Preparing for New Zealand and Australia with a toddler part 1







"What are you up to Freddie?"

“Just checking out what's on offer for tots in New Zealand mummy...”

If only it was that simple!

We are off to New Zealand and Australia for 3 weeks next March (12 weeks and counting!). Some have said we’re mad travelling all that way with a toddler (Freddie will be 23 months). I do, oh so slightly, tend to agree but have decided to make it an adventure starting now!

So our journey begins...

Booking flights
This was a tough one... P (hubby) was adamant we should go where possible on the new Boeing A380 with Emirates but this would mean taking 3 different flights and a few hours more flying time (Heathrow-Dubai-Melbourne-Christchurch, total 26 hours flying time) vs my idea of the plane not being too important as I don't think there’s much between the big boys... Singapore Airlines is more direct with only two flights (Heathrow-Singapore-Christchurch, total flying time 24 hours) booked Singapore...

Singapore Airlines - flying with toddlers
Ok so Freddie is going to be under 2 years old when we travel which means we do not have to book a seat for him. Here are the pros and cons on deciding whether to book your toddler a seat...
Pros

• Not having them on your lap for 24+ hours leaving you your own space, especially when they are asleep.
• They have their own space and can enjoy their own programs and games on their own tv
• Less chance of them kicking the chair in front (assuming you can't get balk head seats!)

Cons

• Expensive!
• Balk head seats: these are given out in priority order and families with tots travelling on their laps get priority.
• You can't have a basonette (cot)

After weighing it all up we decided to book Freddie his own seat and fingers crossed there will be enough balk head seats to go round!

Accommodation search
New Zealand
We are due to arrive at 10.30am in Christchurch and after much thought have decided to take the 2 1/2 hour drive to Kaikoura so that we can spend two nights in one place and have a full day without travelling.

Kaikoura
Kaikoura is a small but stunning town by the coast with magnificent and dramatic views (I will be saying that a lot!). The small collection of accommodation I can find in and around Kaikoura seems to cater for all types of tastes and budgets.

The best website I have found is: http://www.kaikoura.co.nz/main/accommodation/

I wanted somewhere that we could relax and Freddie could let off steam and thought this one would be perfect, with farm animals to feed, grounds to run around in it seemed to be heaven for toddlers, was about to book when P found these reviews on Trip Advisor! The park has fantastic reviews but not the accommodation. Phew... Back to the drawing board will let you know shortly...

Barcelona: booking with Easyjet

Freddie and I are off to Barcelona in March, in search of child friendly properties in the Costa Dorada area, and I have just finished booking our flights. This time we are flying with Easyjet. For those of you flying for the first time with youngster’s, children under 2 have to sit on an accompanying adults lap and babies under 14 days are not allowed to fly. Flight time: just over 2 hours from Stansted.

Why do we pay for a child if sitting on our lap?
The cost of our flights weren’t bad but I have to question the price charged for Freddie to sit on my lap! £12.50 each way, my return flight was only £19.87! The official response on this charge was: ‘Each passengers (and luggage item, by the way) weight affects fuel consumption, hence the fees’

Luggage allowance
As we will be looking for child friendly properties we cannot travel light which means very large suitcases… for which we were charged £16 each.
Official response when I asked about baby items on flights:
‘You can carry up to two mobility items for children free of charge (a pushchair, a buggy, a car seat, or a travel cot), provided that the child is travelling as well. They are treated separately from your baggage allowance. Yet, please remember that infants do not have any baggage allowance.’

And below are details directly from Easyjet's website regarding pushchairs, car seats and baby milk being taken to the gate:

Can I take a pushchair with me?

Yes, easyJet allows you to take your pushchairs, buggies, travel cots right up to the aircraft steps and/or door, where they will be taken by cabin crew and stored in the hold. This is free of charge.
We do not deliver buggies at aircraft side on arrival. They will normally be delivered with baggage on the baggage carousel.

Can I take a car seat with me?

Yes, you can take a car seat onboard providing these conditions are met:
· The car seat must have a rigid metal or plastic frame;
· It cannot be wider than 42cm;
· It must include lap, shoulder and crotch straps.
Booster seats are not accepted, they must be checked in.
Car seats are accepted for any child between the age of six months and 3 years for whom a full fare seat has been purchased.

Can I take baby milk or food onboard?

Yes, you are able to take baby milk onboard; you will be required to taste the milk while passing through security. Liquids must be held in bottles containing less than 100ml. As baby bottles are generally smaller than that you should not encounter problems at security but you are advised to check the size of the container.

We are more than happy to supply hot water onboard to heat food and milk.

And the other add ons...

You can obviously add all the extras:
· Speedy boarding @ £15.50 (however unless you really want a special seat it’s not worth paying for as you are allowed onto the flight before all other travellers if you have small children.
· The other option is travel insurance; I would never travel without it, especially with young children. Easyjet offered it @ £9.75 but as we travel quite a bit we will be renewing our yearly policy (currently with Norwich Union – but we are going to shop around and I will post our findings).