A baby’s life is full of firsts, and my daughter’s first flight was one that I was both nervous and excited about. Tala and I joined Marlon on a five-day business trip to Berlin last week. I was thrilled to finally put that hard-won passport and return visa to good use. But you know what? Nobody even looked at her passport! That’s flying within the Schengen states for you.
Having flown once with an infant doesn’t make me an expert, but I learned a lot from this trip. Here are some of the things Marlon and I did that really, really worked for us.
1) Ease into it. Our travel history is full of crazy transfers and photo finishes, but you don’t want baby’s first trip to be The Amazing Race. Flying time to Berlin was just one hour, no transfers, making it an easy first flight. We also chose a 12 noon departure for ample time to do our morning routines (for three now!) without rushing.
2) Plan your mode of baby transport around your itinerary. I didn’t have the time to plot out a day-to-day itinerary as I used to, but I had a general idea of what I wanted to do in Berlin. I brought the stroller because I wanted to go shopping and be able to put Tala down somewhere while fitting clothes; a (borrowed) car seat instead of the bassinet because we planned a weekend drive out of town; and the Ergobaby carrier as backup for situations where I might not be able to use the stroller.
3) Factor in lots of time. We were at Schiphol a little over two hours in advance, and it helped us go through the airport at a relaxed pace. There will always be a need for feeding, changing and minor disasters.
4) Know that you can’t anticipate everything, so be ready to roll with the punches. Pre-baby, I would’ve put on my Google ninja suit and researched what to expect from the airline and airports. Now, I just don’t have the time. I only knew in advance that KLM allows strollers to be checked in free of charge. Beyond that, we had to improvise.
For example, we were allowed to take the stroller all the way through Schiphol and check it in right before boarding the plane. But at Berlin Tegel, we had to dismantle it, wrap both parts in huge plastic bags, and drop them off at a separate bulky baggage terminal prior to security. This is where factoring in lots of pre-departure time makes a huge difference.
5) Nurse at takeoff. The only hiccup was that on our flight home, we were made to take Tala out of her nice, secure baby carrier—where she was sleeping peacefully—and sit her on my lap, facing forward, with an infant extension belt around her waist.
Wow, that was awful. Not only did she wail miserably throughout takeoff and landing, but those flimsy belts don’t stay on (not even for a minute!), and are even banned in the US and Canada! Why the EU still enforces their use is truly beyond me.
It was definitely better on the flight out, when I had Tala on the boob. She had wriggled out of the belt, but at least she was quiet and calm. I’m definitely doing that again next time.
6) Document the flight! Doing all of the above should help make flying with a baby easier, but documenting the flight will make it special.
Marlon and I made sure to deplane last so that we could take Tala’s picture with the pilot, who was super nice and friendly. But that’s not all!
We documented Tala’s first trip with a fun and cool souvenir that I want to share. So here comes my very first blog giveaway!
Simply for Flying, a flight logbook for kids, was created by Aussie mum and traveling enthusiast Bronwyn Darnoc. I discovered Bronwyn and her logbook via The Hive. We connected via email and she happily agreed to give away a copy through my blog!
I think this logbook is such a cute idea! It has a passenger information page…
… and lots of pages for the flight crew to fill up with flight details. They are happy to do it, too.
I gave Tala’s logbook to the purser at the start of the flight, and she took it with a wink and a smile. At the end of the flight, she handed it back to me with this sweet message from our pilots Edo and Raoul. Awww.
In addition, I’m also giving away a copy of Berlin by Judith Drews!
When I saw this illustrated board book at a bookstore in Kreuzberg, I knew it would be the perfect souvenir to commemorate Tala’s first trip. It’s jam-packed with illustrations of Berlin’s famous places, street life and landmarks by Berlin-based illustrator Judith Drews.
Maybe you know a little globetrotter-in-the-making. Maybe you love travel, children’s books or Berlin. Or maybe you just want an excuse to meet a cute pilot! Whatever the reason, you can win a Simply for Flying flight logbook and a copy of Berlin by Judith Drews. I will ship to anywhere in the world. Promise!
Just , and comment here sharing a childhood travel memory. It could be your first trip, a favorite family vacation spot… I’d love to hear your stories.
Giveaway closes 28 June, Friday!
I love the Berlin children’s book! It’s one that I collected during my travels to Berlin.
