MyCinnamonToast^® Family Travel

Tips for Traveling to London with Kids - Part 3

by Donna Schwartz Mills

Packing Your Kids' Carry-On Bags

Carry-on bags for Economy passengers are often limited to one per person, so you need to pack wisely. Luckily, each of your kids is entitled to a bag, so this makes it possible to include items that will make the flight easier.

Make sure your kids have some activities to keep them busy. If your school-age children were given some assignments to do, the long flight is a great place to start. Younger children will be grateful for some coloring books, notepads, colored pens and crayons.

Include comfort items for your young children. Our daughter's bag held her pillow from home, her favorite blanket and one of the dolls she sleeps with (we limited her to just three toys from home; explaining how difficult it would be to get back anything we left in another country).

Tell your children how jet lag works and that they will feel much better when they arrive if they get a little sleep on the plane. Our 4-year-old agreed to turn off her little TV after just one showing of Pokemon 2000. With her comfy pillow and blanket, she had no problems sleeping and was probably the best rested member of our family.

Speaking of Jet Lag:

As miraculous as it is to travel thousands of miles in hours instead of days, you and your family are bound to suffer from jet lag. It isn't only the fact that you will have lost five to eight hours of sleep just by flying overseas -- but crossing all those time zones messes with the body's circadian rhythms, resulting in more sleep loss, as well as disorientation, dehydration and low immunity levels.

When I first started "crossing the pond," those symptoms kept me from enjoying the first week of my visit. Aside from the long, uncomfortable flight, it was the thing I dreaded most about international travel.

But before our last trip, a friend told me about an herbal, homeopathic remedy she tried that alleviated almost all her jet lag symptoms (everything but the ones associated with lack of sleep). It's called No Jet Lag, costs about $10 and is available at health food stores all over the country.

I'm skeptical of the claims of most herbal remedies, but decided to give it a try... and it worked! I have never had such an easy time adjusting to the new time zone. My husband, on the other hand, is a scientist -- and even more of a skeptic than I. He did not try it on the trip over... and he was miserable (especially since I kept bragging about how good I felt). That convinced him to try it on the return trip... and it worked for him, too. We will never go to Europe without this stuff again, and next time I will consult our pediatrician to see if it is OK for our daughter to take it, too.

You can read more about No Jet Lag and additional ways to combat the syndrome here:

http://www.nojetlag.com

<-- Part 2: Passports & Visas, Staying Healthy

Part 4: Lodging in London, Mealtimes -->

If you have comments or problems please send a message to sruth@mycinnamontoast.com