Flying with kids: 10 ways to pass time at the airport

As my kids have gotten a little bit older, they are now 5 and 9 years old, I find that time spent waiting in airports is almost more challenging than time spent on board the airplane. Once we're in the air, they have their little entertainment-screens to keep them busy, there are drinks and snacks and meals being served, and they often get sleepy on longer flights.

However, in airports, they seem to get way more antsy. Maybe it's because time spent in airports means you're just waiting rather than actually traveling somewhere. I know I often feel restless before I get on board the flight, and the same is probably true for the kids. Sometimes you will also end up waiting at the airport a lot longer than you planned on: delays do happen when you travel by plane!

Of course, there are things you can do in airports, and what you choose to do to entertain your children (or how they choose to entertain themselves), will depend a lot on their ages, personalities and preferences. Here are 10 ideas for how to spend your time at the airport:

1. Find a play area
Many airports have a play area for kids somewhere on the premises. For younger kids, this can be the best option: they can run and play freely before they have to sit still on the airplane. Ask at the information desk, or look at an airport map to try to locate available play spaces.

2. Watch the planes & your luggage
This is my son's favourite activity at the airport. He's quite happy to stand at any window and watch the planes on the tarmac. It's even more fun if he can see the plane we'll be boarding, and especially extra fun if he can see the luggage being loaded onto the plane. He loves trying to spot our suitcases as they're being put into the hold. 

3. Eat in peace & quiet
Eating on board an airplane can be challenging for kids: too much going on, and a lot of awkwardness when you try to eat off your tray-table. Adding to the difficulty: food often doesn't taste as good at high altitude, and kids who are anxious or excited sometimes have a hard time settling down for a meal on board. Having a sit-down meal at the airport before departure can help both pass the time, and fill some hungry stomachs. Go to a restaurant, or buy some foods you can take with you and eat while sitting at your gate.


4. Play some hands-on games
There are travel-versions of many popular games that are perfect to bring out when you're getting bored at the airport: chess, 4 in a row, card games of all kinds, memory games... Pick one you know your kids like, and bring it in your hand-luggage.

5. Run around
Younger kids can find it very challenging to sit still, and stand around in lineups. When you're traveling by plane, you will probably be doing a lot of both those things. One way to help them burn off some steam is to find a quiet, relatively spacious part of the airport (away from security areas and other passengers), and let them goof around and even run around a bit. Don't bug other passengers, and don't cause a security alert, but let them get moving for a while and then they might be better able to handle sitting still on board the plane.


6. Read a book
I find that the engine noise on board often make it difficult to read books aloud. A book is a lot easier to share with your children when you're sitting waiting at the gate at the airport, whether it's an e-book, or a regular book.

7. Use the internet
These days, most airports have some kind of internet access. Some have free wifi for a limited time, other airports offer free wifi for as long as you're there. If you've brought along a tablet, laptop or other electronic gadget, this might be the time to let your kids browse the net, play some online games, check their email and favorite websites, and generally just kill time on the web.

8. Go to the bathroom
Going to the bathroom on board a plane is a very cramped and sometimes very dirty experience. Spend at least some of your airport time in the bathrooms there: it's a much easier place for kids to get comfortable in, and for mom and dad to do things like change baby diapers, wash hands and faces, and so on.

9. Shop
Maybe the time at the airport can be used to get some cool local souvenirs, books, magazines, snacks for the flight, candy, or whatever else is on offer. Most airports have a lot of shops in them, and if your kids are into shopping, this might be a good time to do that.


10. Do some arts & crafts
My kids usually prefer using their coloring books and drawing pads when we're waiting at the airport. Find a good table, or a space on the floor, and break out the crayons, markers, sticker books, and whatever other supplies you've packed. This can be a nice, relaxing way to spend the time until your flight is ready to depart.

Flying with kids: Sea-Tac Airport

Sea-Tac Airport, also known as Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, is located in SeaTac, just outside Seattle in Washington state. I've travelled with my kids through this airport quite a few times, since it's close enough to Vancouver to offer an alternative departure airport. We've used it both when we went to Maui, and when we've travelled to Sweden.

In recent years, flights to Sweden out of Sea-Tac have often been so much cheaper than flights out of Vancouver, that it's really been the only logical option. Another reason I like Sea-Tac, besides the cheaper flights, is that it has one of the best play-areas I've seen at any airport.

