We have survived our first international trip with 2 kids! Our hearts are happy, memories filled, and a sense of adventure recharged. We have been back in the States for 2 weeks now (returned the Sunday evening, 9/10) and (the adults) had the longest hangover ever. The first week back was a complete survival mode. The kids bounced back quickly as expected; by day 4 of the return, they were back to their normal sleep schedule. We immediately resumed our regular lives the following day - Z had a full, busy week of work, Zoe was back to school, and Zaylee was back to her swim lessons. That weekend, me and Z felt dead...haha! So, maybe next time, we should build in some recovery time.
Boy was it an adventure for this family of 4. We had very little idea what to expect embarking on a 24-hour trip to the other side of the earth with our girls, 4-year-old and almost an 8-month-old baby who had never flown on an airplane before. There were so many new variables - a completely different time zone (13-hour difference to be specific), new culture (for the kids especially), new food (again, for the kids), different climate, etc. My packing of 3 suitcases reflected my best intention, but in all honesty, we were fully expecting to wing everything and hope that our girls were adaptable and adventurous. Zoe's longest trip was to Maui which was about a 10-hour trip, and if that was any indication, we felt that she would do okay on this trip. Zaylee was a wildcard because she had never traveled much at all since birth, but if her easy-going nature translated to traveling, then we hoped that this wouldn't be disastrous after all.
[Answer: aside from the expected meltdowns from tiredness, hunger, and overstimulation, they both did really well. Zay is the MVP in my opinion because she truly was forced to go along the flow and handled everything marvelously.]
So, where did we go? We went to Malaysia to visit and hang out with my father-in-law and his family. He had not seen both girls yet, since their births, largely due to Covid and Malaysia shutting down for quite some time. Our travel consisted of 17 nights and 18 days. We specifically chose this time range to match Han Hong's, Z's half-sister, summer break schedule. We were on the plane 8 times total and traveled to Cambodia and Langkawi (an island off of Malaysia), besides Malaysia, while there.
We departed from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to Doha, Qatar, as our layover; which was a 15-hour flight. From there, we flew to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which was another 9-hour flight. In total, it was a 24-hour travel by air. Yes, there were some intense, grueling travel moments with 2 little kids, but boy I am so proud that we did it.
We took Qatar Airlines' economy seatings round trip. We requested a bassinet for Zaylee and were successful in obtaining it for most of the flights. FYI, if you request a bassinet, you are limited on where you can get seated because you need wall access to attach the bassinet. This would be our last time being able to use the bassinet since Zaylee was already reaching the maximum weight limit (24 lbs). We took this same airline in 2014, and once again, we enjoyed the overall experience. Brunch/dinner was hot, good portion, and was quite tasty. Every time the food was offered, Zoe was hard asleep so Z and I often got double the portion...ha!
Things we learned going there and then did differently on our return trip to the US
Double, and triple-check the airline's luggage policy and assume every tick-et counter agent is going to interpret or follow the policy differently
Departing DFW...I must admit, I was so focused on figuring out what to pack for the kids that I didn't spend enough time looking at the luggage weight policy. International flights tend to be a lot more strict about the weight, and depending on which ticket counter agent you run into, even an excess of 0.1 lbs is going to make you go back and repack. Qatar Airlines goes by kg (another thing to pay attention to), and the agent's interpretation of personal and carry-on bags startled us. First of all, Qatar Airlines had a 7kg total carry-on luggage limit which I had a difficult time meeting because of all the kids' stuff (snacks, activities, formula, bottles, etc.), but he also had issues with the size of our backpacks (too big) and would not consider it as our personal item and wanted to count as carry-on luggage (we also had a carry-on suitcase). His interpretation of a personal item was literally a small purse. I was so thankful that we arrived at the airport with ample time because we ended up spending a good hour shuffling around things to meet its expectations. Thank goodness for the car seat bag because we ended up stuffing a lot of random things in there.
Departing Kuala Lumpur later on... honestly, was a totally different experience. That's why it's so hard to predict what the airline agent is going to say about your luggage. Our suitcases were actually lighter (since we used up all the formula, diapers, etc.....), but we also checked in our carry-on suitcase so we added as much stuff in there instead. The agent didn't even weigh the carry-on luggage and didn't question the size.
