Guest Blogger: Traveling with Preteens and Teens, Part 1

Travel is an incredible educational opportunity, and if you don’t mind going the budget route, travel dollars can be stretched to include children. Over the years we took our children to other countries, sometimes in extended family groups with grandparents and cousins, sometimes one-on-one for a senior trip. We learned several tricks to adapt travel to the needs of young people. For this blog, I’d like to introduce our strategy for long flights.

Travel Kit

Though carry-on baggage is stowed in the overhead bins, it’s useful to have a small bag (like a hip pack) that can fit in the pocket of the seat in front of the passenger. We include items that provide entertainment as well as comfort items. Digital devices are revolutionizing the amount and types of media that can be brought along. Remember to charge them while waiting in the airport since not all planes are equipped with charging stations at each seat.

• Earbuds: some airplanes have in-flight entertainment that can be accessed with your own earbuds
• Digital device if applicable: we have used a Y connector with two sets of earbuds to double the access to the same device.
• Comfort items: chapstick, empty mini-water bottle (the stewardess can provide refills), toothbrush for overnight flights, hand sanitizer, calcium tablets like Tums, candy or gum to chew during take-off or landing to help ears adjust 
• Notecards and pen

Overnight Strategy

Most overnight flights depart around dinner time, so our strategy is to eat dinner and then sleep as much as possible. This usually means that there is time for one movie before trying to fall asleep. We have had mixed results with trying to sleep, but we keep trying anyway. I let the children know when it’s time to sleep, and some children have found that the sleep masks provided by the airline help them. Buckle the seatbelt over the airline blanket so that the stewardess will not wake you up to check that you have your seatbelt fastened. 

Take the time to appreciate a new experience

With young people, I never know what will impress them most about airplane travel. For some it has been the experience of watching the clouds below the plane; for others it is the novelty of watching movies or eating airplane food. One of my children kept the airplane kit with sleep mask, socks, ear plugs and travel toothbrush as a cherished souvenir. The serendipity of what delights your fellow travelers is part of the fun, so take the time to appreciate new experiences or to see them fresh through young eyes.

Joyce McPherson is the author of books for young people, and her children have helped with research for both biographies and fiction novels set in other countries. Her most recent book is The Dickens Connection which is set in England and spins the story of a secret camp for children with unusual gifts.
Also see the first in that series the Pandora Device available in the UK!

Renewing a child's passport

I cannot believe my eldest son is almost 5! We applied for his US passport and got it a few weeks after his birth so his passport photo shows him looking like a squishy wee baby!

Our eldest child's passport is about to expire.

It would expire halfway through our Christmas visit to the States. It is illegal for a citizen of the U.S. to travel without a valid U.S. passport.

We decided to renew the almost-expired-passport before we go. It is permissible to renew at any time, you don't have to wait for the old passport to expire, we learned.

The steps involved:

1. Order photos (at least 2 per year, showing how your child develops between stages) or a photo book - if you haven't been updating your child's baby book or 'best of' album, do so now! Though it is important to note that a hard backed 13-by-9 inch book does not fit through the glass between the interviewer and interviewee, so maybe go for a paperback version that bends, or just realize that you'll have to hand the book to the security officer to pass through to the back. He has to bring it back to you at the end too.
2. Get American passport photos - we get ours at the Digital Image Centre at 27 Elm Row - but take a tape measure because they do occasionally get it wrong. It is supposed to be 2 inches by 2 inches with the head between 25 and 35 mm. See the official consulate or embassy website for more information.
3. Fill out the form, which you do online and then print
4. Set a date for the appointment and ensure that whole family will be there or that you have the relevant documents if one of them cannot. Use the Consulate website to schedule the appointment.
5. Budget for passport fees - there is no expedited service outside the States but the normal service is quick - our passports have always arrived within a week or two. You must pay by card or International Money Order, they do not accept cash.
6. Buy the return envelope, a pre-paid, self addressed Royal Mail Special Delivery envelope insured up to 500g.
7. Attend your appointment, allowing time to go through security. 
8. We always ask someone to drive us to the appointment to ensure we're not late while trying to catch buses, etc. The Consulate in Edinburgh has no bathroom facilities - there is a sign in the waiting room counseling that the nearest toilet is in the St. James Centre. The St. James Centre is currently closed so I imagine the closest toilet is probably the art museum or somewhere equally far - probably nothing within a 15 min walk. So all this to say - make your kids go to the toilet before you leave and try to keep the trip as short as possible by getting a taxi or a friend to drive you. I think the earlier in the morning you schedule the appointment, the less likely long queues are. 
9. The family before us had their kid wearing his school uniform and with his hair combed neatly. Our kids arrived in their sport class clothes, looking like slobs with messy hair. My eldest still got his passport but I wished I had put a tad more effort into it.
10. Our Consulate in Edinburgh has a few books for the kids but we brought plenty of paper and pens to keep the kids busy as well. There are clipboards in the waiting room which were novel to use, for our kids.