My favourite childhood memories of family vacations are from the camping trips we use to take. My parents had four girls so a lot of time and patience was probably needed. We would sing Beatles’ songs and make time for lots of pit stops and photo sessions. I’d love the Simply For Flying book to document my baby’s first trips! Great give-away, Deepa!
I thought of you actually when I bought the Berlin book, it reminds me of the gorgeous Nederland book you gave me at my baby shower
I can totally see Baby Coles logging many miles with you too!
I love the photo of Tala with the pilot and the sweet message their wrote on her logbook. Priceless!
*they wrote
I love the books
I wish I had bought that book as well. Stockholm has a version that I have yet to find! Tala’s photo with the pilot is also so adorable.
I’ll try out for the giveaways as well
My favorite childhood travel memory was when my parents took us kids on the coastal 17 Mile Drive from L.A. to San Francisco. The views were amazing. But my two favorite memories of that drive have more to do with my kooky family than with the gorgeous landscape. The first was when “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” began to play on the radio and one by one each of us in the family began to join in, and mom rolled down the window so we could sing the chorus at the top of our lungs 
That song has since become our family song. My second favorite memory was when we were in San Francisco and dad drove up to Lombard Street, the ‘crookedest’ and twistiest street in the world. Our car was perched at the top, when dad suddenly said, “Fasten your seat belts!”, and took us on an impromptu roller coaster drive down Lombard Street. He did it two more times, and after the third time the tires smelled a bit funny 
The same illustrator did one for Stockholm.
Aww I love your family song! And I remember doing “roller coaster” drives in Brussels. My Uncle David would do all the underground tunnels superfast so that it felt like your stomach was dropping. My mom hated it of course, but we kids loved it!
That’s super cool that the pilot posed for a photo
Imagine the PR nightmare for KLM if he had refused?!
I’m so glad you posted all of these. I was wondering what I need to bring as far as car seat and stuff. That flight log book is pretty cool. Sophia’s first vacation was at the beach and we only had to drive 4 hours to get there. She loved it when the sea breeze was blowing at her face, she would start laughing like crazy. I regret not going places more when she was younger. I thought it was really difficult having to lug stuff around but now it’s even harder cause you still need to bring a lot of stuff with you and she is more aware of stuff so she tries to get into everything and won’t calmly sleep in her carseat. Even taking her to the mall is an ordeal we have to keep her occupied all the time! Glad you had a great time. Say hello to Tala for me!
Aww I really want to take Tala to the beach, but it’s just too cold here. Hopefully I get to do so at Christmas when we go home with her. Hugs to your Sophia
When I was really little, my parents took a trip from Virginia to Colorado to visit their parents (both their parents lived out there). As a family, we road-tripped. This was seven children and two adults in one huge van. I remember when we got out of the car in Colorado (it was winter) and I saw the huge mound of snow (which wasn’t new to me, but it was still exciting), we all took off up the hill. I remember trying to climb the hill and my foot got stuck in the snow, and when I pulled it out, my shoe was gone! We didn’t travel much because of the expense, but I loved going on vacations with my large family.
Hi Grace! We were just two siblings, but we did weekend drives with my extended family so it was always a packed car too. I developed my taste in music from some of those long drives… lots of John Denver, Peter Paul & Mary from my ex-hippie mom. Thanks for your comment!
I remember traveling down to Leyte from Manila via bus every summer as a child. No budget plane trips then. Trip would take 30 hours with a RORO in Bicol to Samar. It’s long thinking about it now but as a kid, it was awesome. Plus all the baon! haha
Those summer in Leyte was always fun. I mastered my Bisaya, got to jump in bridges, got super tan spending the whole in the beach! I miss those times
Huwaw 30 hours! I can only imagine it from a parental perspective now, 30 hours on a boat with Tala would be exhausting! Sounds super fun for a kid though
Best memory would definitely be Disneyland. I had my autograph book signed by each and every character we met, even the ones I did not know. As long as they were in costume their scrawl was on my book. I got dizzy at the teacup ride, I couldn’t stop singing “It’s a small world after all” and I wanted so bad to be a Princess. But most of all I just wanted to live there to feel the magic over and over again =)
We also did Disneyland when I was a kid! We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel for three days, and I remember being so upset because I slept through an entire day due to jetlag.
