This requires three planes and four airports over about 24 consecutive hours. To get through it as comfortably as possible, we pack very light-weight carry on bags which include some fun stuff (like magazines and snacks) and some practical stuff (like a tooth brush and a change of clothes).
Change of clothes comes in handy when your luggage gets lost and you have to survive with nothing else for a few days. And when the magazines fail, it's good to have electronic back-up plans.
This year, flying was easier than it has ever been. The kids are so big, so good at doing the airport thing. They're such great travel buddies and they seem to get better and better every year. Still, our layover in Paris was a real low point. I got on the wrong bus and ended up on the wrong side of the airport and undoing that error was tricky. Then, during the first of several security checks I discovered that cough syrup had spilled inside my carry-on, my daughter had stashed a gooey half-eaten pear in the bag with her i-phone, and that the Beirut Airport had neglected to issue me baggage claim numbers and I had neglected to notice.
All that, and still, still this is the easiest it has ever been which is completely awesome and it makes me absolutely love my life.
When I was at CdG in April, I found it quite seamless even though I had been dreading it. But then, I did not want to transfer but to go into the city. I prefer CdG to LHR which I find a nightmare.
ReplyDeleteIf you'd told me you were flying via CDG, I might have been able to provide a friendly airport taxi service (my car isn't as rusty as the one in the blog header photo), and as I work at CDG, I know (usually) how to get around there... although even for locals it is a rather convoluted airport ! Have a wonderful vacation !!!
ReplyDeleteOwen, are you kidding me? If only I'd known. It would have been nice, even with squishy half-eaten pear and spilled cough syrup.
ReplyDeleteEveryone in CDG was very nice to me, by the way.