International Travel

Hi, my name is Emily and this is my first post on this forum. DS is 3.5 yrs old, 36" and just over 30 lbs. He currently rides FF in his Britax Boulevard. DD is 15 months old and around 21 lbs. She is RF in a Recaro ProRide. Both seats are installed in my 2009 Honda Odyssey. In September we will be flying to Australia and New Zealand for 5 weeks. I plan to have them in their car seats on the planes (5 weeks, 11 flights, 4 different destinations, longest leg is over 28 hrs total travel time). I have several questions.

1. The FAA website states that any seat 16" wide or less will fit in any economy seat. I measured the Recaro ProRide at 20" and the Britax Boulevard at 19" at their widest points. Has anyone flown economy with these seats? Did you have any issues?

2. Do you have any advice for using the seats in vehicles overseas? I have no idea what types of vehicles we will be in. I plan to do a seat belt install and want to keep DD RF on our trip if possible.

3. Any recommendations for a cart to pull the seats through the airports? We aren't taking a stroller so the kids will probably be in the seats at the time.

4. I am planning to eventually move DS to a Diono Radian or Recaro ProSport and put DD in the Boulevard or get her her own Radian. Would it be easier to travel with the Radians or their current seats?

Any other tips for international travel with two little ones would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I'm pretty sure many people p. here have travelled with the britax no problem, but I'll leave them to tell you more. But if you're planning on getting 2 radians, that might be your best bet bc they fold and have the backpack strap accessory for travel. You'd need to practice installing with a locking clip though. Most cars overseas don't have locking seat belts.

Will you be bringing a stroller? You might be able to bungee one seat I to the stroller (then strap your DD into the seat) and hang the other off the back. Then pull your carryon (or wear a back pack and hold the older child's hand).

1) I have travelled with a Britax with no problem. I would always ask for a seat belt extender because it made the install on the plane slightly easier. You should still be able to put the arm rest down, and make sure it is down before installing, because if not, you will have a hard time, if possible at all, getting down, after it is installed. The seat will hang slightly over the arm rest at the widest part.

2)make sure you get practice with a locking clip if the seats you end up taking don't have built in lock offs.

3) we used cheap luggage racks from Target. Just make sure you get one with big wheels as they are easier to pull.

Take lots of snacks for the flight in case there are any delays. I would also pack some snacks for once you get there, until you can find something that the kids would like to eat. Also, try to fill out any paper work like customs form before getting off the plane. I always pack a small emergency bag that has fever reducers, motion sickness pills, neosporin and band aids, Aleve for my hubby and I, allery meds, and anti itch cream.

Thanks for the replies. I am not taking a stroller with me. I think that lugging two car seats, two kids, and carry-ons for the three of us will be about my limit. I want to have the kids ride through the airport in their seats. I can attach their carry-ons to the back of their seats/carts, and carry my own on my back. At least that is the current plan. I'm glad to hear that the Britax will fit, but I was planning to put the seats next to each other. Not sure that that will work if the Boulevard will overhang the seat a bit and the Recaro is even wider. Hmm...

I have not traveled with the ProRide or Britax seats, but I just did ATL to DFW to Seoul, South Korea with a Radian. It was a nightmare. That seat is so stupid heavy that I will never again travel with it without a cart. Space wise, it *just* fit in the seat FF with armrests down for our connecting flight from Atlanta to Dallas, and RF would be impossible on a smaller airplane even with an angle adjuster. It fit nicely with plenty of room between the armrests on the large 777. RF was possible with the angle adjuster, but still tight. We did not have anyone in front of us, but they would not have been able to recline. A seatbelt extender is also necessary to install RF because the buckle ends up inside of the belt path and raising the plate to release is impossible. I found this out the hard way, but was able to flip and wiggle the seat to get enough slack to release the belt. FF, even fully reclined, my daughter had terrible head slump and kept waking herself up when she flipped her head back up. I had to slide her carseat more toward the front of the seat which probably rendered the install incorrect, but I really just needed her to sleep comfortably at that point.

I know that this info doesn't necessarily apply to your current situation, but since you are considering a Radian, I thought you might want to know. It might also help if someone else searches. HTH.

Wow, what an exciting 5 weeks of travel you have planned!

While I have no where near the experience of air travel that others have, my DH and I have flown several times with our two littles ones. Most recently at the same ages and almost identical sizes as your little ones....hence my desire to chime in!

What worked for us, and either of us could have done solo with this setup was a forward facing Scenera and a rear facing Coccoro. The CCO snuggles into the Scenera perfectly and can easily be strapped to a rolling carryon bag or luggage rack. Both are very lighweight too! If you are considering purchasing new seats, I would highly recommend taking the weight of the seats into consideration. I know a lot of people don't mind travelling with the "foldable" radian, but if I can personally find another lighter option, I am all over it!

Good luck and have a great trip!

I've flown to NZ with my 2 kids when they were booster sized so I have a different perspective, but after coming home from vacation on Sunday, definitely downsize the carseats! We did all our luggage as carryons and no matter how light you pack, it's still heavy by the time you get to your destination and you will have weight limits on your carryons (carseats excluded). The Scenera and CCO are excellent travel seats, even if you want to get 2 Sceneras. Lightest seat on the market! You can rig up the carseats on the luggage rack tightly and use them as low strollers through less busy parts of the airport or look at using the [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Toddler-Seat-Travel-Accessory/dp/B000JHN3AS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373954841&sr=8-1&keywords=traveling+toddler+strap"]Traveling Toddler[/ame].

A lot of times the widest parts of the carseats are at the shoulders, but the armrests are only 4-8" up, so standard carseats usually fit well. I haven't heard of any problems with any seats fitting side-to-side, really. It's the rear-facing part where they don't fit and both your kids are old enough to ff on the plane OK.

Definitely follow the PP's suggestions of taking snacks and meds with you on the plane. On one of our trips to NZ, the plane broke and they had to store all of us (all 350+ flyers) at hotels overnight, then farm us out on other airlines the next day. Ugh! At least we got our luggage back, but it was a nightmare. This past Saturday night, we were at an international airport where all of the restaurants were closed at 8p. WTF? So good, heavy snacks, like Lara Bars, that can tide you over and keep well in your carryons are helpful. I also pack an extra shirt and underpants for everyone, JIC.

Have fun! We're deciding right now whether or not to go back to NZ this Christmas (mil lives there), but I'd love to go to Australia sometime.