After a very long ten and a half hours, Mini AG and I landed in sunny Los Angeles. One of the downsides of being an American Girl in London? All of the crazy relatives are out west!
Even though we took Mini to France earlier this summer, I was concerned about the long haul flight… For a while we did actually think about chartering a private jet. A good friend of ours is an aviation expert and she always tells us that when it comes to traveling in style, there is nothing quite like chartering a private jet. Apparently, if you are considering chartering a private jet, you can head to websites like Jettly.com to learn about flights and more. However, on this occasion we decided to fly commercial.
So anyway, here are some of my thoughts, concerns and tips…..
Sending Luggage Ahead: Because I had to take this flight sans hubby, he had the fantastic idea of shipping our luggage to LA before we arrived. So, I packed my giant Tumi full of our clothes, and booked a pick-up with First Luggage. Although it cost £120- it was so worth it! My bag arrived at my parents house three days before me and Mini arrived, and (because Mini’s grandma is a star) our clothes were all unpacked when we got home!
Taking Formula Through Security: Getting though security with baby formula is absolutely silly in my opinion- mainly because there is no standard. At London City, we were able to take eight liquid cartons of Aptamil onboard by only tasting one. At Heathrow, I had to open up half of the ones I had to taste them, and (because they are only good for two hours) I had to then throw that half away. So luckily, I was prepared and had called Boots to pre-order some additional supply. If you are traveling via Virgin or Terminal 3 at Heathrow you can call the Boots Airside on 0208 897 1891 and ask them to set aside your baby formula. Although the person I talked to on the phone made me wonder if she was all there mentally, Mini’s milk was sitting behind the counter with my name on it!
Taking the Pram: Baby Bjorn or Mclaren Techno? I wrestled with which one to take so, I took both! Hubby and I recently purchased the Techno solely for travel, and I just love it! It collapses so easy and folds very small. A bonus- its suitable from birth and can lay flat if your Mini is sleepy! So here’s my tip- if you are flying Upper Class on Virgin– if you have a pram small enough, they will let you take in on board! I was so happy about this because it means no fumbling for the sling, and if you ship your luggage ahead, you can bypass baggage claim!
On Board: Virgin offers “sky cots” for infants in all cabins. If you are sitting in Upper, there is only one so make sure you call ahead and reserve it. The downside is that there is not a safety belt in the sky cot, so any time there was a little bump of turbulence I scooped up Mini and buckled her in with me! Additionally, make sure you bring a couple of blankets because it was very cold on the plane.
Ok AG’s we are JET- LAAAGGGGED! Back to bed…. what are you tips for crossing the pond?!
Wow- those are great tips! I had no idea about the formula bit. I'll have to pass that along to my momma friends.
Hi Preppy, yes you must! Although the most frustrating thing with the formula is that there doesn't seem to be a standard. For example, on our way to Italy, we had to give up half of our Aptamil cartons, on the way back, the Italians (go figure!) didn't even notice I had liquids!! Cheers! xx AG
UPDATE for ON BOARD: In the sky cot in Virgin Upper Class there is a little zip up part to keep mini's secured- however, you still need to take them out of the cot during turbulence and buckle them in with you. Clearly I had a very unhelpful flight crew on the way to LA! Cheers! xx AG.