Air Travel With Your Teens

Traveling by air, for your grandparents’ generation, was an experience of luxury to be treasured for a lifetime. Traveling by air today is not only not luxurious; it’s more often than not a real hassle. If you’re planning to travel by air in the near future, and will be accompanied by your teenagers, then you could benefit greatly from any suggestions which can make sure your flight passes without any additional stress.

While flying with a teenager is not quite as big a job as fling with a toddler, it’s not without tits demands. Your teenager is old enough to handle most of the ins and outs of flying, but it’s up to you to make sure he or she knows what they are.

The first thing you should impress on your teenager is the seriousness of joking inappropriately while at an airport. Airport security personnel take all references to bombs, weapons, and terrorists quite seriously, and your teenager may say something in jest which ends up with his or her being asked to leave the security checkpoint for interrogation. Your teenager should avoid any words which could be related to violence. While you may think he or she already understands this, it can’t hurt to provide a reminder.

Your teenager is certainly old enough to pack his or her luggage, but it’s your responsibility to check the contents of the bags before they get to the airport. You certainly don’t want your teen’s carryon bag to trigger the suspicions of airport security, causing you a delay and possibly a missed flight.

You should also make sure that your teen’s checked luggage doesn’t exceed the allowable weight, and that he or she has been careful not to pack anything in the checked bags which could tempt a thief or be hard to replace if it were damaged. Lost luggage is epidemic with the airlines, so tell your teen not to pack anything in a checked bag that he or she would be sorry to lose.

Even if your flight has a meal service, the amount and kind of food served probably won’t be enough to keep your teen full for long. You can carry on bagged snacks like chips, fresh fruit, and cookies, but you can’t take any drinks through the security line and you’ll either have to buy a soda for your teen before you board, or pay even more for one on the flight. As one money-saving option, you can take some empty bottles through security and fill them from the airport fountains. It may not be the best water your family has ever had, but it will keep you from becoming dehydrated on a long flight!

Tell your teenager to include something entertaining in the carryon bag. A book, DVD or MP3 player, GameBoy, deck of cards, or puzzle book can be a lifesaver, especially on longer flights or those with layovers. Don’t forget the extra batteries, and make sure your teen uses the electronic devices only when given the OK by your pilot or flight crew.

Flying may not be the glamorous adventure that it once was, but neither does it have to be the part of a vacation you have to endure before the fun can begin. If you’re flying with a teen, make sure both of you are on the same page regarding airport security and on-board behavior, and your entire trip will get off to a terrific start!

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By: Tim Roseland

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myroadtotravel was created as way for my wife and I to do what we love most..Travel. We love to share our experiences and have recently created myroadtotravelblog to help us do just that. Through this blog, we offer travel tips, personal experiences and photos from our vacations. Please stop by and give us your feedback and remember, for all your travel booking needs please visit myroadtotravel