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Traveling With Children / Kids / Kids Travel / Travel Tips / Airports / ORD / DFW / MSP / BOS / LAX / → All Tags

The Top Five Airports for Traveling with Children

At this point you should be an expert on the perks kids receive when flying the friendly skies, but there’s also some cool stuff for the little ones to do when they are stuck on the ground. We’ve seen a lot of plastic slides and toy airplanes while racing to our gates, and we’ve rounded up some of our favorite kid friendly play places across the country. Check them out!

· Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
American Airlines flights usually make a stop at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and that’s totally cool if kids are part of your carry-on luggage. Terminal D—that’s the new one with high ceilings and international departures—has a McDonald’s Play Area right by Gate 33. If you find yourself in Terminal E, there’s another play place with padded floor mats, toys, and plastic things to jump on. Terminal B has the best to offer with its Pepsi Junior Flyer’s Club. It features an air traffic control tower, runway, and airplanes for your little captain.

More plastic planes after the jump...

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Traveling With Children / Kids / Kids Travel / Travel Tips / In-Flight Entertainment / → All Tags

From Freebies to Finger Foods: Jaunted's Guide to Flying with Children

When it comes to flying on an airplane, children can often be the most discerning of travelers. They won't put up with bad food, lack of amenities, or frankly, anything they doesn't wanna.

So we took a look at the perks airlines offer the pint-sized set to see if kids do have a good reason to whine. Sure, some airlines roll out the red carpet; Southwest accommodates kids before they even board the plane with special family areas at all the gates while other airlines shower kids with wings, kits, special menus and loads of entertainment options. But there's one thing they won't give your little one, though: Be sure to BYO blankie. Read on in our sections below for all of the details on how the airlines are keeping your kids happy, whether it's their first or fourteenth flight.

Jaunted's Kiddie Traveler Series

· What's on the Kids Menu?
· What Freebies Do the Airlines Have For Your Kids?
· What Are The In-Flight Entertainment and Comfort Options?
· What About Perks for Babies?

What do you think about the perks offered to mini travelers? Has your child ever received any awesome in-flight freebies or services? Let us know in the comments below!

[Photos: Southwest, terren in Virginia, Singapore Airlines, jyri]

Traveling With Children / Kids / Lists / Mexico Travel / → All Tags

Lonely Planet Counts Down Top Ten Kid-Friendly Cities Of The World

After what has no doubt been a lengthy summer of Travel Chanel specials on tropical escapes and kid-friendly vacations, Lonely Planet has released their own top ten list: Top 10 Cities to visit with children.

The list flaunts the qualities of some usual suspects, like Rome and London, but it actually surprises by extolling the charms of some cities we wouldn't have considered for a family vacation. For instance, number 8 above Rome and Sydney is Singapore. Everyone knows that it's a very clean place, but that comes with gum chewing being against the law.

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Presidential Travel / Barack Obama / Washington DC / Kids / → All Tags

How to Get Your Hands on an Obama Easter Egg Without Going to DC

Come Monday evening, expect quite a few of the above eggs to be featured items on Ebay as President Obama's first White House Easter Egg Roll floods the lawn with 1,000 children eager for presidential candy. If your family is heading down to Washington DC for the event, or just for a little touch of Easter in the capital, then we recommend taking a cue from the first family and thinking green.

Those fortunate enough to be holding one of the tickets for the egg roll should take a closer look at the commemorative eggs; they'll be more eco-friendly than ever with 31 per cent less paperboard and colored with renewable vegetable oil-based inks. You can even get your hands on one without a ticket or overpaying on ebay, since the National Parks Foundation is hocking them for $7 a piece online and at the White House Visitor Center. Now if only we could eliminate the gas used to deliver the egg orders by getting the Easter Bunny up off his lazy butt.

Related Stories:
· Michelle and Barack create 'green' egg for kiddies' Easter event [Hello!]
· Presidential Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Rex/Hello Mag]

Travel Hell / Kids / → All Tags

Are You Better Behaved Than A Four-Year-Old?

The latest threat to airline security is hot-tempered, stubborn, and three feet tall. No, it's not Verne Troyer, it's the four-year-old who grounded a Delta flight yesterday by throwing a tantrum. When his or her apple juice did not arrive as soon as hoped for, someone's little angel pitched the kind of fit that made a LaGuardia-to-Greensboro flight make an unscheduled stop in Philadelphia, where passengers (who probably felt like screaming and crying themselves) had to spend the night.

Horrifyingly, some news outlets are actually reporting it was an ADULT passenger who pitched a fit over the juice. What's the the most childish behavior YOU've ever seen on an airplane?

Related Stories:
· Traveling With Children [Jaunted]

[Photo: Parenthood.com]

Islands / Kids / Blogs / Marquesas / Sailing / South Pacific / → All Tags

Marquesas Islands: Parents Of The Year Make Middle School Disappear

Man, Molly and Jessie Rard have the coolest parents ever. Their parents let them skip school for two years and live on the family sailboat! No detentions, no gym class, no tyrannical English teacher who leaves the class window open in January... Well, they still have homework: to help their parents, Washington state boat dealers, update a blog about their family adventures.

Yep, Jim and Jeanna Rard are the coolest parents ever. Who else would say, "Hey kids, we're taking off on a 49' yacht to sail the world for two years"? Kind of makes you want to sail out and join them holding octopi, making dreadlocks and writing nautical poetry.