Getting to and from Sea-Tac
When my family is flying out of Sea-Tac, we usually drive down from Vancouver. The drive itself takes about three hours, but can be longer depending on wait times at the border crossing.

Another option we've used in the past, though I still haven't done this when traveling with the kids, is the Quick Shuttle bus. This bus travels between Vancouver and Sea-Tac. On the Canadian side, it goes from Vancouver Airport and makes a few other stops before crossing the border into the US. The price is good, but the thought of first having to contain my kids on a bus for several hours, and then put them on a plane for a long flight, has never seemed that great to me. Maybe I will use that option soon though, since the kids are getting older.

For travel between the airport and downtown Seattle, you can also use the Central Link Light Rail. There are also other public transit options, as well as various shuttle services.

Facilities for kids
Sea-Tac has one of the best play areas for kids of any airport I've visited. It is located between Concourse A and the Central terminal, not too far from the food court. It is a very well thought out space for families and has cushioned floor tiles, climbing equipment, and seats for parents along the walls. There are also washrooms with change-tables right next to the play area.

This is a perfect place for the kids to burn off some energy before a flight. Just release them and sit down and take it easy for a bit! The only problem I've found is getting the kids to leave when it's time to go!

The food court in Sea-Tac's Central Terminal.

Where to eat
There are a wide variety of restaurants and cafes throughout the airport: Japanese food, burgers and fries, sandwiches, pasta... it's all available. When I am traveling with the kids, we usually grab something to eat in the food court in the Central Terminal and watch the planes while we eat.

Other family-friendly features and facilities

• There's free wi-fi throughout the airport.
• There are also charger kiosks where you can charge your cell-phone, mp3 player or other electronic devices: Sea-Tac's FAQ has more information.
• If you need to rent strollers or car seats, you can do so at Ken's Baggage & Frozen Food Storage.
• Several large restrooms are available at Sea-Tac, which makes it a lot easier to take the kids to the bathroom, especially if you have a stroller as well as hand-luggage with you.
• More information about services and accessibility at Sea-Tac for persons with special needs can be found here.

Note: Sea-Tac is a big airport and it uses a train to connect the various terminal buildings. You will probably have to take this train to get to your gate. The trains are easy to find and leave frequently. It is good to be aware of this "extra travel step" when you're calculating how much time to allow when getting from point A to point B!

Hotels
There are a lot of accommodation choices in the area around Sea-Tac Airport. Many hotels offer shuttles to the airport, or are close to the Light Rail. The hotel website Seattle Southside offers some good search features to help you find and book a hotel.

Picture of Sea-Tac food-court by Phantomkid, via Wikimedia.

Hanging out at Vancouver International Airport

You'd think that with all the flying I've done with my kids, they might be totally bored and blasé when it comes to airports. However, that doesn't seem to be the case. On a recent Spring Break day, my kids' choice for an outing was to head to our home-town airport, Vancouver International (YVR) and watch the planes.

View from the Canada Line, heading to YVR.

We headed to Richmond, and then hopped on the SkyTrain from there so we wouldn't have to pay for airport parking. To my transit-loving kids, riding the SkyTrain is a good time all in itself, so adding it to the airport-trip made it extra special.

Vancouver Airport has a great public observation area. It's located in the domestic terminal, just above the food court. Just ride the escalator or elevator up and there's the view!

My son could spend all day in this place just watching the planes taking off and landing, the trucks and cars driving around servicing the airplanes, and luggage being loaded and off-loaded. He just absolutely loves it, and judging from the number of kids we saw there, he's not alone!

There are binoculars to use, there's an interactive scale-model of the airport and surrounding area where you can see all its various buildings, runways and terminals. It also shows the spots where they've made archaeological finds along the water-front.

Along the windows there are several information boards set up where you can learn about the airport's history, air travel in general, how YVR operates, and the kinds of aircraft you can see at YVR.

If you have a child (or two) who are interested in airplanes, this is a really great place to spend some time no matter what the weather is like. Bring a snack, or get something to eat or drink from one of the restaurants or cafes downstairs, then grab a seat (there are lots of tables and benches here), and just hang out.

