Sesel Sa! January - March 2015 Jan - March 2015 | Page 38

Travelling
long
distances
with
children
Don’t let long-haul flights
put you off a family
holiday in paradise
By Lynette Botha
Currently, the only destinations that have direct flights
to the Seychelles are Johannesburg and Mauritius.
Other than that, the majority of flight routes have a
stopover in Dubai, following a lengthy journey from
the country of origin. While it’s not ideal, adults are
better equipped to deal with stopovers, delays, flight
changes and the like, than children. The best way to
get through it, is by being prepared…

What to do

From four years old onwards, children are generally
easier to manage on a long distance flight. They
understand consequence (“undo your seatbelt once
more and no more movies”), but this is not to say they
always listen. However, children younger than four are
harder to negotiate with and have a particular hate
for being restrained by a seatbelt for hours. In order
to survive, be prepared. Distraction