Renewal requires a few photocopies and original documents but nowhere as many as the original passport.

And that was it - we received our son's new passport within 8 or 9 days.

the shiny new passport

Update 19/8/19:
PHOTOCOPIES OF THE DOCUMENTS ARE NOT REQUIRED!

If you're like me, you will have gathered all the documents, filled in the form, and printed photocopies before applying for an appointment at the U.S. Consulate. I then received an email a week before the appointment saying we did not need the photocopies. I could have saved so much printer ink!

We just renewed Number 2 Son's passport.

We were totally a slick operation - we knew to turn off our phones and hand them over first thing. We had all our paperwork accessible. Our kids and ourselves were clean, tidy and well-dressed.

But they still made us wait around for an hour, despite our appointment being at 9 am. Note to self: bring lots of things to do with the kids!

Edinburgh Airport

Edinburgh airport is one of the UK's best airports, full of specialist amenities including children's activity zones, Krispy Kreme's donuts, a row of seats without arms for people needing to nap, and areas where you can watch the airplanes and baggage trucks.

 Edinburgh Airport to the city:

• 25 min by Airlink bus (from 4.50 but can be considerably more for returns, etc)
• 8 miles by car (usually costs between 20 and 30 pounds by taxi - it is extra on holidays)
• 35 min by tram (5.50 per person)

 The airport has prioritized correctly and put more into the kid's activity zones than their seating, which is cracking.

We also enjoy watching the airplanes and baggage trucks.

There are not one, not two, but three activity zones for kids in Edinburgh airport. This is our favorite airport!

Chattanooga Airport

The Chattanooga Airport is definitely the nicest airport I have ever been to.

The seats in the airport are in good nick. There are even rocking chairs downstairs where you can wait for your family and friends.

 Security takes almost no time at all. And look at this beautiful sunset!

When I did not have the right change for the extra baggage charge, the ladies at the desk directed me to the cafe to get change. I tipped the young guy at the cafe who gave me change for $50. It later transpired that the ladies at the desk had given me the wrong figure and I had inadvertently tipped away money that was needed! The ladies at the desk took money from their own pockets to make up the difference. Only in Chattanooga.

Detroit Airport

Detroit Airport was a lucky find. Not only does it connect with an only six hour flight to Amsterdam but it is a snazzy, modern airport.

The moving walkways are divided in a civilized way.

 The walls in this one airport corridor have this amazing aurora-borealis-themed light show.

 The toilets have a fold down arm for your bag.

 There is a train that runs at second story level throughout the airport. My kids would have loved this!

People seemed more relaxed and nice in Detroit than other, larger airports. I would recommend Detroit Airport to anyone - especially if it enables you to bypass Atlanta!

Amsterdam Airport

Amsterdam has a water fountain!

Amsterdam has these funny luxury pods. Didn't try them out and only saw one person in them but that person seemed to be pretty relaxed.

Amsterdam has hundreds of little cars zooming about, most completely empty except for drivers.

 Amsterdam has these carts.

 which can be used for older kids as well as luggage:

 Amsterdam has good views of the airplanes

 and baggage cars

I wasn't allowed to keep my photo of this but they have a new security requirement that everyone on certain flights has to present their boarding pass and passport and go through questioning. Make sure you allow time for that and going through security again no matter what country you came from!


P.S. Amsterdam has bathrooms that are usually closed and locked. Here is a photo of a desperate woman changing her baby on a table in the airport

Roller case vs. backpack vs. purse vs. travel vest

The Roller Case

Have you ever tried to run with a roller case? Have you ever been forced to gate-check a roller case at the last minute? Have you ever missed a connecting flight because the roller case took forever to come out of gate-checking?

that moment right before the ground crew took everyone's roller cases for mandatory gate checking

All this and more has happened to us and here are our critiques of the roller case.

