Travel tips for twins

We are also crazy and have decided to have a beach holiday in PE.

The logistics are ridiculous - we are driving one car with the babies in the back and the pram in the boot. That car will stay at the airport.

Then a friend is coming behind us with our luggage.

Same thing when we come back.

When we get there, my sister will meet us at the rental car place (btw, which one has the best rates these days? i nearly had a heart attack when I saw R450 per DAY) with the car seats.

We are staying at my mother's for 5 days and at a hotel for 5 days. I have splurged on an extra room so that we can also have a holiday once they go to bed at 6pm

Please share with me your best travel tips, especially the mothers of twins who have flown with them before.

Eve, are you travelling with someone?

Have never flown with the twins so cannot offer help there but if you and hubby are flying together it will be like you have one baby each. Just make sure that they are sucking something when taking off and landing. Toys and snacks are great too.

Car hire, try Avis, Europcar.... they are not too bad.

We are flying down .....gulp....... Yes going down with my friend that I am staying with and her family. Not sure how I am going to get camp cots down there etc. What are you doing with regards to that?

We booked a car from www.mycarhire.co.za was the cheapest. Worked out to R3900 from the 10th - 22nd, zero excess and additional driver. We got a Toyota corolla

I flew with my boys and it was hard they got tired of being confined and the worst was when they dropped something the seats are small so it is a struggle to pick it up again.

I must admit I prefer driving to PE as then you have your car and car seats and I found my boys slept on the long drive we split it in two and stayed overnight neat MIddleburg.

I would drug them on the flight - but that is just my kids.

Also you and DH will have to sit in different rows due to the air supply goodies there is only one extra per row.

Eve you can hire baby stuff from companies, try to google it?

Cm, all I can say is good luck. I have only flown with my eldest, but it got really difficult after she became mobile. You can take the stroller up to the plane though and they store it on board. We drove down to the coast in September (6 hours) and that was the absolute limit for us. I will only drive further with them when they are old enough to be able to watch dvd's. I would also go with Kerry's suggestion of drugging them a bit, your pead can help there.

Eve, I was looking at hiring camp cots and car seats through www.babylite.co.za

When my mother heard this, she freaked at the expense and managed to find 2 car seats (from my sister) and 1 camp cot (from my cousin).

My sister is pregnant again so I said I'd pay her for the 5 days camp cot rental (R500) and if she could just buy it a new camp cot (Baby Boom had an October special for R500) there for me. So one baby will be sleeping in a new cot (which will then be my sister's) and new mattress.

While we're at the hotel, they provide camp cots and linen for free. YAYYY!

Thanks for that car hire link!

Thanks for the suggestions so far, ladies.

While we are at my mother's there will be no problems with feeding. It will be like home, kind of. At the hotel, breakfast is included so we will all eat that and take a fruit with us for their 11 am snack.

I am loathe to pay for both lunch and supper but I'm thinking to let them have lunch with us out as normal (sandwich to share) and then there's just supper to worry about. I don't want them eating rubbish for 2 out of 3 meals a day for 5 days.

Any tips for meals that I can give them for supper? I really don't want to resort to Purity........we've managed 16 months without it, except for the very occasional bottle of Purity Prunes for constipation (that stopped at 12 mo when they started cow's milk)

P.S. I'm on that car hire site - it is VERY cheap! Thanks again - you've saved us thousands........

I will take you for an ice-cream in PE, Eve

Goodie - going to look at car hire site now.

We have travelled with our two but always self catering fairly locally so we could take our own food.

There will probably be a mini bar fridge in your room in which case you could keep food there - ie yoghourts, a roast chicken, some fruits etc?

I don't' think they have a fridge

a lot of the restaurants have a veggie platter, if we are away and living on junk, I usually order that and chicken strips and share it with D...

You can also get the kiddies woolies food, most woolies have a microwave so you can even warm it up

Cool! Just try book as soon as you can cause the price does increase weekly! We could initially get the car for R3400 but never booked it at the time and now we paying R3900. We would have gone with a smaller car but we need the boot space!

We are staying at a bed and breakfast and they are allowing me to use their kitchen when we get there. So I will spend the saterday cooking their meals in the kitchen and will then freeze them in their freezer

Good idea, Haze!

And Eve, I've told D to book quickly. He first wants to go to our local Toyota to see if our Graco will fit in the boot.

I think that's a fantastic idea to cook up a storm when you arrive - then you're sorted. Remember to take plastic dishes for the boys' meals to freeze

Eve, when you approach that lady about the camp cots, ask for a twin discount. She quoted me a special rate when I asked for twins

CM - don't they eat the same dinner as you and hubby yet?
I would not worry about that, just give them a bit on yours and mash it a bit, make the meat into smaller pieces.

Sjoe it sound like alot of planning. We are driving down, luckily they sleep in beds now, so no more camping cots - just the single prams and they tricycles but the driving is still a big headache for me - going there they will sleep most of the time but coming back - not going to worry about it now.

Good luck with the flying - I would also give them something so sleep - would just make your life a bit easier

Hey, just my take on the flying.

I flew down to CT with mine when they were 8 months.
First important thing - you are not allowed to fly alone. There must be an adult per child. So i had to get the grandmas to fly with me.

Have a drink ready for take off and landing - it helps alot.... and if you dont, then just give them something to eat... the swallowing will equalize the ears automatically. (but Eve -yours are still too small to eat something, so have a bit of milk for take off and landing)
the fact that someone flies with you means its easier to pack 2 bags - one for you and one for her with the milk and jacket and dummies and whatever might be needed - especially since you dont know if the 2 adults will sit close together or not. but you are not allowed to sit in the same row.

Take a couple of favourite toys - it helps, but as Kerry mentioned - the space is small and if they drop something its not that easy to pick it up.
Try to ask also for an isle seat.

Your pram comes in very handy because you can push the kids to the plane , they will then fold it up and keep it in the " hole" and you will get it immediately when you leave the plane. So that helps a lot with all the handluggage. Try to have only the babybag because you have to carry the child into the plane, and a backpack just works better.

Last important thing..... you have to take your kids's birth certificates with you... i made copies of mine and put them in my id book.
When i flew down with Kulula they did not ask for it, but when coming back the guy actually asked for it... and i did not have it, and told him that i did not know.... and he told me that its actually part of aviation rules.... So rather be safe!
I now carry their copies with me permanently.

I think the hiring of the cots might be a good option.... it will be a mission to fly down with them. you are going down to plett..... mmmmm - i have to think if i maybe know someone there who might be able to borrow you one...

Good luck!