International Travel Question

mel2012

New member
I’m probably way overthinking this, but I have an international travel question. My husband and I are going to Iceland this summer with our son who will be almost 6 and our daughter who will be almost 8 during our trip. We booked tickets with the low-price WOW airlines and only paid for one checked bag, which means that between the four of us, our luggage allowance is 4 carry-on bags that weigh no more than 11 lbs each and can be no larger than 22” by 18” by 10” and 1 44 pound checked bag, so a total of 88 lbs for an 11-day trip for 4 people. Because my son is younger than 6, we are able to bring a carseat for him for free, but to bring one for my daughter we either need to fit it within our existing allowance or pay for another bag ($137!!!). It’s a direct flight.

While Iceland is pretty small, we’ll be driving all the way around the island and spending at least 25 hours in the car over 10 days.

Right now, my son rides in a SafeGuard Go Hybrid seat that is approaching its expiration date but isn’t quite there. We’re waiting until he’s six to move him to a booster full time because he is on the light side – he’s 45” tall but not yet 40 lbs, unless I put some heavy clothes on him, so I just feel like a five-point is safer. He has occasionally ridden in a booster.

My daughter rides in a low-back booster for short trips, but she still naps and we have her in a high-back booster for longer trips where we think she might fall asleep. She’s 52” tall and about 60 lbs.

My original thought was to use our carseat allowance to bring a highback booster for our daughter and 10 lbs of our luggage allowance to bring the GoHybrid for our son. However, I’m reconsidering that plan for two reasons: (a) it’s uncomfortable for him to sleep in the GoHybrid unless we recline the seatback, which probably isn’t recommended and may not be possible in a small car; and (b) while I’m guessing our rental car will be newer and have a top tether, I’m not sure I want to count on that.

So I’m considering other options to maximize luggage and comfort. We already have at our disposal:
Diono Radian (what my son rides in at daycare)
Britax Frontier (daughter’s old seat)
Graco Turbo booster
Harmony Folding Booster seat (which is 1” wider than the carry-on dimensions, but within the weight allowance)
Trunki Boostapak (Bonus that it can double as a backpack, but it is actually fairly heavy and not that comfortable)
Large RideSafer 2 Travel Vest with head support (lightest weight, but my daughter fights wearing it)
A Lightweight Safety 1st low back booster (which we actually bought in Germany last summer)

Looking for thoughts on:
(1) Should I stick with my original plan?
(2) If not, should I pack one of the full-size 5-point seats for my son or just pack a highback booster for him?
(3) Should I try to sneak the Harmony Folding Booster on as a carry-on for my daughter, which would use up one full carry-on “slot” or go with either the Trunki or the RideSafer Travel Vest?
(4) As between the Trunki and the RideSafer Travel vest, is one or the other better for sleeping?
(5) Should I care whether any of these technically meet European safety standards? I’ve read several posts that discourage the use of American carseats in European cars, though some of those pre-date 2012 requirement for top tethers in European cars. The Trunki and the Safety 1st boosters definitely meet European standards. Based on the RideSafer information on Amazon, technically it has to be used WITH a booster seat to meet European standards (which defeats its purpose in my opinion). Not sure about any of the others.

Just in case someone was going to suggest it, we’ve tried the Bubble Bum seat and hated it— my kids slid all over the place with them.
 
ADS

lgenne

New member
Is your daughter actually over 60 pounds? If so, it might be worth investing in a Safety 1st Incognito. If not, maybe a Mifold, assuming it actually comes out in May: http://www.mifold.com. Or maybe the backless Euro Safety 1st seat, if that's similarly compact.

For sleep for her, maybe a Cardiff headrest? It's all new stuff you'd have to buy, but it's under 3 pounds and definitely fits in a carry on.

For the 6 year old, it sounds like you only have 2 harnessed seats? Given that you can't rely on having a top tether, I would want a lightweight combination seat. He can use the harness on the plane. If the rental ends up not having tether anchors, then he can use it as a booster. The most reasonable option here is the Evenflo Maestro. If you never want to use it again and you don't expect him to hit 40 pounds before you go, an Evenflo Chase might also be reasonable.

Is all that within your budget? It's probably comparable to paying for that extra bag, but you end up with some really convenient car seats.
 

murphydog77

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
A definite advantage to taking your Go is that you can pack some clothes or other items inside the carrying case, but if your rental car doesn't have a tether anchor, you're SOL in using it as a harnessed seat. There's just nothing easy yet for traveling with kids who may sleep in their seats. I remember being in Hawaii when my ds was 6 and he was using a backless booster. He fell asleep and folded right in half and there was nothing I could do.

I do like the idea of the Cardiff headrest, but it is heavy-ish, especially for a carryon. I would suggest bringing a pillow from the hotel instead and have your dd hug it in front of her to keep her upright.

I've never heard of WOW airlines and given that they charge so much for baggage, I would imagine that everyone uses carryons as much as possible. They probably measure all the carryons to make sure they'll fit, so I wouldn't try to sneak a Harmony folding booster past unless you're willing to pay their penalty.

Don't worry about Euro standards for a vacation trip. It's crazy to make visitors buy special carseats just for a brief trip.

Have fun in Iceland! I've always wanted to go.
 

mel2012

New member
Thanks everyone for the good feedback and suggestions! I was able to confirm with the car rental company that all of the cars they rent have top tethers, so thankfully that won't be an issue for whatever seat we take for my son. The MiFold looks cool; maybe if they're actually shipping in May we'll take another look at that. But I think I may have my daughter try the RideSafer travel vest again and maybe try to pair that with an inflatable travel/camping pillow (we've got several of these already and we might want one on the plane anyway) for sleeping. I weighed the RideSafer last night and without the headrest it's 1 lb 11 oz. The Boostapak is over 3 lbs and we may want that extra weight for other things. Plus it seems like the RideSafer vest might be better at preventing sleep slouching, especially if we use the crotch strap. . .
 

BananaBoat

Well-known member
Question: when you say
Because my son is younger than 6, we are able to bring a carseat for him for free
is that checked, carry-on or ? I'm assuming it means for use on board the flight, which would require it to be FAA approved, which no boosters are.

I could totally be reading it wrong, so please correct me if so!

Regarding the Ride Safer Travel Vest - we use it a ton for travel. I have yet to find anything that reliably prevent slouching during sleep. Locking the belt helps a bit, but most European cars don't have locking seatbelts.
 

mel2012

New member
Question: when you say is that checked, carry-on or ? I'm assuming it means for use on board the flight, which would require it to be FAA approved, which no boosters are.

I could totally be reading it wrong, so please correct me if so!

Regarding the Ride Safer Travel Vest - we use it a ton for travel. I have yet to find anything that reliably prevent slouching during sleep. Locking the belt helps a bit, but most European cars don't have locking seatbelts.

This is what WOW airlines says on their site, which I'm reading as permitting boosters to be free as checked baggage:

You can bring with you for free one of the following items for children under six years of age: a car seat or a push chair, but you must declare it as a special requirement at the time of booking. If you would like to bring both you will have to pay for one according to our price list for special luggage.

Other luggage carried for children is charged at the standard rate.

Car seats can only be taken on-board if there is a spare seat available, if there isn't it will be taken at check-in or at the gate and put with the hold luggage. The child may not remain in the car seat during take-off and landing unless it is marked “Airplane Approved”.

PLEASE NOTE: Car seats and pushchairs are chargeable as extra luggage for children older than six.
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,655
Messages
2,196,895
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top