Jet With Kids

Thursday, January 25th, 2007, I tested a new way to fly.

Lighter.

Armed with my CARES harness, the car seat was checked curb- side for San Diego. My luggage consisted of my reliable
Happy Traveler carry-on bag and my son’s mini suitcase, which he rolled through the airport.

CARES harness,  Happy Traveler bag,  Mini suitcase

I sailed through the airport, knowing all that I needed for my trip awaited me at the hotel in San Diego.

I did have to wait at baggage claim since the car seat was checked baggage. This took up a bit of time, but we used the time to change diapers and get a snack out of our carry on bag, as well as find our rental car info on our itinerary. (I have a folder inside my carry on that contains all our itinerary info: flight #s, confirmation #s, rental car info, hotel confirmation, etc.)

The car seat arrived in the oversize bag area ( I protect our car seat with a bag made especially for car seats).

We made our way to the Avis rental bus where we were greeted by a friendly man who took pride in his work.
He helped us with the stroller onto the bus, and then asked if we were Preferred members. I had taken my own
advice from the last newsletter, and signed up for a “Wizard” number with Avis, but had not taken it that one
step further and registered for Preferred status. Since I had not rented from Avis before, this process was new to me.

Well, the Wizard number was not enough to eliminate the need to stand in the long line at Avis. I envied those who
confirmed with the bus driver that they indeed were Preferred members, as their names were called out while they
were individually dropped off at their cars.

I found out later that this is a free service and only requires taking the Wizard status to the next level! AND these “preferred” members got access to cars with lower miles as well as a Wall Street Journal waiting for them in their
car!

As we got closer to the Avis building, I had a bad feeling that I had missed the opportunity on this one, and my smooth
sailing day was soon to come to a stop.

I was right - the line was almost to the door and nobody inside seemed to care how fast the line moved.

I was happy to find a few seats that my son and I were able to rest on while my sister took care of the long line
and waiting.

I used this opportunity to get organized as far as directions to the hotel, calling my husband, changing my son’s diaper,
washing his hands with foam soap, drinking some water, and just having some time to talk with my son about being in
San Diego and what we had planned.

Long ago I learned that flexibility is so key when flying with kids. True, the long line and 30 minute wait threw off my plans. However, rolling with the changes is a big part of enjoying travel. Many times things like flight delays or waiting in security lines are out of your control. And as I have also learned the hard way, my son will instantly pick up on that tension if I allow it to take over.

OK back to my trip report.

So we got our car, installed the car seat - with the LATCH system (quick) and we were on our way to our hotel.

We were greeted as familiar guests (even though we had never stayed there) as the girl working was excited to meet the owners of the luggage and box of supplies which had arrived via Fed Ex prior to us.

And there they were… our two suitcases and box of supplies…

Picture if you can a halo of light around them…

Safe, secure, with tracking numbers and the reliable
Fed Ex tags attached…

We claimed our bags, got our room key, and happily realized that we were on vacation! No need to go to the grocery store for water, snacks, and a fresh supply of diapers! No need to file a claim for lost luggage with the airlines, and then wait for an undetermined amount of time when your luggage is somewhere that nobody seems to know (or care)….

That was so easy! I think part of the intimidation of flying with kids is all the stuff that must accompany you on your trip. When you get down to the basics, and utilize these fabulous services to take care of the rest, it makes a huge difference!

I am excited to share this info with you, and am working with these two companies to set up discounts for you to utilize these time and energy saving services.