How to Cut Costs When Flying With Children
This year, we're embarking on our first flight with two children, which I've heard is quite a bit trickier than flying with one (of course, since we finally got that one figured out). Aside from how I'm going to keep them both entertained on both the flight and layover, I also want to make sure I'm not squandering away hard-earned vacation savings before I even get to my destination. I turned to my friends with multiple children, and they dished out some solid advice.
1. Log some serious miles before they turn two.
Most airlines allow children over 14 days and younger than two to fly for free if they sit in your lap. I wish we'd taken advantage of this period more than we did! Just make sure your child doesn't turn two during your trip -- if so, you'll have to pay for the return flight.
2. Look for companion tickets or discounts.
Consider signing up for travel reward cards so you can earn points and redeem them for a free ticket. For example, once you accumulate 110,000 reward points, you'll qualify for a companion ticket on Southwest Airlines, which you can use for unlimited free travel during the year in which you redeem the points, plus the year after. To reach 110,000 points faster, you may transfer earned points from hotel or car rental partners. Think outside the box.
Another option is to ask airline officials about child discounts. Virgin Atlantic and Southwest are a couple domestic airlines that offer discounted child fares for children between the ages of two and 11, and most offer about a 15 percent international discount. It never hurts to ask.
3. Weigh the option of bringing your own gear.
If you'll be renting a car at your destination and have small children, consider bringing your own car seats so you can skip adding that fee to your car rental. The daily fee to rent one car seat is anywhere between $10 to $15, with a maximum cost of around $70. Most airlines allow you to bring or check both a car seat and a stroller for free. For us, bringing our own car seats will save about $140 for our next trip. That's no chump change.
One of the things we have to consider for our trip is whether to bring the portable playard for our youngest daughter. We'll be staying with family, so requesting one from a hotel isn't an option. We considered checking it, but that would cost us a second checked baggage fee, or about $100 total for the trip (not to mention the inconvenience of lugging it through the airport with two children in tow). However, we found that by using coupons, we can actually purchase and even ship a playard to our final destination for about $40, thus saving about $60. And unless our family objects, we can leave it there for other guests to use. In this case, buying is actually the best deal.
4. Rent your entertainment.
One of the hardest things to do while actually on the flight is to keep your child quiet and entertained. When I was younger, we always flew with our own backpacks filled with coloring books, crayons, books and a portable gaming system. We kept it simple. However, as technology has evolved, so has in-flight entertainment. With everything from e-readers to laptops with DVD players to tablets, there are countless electronic options, and none of them are cheap.
After paying so much for the device, the last thing you want to do is spend a ton on its accessories. One solution is oft-overlooked and quite simple: Pay a visit to your library before you leave. You can rent e-books, magazines, audio books and even DVDs for free. Just make sure you take good care of what you check out.
5. Rethink what and how you pack.
With the two car seats we plan to bring on the plane, carrying our luggage too just isn't a feasible option this trip. In order to cut costs, we'll pack our children's clothing in our own suitcases to eliminate paying for two more checked bags. And the bulk of essentials like diapers, wipes and shampoo we'll purchase at a drugstore when we arrive at our destination. Cutting down on these items will help to save money.
I'm sure I have a lot more to learn, but these tips have already saved us hundreds of dollars, and we haven't even yet left. I hope they help you, too!
Lori McDaniel is the senior content manager at Offers.com. She's a wife and mother of two who can't seem to shake her taste for the finer things in life, which means she always is on the hunt for a great deal.