• One great thing about YVR is that there's free WiFi, so if want to, you can browse the net on your device of choice while your kids are enjoying the view.
• The observation area is outside security, so there's no problem accessing it if you're not going on a flight, and it's easy to find from the SkyTrain station. YVR has a detailed map of the airport at their site.
•  If you're looking for some gifts or souvenirs, there are some nice-looking stores in the terminal as well. My kids always go gaga for the Vancouver Aquarium's store here, and I usually have to drag them away from it when we're leaving!

Totem pole in the domestic terminal.

I might be biased since this is my home-town airport, but Vancouver International Airport is one of the nicest airports I've seen in my travels. One thing that really sets it apart is all the native Canadian art you can find throughout. Wood carvings, paintings, totem poles, sculptures... it's an impressive collection.

Wooden sculpture near the SkyTrain station.

Tip: Purchase a transit day pass or fare-saver tickets if you're taking the SkyTrain to YVR. Buying a ticket from the vending machines at the YVR SkyTrain station will cost you an extra $5 when you leave the airport. This so-called AddFare is not charged on trips to the airport. You can read more about this at Translink's homepage. It's a bit of an annoyance that they are charging this extra fee, but if you plan ahead, you can easily avoid it.

The dangers of rogue Wi-Fi Hotspots in Airports

Just when you thought your troubles were over after long immigration queues, a delayed flight, cancelled flights, congestion, long immigration queues,extra baggage fees, intrusive security screening there is just one more problem you might endure before you finally board your flight, rogue Wi-Fi access points in airport lounges!

Many travelers are only too happy to settle at the lounge for a few moments online to do some business, write  a few reports, reply to a few emails before a long flight and update friends and family via social media before boarding flight. Sometimes, delayed flights might force travelers to wait for hours in an airport lounge. To easen the burden and anxiety on travelers, many airports have installed free Wi-Fi hotspots on airport lounges to enable travelers to get online before boarding the aircraft.

Free Wi-Fi at the airport comes with the dangers of rogue Wi-Fi access points

What you might not know is that hackers and cybercriminals might also be sitting in the same lounge, masquerading as free public Wi-Fi providers to gain access to travelers laptops and steal private information, read your emails, your bank account details, reports and more private information.

These fake Wi-Fi hotspots are called "rogue Wi-Fi" as it's not the official Wi-Fi provided by the airport but an illegal local network set up to infiltrate your information. It's very difficult for a traveler to differentiate between a good internet access point and a rogue network.

The traveler's laptop will simply provide list of Wi-Fi spots available and the traveler will randomly connect to one of the available options, especially if it has a 'familiar' name like "Airport Wi-Fi" or "free Airport-Wi-Fi". It's virtually impossible for the traveler to determine which is which and therein lies the loophole that hackers and cybercriminals exploit.

Many airport security are not trained in monitoring rogue Wi-Fi Access Points in the airport and are in many cases more concerned with the more important task of ensuring physical security at the airport to prevent the next underwear bomber from slipping past the airport security system.

This gives the hackers a free ride in the airport. They might just be your regular guy using their laptop while in the real sense, they are actually setting up a rogue Wi-Fi access point.

As a traveler, it's safe to connect to Facebook, Twitter or other social networks but exercise great caution when performing online transactions which will require you to enter your credit card information! One sure way to exercise caution is ascertain the true identity of the legitimate airport Wi-Fi by for example asking around and connecting to only those networks whose identities you trust. Make sure that your communication is secure, disconnect the wireless when you stop using it, and maintain the list of wireless connections that you use on your laptop so that you don't accidentally connect to networks that may spring up when you're traveling.

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The 15 Busiest Airports in Africa

African aviation is entering its golden age as the continent's once ailing airlines spring back to life and the air travel market experiences robust growth. In many African countries, plans are now underway to revive defunct national carriers while African and foreign entrepreneurs are busy launching new carriers.

As the initiatives to put more planes on the runways of Africa get underway, the African travel market is growing in leaps and bounds.

The growth in the travel market has been fueled by the steady growth of African economies in the last few years which has sustained an aviation market driven mostly by business passengers traveling across the continent; Airbus has predicted that African economies will grow by 6.5% between now and 2020 and this is a very bright future outlook for the continent. With steady economic growth also comes the continued expansion of the African middle class and the increased demand for international and regional travel by this burgeoning middle class. Other factors driving the development and growth of Africa's travel market include growth in tourism in the traditional tourist hotspots of Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, Seychelles, Mauritius, Botswana, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tunisia. Strengthening of trade and commercial partnerships between African countries is also contributing to the rapid growth of the travel market. While in the past, trade and commercial relations were forged between African countries and European countries, today they are forged between African partner states.

