How I Survived a 16-Hour Flight to Thailand Solo with Two Kids
When people hear I travelled from the UK to Thailand, just me and my two young children, they have a lot of questions! There is a lot of shock involved, too. I do get it - it’s not every day you get on a plane to Thailand with a 4 and 6 year old but for me, it was something I found really exciting.
I did, of course, have hesitations, but for me it was well worth the risk. I knew that once we got to Thailand, we would be fine - we just had to get through the 16-hour-long flights first. Knowing my children and, in particular, Cole (my youngest), I knew the best way to make it through the first was to overprepare them. I did this in a few ways…
1.Journey checklist! 📋
I talked them through the journey multiple times, making sure they knew each leg of it, what was going to happen, what times we would have to wait and if we would be on the plane or in the airport. Once we had done this several times, we then made a checklist together that we were able to follow on the journey and which the boys then found exciting, as they knew what was coming, what to expect and had fun ticking it off!
2. Bribery! 🍬
A classic on all flights, which included tons of snacks, sweets for when extra is needed, games, pens & paper and, the one which helped me the most, unlimited access to their tablets. That was the real game-changer for me! They don’t get to use them too often so having them for a prolonged period of time really entertained them.
3.Planned naps 😴
With getting on two planes, changing time zones, and waiting around in airports, I was conscious that tiredness was going to be a big issue for the boys. I used AI and put in our flight times, where we were going and asked it to tell me when the best times were for napping, which I built into the checklists for the boys and which I stuck to. I know with my kids that it takes them a good 30 minutes to come around after sleeping, so I made sure that they were awake an hour before landing.
I am not saying it was all plain sailing, and I did have to carry Cole through the airport once in Thailand, but it honestly could not have gone better and was overall a great experience! Please don’t let the fear of travelling stop you from travel!
