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#EddieBauerPartner Can’t go on an outdoor advent #EddieBauerPartner Can’t go on an outdoor adventure without packing some of @eddiebauer’s warm weather apparel. It has been perfect for our spring and summer outdoor adventures from hiking to kayaking and all the other ways we’ve been sending time outside. Where will you #LiveYourAdventure? 

#EBContributor
Since IG hates on photos gotta get them in how I c Since IG hates on photos gotta get them in how I can! Honestly sunset in the lavender fields is everything, probably one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever witnessed. I don’t have much information to give today I really just wanted to share these photos 😬.

Check out my last 3 reels with @oneikatraveller for information on experiencing lavender season in Provence, France. These photos are from a lavender field in Valensole.

P.S. the skirt is from Amazon and they have multiple colors!

#valensole #valensoleprovence #lavenderfields
Things to do in Provence, France 🇫🇷 besides Things to do in Provence, France 🇫🇷 besides the lavender fields (save + share this post):

🇫🇷Go village hopping and take in the small towns. The first clip of this video was shot in the village of Roussillon and we also visited nearby Gordes.
🇫🇷Explore the ancient town of Saint Paul de Vence
🇫🇷Hike the beautiful Calanques de Cassis
🇫🇷Relax at the beaches of Grande Plage of La Ciotat and the Grande Mer beach of Cassis
🇫🇷Visit Gorges du Verdon, a gorgeous must see lake
🇫🇷Go wine tasting at one of the vineyards like Les Vignerons du Mont Saint-Victoire. Provence is known for their Rosé but you can also taste sweet and spicy wines.
🇫🇷Explore a multitude of ancient ruins, including Roman amphitheaters.
🇫🇷Take a tour of one of traditional perfume factories, Parfumerie Fragonard, Molinard or Parfumerie Galimard and do a workshop where you make your own perfume
🇫🇷Visit the Pope's Palace in Avignon
🇫🇷As you’ll most likely fly into Marseille don’t forget to leave time to explore this city as well, especially the port.

Have you been to Provence? What did you enjoy about the region?

Follow @thetravelingchild and @oneikatraveller for more tips.

#provence #blacktravelfeed
Everything you need to know about visiting the Lav Everything you need to know about visiting the Lavender fields in Provence, France (save + share this post):

Lavender season varies each year but falls between June and August.

Provence is the region but there are various cities with fields. Valensole is the most popular and where the fields we visited were located but there are also fields in Sault, Manosque and Luberon. The time frame that the lavender blooms is different in each city. Our visit was July 3-5th but the bloom and harvest time could change next year.

The best airport to fly into is Marseille. Airlines that fly to Marseille from the US are Air France, British Airways, Swiss, Royal Air Maroc, Iberia, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways, Lufthansa and TAP Portugal. If you’re already in Europe you can also fly Pegasus, Ryanair, Tunisair, Aeroflot, Ethiopian, Easyjet, Vueling, Eurowings and Air Algerie. 

If you’re visiting from Paris you can take the train to Marseille! 

From Marsielle you will need to take the train or bus to Valensole or Manosque as your home base. As you’ll 100% need a car to get around to all the Lavender fields you can also rent a car from Marseille and drive as finding a rental car in the smaller towns is more difficult. 

What questions do you have about the lavender fields or Provence?

Follow @oneikatraveller and @thetravelingchild for more travel tips.

#provencefrance #lavenderfields #girlstrips
My top 5 favorite international destinations I’v My top 5 favorite international destinations I’ve visited!

1. Botswana- I did an exchange program here where I lived with a family in the village of Oodi right outside Gaborone one summer in high school. It completely changed the way I view travel. Besides getting to learn so much of the countries culture from my host family to learning a bit of Setswana to camping in the Okavango Delta it will always be one of my favorite trips.

2. Turkey- from the people to the food to the landscape to the sea it was everything. I visited Istanbul, Cappadocia, Antalya and Izmir and the country has so much to offer with varying landscapes. 

3. Rio de Janeiro- We loved our family trip to Brazil, the food, the people, the vibrance of Rio was everything. So many beautiful hikes, learning how to dance Samba, learning how to make Moqueca, going to a futbol match in Maracana Stadium, wow the energy!! Oh and the nightlife was 🔥. Can’t wait to return and explore more of the country.

