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oh crap.
I meant ot post this in the club.
could a very nice mod move it for me? thanks!
Has anyone here ever flown to another country?
Also - has anyone here ever been to Japan?
Also - has anyone ever taken these flights with kids?
I'm planning/thinking on going to Japan with hubby in June/July....
I've never left the country before (canada doesn't count really) so I'm nervous about that and I have no idea what to expect or eve what questions ot ask....
do I have to bring carseats?
whats a reasonable price for a 1-stop tic to Japan?? I found one for $1200 round trip, is that good? ok? low? high?
should I attempt a few Japanese phrases? or just hope that english is more prevelant then I think?
what should I bring on the plane, what should I leave in the check luggage?
really any info ya'll can offer up would be helpfull.... i'm a complete no-nothign on this subject.
thanks in advance.
oh crap.
I meant ot post this in the club.
could a very nice mod move it for me? thanks!
[QUOTE=ObiwanGinobili]Has anyone here ever flown to another country?
Also - has anyone here ever been to Japan?
Also - has anyone ever taken these flights with kids?
I'm planning/thinking on going to Japan with hubby in June/July....
I've never left the country before (canada doesn't count really) so I'm nervous about that and I have no idea what to expect or eve what questions ot ask....
do I have to bring carseats?
If you're renting a car, maybe. But a car rental place may have them, too.
whats a reasonable price for a 1-stop tic to Japan?? I found one for $1200 round trip, is that good? ok? low? high?
I have no idea what flight to Japan typically costs. Airfare fluctuates a lot. $1500 is not uncommon to go to Japan, even Hawaii can be at least $1000, whereas trips to London or Paris are often $500 or $600.
should I attempt a few Japanese phrases? or just hope that english is more prevelant then I think?
I think it's always polite to make some effort to speak the language. In most large cities however (so, Tokyo) you will find people somewhat familiar with English and ready to help you out.
what should I bring on the plane, what should I leave in the check luggage?
Airlines have guidelines about how many bags you can have. I think it's two checked and two carryons. I wouldn't carry anything on you don't need on the plane, but it will probably be a long flight. Also, check the FAA guidelines for what you can and can't bring on international flights.
There's also some vaccinations required for international travel (check with your doctor), and of course your passport has to be up to date. When you get off the plane, the first thing you'll do is go through customs, where you'll tell them how long you intend to stay and the purpose of your visit.
^^Not much different that travelling within the US. No you don't need car seats,
they will furnish all you need, well that may not be true today, call the airline you
plan on travelling on for details. The one thing that may be a pain is clearing
customs and immigration in Japan. I have never gone there, but Americans are
big travellers, so speaking English wont be a problem. It is only after you get into
the countryside away from cities that language becomes a problem. But it isn't really
because most people are friendly, I have found this over a good portion of Europe
and middle east, well maybe not the middle east of today, but of the past. Have
something for the kids to do. Color books or something. It is really a long flight
from here to Japan. Even from Houston to the UK is about 11 hours on some flights.
So you can figure how long it is going to take you across the Pacific. But sit back,
relax and enjoy as much as you can with kids. The are going to get tired, bored
and cranky. But I don't have to tell you that.....LOL
I used to travel extensively internationally with work, so I might be able to help.
First off, you need to get a passport and all applicable visas (I don't know if japan requires one), you can check the State Department websites to confirm. And your children need passports as well (This i'm pretty confident of), and it wouldn't hurt to make sure you have a copy of their birth certificates as well.
If you plan on taking the little ones (remember, you're looking at an extremely long flight from LA to Japan), I'd suggest carseats you can strap them into.
I'd suggest a portable DVD player (and extra batteries since the plane might not have power ports available) for yourself and the kids.
Check restrictions as to what you can and can't bring into Japan. For example, you might have some fruit they like to snack on that is prohibited there that will cause delays when you hit customs.
I'll post others as I think of them.
The big thing to consider is that this will be a long flight if you're not used to it, and as where I'd start off my flights to Australia with an Ambien and 3 double vodkas, you're going to need to be coherent to take care of the girls.
I've been to Tokyo a few times for business. I'm not sure what kind of regulations they would have for child car seats, but my guess is that they are similar to here. I can fly round trip from Portland to Tokyo for around $850. It's always good to attempt some Japanese phrases as I think the locals like that. It probably depends on where you are for the prevalency of english. There are many english-speaking people in Tokyo, but probably not as many when you go to other cities in Japan. Even Tokyo does not have as many english-speaking people as Sweden or the Netherlands in my opinion.
Last edited by tlongII; 12-16-2005 at 12:44 PM.
We went on a month long holiday to the US with our daughter when she was 18 months old.
From my travel experience there are two kinds of kids on an airplane. The kind that you hardly notice and the the kind that starts crying the moment the pilots switch on the engines and does not stop until the planes lands 12 hours later in California. So I was a little aprehensive about what kind will my princess turn out to be.
So we went through the check-in, security passport and boarding procedures without a problem. Everything was OK until the point when my wife fastened the safety belt of our daughter imobilizing her in her seat. She let out such a scream that everybody froze in place on the plane. There wasn't a thing that me, my wife or all of the stewardesses (and they tried with all sorts of gifts and treats) could do to calm her down. And this was just the first flight of the journey - a shot hop from Ljubljana to Frankfurt. I had vision of the passengers demanding we'd be thrown out of the plane somewhere over the Atlantic on the next leg of our trip.
At that moment the plane started taxiing on the runway and my daughter realized that this was our actual mode of transportation and not punishment (in our house being still=punishment). She shut up imediately looked at the assorted gifts/sweets the stewardess had brought her and started playing with them and thourougly enjoyed the flight. She did not complain or cry for the whole remainder of the trip to Miami.
I can't tell you have relieved I was.
It turned out to be the best holiday ever. I'd like to point out how helpful airport staff was everywhere (we took 6 different flights during that trip) and that reserving in advance so that you can get a seat with the infant crib for the little one is important. Our daughter was quite used to travel with us by car since birth and I think it helped to a certain degree that she understood what travelling meant.
PS: the idea with a portable DVD and cartoons for the older one is a good one.
Last edited by Slomo; 12-16-2005 at 12:41 PM.
i thought you needed a job
huh?
i;ve had jobs.
i choose to stay at home with my children.
i think japan and the united states are part of the visa waiver program. where residents of either nation dont need to apply for a visa if there stay is less than 3 months. you wont need to take carseats if your renting a car, their is usually a $5 extra charge for a car seat from rental car companies.
learn the local language, you dont want to come off as ignorant.
as for bagage you are allowed two suitcases per passenger and two pieces of hand luggage per passenger.
inflight. most airlines have good inflight entertainment such as television sets built into the seats infront of you, and game consoles etc.
also aeroplanes are noisy and trying to get some sleep is going to be hard, either have a big sleep before your flight or take sleeping pills
jet lag pills would also help as the time differences between jpn and usa are different.
With all due respect to NZ, I still think you should take the car seats. Both kids will be more comfortable in them and the baby can recline more so you won't have to hold her while she sleeps. The airlines shouldn't count the seats against you in terms of carry on luggage (at least they haven't when I've traveled with mine).
Oh yea, load the kiddos up on Benadryl before you take off.
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