Oh wait, is that just me?  Well, anyway.  I HAVE to get my shopping done early this year.  We are traveling to Australia for Christmas and I have to PACK all of the gifts.  And still have room to bring them back, plus others.  It’s going to be interesting.

So, first of all…saving MONEY. My family and my husband’s family all decided a few years ago to draw names for the adults.  With my family, for example, it’s me, my husband, my sister and her husband, one of my Aunts, one of my cousins, and my parents.  These are the people I would usually buy for before we did the name drawing, with the exception of my cousin, but she wanted to participate in the draw names, so she’s in!

We all agreed on a dollar amount.  We chose $50.  This way everyone can get one good gift, opposed to a bunch of little things worth ten bucks that you don’t really want anyway.

We use Elfster.  You enter all who are participating and you can also exclude certain people, like husband’s/wives from getting each other, which is cool.  Then, it randomly generates your pick and emails it to you, secretly.  We always keep it a secret who we have.  Though, I always know who my hubby has since I do all the shopping.   It’s also got a place where you can put your wish list for your Santa to see what you want.

We only do Elfster for the adults since everyone wants to buy for all the kids.  So, we save money with our niece and nephews in Australia by buying things here and taking (or mailing) it to Australia.  Good stuff is way cheap here in comparison.  I’m talking WAY less.  Plus, I can get summer stuff on sale, since they are going into summer in a few months.

For our boys, I just keep reminding myself that it’s not HOW MUCH we spend.  Our youngest, doesn’t even know about Christmas, for starters.  And our oldest is happy with even a few things.  If it’s something he can pretend play with, he will be busy for hours.  Honestly, he would probably just be happy with candy, since he rarely gets any.  I just have to remember this and not get caught up in the Christmas buying frenzy.  Luckily, my husband’s family is further along the less is more end of the spectrum than my family.  I’m really looking forward to that this year, actually.

Now, for saving SPACE! Since we have to pack all (or at least most) of our gifts for the kids this year, we have to think SMALL.

So, I’ve been trolling Amazon looking for ideas for small, packable gifts that will still make an impact and be fun for our older son, who is four.  Our youngest (currently 13 months) won’t really care since he still won’t really know what’s going on and will really only want what his brother has anyway.  That’s how he rolls.

Here are some of what I’ve come up with so far:

• LED head lamp – like for camping.  He would LOVE this.
• Wikki stix – are these fun?
• stomp rocket
• Wishing Chair Again by Enid Blyton – I’ve been looking forever for the over sized version of this and finally got one off ebay for a steal!  So siked.  He asks me all the time if I’ve found it yet.  He loves the first one, Adventures of the Wishing Chair.
• Brain Quest -  these are great for planes too
• My Very Own Name book – we already got him this too as he wanted one after seeing the one we got our youngest for his birthday
• Gift voucher for something like a jumping castle place (you know those places that have about 10 jumpy houses).  We have one near our house and he’s always asking to go after going to a birthday party there.
• I want to crochet both my boys stockings before we go, but I am unsure if I can manage it.  I don’t know how to crochet, but my Mom is going to try to teach me this week.

Hmmm, I actually thought I had more ideas than this.  And frankly, I have no clue about what to get our youngest, who will be 15 months by then.

Any ideas ??

You can find more tips of all sorts at Works for Me Wednesday.

Related posts:

1. Spending Less and Earning Extra

It really nice when family from Australia comes to visit us in between our own visits over there.  It really makes it so much more bearable and is also so nice for them to see where and how we live and meet our friends and visit again with my family.

Since our oldest son was born four years ago, we have been over to Australia three times.  My in-laws have came over to the U.S. twice and now my sister-in-law.  That is more than some kids see their grandparents that live in a different state, much less a different country!

We feel very fortunate that we are able to do this.  Granted, we probably won’t be able to keep up this same rate, but our traveling will also get that much easier as our boys get older…so, you never know.  We knew when we got married we wanted to make it a priority for our family to do that one day, so that is what we are trying hard to do.