You are likely to find today's African businesspeople strutting the streets of Nairobi, Johannesburg, Lagos or Tunis building inter African business partnerships.

Increased investments by local entrepreneurs in aviation startups has also contributed to the growth of the market, particularly in Northern, Eastern and Southern Africa.

African Aviation megacities
Airbus predicts that Africa will have 6 Aviation Megacities by the year 2030. An Aviation Megacity is a location that handles more than 10,000 long-haul passengers each day. Currently, Johannesburg is the only Aviation Megacity on the continent. So who could be the future contenders? Which are the busiest airports in Africa?

1. OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg South Africa: O.R. Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) in Johannesburg is the air transport hub of Southern Africa and the busiest airports in Africa, catering for more than 18 million passengers each year. It's the busiest airport in Africa and the second busiest in the Africa-Middle East region after the Dubai International Airport. ORTIA has capacity to handle 28 million passengers. The airport was once called Jan Smuts International Airport in the dark ages of apartheid but was renamed to Johannesburg International Airport in 1994 before being renamed again in 2006 after the great South African anti-apartheid hero. The airport has the longest runway in Africa and is commonly referred as the "Gateway to South Africa." ORTIA employs an estimated 18,000 people through the various companies servicing the airport. The airport, like many others in South Africa is managed by a private company, Airports Company of South Africa(ACSA) and is one of the best managed airports in Africa. The airport plays an important role in the economy of Gauteng Province South Africa biggest economy.

OR Tambo International Airport During the Dark Days of apartheid when it was known as Jan Smuts Airport. Note the old livery of South African Airways

OR Tambo International Airport today

2.Cairo International Airport(CAI), Cairo Egypt; Cairo International Airport was once the busiest airport in Africa until it was overtaken by OR Tambo in 1996. It's now the second busiest airport in Africa and handles an estimated 16 million passengers every year. Over 65 airlines use the Cairo International Airport. The airport is managed privately by Frankfurt's Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide-Fraport AG, a concession that is set to expire this year. CAI is the Gateway into Egypt.

Cairo International Airport: Africa's Second Busiest Airport

3. Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport(SSH),  Sharm el-Sheikh Egypt : Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport is Africa's third busiest Airport. The airport is located in 18 kilometers (11 miles) northeast from the city of Sharm El Sheikh. The airport serves the major recreation area of Egypt including dozens of hotels along the Red Sea. The airport is located in the heart of the resort area of the Red Sea Coast. The Egyptian Airport handles an estimated 8.7 million passengers every year.

Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport Egypt Africa's third busiest Airport

4.Cape Town International Airport, Cape Town South Africa: Cape Town International Airport is Africa’s fourth busiest airport.  It is also Africa’s premier tourist and VIP destination and has established a reputation as Africa’s premier international award-winning airport. In 2010 the Airport catered for an estimated 8 million passengers.

5.Hurghada International Airport(HGR), Hurghada Egypt : Hurghada International Airport is Africa's fifth busiest airport and is located in the city of Hurghada in the Red Sea Riviera. Hurghada Airport serves the tourist market, mainly leisure travelers from Europe.Hurghada is a major resort destination for European tourists.

Hurghada International Airport, Hurghada Egypt

 6. Mohammed V International Airport(CMN), Casablanca Morocco: Catering for an estimated 7.2 million passengers, Mohammed V International Airport is the sixth busiest in Africa. The Airport was named after the late Sultan Mohammed V of Morocco. The airport is also the hub of flag carrier Royal Air Maroc, budget airline Jet4you, Air Arabia Maroc and Regional Air Lines.

Mohammed V International Airport

7.Murtala Muhammed International Airport(LOS), Lagos Nigeria: MMIA is Africa's seventh busiest airport and was originally known as Lagos International Airport. In 1970, it was renamed after a former Nigerian head of state Murtala Muhammed. In 2010 the airport catered for 6.3 million passengers making it Africa's 7th busiest airport. The Airport is privately managed by Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited.

