Flying with kids can be a particularly stressful experience.   Here are some tried and tested tips you may find useful, many of which have been suggested by our KidsTravel2 facebook community.  A lot of these work also apply to any long journey, whether you are travelling by plane, train or automobile!

Travel activity pack
Create a special travel activity pack which can't be opened until you set off - the novelty of new items will keep the kids occupied.  It can contain inexpensive gifts like packs of stickers or even freebies you have collected from cereal boxes. 

Lucky dip prizes
On a similar theme to the travel activity pack it's a good idea to have a goodie bag of inexpensive items or freebies which you can let the kids have one at a time as a reward, for example, for winning a game you have been playing.  The novelty will keep them occupied for a while and give you a break - you can't entertain them non stop!

Fresh air & exercise
Make sure the day before you fly you have an action packed day with plenty of fresh air & activity, so that on the day you are travelling the kids are tired and happy to relax or sleep.  If they are having trouble relaxing during the journey try these useful stretching and relaxation exercises for kids.

Involvement not exclusion
If the children are old enough, involve them in the journey planning before and during the journey.  They can help check arrival & departure times, boarding gates etc.  Keeping them involved will keep the journey fun and help time pass.  Ask them about what THEY would like to do as activities along the way and plan realistically around this.

Sleep times & time zones
If at all possible try and travel when your children are likely to sleep.  If you are flying with a baby think about time zones before you choose a holiday destination. Babies can be very stubborn about adjusting their sleep patterns. If your final destination, for example, is a full nine hours ahead, you will need to allow for several days of disrupted nights. If you have an important event, such as a wedding, to attend it may be advisable to get there up to a week before so that your baby can get used to the new times.

Medication
Don't forget any medication you may need for your journey and stay, including travel sickness medication.

Be prepared for take off
A bottled drink or sweets and lollipops to suck are a great way to help young ears 'pop' during take off.  Be sure that any drinks you take meet the requirements for liquids allowed on flight.

Get plugged in
We're not advocating constant plug in but for long journeys, portable dvd players and a Nintendo DS may come in handy.  Mix and match with other games and some good old fashioned communication to keep the variety up.

Create a holiday journal
This is a great idea for older kids.  Before you travel gather a few books and brochures of the country/city you are flying to, so the children can get some idea of where they are going.  Encourage them to tear out the pictures they like best,and stick them into a scrapbook. On the way home any postcards, maps, cuttings etc from the holiday could also be put in the scrapbook together with their thoughts about the holiday.  What a great memory to look back on!

Window or aisle seat?
Most children will enjoy sitting in a window seat - try and get one if you can!  If you anticipate frequent trips to the loo you might be better seating your child on the aisle seat.

Meet and assist
If you'd like to be met at check-in and helped with the children and the bags all the way to your plane, ask for 'meet and assist' services when booking your flight. This is generally provided by the airport and not the airline, and whether or not you get it depends on the availability of staff - but if you're travelling as a single parent with more than one child, you'll be given priority.

Pack the essentials
Don't forget change of clothes, nappies & wipes for your hand luggage.  Sometimes we can spend so much time thinking of the big picture we forget the obvious things!

Flying must haves - our summary of popular items for flights and long journeys

• neck pillow
• playing cards
• top trumps
• snacks
• stickers
• travel games
• books & comics
• pens, crayons & paper
• portable dvd
• nintendo DS

You might also like these links:
Flying with Children - 10 helpful tips
British Airways - Family Travel Made Easy
Virgin Blue - Meet and Assist Service
Heathrow Airport Family Facilities
Gatwick Airport Family Facilities