Next week my posting will get back to normal, I think…whatever that is.   I am planning a revamp of my blog too, so stay tuned!

Now, back to fun with my sis-in-law!

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My response is always the same, “So, what’s stopping you?”.

Now, as we all know, for most people, it’s money.  But I can tell you that the majority of the people who say this to me, have the money.  They simply choose to spend it on other stuff.

I still remember a conversation I had with my Mother years ago.  It was after I had returned from living in Edinburgh, Scotland (where I also traveled all around Europe).  She made a snide comment about how she would love to travel to those countries too.  I don’t remember the context, but it was jab of some sort to something I was saying.

At the time, her and my Dad had been buying all sorts of house plan and design magazines.  They were wanting to build a bigger ‘dream’ house that consisted of more bedrooms.  This was also at a time when both my sister and I were already out of the house.

Well, I simply told her that if I was planning on spending my money on a huge house full of rooms that nobody would be in, of which I also had to buy more furniture for, then I wouldn’t have the money to travel either.

She had a choice and I simply pointed that out to her.

They did end up building a house.  But, a smaller one.  One, much more suited to them and for when they retire as it’s nearly paid off.   Furthermore, they have since traveled to Australia, France, Italy and other places around the U.S.

I think it often just requires some practical thinking, maybe even a bit of out of the box thinking when it comes to savings and travel.

Out of the Box Savings

I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Free Pursuits, and a article about saving and living below your means.  He writes about two methods of saving that I just love.

1) Pretend you are a teacher. Teachers often get paid 75% of their salary during the school year so they can have their summer off, but still get a paycheck.  In my city, I know you can opt for this, but it’s not automatic since I had a friend get caught out by it once when he forgot to sign up for, but thought he did, thus having to work all summer!

So, if you want to save for a grand or extended vacation,  simply do a similar thing.  Figure out the cost of your vacation and cut your pay accordingly, saving the rest.  Pretend that new amount is your new salary and make it work. This last part being the tricky part of course.

2) Or, want to quit your job and take a year off? Corbett suggests saving 1/3 of your salary for 3 years and then you would have enough saved to take a year off!  It’s so simple, yet I have just never thought about it that way before!  Can’t save 1/3 of your salary?  How about 1/4 for four years or 1/5 for five years?

We all know how fast time goes by and if you have a year off to look forward to?  Well, that would be pretty motivating to me.

When my husband decided he wanted to travel (he lived overseas for more than 2 years), he decided to rent a cheaper house (with roommates) so he could save more.

I remember taking side jobs from all directions when I was saving for travel.  I babysat, waited tables at night after working temp office jobs during the day, whatever.

But, I do think that simply deciding to live on less and actually doing it is one of the best ideas out there.  Even if it’s only a little bit, it’s still going to add up over time.

Even an extra $20 a week over a year is $1040! Depending on the deals you find, that could be a week (or longer) in Europe!

What are you favorite ways to save money for something specific like travel?

Next, thinking outside the travel box on accommodation!

Related posts:

1. Saving Money At Christmas

To be honest, I rarely get jet lag anymore when we travel to Australia.

Coming home, however, is another story.  For weeks my husband and I wake in the middle of the night with “the blares”, as my Grandmother used to call it.  Eyes wide open and not tired at all.  Then walking around in a caffeine-regulated stupor during the day.

However, there are things that we do to limit the amount of jet lag that we incur.  Here is what we do, along with some other great tips gleaned throughout the travel blogosphere.

What We Do

• Get a good night’s sleep the night before.
• Don’t leave things to the last minute.  Be packed and ready the day before, even if your flight is not until that afternoon or evening (stress causes adrenaline which inhibits relaxation).
• Drink lots of water.
• Get up during the flight and stretch.
• Where comfy clothes and shoes that are easy to take off.
• Try to sleep if it’s an overnight flight.
• When you arrive, get outside into the sunlight and fresh air.
• DO NOT go to sleep until as close to ‘bedtime’ as possible.
• Get up the next day at a reasonable hour.  Don’t sleep in late.
• Don’t take naps, at least until your body regulates itself (or unless you are a kid who needs naps).
• Eat healthy.  Don’t eat lots of junk/sugar and continue to drink lots of water.
• Drink beer, as my husband is telling me to add, is NOT on the list.  As tempting as the free alcohol on international flights are, I drink water instead.  Unless the kids are especially trying, then I ring the bell for a real drink.