Murtala Muhammed International Airport

8.Jomo Kenyatta International Airport(NBO), Nairobi Kenya: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is Africa's eighth busiest airport and the largest and busiest airport in the East and Central Africa. The airport, along with other airports in Kenya are managed by the Kenya Airports Authority. In 2010, the airport catered for 5.5 million passengers. JKIA is the hub for the Kenya's national carrier Kenya Airways, together with Fky540 and Jetlink. Currently the airport caters for an estimated 7 million passengers annually and could be ranked the 6th largest in Africa if data from other airports become available. The Kenyan government is currently planning an expansion programme that will see the JKIA airport's capacity increased to 20 million passengers, making it one of the largest airports in Africa. The airport was constructed in 1958 to handle 2.5 million passengers but has overstretched its capacity with the current 7 million passengers per year.

9. Houari Boumedienne Airport(ALG), Algiers Algeria Algeria's International Airport is Africa's 9th busiest airport. The airport is also called Algiers Airport and played an important role during WWII. The airport handled an estimated 4.5 million passengers in 2009. No data is available for 2010 and 2011.

Houari Boumediene International Airport

10. King Shaka International Airport, Durban South Africa: The King Shaka International Airport was opened in May 2010, one month before the World Cup in South Africa. Handling an estimated 4.7 million passengers in 2010, KSIA has contributed immensely to the economy of Durban and the greater Kwa Zulu Natal. Also known as La Mercy, the airport has opened South Africa's city of Durban to international flights. Before its construction in the run up to the World Cup, Durban was the only major South African city without an aviation infrastructure to accommodate international flights. The airport is three times bigger than the Durban International Airport that it replaced.

King Shaka International Airport, Durban. Also called La Mercy

11.Tunis-Carthage International Airport, Tunis Tunisia(TUN): Carthage Airport is Africa's 11th busiest Airport named after the ancient city of Carthage. In 2010, the Airport catered for some 4.6 million passengers. Ground handling at the airport is provided by Tunisair Handling, a 100% subsidiary of Tunisair, and security services are provided by the Tunisian Police and the Customs. Tunis-Carthage International Airport is the hub of TunisAir, Tunisia's national airline.

Tunis-Carthage International Airport

 12.Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport(ABV), Abuja Nigeria: The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport is located in Abuja and is Africa's 12th busiest airport. The airport catered for some 3.9 million passengers in 2010. The airport is managed by Abuja Gateway Consortium which signed a $101million 25 year concession with the Abuja government in a contract that includes the construction of an airport hotel, private car parks, shopping malls and a bonded warehouse, totaling USD50 million, during its first five years.

Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja Nigeria

13. Bole International Airport(ADD), Addis Ababa Ethiopia: Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa is Africa's 13th busiest airport and the main hub of Ethiopian Airlines. In 2010, the Airport catered for approximately 3.8 million passengers. The airport is the main hub of Ethiopian Airlines and is the third largest airport in Africa by area size. The airport also has one of the longest runways in Africa. The airport was estimated to be serving 6 million passengers in 2011 although no concrete data is available. The Airport was formerly known as Haile Selassie I International Airport and still retains the ICAO code HAAB.

The Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

14. Marrakech-Menara Airport(RAK), Marrakech Morocco: This is the best and most beautiful airport in Africa with modern and Islamic architecture fusing together to form a classic.Designed by a team of architects led by Casablanca-based E2A Architecture and completed in 2008, the structure is formed of massive concrete rhombuses. This muscular approach is softened by the exquisite arabesque patterns on the building's glass skin, which cast complex, ever-changing shadows on the terminal's floors.

Marrakech-Menara Airport

 This is an international Airport serving the city of Marrakech and an international facility that receives flights mainly from tourists flying from Europe for holidays in Morocco. In 2010, the airport handled an estimated 3.44 million passengers and is the second busiest in Morocco  after Mohammed V International Airport. The Marrakech-Menara Terminal 1 is ranked amongst the top 10 terminals globally by Frommers and it also ranked one of the best airports in the world by Travel and Leisure Magazine. This futuristic airport is served by some of Europe's leading commercial airlines and airline charters as Morocco is one of the top destinations for European tourists.

The Marrakech-Menara Airport is ranked the best Airport in Africa and amongst the best 10 airports in the world by Travel and Leisure Magazine

The airport is also one of the greenest with 72 photovoltaic pyramids generating power on the roof.
Some of the airlines serving Marrakech-Menara Airport include Air France, Air Méditerranée, Binter Canarias, bmi, British Airways, Corendon Dutch Airlines, Brussels Airlines, easyJet, easyJet Switzerland, Europe Airpost, Hello, Air Nostrum, Jet4You, JetAirFly, Luxair, Vueling Airlines amongst others.

