Travelling with toddlers

BEFORE she turned two, my pre-schooler has zipped from the urban jungles to the desert, mountains, ocean, and, yes, even the Arctic.



And so it goes without saying that when baby number two arrived a year ago, my husband and I had more or less mastered the art of travelling with an infant and a toddler on all modes of transport. A baby will never stop us from going places. All I need is some fastidious planning to make the trip sweet for the whole family. The past four years have taught me well with I want to keep and definitely drop from my plans:



Make it “Heavenly” for a sleep-deprived nursing mom. Nothing beats the “Heavenly” baby treats of San Francisco’s Westin St. Francis. Mom and Dad get to sleep in “heavenly” beds, get to take “heavenly” baths and showers. So naturally the baby gets her share of “heavenly” amenities also. The crib/bassinette comes very clean with a firm mattress, soft sheets and soft, clean smelling towels which, incidentally, are perfect burp cloths! This hotel gets my vote for making it relaxing for a nursing mom with a two-monthold infant to travel.



Cut short that air walk; sit in my chair and hold the baby. Arguably, Philippine Airlines is not the best airline; the planes are old, it always gets a berth on the very end of LAX. But I choose to pay more just to get on a PAL flight. Why? Because I have flown with babies on a lot of airlines, and only PAL has stewardesses who would cut their walk from Los Angeles to Manila to babysit. On a trip last April, a flight attendant happily held my six-month-old for me while I relaxed, freshened up and do neck twists for a whole 15 minutes! The purser also offered her loving arms while I tended to my pre-schooler. Tell me if you can find this full service on any other long-haul flights.



The Grecian Olympic Airlines, which we took four times during a holiday in the Mediterranean country last May, also has nice flight attendants who could be solicitous and helpful. But I would not hold high hopes for the stewardesses of British Airways, Lufthansa and United Airlines.



We bask under the sun; they take care of the kids. The Royal Knossos Village and the Royal Mare Thallasso Spa, in Crete, Greece, tops my list as far as family resort destinations are concerned.



Consistently Conde Nast topnotchers, these properties offer a kid’s club, aptly called the “mini club”, which is a virtual play-school. It is equipped with a pool, an activity room filled with craft materials, mattresses, a jungle gym with a huge sand playground and a grass area.



The team entrusted to run the club would put sunblock on the kids, watch them swim, do crafts with them, teach them songs and rhymes and feed them with fresh fruits, gourmet sandwiches, juices, cakes, pastries and ice cream. At night the kids have the option to dine at the “mini restaurant” with their friends and groove at the “mini disco” after.



All this at no extra charge in this day and age when airlines and hotels here in the U.S. are nickling and diming guests.



On the day where I and my husband opted to have a date-lunch to celebrate his birthday, the mini club team even offered to baby sit my infant. Again, at no extra charge.



Ask my pre-schooler now about going on another trip, and memories of her vacation in Greece last May would flash. “Ummm… is there a mini club in Peru, Mom?”