Airport Logistics

I just decided to take a trip with the boys on an airplane. It will be my first time traveling alone with them. I've got the plane logistics down pretty well and we're going to use the CARES harnesses. However, I'm not sure how to handle the airport. Specifically, I'm wondering if I should take a stroller or have them walk. I was planning on all of us just walking, but now my mom has me second-guessing myself. Then, if I opt to use a stroller and gate-check it, should I take my BOB Revolution Duallie (huge! awkward! expensive!), or should I buy another stroller (maybe even 2 umbrella strollers and a clip to attach them?) just for this trip? I also plan to get harnesses/ "leashes" for them to wear (that maybe overkill, but I know my kids!! :lol: ).

I do plan to look into having my DP and/or my mom accompany us to the gate if at all possible, but I'm not sure how the logistics will work. Does anyone know who I would contact to find out about getting a gate pass for them to come with us past security? I assume the airline, but maybe it's the airport?

Thanks in advance!

 

I would never walk with kids that age. Heck, when DH and I traveled with our kids this summer (two parents and two kids age 3.5), we still took the stroller. I find walking with them incredibly frustrating -- plus, in the stroller you can just park them and then have your hands free. If they were walking, you'd have to tie their leashes to something. :ibiggrin:

I would take the double stroller (see if you can borrow an umbrella one from someone else in your area? but if not, take the Bob) and plan on checking all your baggage (despite the extra cost) except what you will absolutely need on the plane. One argument in favor of the Bob is that it has storage space underneath. In an airport, there are not that many places where you would need to fold it up and/or lift it. And since it is so huge, at security they would simply have to hand-wand it, and hopefully would not give you any grief about it.

I would also take the leashes, and plan to use them during that time at security when the boys will need to be out of the stroller, plus any other time when you want them to have a little freedom -- but not too much.

Good luck and have a great trip!

 

I would put them in a stroller. I would not take the expensive stroller though. We did umbrella strollers clipped together and it worked out fine.

Sorry, I don't know about the security question.

Have a safe trip!

BTW~ Can I be nosey?? :ibiggrin: Where are you off too??

 

I did all 3 of my kids alone. I would definitely take a double stroller. I would get a cheap one maybe off Craigslist for the trip. I wouldnt take the BOB. Too heavy and expensive to risk damage. I believe you can contact the airline and they will give you the gate passes. Have fun.

 

Definitely a stroller! It's a very long walk to most gates. Ditto the search on Craigslist or getting 2 umbrella strollers.

I have flown by myself with the girls a couple of times and each time we checked in we asked for a gate pass for my dh or my mom. One woman said "I will because I'm in a good mood today" which made me believe they have a right to deny the request. <_< But then another told me (same airline!) that anyone traveling alone with 2 or more children are allowed someone to accompany them to the gate (Southwest, BTW). Just ask when you check in. They will need identification.

Have a blast!!

 

I agree with everyone else, DEFINITELY take a stroller. I think two umbrellas clipped together would be a pain. See if you can borrow a tandem (like a DuoGlider) or get one cheap off CL. I see them listed for $20-$30 on my local CL all the time. The advantage to the stroller is that you have the option to let the boys walk, but if they are walking, you have a place for all your carry-ons. If they are tired or if you have a really long walk to the gate, you can put them in the stroller and still have some storage underneath (assuming you don't go with an umbrella stroller), and you can wear the rest of the carry-ons (BACKPACK!!!). And yes, definitely call the airline to see what their policy is for gate passes. They'll know if you have to contact the airport or not. GL!!!!

 

I would make sure on the airlines policy. We just flew to Samoa in May and were not allowed to gate check the stroller (and it was an umbrella one) so definitely make sure you have the harnesses. It would have been easier with the stroller but without was ok but there was two of us.

