How to bust boredom on long-haul flights with children

Travel is very exciting for children. However, long-haul flights can be particularly stressful for parents. At home, you have access to endless sources of entertainment and food that your kids entertain themselves with. They also have room to run around and make noise if they want to as well. On a long-haul flight, however, they don’t have any of this.

So, the question is, what can you do to entertain your kids? Below you’ll find a step-by-step guide to prepare and bust boredom on your next long-haul flight.

Speak to your kids

This step is especially important if your children haven’t been on a long-haul flight before. Take the time to explain to your children what to expect on the flight and more importantly, how to behave. Simply arriving at the airport, boarding the plane and expecting your children to know how to behave is a recipe for disaster.

Prepare for the journey

Now that your kids know what to expect, it’s time to prepare for the journey. On top of packing and booking taxis, you need to prepare some entertainment for your children. There will likely be inflight entertainment, but if there isn’t anything that your kids want to watch or play on offer, you’ll be in for a long flight.

We recommend if you have a tablet or device, download some of their favourite free kid’s cartoons, movies, and games as a backup. Bringing a card game, a book, or a toy or two can also be very helpful.

Give your kids something to carry

Giving your child a small backpack or responsibility will help them to feel involved and important. For example, if they have to carry their backpack and not put it down they will have something to focus on and won’t get as easily bored or distracted.

Charge everything

Before the journey, ensure that everything is charged. Every book, tablet, and set of headphones needs to be charged. If your devices run out, both you and your kids will be bored and that won’t be fun for everyone.

Divide and conquer

Lastly, the responsibility of watching your kids shouldn’t fall on one parent. If you’re travelling with your partner or another member of the family, plan a rotation of watching and resting so that everyone can enjoy the flight rather than it being a chore for one parent.