I love how nice and accomodating your pilots were. I remember those awful seatbelts. Hopefully, they ban it soon. Laki na ni Tala! Bilis no?
Not really my first travel memory but a distinct one. I remember going to Singapore at around 7 or 8 years old with my dad. We were just waiting at the airport for our car when I saw this small bookstore. It was one of those obscure bookstores hidden between a bathroom and some type of office. That was where I will buy my first Tintin Adventure book. Needless, to say wherever Tintin went, my dad and i tried to go. Hehe. Now, I don’t travel as much…Although, I would love to go back to Spain and Belgium with my now growing family.
Aww Tintin!
And…. hellooooooo too from me and my 2 year old baby girl, her name is BERLIN! My first to check your blog really and I think I will have a great time going back to it more next time — me, my husband, & Berlin haven’t had any chance to go out of the country yet but hopefully our first family flight will finally get to come true this December.
For my childhood travel memory, I think nothing will come as close to memorable to our summer vacations as sibs (we are tres marias) at our maternal grandparents’ house in La Union, near Baguio. All of our cousins also go up there so we are like a 2-month long kids’ party there. We will never forget our trips to the river where we gather shells, stones, plants, then of course, everything leads to us swimming till our skins wrinkle up. We also like to climb up the mountain; there’s a trek at the back of our house there, then we all eat our “baon” at the summit. We also enjoy feeding our grandpa’s “panabongs” every morning, harvesting honey from beehives near the mountain, walking through rice fields, riding carabaos, and more. Summer up north is something we all look forward to each year and we still talk about those lovely memories to this day.
Hi Crystal! Wow, what an awesome name. And such great memories too!
Hi Deepa, not that this comment will increase my chances but I really deserve these giveaways … mostly because am constantly flying with a (now) 3-year-old and am always in Berlin with three kids (son, nephew, niece) … which thankfully is also just an hour’s flight away from here.
My favorite childhood travel memory was when my clan of 40 relatives all went to Disneyworld Florida together. The queues for the rides were very long, so we made our grandmother ride a wheelchair … in order to cut through to the front of the lines. Families of disabled get priority
It was fun running through airports with 40 people and our group alone took up a huge section of the plane.
Traveling with a group of 40 reminds me of my Glee Club days. It’s a wonder we didn’t all want to kill each other after three months together!
My most favorite childhood travel memory would be my 9-hour trip to Pangasinan with my grandparents. I didn’t liked the idea at first. I was 6 years old back then and I’m scared of riding big vehicles like buses. I was crying profusely while my mother packed my things. I don’t wanna travel that far and I don’t have any idea why I need to be there. All I know is that we will be attending an event. Town fiesta perhaps. It was very tiring! I was very dizzy the whole time and vomited every thing I ate (ooops, sorry!) When we got there, we stayed at our relatives’ place for the night. The next day, the people were busy. My cousins who we’re little just like didn’t have any idea either. The following day, we woke up very early. The elderly tole us that we will be going to a very important event. When we got to the place, I found out that my Mom’s younger sister is already a novice and that day she will be taking her final vows. That day is so meaningful for all of us. After that, we spent a couple days inside the convent.
Whoa, nine hours on a bus? I hope Tala will behave long enough when she’s that age.
Awww..that’s so cool! I wish my parents were able to document my first trip abroad too. I was three when I first went to the US and I still remember bits and pieces of that trip especially the food. I Remember how big McDo’s applie pies were then, same with Dunkin Donuts. I Also remember how chunky Chips Ahoy were and that they tasted like real cookies and not like cardboard like they are now today!
I totally agree about the Chips Ahoy! The ones we have now are so not the cookies of our childhood. Or maybe everything just tasted better when we were kids, just as everything looked bigger to us then
Wow. Last time I read, you just got pregnant. Now, she’s here.
She is so pretty. Congratulations. Parang kailan lang, I just had my daughter and fast forward, she’s off to college in August.
I remember back in 2000, we went to Florida. It was a 16 hrs long drive with a 9 month old baby boy and a 4 yr old girl. Jusko! Gusto ng boy magpakarga na lang lagi.
Such great tips! Wish I had this when my daughter was little. Linking up with you from Life on Planet Baby..
What a fabulous idea! Tala looks so gorgeous with the pilot, something for her to look at in the future.
Stopping by from Life On Planet Baby’s POTMC