For carry-on, pack as light as possible
We realized that walking around in large international airports with a carry-on suitcase was absolutely not. worth. it. We originally had a suitcase (after reading some blogs) to pack extra clothes, toiletry items, and such, just so we could change to a fresh set of clothes (after an initial 15-hour flight) and in case we were stranded due to missing the connecting flight or other unforeseen situations. We did have a chance to change into new clothes at our layover in Doha, but otherwise, we felt like it was just an extra thing that became a hassle for us when we needed to move quickly at the airport. Our layover was only 2 hours, which is basically nothing for an international trip, and we ended up getting there an hour late so we only had enough time to change clothes and take a quick bathroom break before boarding again. If you are flying Qatar Airlines, they do provide toiletry items like toothbrushes and toothpaste, which we fully utilize on our return trip.
In essence, we had 3 backpacks total (1 for each of us except Zaylee), a small tote for me, and a baby carrier to carry Zaylee around. We used 360 Baby Carrier - Front & Back Facing Carriers | Ergobaby, which was absolutely the best decision ever for this trip. We ended up checking in the stroller (we have Uppababy Minu V2). We felt like it was just one more thing to push around, especially when you have to constantly look for an elevator since strollers aren't allowed on escalators. Did we occasionally wish we had the stroller when Zoe absolutely refused to wake up from the plane, and thus Z had to carry her dead weight around in international airports - certainly. But we still felt like the 'less is better' strategy worked for us.
Definitely 'yes' on tablet but 'less' on packing snacks
This may be a personal decision, but when we are air traveling, all screen time limit goes out the window. We just don't worry about it. We had gotten her a tablet specifically for this trip and loaded up with shows that she likes but also shows/movies she hasn't seen before. Besides the tablet, the on-flight screen was a big hit. She sometimes preferred watching shows from the on-flight screen instead of her own tablet. Her amazing teacher also prepared some activities for her (preschool activities that she typically does at school) and that kept her engaged for a bit. I had a lot more activities packed for her going to Malaysia, but honestly, between screen time, a few additional activities, and sleeping, she didn't do much else. The plane is also kept dim/dark for the majority of the flight. At different destinations, we had so many activities planned each day that there wasn't really any time for her to activities that I brought. But again, I understand that it is trip and kid-dependent so do what works for you. Coming back, I packed away most of the activities in the checked luggage. We also didn't pack many snacks for her (mainly some pouches), but there were plenty of things to eat on the flight.
Activities that Zoe (4 year-old) liked/used:
Any type of coloring books
First Sticker Book - Airport | Usborne | 9780794535667 (rainbowresource.com)
Apps - Netflix (downloaded), Daniel Tiger series, Khan Academy Kids, and PBS Kids
Melatonin - yes!
Zoe never gets melatonin, but it is something we used regularly during this trip to help her follow a new sleep schedule. As soon as we were on the flight, we tried our best to follow the local time zone (Malaysia) to lessen the jet lag. Of course, you can force a kid to stay up when she is tired (but obviously don't..350+ other passengers won't appreciate that), but we did use Melatonin to help her get back to sleep when she was up at odd hours. Since there really was no sleep schedule, she would sometimes nap super late in the evening (oftentimes on our ride back to the hotel after a full day of excursion), and she would be awake late into the night. There are Melatonin gummy types out there (5 mg), which worked out well. We tested it out at home a few days before the trip to make sure she responded to it properly. Benedryl works fine, too.
Dress warm (no brainer but apparently, I forgot)
No matter what, we ended up feeling cold on the plane (rookie mistake on my end). Yes, they do provide blankets, but dress up warm (in light layers preferably). I wished I had packed a light cardigan. I was so focused on the tropical climate of Malaysia/Cambodia, that I forgot to pack any light but warm for myself. Some parts of the flight felt really cold and didn't feel enjoyable.
Inflatable footrest (check with the airline)
I digress, but I got a lot of questions about whether we used an inflatable footrest for Zoe. I have heard this was a popular option when traveling internationally so the kids can sleep more comfortably. Did I wish we had this for Zoe? Yes. Sleeping was uncomfortable in general, and she ended up using our seats (putting her legs on us) to make herself more comfortable (but not for us lol). But, not all airlines allow it, including Qatar. Also, this would have been one more thing to carry around even if it's compact. So, check with the airline first.
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