[Photo: Jessie Rard]

Theme Parks / Scandinavia / Kids / → All Tags

On Holiday with Lego Blocks

Find an adult who didn't dream of visiting Legoland as a kid and we'll ... do something awful to such a twisted mind. Maybe it's just us, but surely a visit to the home of those brightly-colored blocks is secretly near the top of many a travel wish list. There are impostors elsewhere, but the original Danish version in Billund recently got a big thumbs-up from a UK Times review.

So what do you actually do at Legoland? While we thought that it was just an endless number of Lego bricks joined together, it seems there is a range of weird attractions next to the expected rides and roller coasters, including:

panning for gold (sifting gravel in a wooden trough) and then having it "melted" into a medal in the Wild West village Legoredo; cooking a bread roll on the end of a very long stick over an open fire and learning to drive an electric car.

We can only hope that open fire isn't burning Lego logs. That couldn't be healthy.

[Photo: LouisL]

Related Stories:
· Denmark, Home of Legoland [UK Times]
· Hotel Legoland Room Tour [HotelChatter]

British Airways / Kids / Contests / → All Tags

HOWTO: Possibly Use Your Kids to Get Free Flights on BA

Perhaps because young people who are 4'2" will assure them that the legroom in coach is awesomely ample, British Airways is looking to kids' advice to help shape its future (or at least a press release or two). BA is launching a "Kids' Council," to be made up of 12 young flyers (aged 8-14) from around the world. The chosen few will meet with BA execs twice a year and school them on their travel likes and dislikes.

Though current press info doesn't mention any perks for adults, we wonder if BA would really import 8-year-olds into London without inviting their guardians, too. This could be an opportunity for parents to piggyback along on a free flight. To enter, kids should write "200 words in English explaining why they should be on the council, the ideas they have and the things they enjoy most about flying." Entries must be emailed to kidscouncil@ba.com by April 27. Entrants must have flown BA within the last 18 months.

[Photo: rextreme]

Related Stories:
· BA takes advice from the flyers of tomorrow [eTravel Blackboard]
· Kids to help BA develop brand [TradeArabia]

Tourism Boards / JetBlue / Kids / → All Tags

For Runaway British Teen, the Party Ends With JetBlue

Did New York's tourism campaign in the U.K. cause a frustrated British teen to decamp for the Big Apple? Gothamist connected the dots this morning in the story of George Lenon, a 17-year-old who fled his homeland, and his homework, for a little partying in the States. A JetBlue staffer eventually caught him at JFK, but not before the teen had time to indulge himself.

Lenon also seems to be quite adept at last-minute vacation planning (or had he been plotting his escape for a while?), as he knew to head to the Jazz on the Park hostel for a cheap sleep and the party atmosphere he reportedly craved. No one knows exactly how he spent all of his time there, but perhaps the Jazz hostel group's Flickr account provides an accurate idea of young George's exploits. Grounded or not, we salute him.

[Photo: adamgreenfield/NY Post]

Related Stories:
· British Runaway's NYC Adventure [Gothamist]
· RUNAWAY LAD FOUND AT JFK [NY Post]

NewYorkology / Children / Kids / Shopping / New York City / → All Tags

NewYorkology: Toy Heaven

We are happy to announce the return of NewYorkology to Jaunted for the weekly update on things to do in NYC, courtesy of Amy Langfield.

Despite the fact that New York is already manic with holiday shoppers, last weekend I dove into the belly of the beast, taking a pair of 10-year-olds shopping in Midtown's mega-toy emporiums. The goal was to milk the preteen brain trust for advice for parents needing to know what to avoid and what's worth waiting in line for.

And although we spent an inordinate amount of time looking at massive Lego displays, like an unedited Bugs Bunny cartoon, there are adult-targeted nuggets hidden among the child-friendly entertainment.

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Children / Airlines / Travel Tips / Adventure Travel / Kids / → All Tags

Baby on Board

There is a counterintuitive lesson in this story from over the weekend, about an Egyptian woman gave birth mid-flight on a British Airways plane between London and Boston. After she went into labor, the plane was diverted to Halifax, but before it arrived her baby was born with the help of two medical students and the cabin crew.

The lesson is not that pregnant women should avoid flying, but that the wealthy should always spring for first class seats for their help. You see, while this woman was flying in first class, her maid was in economy, and remained aware of the entire labor process. She found out her boss had given birth after the plane had landed!

See, at the very least she could have gotten her a bulkhead seat.

[Image via Sesame Ellis/Flickr]

Related Stories:
·   Air Crew Deliver Baby [Guardian]

Travel / Kids / → All Tags

Lullaby for Seat 13B

Despite the paper's general reputation for being dry, the Wall Street Journal is a fount of salaciousness this week. Never mind the coverage of theme parks; today the WSJ tackles the divisive issue of sedating children--mostly infants and toddlers--when they travel.

Yes, some parents give their children antihistamines, like Benadryl--which counts drowsiness as a side effect--so that they'll be calm during a plane ride instead of turning into the screaming, seat-kicking monsters seated directly behind us. Other parents find this tactic reprehensible, preferring to distract their kids with DVDs, coloring books, and whatever else works.  Anyone who has ever watched a Baby Einstein DVD can attest to sedative properties as least as strong as Benadryl.

We wholeheartedly endorse sedating not just infants, but all children, up through the age of twelve. And Bendadryl doesn't go far enough: what about a little bit of whiskey in their milk? Maybe some children's chewable Xanax? Whatever gets you through to your destination with a quiet kid is alright by us.

Related Stories:
·   Work & Family [WSJ]
·   Theme Parks Tone Down the Excitement [Jaunted]