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My family air travel experience ranges from infant to pre-teenage children. In fact, I just returned from a family trip and noted five steps we took to make our flight more enjoyable.

Imagine the viewpoint of a 6 year old boy sitting in coach. He has to do nearly everything that is counter to his personality. In other words, stay still, sit in his seat, and be quiet. Not a simple task. Then imagine a sibling on the same flight. What a great opportunity for entertainment! The kids become bored and find that if they antagonize their sibling(s), they can have all kinds of interesting reactions take place from everyone around them. There has to be a better way.

Starting off with preparation, we actually took time to consider what the flight would be like for our kids. Our goal was to create a different flying experience for the kids without adding too much weight to our carry-on baggage. Step one, iPod to the rescue. For the iPod, we downloaded a movie for our older child. For the younger ones, I found a cartoon series. I downloaded sixteen episodes of Ben 10 for the same price as a 2 hour movie. At 22 minutes per episode, I had nearly 6 hours of kid entertainment in the palm of my hand. Since I have more than one child that would be interested in watching the same content, I bought a ear phone splitter, also know as a Y-cable, so that I could plug in two sets of ear phones into the same iPod. I then purchased the iSnug, which is a soft “clamshell” case for the iPod. This allowed my to prop up the screen on the tray table, thus preventing the kids from fighting over who holds the screen.

Step two, using the iPhone as the back up plan. My wife downloaded several games on to her iPhone (you can do this on th iPod as well). This was a back up plan in case watching videos got too boring. She also downloaded the Kindle application, that allows her to read books on her iPhone, and ordered a couple of books online for herself. Make sure your iPhone is in flight mode while in the air, and in normal mode, when you are back on the ground. Most people forget one or the other. Also, you need to be careful not to drain the battery on your phone during the flight, as you are likely to make a few calls upon arrival.

Step three, simple snacks. Many airlines have cut back on food items in coach class. We made sure to have a few simple, non-perishable items to have during the flight. We also made sure we had food items specifically to help the children deal with changes in cabin pressure during take off and landing. For young kids, I recommend chewy candy like Mentos, Starbursts or Gummy Bears. For older kids and adults, you can use chewing gum. For infants, you should ask your pediatrician, but I have found that bottle feeding during this time helps. 

 Step four, using the tools on board to entertain the kids. My boys and I use the in flight magazine to play searching games. For example, we have a race to see who cand find a particular image first, like a car, a pet, or a chair. We then look at the maps in the back to talk about people, places and things that they are familiar with and like to discuss. Sometimes, I pull out the safety card, and ask the kids questions to see if they understand where the exits are and what the rules are for an emergency. Little kids like to explain things they just learned, and since they just saw the flight attendant give the safety instructions, they feel important.

 Step five, looking for shapes in the clouds or in the ground. This exercise does not work well at a cruising alititude of 39,000 feet, as you can’t see much. Try to be opportunistic with this experience. If you your child is old enough, give them a pen and have them list all of the shapes and figures they see in the clouds and on the ground. If that is too boring, have them draw what they see out the window. You will be amazed about what kind of insight you can gain from this, about your child and about yourself.

Just remember that kids need activity. If it is not physical, then it needs to at least be mental. The more you can help them adapt to a physically restrictive airline seat, the better your flight experience will be.

This is a reminder that you most likely have a camera on your cell phone and that it can help you have a better trip.

Use your camera to help you track your luggage. It may sound silly, but I take a picture of my bag when I check it in. The reason is quite simple. If my bag is lost and does not arrive at my destination, I have to go over to some kind of service counter and ask for help. They ask you for your baggage claim ticket and have you fill out some type of form where you provide a description of your bag. If you have lost the baggage claim ticket, they only have your description of the bag to help them find it. Unless you have a photographic memory, you are likely to make a mistake when describing your luggage.

Use the cell phone camera to help back up important information. Ever sit in a meeting where you spend time covering whiteboard with important diagrams, ideas, notes, etc? Ever run out of time to write down the notes for yourself? If this happens to you, take out your cell phone and take a few pictures of the whiteboard. Try different angles and different lighting to get a good image of the board. Look at the image while you are on your next flight and copy them down into your notes.

Use the cell phone camera to help you shop for the right gift. My wife called me while I was on the road. She was shopping for something and wanted my opinion which item was better. It was difficult to describe the differences between the items, so I had her take a picture of each item and send them to my phone. I then gave her my input.

Use the cell phone camera as your mini travel log. More than once, I visited a country for the very first time, and had not even taken a single picture while I was there. I highly recommend that you take pictures of the places you visit and the friends you meet. These tend to become more meaningful over time.