British Airways With Kids

Our kids loved British Airways.

We found the airline very friendly and accommodating compared to other airlines we've traveled with our kids so far. Here are a few reasons why:

Baby Bassinet

First off - If you get the "bulkhead" seat (usually the first row of the coach class - but check your airline ticket and website for an online map of your plane layout), British Airways offers a set number of baby bassinets. It sounds like it would just be for a newborn baby, like a rolling bassinet, but it is equivalent in structure to a bouncy chair, just slightly bigger to accommodate larger children (up to 2 yrs old).

Here is a picture of our fully grown 18 month husky testing it out. It is literally a bouncer chair they bring out after take-off and attach with straps to the table (as you can kind of see in the picture on the below left). So, it's not the most secure thought for wiggly children, but this little bugger did just fine and it was a huge arm saver.

I definitely saw several mothers giving me envious dirty looks as they patrolled the aisles with their fussing children and mine was bundled up safely and sleeping soundly while I caught up on the latest movies and entertainment. The only draw back about the bulkhead is that it makes mealtime difficult, it is not always available, and you can only have it up at certain times. But on this flight, I can hands down say it was a humongous life saver!

Kid-Friendly In-Flight Entertainment 

Obviously every set of flight attendants will be different, but when we asked for child- friendly/coushy headphones (not earbuds that don't stay in little kids ears well), they were willing and able to let us borrow a set from the business class. Many other airlines will not do this because they are strictly not allowed. This made the trip much more enjoyable for all!

Our kids loved playing "Little Miss Hollywood." Many airlines will have only games that are generic, rip-offs, or clunky in general and hard to manipulate. This was super easy for our girls and they could easily do it on their own which was wonderful. What made it more fun is we could actually download the app when we got home to remember the fun times we had on our Vienna overnight flight adventure.

Kid Welcome Pack

When we arrived they greeted us (even in coach) with little tote bags for each of our kids filled with really well designed coloring books, crayons and all kinds of British Airways swag. This made our kids super happy and excited for the long flight ahead.

Fruit Shoots

They carried Fruit Shoots! Okay so this is a drink we've encountered mostly in Europe (so maybe you haven't heard about it), but seriously - what other airlines carries kid-friendly drinks? I know some must, but we had never seen anything like this designed for kids and we loved it! Additionally, Fruit Shoots are no sugar-added which is great compared to the sugary sodas they usually want to order. Because it comes in its own pop-top bottle, we didn't have to worry about juggling where to put a cup to keep it from spilling while traveling with a million other things going on. Lastly, when we landed if they wanted to they could take them with them for later. Fantastic win!

Overall Family Oriented

Overall, everything else checked out for us very well. There wasn't anything negative as a parent, adult, or child we could find. We flew coach and it was about average what you would expect for the seats, and leg room. Because we got bulk head seats we had more leg room, but that meant our screen also came out of our arm rests which was a little tricky with the bassinet and maneuvering your trays.

We found that where some airlines perform poorly, British Airways was at least average or directly on par. For instance, some airlines will have non-reclining seats on the first row which negate the benefit of the added leg room. On other airlines the screens on the front row are too far from your seat, or the front row is a traffic flow nightmare (we never had anyone pass through us because there was a hall just on the other side of the wall), etc.. We didn't experience any of these and were pleasantly surprised how much easier the trip was because of it.

Vienna Agenda

"Vienna waits for you"

-- Billy Joel

There is something for everyone in Vienna, Austria. The city is very well kept and tourist friendly. Here is our agenda from our week long trip to the city. We traveled there in November 2016 with 3 kids. We used the Vienna pass (which I cannot recommend enough - most things on this list were covered by it), but even if you don't get it, geographically this agenda may help you plan out your trip.

VIENNA TRAVEL LOG

Day 1:

Grocery Shopped, got our kids used to our new location. Attended Church and walked around the Prater (amusement park) and surrounding areas. We stayed in a Hotels.com apartment/flat directly across from the Johann Strauss museum and down the street from the Prater.

Day 2:

Schonbrunn Palace- Summer home of one of the most famous King's Franz Joseph (whose nephew's assassination was the tipping point in WWI). We spent almost the entire day here, the things we did on the grounds were:

• Children's museum (actually in the palace)
• Zoo - oldest in Europe
• Palace quarters tour
• Carriage museum
• Green house and Dessert House
• Strudel School

Belvedere - This museum is home of many famous artworks such as "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt. There were several other artworks that we all loved including the wall of funny faces, and a painting of a Grandma that my 4yr old and I looked at for a long time called "Rosina" by Wald Muller. We definitely could have spent more time here

Day 3:

Hofburg Palace - house tour

Spanish Riding School to watch the horses practice (horses at left). Open, walk in walk out type format - ticket needed though.
National Library
Albertina - Art Museum housing several famous works of art from impressionism, pointillism, and contemporary art collections. It is home of the "water Lillies" by Monet, and several Picaso's, Van Gough's and even American artists Warhol and Lichtenstein.
Cafe, Demel - pastry-making viewing & tasting
Time Travel Vienna

Imperial Vault 
Imperial Treasury
Haus Der Musik (Music Museum)
St. Stephen's Cathedral built in 1147

• Climb 446 ft tall tower which gave the highest viewpoint of the city. 
• Elevator to the bell tower where Pummerin (the 2nd largest free standing bell in the world) hung.
• Visit Christmas Market and surrounding shops
• Listen to carolers or circle the inside of the Cathedral

 

Day 4: 

Natural History Museum (at left)which houses one of the largest and oldest collections of meteorites.

