We’ve taken two trips to Europe now with Mack and both times we’ve learned so much!  Please be patient with my random thoughts!  There’s so much I want to pass on and this mama brain is somewhat scattered!

First of all, no matter how old your child is, they will need a passport (see passport info post).

Secondly, even if your child is a lap infant, they still need a ticket.  This is super important to know!  When you are booking your ticket, the best thing to do is to call the airline directly.  The cost is 10% of your ticket.  This also goes for any travel you will be doing within Europe.  You are able to purchase the infant ticket much easier online for any European Airlines.  We’ve had experience doing this with Air Berlin, Swiss Air and Easy Jet.  For those of you who have non-rev benefits through the airline, same rules apply!  I fly standby on Delta and we still had to purchase Mack a roundtrip ticket but it was only $38 or something like that.  We purchased it directly at the ticket counter which was a huge pain because the agents were new and there was a new computer system.

Any time you travel overseas with a kid, plan for extra time!  It seems that every flight we’ve had going to, from and within Europe, we’ve had a crazy issue come up.

Here are my random thoughts and pieces of advice!  Please note that I have only ever flown Delta to and from Europe! If any parents have advice for any other airline please share!

Book the bulkhead row if you have an infant and take advantage of the baby basinet. Once your child is bigger (I think the weight limit is 18 lbs but ask a flight attendant for sure)  I would avoid the bulkhead row because the arm rests don’t go up on some (or all?) of the planes which doesn’t give any room for your little one to stretch out and sleep.

It’s definitely worth it to be in the seats with more leg room, however, if you can get a row to yourself, I would take that over leg room!  Overseas flights your movies are free no matter where you sit and you get a meal!

Pack pajama’s and a book and treat bedtime just as you would at home.  We wait until we’re in the air and after the meal is served to get Mack ready for bed.  He has slept nearly the entire flight on both of our trips!

In Zurich, be prepared for a hike to baggage claim and a train ride!  Also, they’re lost luggage is covered by one airport agency, not individual airlines so the wait can be quite awhile if something doesn’t make it.

Flying out of Zurich to Germany on Swiss Air, the ticket agent wouldn’t allow me to take my City Mini stroller through security because they said it was too big.  They used the checked baggage belt to show the size allowed.  The baggage belt is smaller than the security screening belt.  The dimensions allowed are posted on the Zurich Airport site.  If you have to check your stroller, there are free luggage carts as soon as you get through security.  Flying back to the states, Delta didn’t even check the size of my stroller and put a tag on it which allows you to take it through security.  You must have a tag on your stroller to even get past the initial ticket checkpoint.  A nice thing about Zurich Airport is that they have kids play areas scattered about! We definitely took advantage!

In Spain and Germany, I wasn’t allowed to keep Mack in the baby carrier going through security.  The Spain security agents were super nice and held Mack while I got the carrier off and they had me walk through the metal detector without him and then with him.  In the Berlin airport the Agent watched me struggle and at the very end offered to help but not to hold Mack.  Luckily, Mack could walk!

Berlin TXL is a really easy airport to fly in and out of.  A couple things to note is that you are not allowed into the waiting area until a certain time prior to your flight. Each departing flight has it’s own ticket/baggage check counter and security checkpoint.  Some airlines have dedicated bag drop kiosks if you have your boarding pass already.  Each waiting area should have a little spot to grab a snack and drinks but nothing big.  There’s also not a ton of room to run around.  My suggestion would be to wait outside of your gate area and let your little one play in the main terminal area.  A bonus to TXL if you’re flying in there, your baggage claim belt is at your gate.

Trains…most European trains are awesome and stroller friendly.  Look for cars marked with with the buggy, wheelchair or bike symbol.  The only time we’ve had a hard time was traveling between Sitges and Barcelona, Spain.  The train had several steps I had to get up with a stroller and luggage.  Luckily I had help!  Some of the trains stops in and around Berlin have a gap and a big step up to the platform.  It only gets slightly stressful when you have luggage and a stroller.  Again, people were very happy to help!

Checking baby items to, from and within Europe.  All of the same rules apply as in the states!  Your baby items are free!  You can check your car seat, stroller, etc.

Flying on European Airlines are super fun with kids!  They always tend to take extra special care of the kiddos.  You can’t wear your baby in a carrier just like in the states, but they give you an extra seatbelt for your lap infant.  It goes through your buckle and then buckles around your child.  Some airlines have special treats for the kids which makes the flight even more fun for the older ones.

If you don’t want to travel with a car seat, you can rent car seats at rental car agencies.  We always bring our own though!

Food packets with vegetables were really hard to find last year on our trip but this year, Germany seemed to have gotten with the program a little more.  Look for Bio (organic) packets.  Often times they will be mixed with fruits.  If you have specific brands that you like in the states, I would check a bunch in your luggage.  We loved the toddler snack options in Germany!  I actually stocked up on fruit bars and crackers and brought them back to the states!  Our worst baby food experience was in Spain.  Our son eats everything but he spit out the jar of protein packed food I bought him last year.  I tried it and gagged!

Hotels have all seemed to be super kid friendly!  We’ve never had a problem getting a crib, even at the airbnbs we stayed at in Italy and Germany.  They even come with a sheet, blanket and kid sized pillow.  Now that Mack is older, we let him use the pillow and he loved it!!  Speaking of Airbnb, depending on how long your travel will be, we loved using this option and being able to cook and have a place to call home for a few days.

Ok, those are all my random thoughts for today!  More to come I’m sure!  Please add your experiences because every little bit helps!