Other things that I have read

• Delicious Baby has a ton of great tips like eating food at local mealtimes and encouraging activity and exercise.
• Scientists in Edinburgh say you can wear sunglasses to reduce jet lag.  I must try this on our next trip.  I always pack my sunnies for when we get there.
• Momversation recommended some travel yoga, I like the look of this and might get it.  Great for car trips too, which I loathe far more than plane trips.

What are your jet lag tips?  Or car travel tips for those who do lots of car traveling?

See more great tips at Works For Me Wednesday at We Are That Family.

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Travel full-time for less than $14,000 per year at I Will Teach You To Be Rich – a TON of great tips.  A lot easier to do if you are childless, for sure, but there are a lot of families who do it.  I would love to do it for six months to a year and maybe one day when the boys get older we will.  I will definitely be revisiting this post for some great reminders if we do!

Baker at Man vs. Debt, who I’m pretty sure is either in, or on his way, to Australia now wrote 27 Last Minute Considerations Before Moving Across the World.  This family has guts and I love it.  They have ditched most of what they own and are taking a couple of backpacks and their little daughter and moving to Australia, without a work visa.   He’s written a great list of what to consider when you make a move like this.  I wish you luck, mate.

Travel around your own city and your kids  (age 5-12) can earn a prize (if you state participates) with REI’s Passport to Adventure!  Even if your state/town doesn’t participate, you could download their online journal and create your own passport to adventure and your own rules and prizes for your kids.  What a great way to kill boredom this summer!

I like this post asking readers what their dream lifestyle is on Moving To Portugal.  It’s an old post, but since I’m always thinking about what “my dream” is and trying to get my husband to figure out what his is (how can you not know??!!), it resonated with me.  My dream lifestyle is to have our mortgage paid off and to have employment flexibility to be able to travel more and visit Australia for longer periods (or vice versa if we moved back to Oz).  But I would love to take our boys to Edinburgh, where my hubby and I met and loads of other places.

Do you know of a great expat blog that I should check out?  Or seen a great post on travel lately?  Please let me know so I can check it out.

Related posts:

1. Family Visits

Which airline to fly?

Depending on what your child’s food allergy is and how severe it is, you might want to research the airlines and find out what their policy is on serving snacks with peanuts and/or tree nuts, if they are highly allergic.  Airlines often change these policies so it’s best to research and not assume, even if you have flown with them in the past.

Not all airlines or flight crews are understanding, so it’s best call ahead and find out what will be served on your flight if your child has a really severe allergy.  I think some airlines will even change what they serve if they know an allergic person will be on board.  However, they cannot guarantee a peanut or tree nut-free flight since they cannot monitor what other passengers bring on board.

Packing safe food for the flight and time in the airport

Now, if you are just flying domestically, you will probably only need to pack enough food/snacks/drinks for a short time….maybe six or seven hours, if you include time at the airport.  Granted, this can still be nerve racking if you’ve not done it before.

It’s when you start taking those long haul flights that you really need to think things through.  For our flights to Australia, we have to consider all the time at the airports and time on the plane, which for us is nearly an entire day.  A lot of that time is spent sleeping, but when my son is awake, he is always wanting to eat.  Hollow legs I tell you.  We need to be prepared.