15 Monastir-Habib Bourguiba International Airport(MIR), Monastir Tunisia: Monastir is the 15th busiest airport in Africa. In 2010, the airport handled some 3.40 million passengers. The airport serves as the main airport for the city of Sousse and Monastir. It also serves many charter airlines to many resorts around Tunisia. Handling and ground services at the airport are provided by Nouvelair. The airport has seen reduced operations due to the opening of Enfidha Airport and some airlines have moved operations from Monastir to the new Enfidha Airport.

Monastir-Habib Bourguiba International Airport(MIR), Tunisia

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Traveling with kids: 10 things I learned on our latest trip to Sweden

1. Burger King = play areas - Our latest trip to Sweden went via Amsterdam with KLM, which meant that we spent several hours at Schiphol Airport. With about 3 hours to kill between flights, we looked for a good spot to have lunch. We found what we were looking for upstairs in the area called Schiphol Plaza where there's a Burger King as well as a cafeteria offering various kinds of food and drink.

The eating area offered a great view of the planes outside, it was close to the bathrooms, and! there was a small play area. Nothing fancy, but there were some toys and a climbing centre. We found the same thing at Gran Canaria's airport last year. My kids do love some chicken nuggets and fries (probably because they rarely get it...), they love watching the planes, and a play centre is always a good thing when they're traveling, so for us this location was a great combo.

2. Digestives are tasty - My kids found a new favorite travel snack: good ol' Original Digestive Biscuits. Now I need to find a perfectly sized container to hold a package for our next trip...

3. Tobogganing is a lot of fun - The weather was milder than normal in northern Sweden this time around, and there was less snow than we've seen on previous Christmas visits. However, there was enough for tobogganing, and that was all that mattered. There were several nice hills within easy walking distance of my parents' place in Skellefteå, and the kids really loved this outdoor activity. Living where we do just outside Vancouver means that tobogganing is not a regular winter-activity at home!

4. I need a new hard-sided suitcase - My old faithful red Samsonite bit the dust last year after 25 years of service. I do quite like the fabric bags we traveled with this time (as long as they don't hold anything breakable), and we do have another old Samsonite, a green monster that my son loves to pull, but I need something lighter that is still roomy that I can pack non-squishable items into.

5. "Is that our luggage?" is a great airport-game - You can play this game while watching the luggage being loaded onto your airplane at the gate. If your bag is black, it will be very challenging. I'm thinking my next new piece of luggage will be a funky bright color.

6. Serving the kids' meals first should be the law - KLM treated us well on this trip. I especially liked how the kids' meals arrived well ahead of the regular meals. This meant my husband and I could help the children with their meals without juggling our own trays at the same time.

7. Someone always needs the bathroom when the food has just been served - I joke about this, but it's the truth. It seems anytime I travel by plane and there are meal trays on all the tray-tables, that's when one of my kids really, really needs to go to the bathroom. Stacking trays, juggling trays, putting trays on the floor... as long as I can keep my balance it's usually ok. I might have also forced a stewardess to take away some trays before she was really ready to do so, but I did apologize and I was desperate.

8. Hail is bad - The 15 minute hail storm we experienced in Amsterdam made us 4 hours late. It had never really occurred to me that even a brief hail-storm might make it necessary to de-ice the plane, or that it would take so long to get that done in Amsterdam.

9. I love my new Kindle - Reading books to the kids at the gate was a lot easier with my Kindle rather than a stack of books in the hand-luggage. Yay for e-readers and tablets! Now, if only airports would be more generous with the free wi-fi... Schiphol offers 1 hour free wi-fi, but at Arlanda Airport you have to pay. I wish more airports would follow the example of my home airport, Vancouver International, and offer free wi-fi.

10. Antibacterial wipes and litterless juiceboxes are still my two must-haves - One day I guess my kids will do OK drinking from regular plastic cups on board, without either spilling or dumping the contents, or wanting to put their apple juice aside for later while they play with their stuffed animals on the tray table (not a good idea). For now however, I'm quite happy to pour their drinks into litterless juiceboxes. And constant wipe-downs with antibacterial wipes make me feel at least a little better about traveling during flu-season. (The wipes work wonders on tray tables too.)