4. Kenya- This country has so much to offer. We visited Amboseli National Park, got to do a walking safari amongst zebras and giraffes in Lake Naivasha and even ran into a hippo 😅. We visited a Maasai Tribe who gave us such a warm welcome inviting us into their homes, teaching the girls how to make fire from scratch and we even say 5 cheetah take down a topi, seeing a live kill was insane! Ended the trip relaxing on Diani Beach swimming in the stunning Indian Ocean.

5. Madeira, Portugal- the landscape on this island is insane. Exploring I often felt like I was in 20 different places, like how is all in one island? Loved the hikes here, being above the clouds, seeing all the waterfalls, spotting dolphins in the ocean, and the food was so good! I also enjoyed Lisbon but Madeira was everything!

What have been your favorite international trips? What country is highest on your bucket list (doesn’t have to be from my list)?

Should I make a list for my favorite US destinations (they’ll probably surprise you).

#madeiraportugal #travelreels
Answering the most asked question on my vacuum sea Answering the most asked question on my vacuum sealed carry-on only reel (save + share this post). This is how my clothes look once I take them out of the bag. Do you think these are really wrinkled? They were vacuum sealed for roughly 22 hours.

If you’re going to visit more than one city the best way to pack these is to pack each bag per city. Then all your clothes for that one city are all together and you only have to open one bag at a time. Then reseal that one bag with all your dirty clothes before going to the next city and don’t worry about the other ones getting dirty or smelling! You can label each bag with a sticky note or tape with a marker to know what bag has what clothes.

The link to purchase the bags and hand pump is my bio.

#packingtips #packinghacks #traveltipsandtricks
#WBPartner The girls are so excited to watch the n #WBPartner The girls are so excited to watch the new @wbpictures DC League of Super Pets. To prepare for our trip to the theater to see it we did a fun activity of making our own super hero costumes for us and our very own super pets. 

Jordyn turns villains into ice cream and eats them, James turns villains into money and spends them and Kennedy shoots lighting with her eyeballs. 

If you or your child could have super powers what would you pick? @dcleagueofsuperpets #DCSuperPets

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How Old Does a Baby Have to Be to Fly

June 30, 2016      Tips on Traveling with Kids

This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more information. All opinions are my own.

How old does a baby have to be to fly? This question is a popular one and I’m constantly asked how old my daughters were on their first trip. As someone who loved to travel prior to having kids and frequently traveled pregnant I knew having kids wouldn’t limit my travels. My eldest took first trip was at 6 weeks on a flight from New York to Miami to visit family. Her first international flight was to Jamaica at 8 months doing an island tour and visiting Ocho Rios, St. Elizabeth, Negril and Portland.

With my youngest we had to move cross country immediately after her delivery and flew with her at 11 days old. When I was telling friends and family how soon we were traveling with her they all said “Can a baby fly that young?” Yes a baby can! Here is more information on how old a baby has to be to fly and practical tips for traveling with young kids.

mom holding newborn in front of pretty door
Traveling with my newborn internationally ay 10 weeks old.

Get the Go Ahead From Your Pediatrician to Fly with a Newborn

When we flew with our newborn we got the go ahead from her pediatrician before buying our plane ticket. Everyone has different views on vaccinations but as we flew with one child for the first time at 11 days old she obviously hadn’t completed her first round of vaccines. We spoke with our pediatrician and she gave us the go ahead to fly. She moved one of her visits up as a last check up and we got the final go ahead the day before our flight. I suggest purchasing travel insurance for any flights with newborns in case you need to cancel. We needed to travel so early because we had to move from New York to Miami and I wasn’t really about a 16 hour+ road trip with an infant. Just imagine all the stops we’d have to make to nurse, burp, and change her diaper!

How Old Does a Baby Have to Be to Fly on Each Airline

No matter how comfortable you are with traveling with a newborn the airline you book will dictate the age they’re okay with. Always check their age restrictions before booking a flight with young kids. While one airline may allow babies as young as two days others may have age minimums as high as 7 or 14 days. American Airlines allows babies as young as 2 days old to fly. JetBlue has a restriction of 3 days, however they do require a doctors note for children under 14 days old. Other airlines start allowing babies to fly at 14 days old and do not require a physicians note. Be sure to double check with the specific airline below as rules are always changing.

