✈️The Adventure Begins Here
On one of our recent trips, winter weather pushed our departure back by a couple of hours. Instead of letting the delay set the tone, the kids decided they were hungry, so we ordered food and had a picnic right there by our gate. Somehow, those airport chicken tenders became some of the best we'd ever had. It was another little reminder that the adventure doesn't have to wait for everything to go according to plan.
🥪 When a Delay Became a Picnic
Our Family Air Travel Routine
The adventure starts before we ever leave the ground.
Flight days just feel different in our house. Everyone wakes up with an excitement that rarely shows up on an ordinary morning because we all know what that day means: we're going somewhere together. For the kids, it's almost entirely excitement. Mom and Dad carry a little more of that prepared nervousness. There's still the have-to-do part: get everyone ready, make sure we have everything, get to the airport on time and get the whole crew through security. But the moment all four of us step out on the other side, there's always that little exhale. The have-to-do part is over. Now the adventure begins.
After so many flights together, we've developed a rhythm that's practically become muscle memory. The kiddos wear their own backpacks, while we usually share just one carry-on between the four of us. They know how security works, what signs we're looking for, how to find our gate and what happens when it's time to board. Once we're on the plane, everyone falls into place: Selene takes the window, Gryffin settles into the middle with Mom on the aisle, tablets and headphones come out, and Mom has the bags and snacks situated before we're even wheels up. At this point, we've got it dialed into a science.
Then comes the part that somehow never gets old. The plane turns onto the runway, the engines spool up and hands are held as we start racing toward takeoff. We watch through the windows as the airport disappears beneath the wings and the world below gets smaller and smaller. No matter how many times we've done it, there's still something incredible about that moment. We're in the air, we're together, and we're headed toward another adventure.
For our family, flying has never been something to get through. It's part of the adventure.
We've learned that bringing less usually means enjoying more. Everyone carries a backpack, we share a carry-on when we can, and fewer bags mean fewer things to haul, track down, or worry about along the way.
✈️ Travel Light
Every family develops their own travel style.
After countless airport mornings, boarding calls, and flights together, we've learned what works for our family and makes travel days smoother, simpler, and a whole lot more enjoyable.
"The destination is exciting, but the memories often begin long before we arrive."
⏰ Early Flights Win
The alarm clock may disagree, but we'll take an early flight whenever we can. Earlier departures usually give us fewer opportunities for the day's delays to pile up, and more adventure waiting for us when we land.
How We Fly
We've learned there are times when spending a little more can make the entire family travel day better. The right seats, a hotel near the airport before an early flight, or using points for an upgrade can sometimes be worth far more than the price on paper.
🛋️ Comfort Is Worth It
Kids thrive when they know what's coming next. Our airport and airplane routine has been built one trip at a time, and that familiarity has made flying easier for everyone. Security, gates, boarding, seats, bags, snacks. Everybody knows the rhythm.
🔁 Build a Routine
🧒 Let Them Become Travelers
As the kids have grown, we've let them take on more of the journey themselves. Carrying their backpacks, following airport signs, finding the gate, knowing the boarding process, and speaking up when they need something all help turn little passengers into capable travelers.
No matter how many times we fly, the view still gets everyone's attention. The kiddos spot other airplanes in the distance, point out clouds with shapes we somehow missed, and watch cities turn into tiny grids below us. Seeing what catches their attention has a funny way of reminding Mom and Dad to keep looking, too.
☁️ Window Seat Wonder
Nowhere Else to Be
There’s something different about being 35,000 feet above the ground. The world below starts to feel a little farther away, cell service disappears, and all of the things that normally compete for our attention have to wait. For a few hours, there really isn’t anywhere else we’re supposed to be. We’re simply together, above the clouds, heading toward another adventure.
Those hours give us a little block of time to simply be present with one another. We read books with the kiddos, watch movies, pass around snacks, talk, laugh, or just stare out the window together. There’s no house project we could be working on, nowhere we need to drive, and nothing waiting for us in the next room. It sounds incredibly simple, but maybe that’s exactly why we love it so much. For those few hours, being together is enough.
And the kiddos make sure flying never becomes ordinary. They spot airplanes cruising miles away, point out clouds with shapes that hardly seem real, and watch as the world below becomes smaller and smaller. Every flight, they’re a little older, a little more capable, and a little more comfortable in the air. Watching them experience it reminds us to keep looking out the window, too. We may be flying toward somewhere incredible, but we’ve learned that some of the adventure happens before we ever get there.
We've flown into Orlando Sanford enough times that even the approach has become familiar. Selene watches for the same neighborhoods, lakes and Florida marshes below and can usually tell how close we are to landing. There's something pretty incredible about watching your kid recognize a place from thousands of feet above it and realize, “We're almost there.”
🌴 The Florida Effect
☁️ 35,000 Feet of Being Present
Somewhere above the clouds, the rest of the world gets a little quieter.
“For a few hours, there is nowhere else we're supposed to be.”
✈️ Where Are We Flying Next?
Some adventures are booked. Others are still taking shape. Join us once a month for new family travel stories, lessons we've learned along the way, planning updates, and a look at the adventures waiting on our family's horizon.
One adventure-filled email each month. No spam. Just real family travel.