The worry wart travels

The last time we took our boys on a plane, they were 1 and 3. They really don't have any memory of it. I recall I sat next to Tony and Carter was on Anthony's lap with the infant seatbelt attached to his own.

Well, he was supposed to be.

Our little Michelin man didn't fit the infant seat belt. They even brought some kind of extension belt for him but he was still too big. In the end the cabin crew admitted defeat and gave our little butter-ball a seat of his own.
I remember Anthony saying how funny he looked being so young and sitting in a seat all of his own.

                                           (Take note of his rather rotund build here at this age)

This time we were well prepared. We had lunch boxes packed for the boys, a DS, books, and an iPad.

We thankfully had a 10:30am flight so we arrived by 9am and checked in then got something to eat. After the all important bathroom trip, we got ready to board.

We were really lucky and got the seats right at the back of the plane. Anthony and Carter sat in the two seats in front of Tony and I and we both had empty seats next to us. We even had the toilet directly behind us for easy access (always a plus when traveling with children).

While everyone was boarding, there was the announcement which encouraged passengers to take the time to read the safety information card in the seat pocket in front.

Tony takes this kind of stuff seriously and studied the card intently. I almost wish he hadn't. As soon as he did he had a MILLION questions asking me to explain what each picture was, then he placed the card back and pondered what he had just read.

A little while later I got a tap on my arm and Tony told me he was nervous. I asked him why and he pointed at the safety card and said;

"I'm scared we are going to crash."

I did my best to reassure him and told him we will be fine and that planes hardly ever crash and that Mummy and Daddy wouldn't have brought him on a plane if we didn't think it was safe (blah blah blah, you know typical parent rubbish).

Unconvinced he said;

"But planes can crash right? Why aren't you worried? Is it because you have faith in God?"

I stifled a giggle and said;

"Well....yes, but that's not the only reason. I just think there isn't a very big chance that the plane will crash. But yes I guess I do have faith that we will be just fine."

Tony then closed his eyes and began chanting to himself;

"Faith in God. Faith in God. Faith in God."

I felt like I was sitting next to a religious nut!

After we took off, someone went into the toilet behind us. As they flushed the toilet, Tony stiffened in his seat and obviously panicked asked;

"Is that the oxygen masks coming down? Should I get my life vest?"

The rest of the flight pretty much consisted of Tony looking anxious at any bump or noise between games on his DS.

When we landed in Brisbane an hour and a half later, we were closest to the back so were front of the line to exit the plane. We waited for the stairs to be brought over and I told Tony to look out the window to see the stairs being brought over so we could get off the plane. With an incredulous look he said;

"Stairs? What! I though we get to leave the plane on the big orange blow up slide!"

By that point all I could say was;

"No that's for if we crash. See, at least there is something good about crashing!"

                                   ( Note the source of all my problems in the bottom left corner here)


Next post - actual holiday info