Once you’ve booked your flights you can update your booking online to select the kids meal, these usually come out first and are more child appropriate snack box type meals. 

15. Check in early

The worst and most stressful part of airport travel with kids is the long queues at every stage – check in, security, boarding, passport control. You can save time on cutting out one of these queues by checking in online ahead of time. 

As an additional plus, not only does it save you time when you arrive at the airport but also means if you haven’t booked your seats you can see where your seats are and plan your seating arrangements ahead of time. 

16. Explore the airport before you arrive

Research the airport online before you travel to look at what shops and restaurants are available there, are there free water fountains, is it worth paying for priority with security, and how far is it from the departure lounge to the furthest gate. 

Also, many airports now have play areas to help keep kids entertained. Check where this is in advance so you can head straight there and let them burn off some energy.

17. Relax!

Finally, just relax! You’re going on vacation so try not to stress over every little detail, especially as it’s likely to be out of your control.  

You need to have some level of flexibility in your plans as not everything is going to go how you expect it to or you’re going to forget something you were supposed to bring (hopefully not your passport!). 

Summary : tips for a long haul flight with kids

We’ve used all of the above tips to make our long haul travel easier but if you want the summarised version I’ve listed our top 3 tips for long haul flights with kids below, 

1. Bring extra snacks and drinks to make sure everyone has enough. 
2. Get on local time by waiting to go to sleep until the evening time to start your holiday on the right timezone. 
3. Pack a variety of activities and try to spread them out throughout the duration of the flight so you don’t use everything you had planned in the first hour. 

Long haul flights may sound like every parents worst nightmare but they don’t have to be stressful. With a bit of planning and the right mindset you’ll be able to get through them like a pro, you may even find it an enjoyable experience! 

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