US Trip 2019 part 2: Gearing up for the 21-hour journey to Boston!

Continuing from part 1 of my US blog series, we now head on to the main star of the trip, our sons Heinel and Hendrix. As each vacation trip is for our children, our main concern is always their comfort and their enjoyment. As much as they had been to several trips already, this one will be something new to them as this will be our longest out of the country vacation. For Hendrix, our concerns are on how he can endure an extended time in the plane, whether he will eat the food that will be served, and if he will adjust easily to the weather in the East Coast. For Heinel, our concern is on whether he will enjoy the trip altogether given that most part of our itinerary is sightseeing.

The Flights

Prior to this, the longest plane ride that Hendrix has been to was to Japan which was 6 hours. For this trip, we are particularly concerned about the long haul flight. Since the flight to the East Coast is a minimum of 16 hours, we were hoping that Hendrix will sleep through it mostly. It is a good thing that we found a Cathay flight that leaves at noon in Manila bound for Hong Kong. Then a three hour layover before we take our flight to Boston at early evening, for a total of 21 hours travel time.

The stopover to Hong Kong is actually good. It gave the kids a sort of a jumpstart for a long flight. We got to stretch our legs and eat a good early dinner before boarding the flight to Boston.

Hendrix did very well during the flight from Hong Kong to Boston. Below are the some tips that helped Hendrix and can also work to help young kids and babies get comfortable in long flights:

• Follow their usual routine. Our flight to Boston is at around 6pm which is just about time for Hendrix to have dinner. By the time we boarded the plane, he already ate quite a good meal during our stopover in Hong Kong, After take off,  I freshened him up by giving him a sponge bath and changed into his comfortable pajamas and nappies. I also brushed his teeth, our usual bedtime routine, followed by a few minutes of play time then cuddle time. By the time the lights were turned off in the plane, he was sound asleep. Having a routine gives Hendrix that sense of familiarity and comfort. It helped maintain his happy disposition and cheerfulness during the trip
• Pack their comfort items. Flights, no matter the distance can be unnerving for adults, more so for the kids. It will help them if you take along items that make them feel secure, such a their favorite blanket, toy, book or any source of entertainment. Flights can get really boring for the kids. Having them sit still for a number of hours is something that they will not enjoy, hence you have to be ready to entertain them to help pass the time. For Hendrix, we brought his comfort pillows and iPad. Since Hendrix loves children songs, we also did a lot of singing in the plane. 🙂 Getting the big kid entertained was not that hard. Heinel took his Kumon worksheets in the plane, plus he had a movie marathon too!
• Food. I was not really sure if Hendrix will be able to take the food that will be served in the plane so i brought along some of his favorite snacks. Just do not bring a lot in your kids bag as this can be checked thoroughly in the US immigration. Luckily, Cathay food was really good and Hendrix enjoyed it. It was such a relief when he was happily munching on an Adobo wrap.
• Medicines. Since Hendrix has maintenance medicines that he has to take at specific hours in a day, we packed those in his carry-on baby bag. We just made sure that all the necessary papers such as prescription and medical clearances and certificates from his neurologist are in his bag. His medicines are pre-measured in syringes (just not the type with needles as these are not allowed in the plane) so it can be easily given to him on the plane. We really did not have a hard time with the immigration process (although it was very strict in the US) because we have the documents ready.
•  PWD Benefits. With Hendrix being a minor and a PWD, we were given the chance to board the plane first at every flight. This helped us a lot in settling Hendrix in because he gets to absorb his surroundings before everybody else comes and things get really hectic. We are also thankful to the cabin crew for giving the kids extra pillows and blankets and making sure that Hendrix is comfortable during the flight.
• Patience and Rest for Parents. Patience is the key. Sometimes the flight can be rough and your patience can be pushed to the limits. But when that happens just take a breather and try to extend your understanding. It also will help if you get a good sleep the night before your departure. As much as Hendrix was not fussy on the plane, he wakes in and out of his sleep so we hardly doze off when he does. I am blessed that Daddy S also took turns with me in taking care of Hendrix during the flight. Our buddy system allowed us both the chance to catch a couple of naps and rest.

Getting the kids involved

One thing that we do whenever we go on a trip is to involve our kids no matter their age or where we are going. When the itinerary was settled, we discussed it with our children. We also watched some travel videos on youtube so they will know what to expect, the good (the food, adventures and weather) and the bad (flight time, tiring walks, long days). Aside from getting them excited, it also helps them set their expectations about the vacation.

Travelling is a learning experience for our children. We help our children understand and appreciate the culture and tradition of each country we visit by explaining it to them.

During the trip, we gave our eldest son Heinel, who is 11, some tasks. The carry-on luggage is his to look after. On days when we stayed in an Airbnb, he was also in-charge of doing the dishes and tidying up the kitchen after we eat. He did a really good job. It was nice seeing our young man become this reliable.

The planning stage of our trip was long. We tried to be detailed as much as we can to make sure that we covered everything to make the trip as comfortable as possible for the children. Of course, not everything went according to plan. We plan so as to control what we can, but for those that we can not, we just let it go. The goal is to have fun and make amazing memories, which we did!

Now, enough of the planning and settling in.. it’s time to get to the actual trip! East Coast in Spring in my next blog!