 

I agree with everyone that you will need a stroller of some sort. We always do umbrella strollers with clips to attach them when flying, but I've never travelled solo- a double would be easier if it's just you and the boys. We've had to run to catch a plane and there is NO WAY we could have made it with the kids out of strollers plus all our stuff. They can also get so cranky/crazy when travelling- it's nice to have a place to strap them in. Leashes would be a nice bonus if they want to get out and move around for a bit, but I wouldn't rely on them only.
Also consider your flight may be delayed, or you may have a sick kid and there are so many details you'll need to attend to without having to keep little hands off conveyer belts- a stroller is a lifesaver!

 

Another vote for taking an umbrella stroller. Much easier in the airport plus you can hang bags and stuff on the stroller when you are going through the airport. I would NOT trust the airline to gate check the BOB, way to heavy and way to expensive. Not worth it in my opinion.

Another tip I have is that on most airlines you don't have to pay to check your car seats so we packed some stuff like shoes and winter coats that would have taken a lot of room in our regular bags in them.

 

At that age I would have gone with harnesses/leashes. Actually, I might still do that if I were taking them solo.

 

you didn't mention car seats, but I've had the thought of using the little carseat rollers- we go kids, and then there's an off brand one too I found on amazon that straps your kid in their carseat to your rolling luggage.... just some thoughts.

But however you do it, you need to come back and let me know how it goes-- I'm debating traveling w/ the boys by myself next summer!

 

I have flown many, many times with my twins alone from 3 months to 22 months - I have the gogokidz attachments for carseats, I highly recommend those if you are taking carseats. If not, bring the stroller for all the reasons listed above. It is very important to have a plan to get through security, even if someone is helping you to the gate. Go through it in your mind - shoes off while kids are still in stroller and in bin, pull kids out of stroller/carseats, fold stroller, ask security person to "hand check" it with a wand (many x-ray machines are too small for stroller or seats with gogo attachment) - they hand check people with pacemakers all the time. Let them worry about trying to fit the stroller through the x-ray after you request the handcheck, that is no longer your problem. Load bags onto conveyer belt, walk through gate with one child, your helper waits until security says they can come through. If the stroller/seats went first, you have a place to put kids while you get your shoes & bags etc. together. I did this by myself several times, just ask someone for help if you are on your own. The person in line behind you will be eager to help you get through quickly, even if it is just to hold a child for a second while you walk through with one and return for the second (not ideal, but possible). Make sure your helper knows your plan so that you can get through quickly and smoothly. Every time I flew, I called the airline desk at the airport, explained I was traveling alone with twin babies and needed help through security. In the United States I never had a problem, they always issued a gate pass to the friend or family member who came with me which got them through the security gate but not onto the plane (obviously). I am annoyed by the comment above about the agent who said she would do it because she was "in a good mood" Excuse me??!! Clearly not a twin mom, LOL! In Europe they didn't let me bring my mom through security but told me that the security agents could help me through. I think that in the US they are not allowed to touch you or your kids, so that might not be possible. When in doubt, stand there looking helpless with a smile on your face and some person, often a nice grandmother or mom traveling alone will jump in to help you. I met lots of very nice people and only a few jerks on my travels. Good luck! bring lots of snacks that take a LOOOONG time to eat (ziplocks with little cereal bits or mini m&ms etc.) and new (cheap) toys that will keep them busy. Finally, I have owned about 8 strollers, including the umbrella strollers with the attachment. For what it's worth, those stroller attachments will do in a pinch, but they are a huge pain if you are alone - kind of rickety and wheels don't always do what they are supposed to. If you are going to go with a stroller I would get a real one second hand. It's worth it. I love my light-weight Jeep double stroller for travel - it is as light as 2 umbrella strollers and folds together a lot better than two that are attached. (When I was traveling last summer I threw the attachment clips in my luggage and bought 2 $10 strollers everywhere we went and ditched them when we were done.) I was always able to gate check my stroller, but it would be worth a call to the airline to find out what is allowed. If you get the go go kidz thing for the carseats you can roll one child in each hand like 2 rolling suitcases, wear a backpack and string a second carryon around your neck. Not pretty, but there you go!

