Travel tips for parents flying with twin toddlers

With relatives living on different sides of the globe, Twins Trust Chief Executive Shauna Leven is used to flying with her twins.

She shares her top twins for travelling, including why preparation is key.

“I never sleep well the night before I fly. This started before I had my twins, but it’s been compounded by the anxiety I feel anticipating a day stuck in a small metal canister at 35,000 feet with my twins. Even when I know we’ve done it before, my brain still insists on running through every possible scenario at 2am.

If you’re reading this with that familiar tight feeling in your chest, you’re not alone. Travel can bring up a whole mix of emotions for parents of multiples, from excitement to dread, sometimes in the same breath. Twins Trust has information and support for families planning trips with twins, triplets or more, including practical tips for getting organised and feeling more confident.

My husband and I are expats, so travelling has always been a part of our life together. At the tender age of three our children, Tillie and Hugo, had been to four continents already, and we had endured trips that take longer than a day. That means early starts, airport queues, and plenty of moments where we’ve looked at each other and thought: why do we do this again?

We flew for the first time when they were four months old, and as I write this I am flipping back and forth between my spreadsheet packing list for another upcoming trip involving me, them and a long-haul flight. There is something about seeing it all laid out that makes the chaos feel slightly more manageable, even if the reality is that toddlers don’t follow spreadsheets.

Over the years, I’ve learned that travel has a way of reminding you that you don’t do this on your own. I’ve had strangers hold babies, share food and toys, and even race down the jetway with our passports. Those moments stick with you. They’re a quiet reassurance that most people can see you’re doing your best and they want to help.

When the nerves hit hardest

However, I can confidently say that the pre-flight jitters are always worse than the experience itself. Most of the time, though, it isn’t the flight that gets me. It’s the build-up. The waiting. Over time I’ve realised my nerves usually come down to three things, which I’ve summed up in a handy acronym you’ll have no trouble remembering: PCR.

Prepare

I’m sure nobody needs to be told to leave lots of time at the airport. Between the forms, queues, the last minute nappy changes and moving small feet past lots of interesting things to look at, airports take time.

For us, the security checkpoint is always particularly time-consuming. Removing shoes, separating liquids and electronics and folding buggies is bad enough, but trying to get a toddler to put their bunny in the X-ray machine has almost sunk this particular ship more than once. My advice is to practise things you haven’t done before a couple of times in advance of the day. The more familiar it feels, the less you’re juggling when you’re tired and under pressure.

Car hire

Possibly my least favourite moment of every trip involves standing in a hot and crowded parking garage with tired, cranky kids, not feeling so great ourselves, trying to install two unfamiliar car seats in an unfamiliar car. This is because, for insurance purposes, most car hire companies insist that you install the car seats yourself.

It inevitably ends in tears with the odd threat of divorce thrown in. My top tip is to get the specific make and model of both the car and car seats in advance and watch the installation videos on YouTube before you go. It doesn’t make it fun, but it can make it quicker, and sometimes that is all you need.

Relax

Kids will be kids and most people I’ve encountered while travelling with my twins are incredibly helpful and accommodating. Your kids will kick the seat, they will make noise and a mess and you will be tired. It’s part of the deal, and it’s also the part that can make you feel like everyone is watching, even when they aren’t.

When I remember to relax, I do better at dealing with the moments I can’t control. A spill can be cleaned up. A tantrum will pass. A bad 10 minutes doesn’t mean a bad trip. And the holiday memories really will be worth it.