Here is the food we took with us on our last trip to Australia:

• Two Sunbutter and jam sandwiches (in a container so it doesn’t get squished, cut into squares for ease of eating)
• safe savory snacks, like allergy-free pretzels or crackers
• safe snack bars (like Enjoy Life or homemade if you are so inclined)
• fruit (often you can get fruit at airports and on International flights though)
• dried fruit (apples, apricots, raisins, banana chips)
• gummy candy (for when the plane is taking off/landing to alleviate popping of ears)
• powdered soy or rice milk (only needs added water)
• mini blueberry muffins

I can’t imagine being trapped on a plane and your child freaking out about being hungry and not having anything you can feed them.  I shudder at the thought.

Ordering special meals on International Flights

You can order special meals on International flights.  I usually order a Vegetarian meal for myself.  They also have kid’s meals.  However, if you have food allergies, this would not be safe.  I ordered a fruit bowl for my son, then gave him one of the sandwiches we brought for his meal.  This worked out really well.

They also usually have vegan, kosher and other types of meals.  They do not have ‘allergy-free’ meals, so make sure you understand what you are ordering.  The flight crew will not know the ingredients of these meals.  The safest choice is food brought from home.

The other great thing about ordering special meals is that you get served first.  So, since I order a special meal, I can eat while my husband is helping our kids and then by the time his meal comes, we are done and he can eat in peace also.  Makes it all run a lot smoother for us since eating with kids in such a tiny space is not easy.

Packing medications

You will want to take your Epi-pen and Benedryl on the flight with you.  You might even want to take more than one syringe, depending on the severity of your child’s allergy.

I have always taken a letter, written on letterhead, from my pediatrician stating that due to my child’s food allergies, we must carry on an Epi-pen, Benedryl and special food for him.  The letter states my child’s name and my doctor’s contact information.

We have never had a problem and honestly, I’ve never even been asked for this letter.  But, I have it just in case.

The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) has a sample letter on their site that you can download.

How will I carry all this food and all my other stuff too!?

I am in no way affiliated with Baby Sherpa, but their backpacks are the bomb.  They have a ton of room for toys, diapers, clothes, a dvd player, dvds AND an insulated food compartment!

Other things to consider

If your child is severely allergic, take wipes with you to wipe down the area he/she will be sitting.  Wipe the seat, armrests, food tray, anything they might be in contact with.

You can also buy seat covers called PlaneSheets.  You can get disposable (recyclable) ones or ones that can be washed and reused.  Actually, these would be nice for anyone to have…

Still Nervous?

Call the airline you are flying and ask them specific questions.  I confirmed that there was no soy or rice milk on board Qantas flights.  So, I knew I needed to find something that was portable.

I thought of those little juice box type milks, but they are heavy to carry and I got worried over how many I should take.  So, I found powdered soy milk (you can also get powdered rice milk) which was perfect.

It worked great because I didn’t have to worry about keeping it cold or spilling.  I just added water in a sippy cup and then had milk that my son liked and could drink.  I took enough, in a small container, for the plane trip, then packed the rest in our checked luggage for the trip back.

The Transporation Security Administration (TSA) website is also very helpful.  I also called them and asked questions, which helped to clear things up that I was confused about.

Here is a great article from Allergic Living magazine with all sort of tips.   Find even more tips here and  here.

Also, Food Allergy Buzz is a great site for keeping track of what is happening in the food allergy world in terms of flying (and everything else!).  And in finding out how to have your voice heard.

Do you have any tips or tricks for flying with food allergies?

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I love this sort of thing. The rush of doing something new and different.  The challenge of pushing yourself and your boundaries.  The excitement of constant new surroundings and of meeting new people and eating new foods and being outside of your comfort zone.

It always makes me want to start packing my own bags! But, since that won’t be happening for a while for this fly away family, I have decided to blog about living/working/travel overseas instead.  I will have several travel posts coming over the next weeks.

So this post is about how I was able to live and work in a country outside of the U.S.  How, after I graduated from graduate school, I was able to move to Edinburgh, Scotland.

It was super easy to do this.  And, if you are American, between the ages of 18 and 30 and have graduated high school (with no dependent children), you can do it too!

You can apply for a working visa through BUNAC (British Universities North American Club).