Imperial Treasury where they stored all of the Crowns and are royal things. Things to see there also include - actual knave and joker attire, a narwhal tusk, and a crib from the Roman empire dating back to the 1700's.

Bus Ride through Grinzing, into the Vienna woods, and up to a famous lookout point called Kahlenberg - there is not much to do up on the lookout but to view the city from the hilltop and walk around a church.
Votive church
Prater - Train ride, Ferris Wheel, Madame Tossaud's Wax Museum, and other carnival rides

Johann Strausse Apartment museum

Day 5: 

Thursday, Thanksgiving day (for us). It was the coldest day, with the rest of the day's being in the upper 40s and 50s. We did however see:
Golden Strauss statue
Eat at for Wiener Schnitzel and Goulache next to the State Opera House at Plachuttas Gasthaus zur Oper

Naschmarkt
Karlsplatz - Christmas Market - Here they had a big Christmas market with a play box made of hay in the center for the kids. Most of the locations we went to (schronbrunn, st Stephens, city center, natural science museum) had a Christmas market so we saw a lot of them. Each Christmas market seem to specialize in different things. The one in the Prater was all local food and drink, this one in Karlsplatz was all local artisans. It was really fun to walk around and see all the different crafts including a repurposed carousel that was done as an art project at a local non-profit. The carousel had bird cages and motorbikes, wheel chairs and all kind of different places for kids to sit. There was also a bike train kids could ride that was powered by their legs (like bikes on a track). We hung out here for a while soaking in all the fun culture and listening to some of the local bands which featured different types of string instruments, accordions, and didgeridoos.

Day 6:

 Pack up and leave

A few things we missed that we wish we had been able to attend were the Imperial Amory and the Theater Museum. Also, you can do a carriage ride and they have family nights at the opera house that we were very close to doing as well.

Vienna Cost Break Down

Here was our all in total for our trip to Vienna, Austria:

$3,670.17 

May seem like a lot? Just remember that cost includes:

• 4 R/T tickets from Houston to Vienna, Austria - $2,139
• Hotel stays for 7 nights (6 in Vienna and 1 in London) - $691.65
• Entertainment and Experiences $209
• 20 museums - see Vienna Agenda
• 6 unforgettable experiences (e.g.: strudel school, amusement rides, Nutcracker on Ice)
• Travel excursion to nearby Austrian cities of Grinzing and Kahlenberg
• Fine dining authentic Weiner Schnitzel and Goulash dinner
• Transportation $79.49
• Passport Fees (our kids didn't have theirs and I need to renew mine) $345
• Misc (Hotel Fees, ATMS, Souviners) $206.03
  
  

  

Where did we save BIG?

• Ailrline Passes- We flew British Airways. We got a screaming good get-away deal for about $540 r/t all-in per ticket (we bought 4).
• Attractions -Viennapass - Vienna has one of the best all inclusive city passes. USE IT. Most cities only have some things free while other big attractions are only discounted through their city pass. On the Viennapass, however, EVERYTHING we wanted to do was free! And as a side note: the attractions were nice, well kept, and very well put-together.
• Transportation - splurge a little more on the Viennapass to buy the Travelcard and you can get metro/underground/u-bahn rides included. The price you pay per day for the card is essentially your price/day for everything but food and lodging.
• Hotels - We booked through hotels.com and had a great experience. Our hotel was through Checkvienna and was the Praterstrasse which cost under 100euro/night being slightly off season. We loved the location as it was directly facing the Johann Strass Museum apartment and within good walking distance of the underground, train station, and the Prater. It also had a washer (no dryer) which was awesome. And, they were very responsive and took care of needs right away when we requested things like a crib (which other places have said they would bring and never do).
  

Hidden/Unforeseen Costs:

• The only thing we could think of (Vienna you really were awesome) was we forgot to pack grocery bags! This is common for European stores to charge for grocery bags, and several times we forgot our bags and had to pay minor fees. But, that is seriously digging for a complaint because we're talking cents here.

A Child's Review of Vienna, Austria

Vienna Top 10 Things To Do With Kids:

We did a lot of research before we left, and surprisingly could not find any conclusive lists for kids. So we thought is would be helpful to make one of our own. Here are our children's top 10 favorite activities from our November 2016 visit. Adult tested, Child Approved.

#1 - Schonbrunn Palace Children's Museum - By far was the most kid-friendly place we visited. Everything was period themed and "please touchable." From dress-ups to toys and games, it was specifically designed with children at heart. When we went in November the hours were adjusted, but we had pretty much the entire museum to ourselves! Following the Children's museum , our older children enjoyed the audio tour through the palace, the Zoo, and the impressive gardens/greenhouses. Just be prepared to WALK ALOT. The Grounds are HUGE.