 

Thanks, everyone!

We are going to visit my parents in Michigan for a long weekend, but DP has to work.

WE've flown 2 other times with the boys - always with the car seats on the go-go kidz roller thing. I opted not to do car seats this time because when we have all flown together they were a huge pain - I know I couldn't handle the logistics of installing them plus caring for the kids by myself. So, I think the CARES airplane harnesses will be great.

I guess I'm off to shop CL for a good deal on a compact double stroller!

Thanks again for helping me regain my senses about this whole stroller thing. WTH was I thinking?! :lol:

 

Actually, at that age DH and I travelled with the twins plus a 10 month old infant. The infant was the only one that got the stroller. DH handled the twins and I handled the baby. They were fine walking through the Airport, held hands, ran when we needed to (which wasn't often and would've been never had we not gone to the wrong gate) and overall did an excellent job of staying near, etc.


We had a lot of carryon's though cuz I went a bit overkillon the snacks/water for the kids. I was dreading if we got stuck on the tarmac for more than an hour for whatever delays. On the way back we ditched like 2 of the carry-ons after realizing we didn't need so much in snacks..

 

Erin, if you don't have to change planes and you can get someone to accompany you to the gate on either end (we did this on Southwest this summer), then you don't absolutely have to have a stroller. I wasn't ready to gate check my wonderful Bob and couldn't find any cheap doubles, so I just walked with the girls. Our airport is fairly small and it worked ok. FYI - not sure if you've used CARES harnesses yet, but they're great and super easy to install.

 

I travel once a year with all three kids alone to see my family. My twins will be four in Dec., and my son will be six in March. The hardest part is going through security and boarding the plane. This past year it was sooo much easier now that they were older. When they were younger, I could not live without my stroller, but it is a pain to fold up to go through security. We always had someone go with me. Most of the time when you check in, if you ask for a gate pass for your dh to help, they will abide when they discover you are traveling with twins on your own. I always got the sympathy card. So my husband could help me through security. Now I used to take car seats on the plane. That was hell. Now this last time the twins were 3.5 years old so I checked them in the plane with my luggage. That was really nice. They could walk with me at that point.

When we arrive at our destination, it is usually easier because it's a smaller airport and then we have family to meet us to help with luggage. If you can just get on the plane, the rest will be ok. Ok, so not perfect, because being on a plane with kids sucks. Really. Or shall I say young kids.

 

Take a stroller, especially at this age. Forget car seats, the harnasses will be fine. I have mine walking sometimes but it really depends on the airport. We did a few Vietnamese ones last week, including Hanoi and it's very small, but most US airports are way bigger. Also it's much easier to keep them safe. I always used the MacLaren double for traveling. We now use 2 singles if traveling together because it's much more handy in the busy Asian cities. In December we'll be traveling to Sabah / East Malaysia, and it's going to be the first trip without strollers because we're going to a beach resort and found we never use strollers there. The airport there is quite small; Hong Kong is large and going to be the challenge but after a stop at the Disney store, they'll usually do anything ... Keep things as easy as possible. Security staff is usually quite helpful. Just bring one double umbrella stroller and hand luggage and you'll be find by yourself.

 

I see that you've already gotten great advice and made the wise decision to take the stroller. My girls are almost 5 and I'm taking the double stroller on our next two trips. As a single mom I swear I'll be bringing the stroller until they're 16. You don't know when you'll have a long delay/distant gate change or even a cancellation or diversion (a twin dad in my office had a flight land in an alternate city due to weather and had his toddler twins alone to deal with getting to/from a hotel in a strange city late at night). You have to have a place to put sleeping or whining toddlers who refuse to move one more inch, or to put them both if you need to move quickly or keep track of them in a crowd. Worst case, the stroller is a great place to hold bags, sweaters, etc. (I don't know why everyone doesn't take a stroller).

Best,
Mia