How to Overcome Your Child's Fear of Flying

By Lydie Thomas
from: travel is more fun with kids

Taking the airplane is safe but as we saw this week on the news, with the Air France plane crashing at sea, accidents happen and when they do, they are unlikely to end up with a happy ending.

Children fear of flying can be triggered by watching the news or a movie, reading a book, or people talking about then. I carefully never exposed my daughters to airplanes crashing news. The oldest got confronted to it one September 11th when her elementary school made an announcement for a minute of silence for the people who died in the airplanes that crashed in the twin towers that day. She came home, crying and telling me that she never wanted to go to France again because she did not want to die crashing in towers. I calmed her down and by the next June, she was flying back to France without worries. Still, I would have preferred to talk about this awful event using my own words and not having her hear about it over a speakerphone.

The accident of the Air France plane brought back all these insecurities for all of us and since families will be flying this summer (our family is flying on June 12th), I believe it is the right time to educate ourselves as parents on how to handle our children fear of flying if they experience any.

Tamar Chansky is a child psychologist, parent expert and is the author of the book: Freeing Your Child from Anxiety: Powerful, Practical Solutions to Overcoming Your Child's Fears, Worries and Phobias. She shares with us some solutions on children’s fear of flying.

Her solutions:
Start with empathy: if parents just try to talk their kids out of their fears, kids will still be afraid but may also be frustrated because parents aren't listening. Tell your child that it is Ok to be a little afraid, but you want to help him feel better.

Next: the facts: Ask your child what he is afraid of about flying and what he thinks/knows about plane crashes. Make it clear that plane crashes are rare. Recent statistics state that one in every eleven million planes crash. Help make it concrete-- for kids. Eleven million-- imagine how many pennies that would be? That is the population of Ohio!

Sometimes children have been on a flight with a lot of turbulence or get afraid by the normal sounds of the plane-- help them get familiar by "simulating" a flight in your living room. Have the child make the sounds of the wings, the wheels, etc. Car washes are great approximaters of some of the sounds and sensations of a flight.

Next: Coping: ask your child what his worry is telling him about flying, then ask him to "take out his imaginary red pen" and mark the statements as right or wrong. Have the child fill in the "right" answers, e.g., Plane crashes are rare, millions of flights happen every year perfectly. Worrying about this doesn't help, so I'm not going to.

Finally: Ask your child to focus on positive aspects of the trip-- where they are going, what they want to do, etc Gather together activities for the plane to help the time pass faster.

Patricia Vaccarino from Seattle had to deal with her daughter anxiety the hard way when classmates of her then 6 year old daughter died when the Alaska Airlines airplane they were one crashed on its way to Seattle. She shared with me how she dealt with it. Here is her testimony:

‘My intent was to get Sarah on to a plane ASAP to show her that not all planes crash. So the month after the crash, I took Sarah to Disney land. I let Alaska airlines know in advance that Sarah had been in the class that lost four children.

When we arrived at the airport, Sarah was called to board the plane before anyone else. Once she was on the plane, the captain greeted her. He brought her into the cockpit and explained how the plane worked and described safety protocol in a way that she could understand. Then later, mid-flight, the captain sent a note to Sarah that was delivered by a flight attendant to let her know that she was safe. When the flight landed, the captain personally escorted Sarah from the plane.

I think this response by Alaska Airlines made a real difference in Sarah's perceptions about flying and safety. Sarah is now 15 and has no qualms about flying.

A simple call to the air carrier in advance can potentially make all the difference in the world.’

Still feeling anxious?
Carole Lieberman is Beverly Hills psychiatrist for children and adults and she has created the first in-flight entertainment programs used on airlines to help people with fear of flying Shrink on Board. You can order her CDs and DVDs online and have your family experience a very calming and relaxing flight. Click here to watch the trailer.

There is a solution for every fear and the right words and methods will help your children overcome their anxiety about flying.
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Lydie's original article can be found here.

17 Bay Area Museums Free This Sunday

Thanks to Lydie from travel is more fun with kids for letting us know about Koret Museum Day coming up this Sunday - Mother's Day. On Koret Museum Day, you have the opportunity to visit 17 Bay Area museums fee-free. So grab mom, grandma and the whole family and head on out to a museum, or two, or three this Sunday. 