#2 -Strudel School in the basement of a side building on the Schonbrunn grounds. Everyone got a free taste with their own plate of Strudel, and the staff was super friendly. The kids loved the hats and sat still the entire demo, even the baby enjoyed it.

#3 - Our kids are active, so they loved the hike up to the top of St. Stephen's Cathedral (we loved the views).

#4 - Prater - the Ferris Wheel of course, and all the rides at the park especially the bumper cars which we did several times! My kids also love Madame Tussauds. Though we know you can do this anywhere, it is a fun photo op and touch friendly zone.

#5 - Time Travel Vienna - This museum was a little hokey, but overall we all enjoyed the unique and entertaining way of displaying Vienna history. Our kids loved in particular the 4D video at the end which made it one of their favorites.

#6 - Votive Church playground. After running all week, our kids loved relaxing mentally for a few hours while we rested our feet, enjoyed our scenery, and got a bite to eat. It's rare to find good playgrounds in European Cities, so this one was a gem.

#7 - Natural History Museum - was very kid friendly, even with a marble ramp built in the front for strollers and handicap accessibility. Okay, I had to include some extra pics of this one, because architecturally it was AMAZING! So Gorgeous!

 #8 - Haus Der Musik (Music Museum) - This was the only consistently high-rated museum we found beforehand for kids and for that reason we felt let down somewhat as it was only average. But, our kids did really enjoy a lot of the fun interactive exhibits, especially the piano staircase that played music as you went up and down. Vienna is a hub for awesome music with so many greats studying there like Strauss, Mozart, and Beethoven, so in the end I have to say this museum is a must for your list.

#9 - Spanish Riding School -  This was one of the least kid friendly places we went. For starters the baby couldn't even enter. Additionally, they patrol the stadium to keep it extremely quiet (not ideal for young kids), and they don't like snacks being brought in (again not ideal when the practice is several hours long). That being said, there is an architecturally impressive auditorium you can walk around if your kids get stir-crazy (which only took mine about 2 minutes). We also learned later that you can come and go as you please once you have your ticket bought (although the entrance to the stadium is a bit of a walk). The horse tricks are pretty cool, but you are fairly far away and there is a lot of down time. Our girls lasted temporarily in the stadium, but LOVED checking out the horse treadmill and stalls outside which is the reason this attraction made the list.

 #10 - I hate to put this as number 10 because it really was a favorite, but because it is seasonal it had to go on the bottom. We loved the Christkindlmarkts in particular the one at Karlsplatz which had local artists, a carousel of restored parts, local bands (with a didgeridoo) and a kid hay play zone. All of these markets are packed with locals. You would think they are a tourist trap, but they are really more a place for the locals to go hang out after hours. We loved the smell of holiday treats, and browsing the local vendors. It was one of the best ways to ring in the Holiday Cheer.

Other activites not listed but loved by all were: Walking through the park to see the Golden Strauss Statue in Statdpark, The Imperial Treasury where we saw a narwhal tusk and a 1811 baby crib made for Napoleon Bonaparte's son, and a quiet bus/car ride to Kahlenberg lookout.

Welcome | Introductions

We are a growing family of 5. We are adventure seekers, though not necessarily risk takers. We believe that families are made strong through quality time and unplugged conversation. We understand and know that family time often comes at a great cost as parents are flying by the seat of their pants, trying to make ends meet, and constantly weighed down by the pressures of providing and nurturing for their family - that's why we think it is all the more important to make it a priority.

We hope that in this space we will be able to share the beauties of disconnecting from a screen and experiencing life to it's fullest. We hope you will be inspired to break the mundane mold you live and realize that your life is here and now - not a few years down the road. Your travel dreams are within your grasp and you can make it happen on whatever budget or family dynamic you possess.

About us:

Manny:

•  Panamanian by birth (and proud of it). Though he did not travel much as a kid, living in Florida and Utah, he has a goal to be a member of the Traveler Century Club as soon as he can. He speaks Spanish fluently. While in college, he lived in Santiago, Chile for 2 years, and did an internship in China.

• •  On the Cheap. This is a guy who's favorite time of the whole year is his birthday because everyone is sending him stuff for free - I don't mean friends and family - I mean businesses and restaurants. One of his purest joys in life is finding a good deal and sharing it with others.

Lorie:

• Born Texan, she has big dreams, big personality and big heart for beauty around her. From a young age her family has loved to travel though always staying close to her Texas Roots. She lived in Singapore as a child, and later Italy for 18 months. She speaks Italian and spent a summer in Bolivia serving the NGO, Andean Rural Healthcare.
• Her biggest drive is new adventures. She loves to try new things and will do almost anything at least once to know she's done it. 

Kids:

• We have 3 rambunctious kids. Currently, 6, 4 and 18 months, they keep us constantly on the go whether at home or abroad. High-energy is an understatement when talking about these 3 because they really only have the one speed - GO!

 As we collect our travel plans - both past and future we hope we will give you helpful information for your next trip or in the least inspire you that no matter what your constraints - your next trip is just around the corner!