Through BUNAC, you can work in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France, Ireland or Canada.  You can also do volunteer work in Cambodia, Peru and South Africa.  Each country has an agreement with the US and a maximum limit on how many months you can work, ranging from 3 months to 12 months.  Also, the age requirements vary as well.  For example, if you are over 30, but not over 35, you can still work in New Zealand!

You pay a fee for BUNCAC to acquire a working visa for you, and for other support resources (for both before and after you arrive where you are going).  Each country’s program has specific savings requirements and other recommendations, so be sure to read about each one to see which might suit you best.

I just read that the Work in Britain program is currently closed.  They are in negotiations to hopefully get another one going sometime this year.  So, if you are interested in Britain, keep checking the BUNAC site for updates.  This is sad to me since that is the program I participated in when I lived in Edinburgh.  I’ve written about that move before and how it was one of the best choices I have ever made to spend my money and time.

I will write soon about what happened after I arrived in London, by myself, in a foreign country for the first time, and how I found work and a place to live.

Would you be interested in living in another country?  Or maybe you have?

No related posts.

When I was living in Scotland, I went traveling through Europe & Ireland for a couple of months.  I had some travelers checks (in British Pounds), but I was mostly getting cash out via my ATM card from my bank in the States.

I was using my American bank ATM because I had already used all of my money from my Scottish bank account.

While in Brugges, Belgium, I went to a Money Changer to get out some cash.  I was going to France the next day and wanted to get some Belgium Francs for that day and some French Francs so I could be ready for the next few days.  Plus, I was always forgetting my PIN (I know, total ADD) and it would lock my card for a day…oh Lord, that is another story altogether.

I now never go to money changers.  This site has some stories on how they sometimes try to cheat you, plus you get a much better exchange rate if you use either your ATM or credit card.

Anyway, when the woman went to process the transaction, she informed me that she would need to cut up my card because it had been reported stolen.  WHAT!?!

This was my card.  I begged her to wait until I had contacted my bank so that I could clear up this obvious mix-up.  She could hold onto the card…just let me make a phone call!  Nope.  She whipped out her scissors and cut it up while I stood there, incredulous.

Needless to say, I cussed this woman a blue streak.  Probably not the nicest thing to do, but considering I was young, traveling on my own and had BEGGED her to hold onto the card until I could get someone to contact her….I was pretty pissed, to say the least.

So, after I left that office, without my ATM card or any money, I wandered around waiting until it was morning in the U.S. so I could call my parents.

My Dad got the bank on three-way calling and it turns out that someone did report their card stolen, but they put in my bank card number instead.  They would get it straightened out and mail me a new card.  But, they had to mail it to where I would be.  I was traveling, so they had to mail it to my Scotland address.  I was not going back there for another 3 weeks.  I was going to France, then taking a ferry over to Ireland to meet up with with some friends.

I had to figure out another way to get money.

Thankfully, although I did not have enough traveler’s checks to get me through the rest of my trip, I had enough to get me to Ireland.  Then, I also had my credit card. A couple of times I had to go into an Irish bank and get cash, charged to my credit card.  This was my only source of money.

This was the only time a balance has ever been carried on a credit card by me.  I paid it off a couple of months later after I moved back to the U.S.

When I arrived back in Scotland, my ATM card was waiting for me.   I still get super riled up whenever I tell someone this story.  I know I could have had my parents wire me some money, but I have always been a very self-reliant person.  I knew I could take care of myself and I did.  Nevertheless, I am very thankful that I had a back-up source of money other than my ATM card.

My husband reminded me that it will also depend on where you are going.  You might be going to a small town without an ATM or one that won’t change the currency that your traveler’s checks are in…so also do your research if you are traveling overseas to more remote areas.

What kind of money do you travel with?

No related posts.

When you are somewhere over the Pacific with about 9 hours left on your flight and your toddler or preschooler tells you he “wants off the plane now“, you’d better be prepared!

When traveling with kids there is so much stuff that you need to take to be prepared “for anything” it seems like, that there are just certain items that are good to have.  Some are necessities (like diapers!), some are to make the travel itself easier, and some are for on-board entertainment.