• Roller cases - or at least the cheap ones we've always bought - do not allow you to be hands free.
• Often passports are tucked away in 'safe' areas which require two hands to find. You end up having to jam the roller case between you and the wall of the check in counter while you fiddle with passports and itineraries, which just looks dumb.
• Using a roller case forces strange body mechanics - twisting and pulling which is not great for people with back or neck issues
• It is almost impossible to run with the roller case unless you carry it, as when it's dragged at high speed it can twist, flip, bounce, and otherwise make a nuisance of itself.
• It is surprisingly bulky and hard/impossible to carry on one's lap when on a busy shuttle bus - and you may not plan to be on a busy shuttle bus but if you get delayed overnight in Memphis or Paris you would be lucky to get on a shuttle bus to an airport hotel.
• The cheap roller cases are not weighted correctly and mostly fall over whenever parked
• It is awkward to carry a purse as well as pull a roller case - you see a lot of people trying to secure the purse to the top of the roller case ineffectively
• they are not great on escalators or moving walkways.
• they are tricky to unpack and repack on the fly - esp if you need something at the bottom or Security take everything out - because it's easy to overpack them at home when you have the luxury of space and time and you're not madly dashing to get on your connecting flight.
• Amsterdam, among others, makes you go through security again regardless of where you have come from or how great that country's security checks were
• sometimes the handles don't slide into the case if the case is overpacked
• awkward to roll around London or wherever on your first day abroad
• a lot of museums used to have cloakrooms and lockers for roller cases but don't now because of bomb threats. There are a few exceptions but mostly in Scotland.
• If you have checked a huge roller case and have a 'carry on' roller case, that is a lot of luggage. It does not make you popular on crowded trains or buses, which rarely accommodate American-size baggage.

Worst of all:

• The roller carry on is almost always the first thing grabbed in a last minute 'gate checking' baggage binge. Some airplanes have such limited overhead space that they can not allow even half the ticket-holders to bring carry-ons aboard. A handful of smaller airplanes cannot fit even the 'approved size' baggage and thus wrestle them all away from ticket holders at the last minute.

Three days after getting married in the States, I packed a roller carry-on with all the valuable china and knickknacks I was bringing to the UK.

One of my uncles worked as a baggage handler and he assured me that checked bags get thrown around and also riffled through quite a bit.

There was a last minute 'gate checking' baggage binge on the flight from Paris to Edinburgh and I refused to let go of my baggage. Once I got on the plane I realized why they had had the binge. Even my small carry on case wouldn't fit in the overhead lockers.

I ended up having no leg room on that flight because I had to wedge it between me and the seat in front me.

I did get it home without breaking anything. But it was an uncomfortable trip and not one I would recommend for anyone.

The one thing that can be said for the roller case is that it is good for keeping the weight of your luggage off your shoulders. When standing in lines for hours - say at customs/immigration - it is nice to have a case that can inch along with you.

However if you are trying to carry children or pull children along on a trunkie, you absolutely cannot have a roller case - at least not with speed and mobility.

The Backpack

Having traveled a fair bit more since my newlywed naivety, I would always reject the roller case in favor of a backpack. The majority of people should try it. There are classy and cute backpacks out there as well as the more Spartan, serviceable ones.

Here are some practical points for carrying a backpack:

• It allows you to be hands free.
• It's easy to unpack or look through whilst sitting, standing, etc
• Equally distributed weight across body
• Perfect size to carry on lap
• Great on the go
• Less awkward to carry around London or wherever, though mind those randomly placed pieces of art in the galleries as you turn! It might be best to carry a backpack on your front or in your arms in a museum to avoid nicking any masterpiece on passing.
• It is almost never snatched in a last minute 'gate checking' baggage binge. Whereas every roller case is taken for fairness' sake. 
• One lady on our last flight to Pisa begged and begged to keep her case - she had a tight connection and was speaking at a conference in Florence - but they took the roller case anyway. 
• I have never seen a normal sized backpack taken - once or twice a massive backpacking-across-Europe backpack has been taken but never a normal one. Or even a baby carrier backpack, which can be massive - these are never touched.

But you travel with kids - so you need four carry-ons to encompass baby food, burp cloths, and toys, you say? Well I have traveled with a backpack with babies and small children many a time. It's surprising how creative you can get if you put your mind to it. See my family packing tips and what not to pack list.

Also see my blog post on re-covering tired backpacks here.

Purse/laptop case/brief case/hip pack/book bag

If you can get away with traveling with nothing but a purse or laptop case, that is great. We always prefer to carry on instead of go through the rigmarole of baggage reclaim, which can add an hour to your trip when you are most worn out.

Traveling with a purse in Europe, where pick-pocketing and purse-snatching is rife, is not the best idea. A quality leather purse or a sleek laptop case puts a target on you, I have always felt.

I have one friend who always travels with a hippyish, over-one-shoulder style bag which has no zip and doesn't look worth stealing. This seems like a good idea.