  • Southwest
  • JetBlue
  • United
  • American Airlines
  • Delta
  • Hawaiian Airlines
  • Alaska Airlines

Documents Needed When Traveling with Young Children

While kids under 16 don’t require any ID to fly domestic, if you’re traveling with a newborn or lap infant you’ll want to travel with some documents. When the airline you’re flying requires a doctors note for kids under a certain age be sure to get one! Whether they are just a few days old or even two weeks from the minimum age bring their birth certificate or immunization forms to verify their age. Seriously, who can tell the difference between a 7 and 8 day old!

The same goes for traveling with lap infants. Even though without a seat infants under two fly for free sitting in an adults lap always bring their birth certificate, immunization records, or passport if they have one. While most people can tell a six week old isn’t two, Southwest Airlines has been notorious for asking to see proof of age even for kids clearly under two.

I have yet to be asked for ID for my children but I carry their passports with me each time to be safe. Once at the airport I saw a very angry parent get turned away when the he couldn’t provide proof of age for his lap child. The gate agents would only allow him to board the flight with his daughter if he paid for a ticket for her on the spot since he could not prove she was under two. Not only is buying a plane ticket the day of expensive, there is no guarantee the flight will have available seats to purchase. Better to be safe than sorry!

When my daughter was 10 weeks we had an amazing time in Cartagena, Colombia but before you book an international flight make sure your child has a passport. All kids regardless of age require one, here is an easy guide to applying for your child’s passport.

baby eating passport

Documents Needed for Traveling with Kids Without Both Parents

If you are traveling internationally with a child without one or both parents you may be required to provide proof of consent. Some countries require this while others don’t but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Cruise lines also require this form or one found on their website. I traveled to Italy with my daughter without my husband and while Delta Airlines didn’t ask me for a consent letter when checking in for our flight Royal Caribbean requested one when embarking the ship. The agent really looked through my letter and we would have been turned away if we didn’t have one. You can make a free travel consent form here.

If you have sold custody of the child you will need to provide proof of this in the form of:

  • Court order granting sole legal custody
  • Judicial declaration of incompetence of the non-present parent
  • Death certificate of the non-present parent
  • Certified copy of the child’s birth certificate listing you as the only parent
  • Certified copy of an adoption decree listing you as the only parent

Once you have all the document needed to fly be sure to prepare yourself for getting through security with kids, flying with babies, flying with toddlers, or surviving long haul flights with kids.

Flying with Newborns is Typically Easier

People were always surprised I traveled with my daughters at such a young age. Since we’ve continued to travel with them I can confidently say traveling with kids 5 months and younger is actually the easiest. When traveling with kids in the newborn stage they don’t need anything! Just nurse or give them a bottle and change their diaper and you’re set. You don’t have to worry about them wanting to crawl or be on the move or entertaining toddlers.

baby sleeping in bassinet
My young daughter sleeping in the airline provided bassinet on our overnight flight.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

The hardest part of flying with young children is using the bathroom! My go to trick was to always wear my baby in her carrier and use the toilet that way. However, often times the flight attendants at the back of the plane would offer to hold the baby while I used the bathroom. Don’t be afraid to ask, most people are quite helpful.


Deciding How Young is Too Young to Fly is a Personal Choice

At the end of the day deciding how old a baby has to be to fly is really up to your comfort level. At the same time it’s always great to learn from others’ experiences. We had an Instagram conversation around this question where many parents weighed in about how old their child was on their first trip and their experience. Check it out for insight and it’s not too late to add your own comments to help other parents in the future as well. You can leave them below and/or on that Instagram post. If you’ve made the decision to fly with your infant here are 8 tips on flying with babies and 3 things to consider when traveling with young kids.

Did you find this post helpful? Please share it with others trying to figure out how old a baby has to be to fly.

The Traveling Child is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

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Hey, I’m Monet!

Hey, I’m Monet!

A full time working woman, wife and mama of two. I use every last one of my vacation days traveling with my kids, hubby, friends or solo. Join me as I share my travel experiences and tips to make travel affordable and easier with the little ones. You can read more about me here.

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