Participating museums:

• Asian Art Museum
  
• Bay Area Discovery Museum
  
• Chabot Space & Science Center
  
• Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose
  
• Contemporary Jewish Museum
  
• Exploratorium
  
• Judah L. Magnes Museum
  
• Lawrence Hall of Science
  
• Legion of Honor
  
• M. H. de Young Museum (pictured above)
  
• Museum of the African Diaspora
  
• Oakland Museum of California
  
• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
  
• San Francisco Zoo
  
• San Jose Museum of Art
  
• Tech Museum of Innovation IMAX Movie
  
• Zeum
  

7 Tips to Save Money During a Vacation or Staycation

More great travel tips from Lydie over at www.travelismorefunwithkids.com

Tip 1 
Most of the museums have a free monthly entrance day or sponsored entrance days (Target Day for example). By planning and visiting their websites, you can take advantage of these opportunities. Bank of America card holders get free entrance at 70 museums across the nation the first Sunday of the month. Check the list to see if some are nearby.

Tip 2

Parks are wonderful places to discover with children. If you visit them on the week-ends, you will most likely see street performers and will be able to enjoy nice performances for free. (although I would always encourage people to tip). 

Tip 3

Churches (although you have to pay to visit St Paul and Westminster Abbey in London) are full of treasures that one can enjoy for free. 

Tip 4

Pick a destination known for their free museums entrances: Washington DC or London. Most of the London museums are free and what a pleasure to be able to take our children to the Natural History Museum twice in a week without thinking of the price.

Tip 5

Do a home swap: here is a big saving. And if you are lucky, people may even agree to let you borrow their car too, helping you save on car rentals (www.homeexchange.com or www.1sthomeexchange.com).
Tip 6

Use your credit card rewards points: my husband flew twice to France without spending a dime. And because I pay my credit card balance at the end of every month, that card does not cost me anything. 

Tip 7

My last piece of advice for the travelers would be to register to newsletter or blogs specialized in traveling. For the San Francisco Bay Area, you have my blog www.travelismorefunwithkids.com, www.friscokids.net or www.inflightout.com that track good deals or free opportunities. By doing this, travelers will always know where to go without spending much or anything at all. For example, in December, I wrote about what to do in the Bay Area for free. People could entertain their families for the holidays almost every day without spending a dime. 

Education is the key and registering to newsletters from blogs or websites that do the work for you is the best way to save on your trips or staycations.

Traveling internationally this summer? 9 things to do now!

From Lydie over at the wonderful travel is more fun with kids blog comes some useful tips for those planning a summer vacation. Lydie has crafted 9 points to start considering now, in preparation for this summer's big voyage.

It is always exciting to book tickets to visit another country. My family is always looking forward to discovering new monuments, new food, new parks, new people, etc. But there are some not-so-much fun paperwork that has sometimes to be taken care of. So if you have booked your tickets, here are 9 things that you need to do right now.

Tip 1

Check the expiration date of all your passports. Some countries, like Thailand and Singapore, ask that you not only have a passport that is valid during your trip, but that you have at least 3-6 months of validity after you leave their country. If you need to renew your passport, pay extra for the expedited shipping: you do not want to be left behind!

Tip 2

Make a copy of your passports and give a copy to a family member who won’t be on the road with you. If your passports get stolen or lost, it will be easier to have them replaced if you have a copy of your information. You can also email yourself the passport numbers and date of issuance so you can easily retrieve the information, just in case.

Tip 3

Inquire for visas. Do not assume you do not need a visa even if you are visiting for a day. Check that information with the appropriate consulate. If you booked your travel through a travel agent, he or she should take care of the paperwork for you.

Tip 4

Check the immunization records of the whole family and make sure that no specific immunizations are needed. The CDC www.cdc.gov/travel has an extensive list of recommended vaccinations and shots on a country by country basis. Be sure to consult your doctor as well.

Tip 5

Call your medical insurance company to understand how you are covered abroad. Check if your credit card provides any travel health insurance. If not, you might consider buying travel medical insurance.

Tip 6

If you are planning on driving, make sure you do not need an international driving license and if you need one, apply for one. If you are renting a car abroad, be aware that you will most likely get a stick shift car, so be prepared!

Tip 7

Be aware of the difference in electrical plugs and voltage in some countries like England and Australia. You can buy plug adapters at your local hardware store or online, click here.

Tip 8

Ideally, have some cash from the country you are visiting with you in case you need to take the taxi when you arrive or buy something right away. It will make your life simpler instead of looking for an ATM or currency exchange kiosks just after landing with tired and jet-lagged kids in tow.

Tip 9

Call your credit card company to let them know that you will be traveling abroad. If they see activities on your bank account abroad, they may deny the charges and cancel your credit card if they can not confirm the purchases with you. Always bring several cards with you when traveling in case one does not work. Be aware, that if you are using your ATM card, certain countries like France only have a 4-digit PIN number system. If you are trying to withdraw some cash and you have a 5-digit PIN number, you will not be able to withdraw money. Visit your local branch to inquire about this.

Bon Voyage!