I doubt any Anne-Shirley style carpet bag with a broken handle would get snatched either, but clearly you have to be discerning.

The body mechanics of wearing something over-one-shoulder for hours would clearly not work for people with certain neck or back issues, and spending a whole trip worrying about a purse being snatched doesn't sound like my idea of a relaxed trip.

Travel vest

I know some folk who decided to pack everything they needed for their trip in their winter coats. They added pockets to the point that it looked like they were wearing backpacks under their winter coats, and also wore travel vests with pockets underneath. They said it worked well but it did look a little strange.

See my article on making a travel vest out of a coat or vest you already have.

York with kids

Whether it is running the city walls or interacting with dressed up guides, there are plenty of opportunities for children. Here are a few places we thought were great in York, England.

York Minster

Visiting churches and cathedral is an obsession for us but I have never been to any cathedral so kid friendly ever. 

The moment we bought our tickets, we were handed red backpacks for the kids. Each contained a plastic set of binoculars, a spyglass, a compass, a flashlight/torch, a notepad, pencils, and an activity sheet with crosswords and coloring pages.

We spent almost 2 hours there. The kids could probably have lasted even longer.

One of the church workers stopped to explain to our kids about the little mice carved into the back of of some of the wooden items in the church. There is also a monkey carved in the church. It felt like there were a lot of uses for the binoculars and spyglass.

The crypt was dark. The kids whipped out their flashlights/torches. Part of the Yorvik museum is now housed in the basement - and due to stay there till April 2017 when refurbishment on the museum is complete. We saw an amazing assortment of Viking treasures and archaeological finds, including the only Viking sock ever discovered. They also had wooden toys the kids could play with.

Top marks to York Minster for being child friendly!

City Walls

What could be more idyllic than running along medieval walls? No dogs allowed up here, so no dog poo to warn the kids about. There are lots of slits in the wall to view various points in the city, so lots of opportunity for Mum and Dad to catch up.

The Shambles

This iconic part of town is fun for kids who like to draw maps. We explored the Shambles thoroughly and also stopped in a sweet Bakery, the open air market for fruit and a sword shop called The Armory on the way back which our boys loved - though we had to watch them carefully as there are sharp things on display low down in this shop.

Museum Gardens

The museum gardens are beautiful with many places to explore. The pillared Yorkshire Museum is in the middle. 

A copse of trees encloses a kid play area in the centre, with lots of giant rocks and old stumps to climb on.

There is plenty of space to run around in as well. Even in October there were still flowers, if somewhat faded.

The Rive Ouse is close but not so close as to feel like the kids were going to fall in any second - the walkway along the river was divided by trees except in one exit point.

Other places to see:

• National Railway Museum
• Clifford's Tower
• Castle Museum

Also see my post about visiting York as a day trip.

Surgical Strike Day Trip: York, England

This medieval city is the seat of the primate of the north in the great cathedral, York Minster. The Shambles, Roman ruins, and various museums are a few of the things which lend the city character.

Fast Facts: 

• Distance from Edinburgh: 200 miles
• Using public transport: approx 2.5 hours by the fast train to London
• History: the Romans established a fort called Eboracum which the Vikings renamed Yorvik, later shortened to York. York took sides in the Wars of the Roses and today you can see the white rose everywhere. It became the centre of the railway system in the Victorian era.
• What there is to do: 
• York Minster, the cathedral
• the National Railway museum 
• the Yorvik museum (closed till April 2017 due to damage and rebuilding - parts of it can be found in the basement of York Minster and a couple other locations)
• Yorkshire Museum 
• Museum Gardens
• walk the city walls
• stroll along the banks of the River Ouse (pronounced 'Ooz')
• wander the Shambles
• climb the hill to Clifford's Tower
• Castle Museum
• York art gallery
• York St. Mary's
• visit the shop 'The Armory' with a great weapon selection

Pros:

• there are plenty of in door activities in case of rain
• York can be great to explore on a pleasant day
• friendly Yorkshire people live here - we overheard one resident giving an impromptu G.R.R. Martin themed tour of an old gate
• they make great pies - I had a creamy vegetable pie but they make meat pies
• also famous for Yorkshire puddings - a history masters student from King's Manor told me they used to serve plentiful Yorkshire puddings before meals to sort of fill you up before the rather mean meat course.
• the city is highly walkable, without the crippling hills that other cities have
• the rail station's bathrooms are free and clean! 90% clean bathrooms everywhere we went
• easy access to coffee at all times

Cons:

• You have to book tickets in advance, not knowing whether the weather or your health will be up to a busy day trip
• sometimes it can be hard to extract oneself from chatty, friendly Yorkshire people - this didn't happen to us but apparently it is a common problem for polite Englishmen and Englishwomen.

