Last week we headed off on our first official family holiday. I was so excited to have a week away with my favourite people! We boarded the plane with anticipation and then…

just waited and waited. There was a problem with the start-up engine (yes concerning!!) and we were grounded on the plane with no air conditioning on a hot day. Our baby kicked off first. Screaming. No polite schussing would fix this. We walked around, we waved the airline magazine near her to keep her cool. It was hot and no where to go.

She led a chorus of cries, tantrums and screams. There was one terror throwing anything he could get his hands on at his parents who bleakly smiled to anyone that gave them a look. It took an hour for the airline to fix the problem and by then the army of children on the plane had taken over.

This was a space adults did not rule. There was nothing stopping them. The problem once we had taken off, we still had another 3 hours and 50 minutes to go!

The riot of children calmed slightly over this time but they just took turns throughout the duration of the flight. Frazzled and tired parents exited the plane with knowing looks. We had survived the war but by no way did we win the war. I remember before kids, that I could not understand why parents take their children on planes and “tsking” when they started to cry and the parents walked up and down the plane. Confined spaces are tough to manage at the best of times with a small person. However now it doesn’t seem like a crazy proposition – just a painful few hours with people we hope we will never see again!!

So it begs the question, is it worth it to travel with small people? Is the end destination worth it? Have you had a good or a bad experience?