Free Flying is Great, But Where's the Nanny?

The first comment I get when I tell folks that my husband is a pilot is "Oh nice. You get to fly for free." And yes, this is true. But if you've ever done pass travel, then you know this benefit is a double edged sword.

And if you've ever done pass travel with two small children alone, then you know it's almost not a benefit.

As a child, I traveled a lot thanks to my father's job. I was very fortunate to have parents that believed seeing the world and exploring different places was important.

But flying back then was totally different. Heck, you could smoke on a plane!

Now, however, you can barely bring a lip gloss on. And people seem to be hyper sensitive when it comes to babies and kids. And honestly, trying to get through security, is like running the gauntlet.

I'm not kidding. Two car seats, a stroller, plus EVERYTHING in a carry on since you have to fly standby. The last thing you need is to get stuck with kids in an airport with nothing.

Then top off the whole "there's not enough room on this plane for you" thing and well, buying a ticket looks not-so-bad. In fact, it looks pretty darn good. And then the hotel? With two kids? Not the greatest option, unless you enjoy going to bed at 8pm when they do.

So until I can figure out how to make going away an actual vacation, I'll stick around here. Where I can drink a full can of soda and let my kid scream without people reading me the riot act.

If you've got a vacation story, or tips on how to make it through a vacation with kids without losing your hair, then share it today. You could win a portable dvd player. Check it out!

Comments

[SusieJ]

I was on a five hour trip once, while the whole plane listened to my six month old scream his head off. A passenger handed me some benadryl -- and said, "Give it to him for the rest of us."

[Lady M]

Do "free" flyers still have to be dressed up? One of my college buddies was the son of a pilot, and he had to wear coat and tie when flying standby as a boy, since he was "representing the airline." Ick.