Timings - how to do it as a day trip from Edinburgh
6:26 train can get you into York at 9 am, just enough time for a wander of the walls, a bacon sandwich and a cup of coffee before the museums open. York Minster is open from much earlier though so we headed there first.
11:10 left the cathedral to get lunch
12:10 wandered the museum gardens
12:30 strolled through the cathedral gardens
1:00 visited the Shambles, stocking up on fruit from the open air market for the train ride home
2:30 train to Edinburgh, getting in about 5. We were home for dinner and an early bed!

Also see my post about York with kids!

Redesigning a backpack

We have a backpack that we took everywhere with us while we were courting and exploring Scottish coastal villages and English border towns. It has been on many transatlantic trips over the years. Our babies climbed on it when their learned to pull themselves up, dragged it along airport floors when they learned to walk and expected endless amounts of treats to appear from its depths. It certainly has depths.

The backpack is sturdy and useful. Nothing is wrong with it except for cosmetic flaws. Even after going through the washing machine, it is yucky looking.

It is nostalgic and I cannot bear to let it go because of a few stains.

The grubby backpack front

I decided to re-cover it. I thought it would be fun to have a star and stripe theme. Very American.

The stars were a bit fiddly - applique is not my thing I decided - but the stripes were extremely satisfying

I cannibalized an old backpack to get the nappy wipe dispenser on the bottom. The other backpack was only good for the dispenser - the rest was falling apart and cheapo.

I also created a place for a clip in case I need to clip on separate bags of groceries/rubbish/etc.

I cannot wait to wear it!

Packed and ready to go!

Using Edinburgh Waverley Train Station

I had a friend who visited Edinburgh and overheard my sister in law describing traveling from London to Edinburgh by train as being like 'riding the Hogwarts Express!' My friend's eyes went huge and she said, 'Have you actually been on the Hogwarts Express?'

J.K. Rowling came up with the idea for Harry Potter on a train, probably the one that runs between London and Edinburgh. Of course there is no real Hogwarts Express - or maybe I'm just an old muggle.

Traveling by train can be lovely. Those who get motion sickness might find it slightly easier than riding a bus or even a car along winding Scottish roads. Train travel is great when traveling with active toddlers as they can wander the aisles and not be strapped in. Our boys love watching the trains go by.

Here are questions I have been asked by visitors over the years regarding using the trains.
How do I book train tickets?

Check out this site for booking train tickets: http://www.thetrainline.com

There are other sites as well but the one above promises to be the same price or cheaper.

Buses tend to take forever, but be cheaper than the train. If you want to be on a 10 hour bus ride from London to Edinburgh, that is. The train for the same journey takes 4 hours. We have Megabus here, believe it or not!

How will I know when to get off the train in Edinburgh?

You will know when to get off because the train usually terminates at Edinburgh Waverley. Also every train station has signage and an automatic voice usually plays 'We are approaching Edinburgh Waverley.' If you do accidentally stay on a train which say terminates in Glasgow or elsewhere, explain to the driver or ticket master what happened and he may be able to help you.

back entrance to Edinburgh Waverley

Will there be elevators/ramps at the station?

Europe is terrible about having elevators and ramps but the UK is better than France!

There are lifts at Edinburgh Waverley and Edinburgh airport but you have to look for them.

What do I do at the train station?

Edinburgh Waverley station sides on Prince's Street. You may be able to walk to your destination but Edinburgh Waverley also has a taxi queue. There are signs but if you don't spot them, ask some nice lady. There are also more taxis on Prince's Street, so if the taxi queue seems to be taking ages, you could try out there.

taxi queue on Waverley Bridge outside the station towards the Prince's St exit

Medieval Dress

Golden Gown

I found the fabric in a charity shop - it used to be curtains. Edinburgh ceilings are high, with windows and curtains to match, so I think there must have been 6+ yards in between the two curtains. Unfortunately I realized when I got home that they were dry clean only. I threw the curtains in the washing machine anyway and it did fine on the gentle cycle.

Someone told me once that medieval dresses were usually only two pieces of fabric, cinched at the sides with lacings. I found a record of a dress with multiple pieces - separate for bodice and skirt - which belonged to Queen Margaret of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

I eventually put leather cord in to hold it together as the fabric is HEAVY!

I took a photo of the lady I made it for but the photos were lost!