Everybody who travels has their ‘must haves’ that they always pack for a trip and it will vary from family to family.

Here are our 10 Things that we do not leave without when we fly to Australia.

1.  A great carry-on bag to organize everything.

We use the Baby Sherpa backpack and I cannot say enough good things about it.  It holds a ton of gear without getting to hard to carry or get in/out of the overhead compartment.  It has an insulated food compartment, a padded DVD player compartment, a changing pad, and all sorts of other little places to stick things.  What more could you want?

I will say though, I probably wouldn’t use it for everyday use as it’s a bit overkill, but for travel, it’s fantastic.

2.  Your child’s comfort blankie/toy.

Oh my word.  I don’t even want to think about what would ensue if we forgot our son’s blankie.  Good lord.  We actually have an extra one that we pack in the checked luggage “just in case”.

3.  Favorite snacks.

A hungry child is an unhappy child.  Don’t rely on the airline to have anything your child likes.  We pack dried fruit, savory snacks like pretzels or crackers, sunflower butter/jam sandwiches (again, it’s a long flight), and snack bars.  On international flights they usually have fresh fruit, so that’s often an easy one to get on board.

4.  Two changes of clothes for your child(ren).

And at least one extra shirt for you.  Accidents happen.  ‘Nuff said.

We also take jammies for our son to put on before boarding the flight to Australia, because it’s an overnight flight.  We want him to remember that it’s night night and time to sleep, even if it’s on a plane.

5.  Books/activity books/stickers/toys.

Any small, entertaining thing that might keep their attention for a while.  Take new things they haven’t seen before and some old favorites.  Some people suggest wrapping them as presents for them to open, but that just seems like a waste of paper to me.

Some ideas that have worked well for us are:

• A few crayons in a ziplock bag and some blank paper or single sheets of pictures for drawing/coloring
• Stickers – last year I got some car stickers and we drew a racetrack and decorated it with stickers.
• Paperback books (lightweight and thin)
• Mini board books (I like to find mini lift-the-flap books that he hasn’t seen yet)
• Small travel games or card games – I found a mini, wooden memory game in the $1 section of Target last year that I played with Big D for ages.
• Brainquest - these are great for travel because they are small and they have them for nearly every age.
• Nesting/stacking cups – these worked great at 18 months.
• I Spy books – these can take up all sorts of time looking for things

6.  Cares Kids Fly Safe Harness.

This harness rocks and is so much easier than taking your carseat (we rent or borrow a carseat at our destination).  Because our son is used to a 5-point harness on his carseat and stroller, this was no biggie for him to wear.

7.  DVD player and your kid’s fave shows/movies.

When all else fails, pull out a movie!  This is a lifesaver on a long flight.  Sometimes they will just fall asleep while watching…one can only hope, right?  We bought a player with a 12 hour battery, but you can also find battery extension packs if think you need it.  The international flights we fly on always have children’s channels on the tv’s, but sometimes our son wants to watch one of his faves.  Whatever works, I say!

8.  Gummy candy.

I know, weird.  But after our son started screaming because his ears hurt on a flight and we couldn’t get him to drink anything or eat the raisins we had brought, now we always take gummy candy.  He will always eat those.  We reserve them for take off and landing times only to help with ear popping.

9.  Scented disposable diaper sacks.

There is nothing worse than being trapped on an airplane with a bad smell.  So, for the benefit of the other passengers, we carry these scented diaper sacks to put our soiled diapers in (we use disposables on planes) before we put them in the bathroom trash area.

They also came in very handy when we had to change our son’s diaper at our seat because he used to freak out on public changing tables and wouldn’t stay on them.  These bags mask any smells quickly (they smell like baby powder) and are super convenient to just stuff into your diaper bag.  I got mine at Kmart.

They are also great to have if you are changing a diaper at someone’s house who doesn’t have young kids (or a great place to throw away a disposable diaper) and for storing soiled clothes on the go.

10.  A recent photo of your child.

God forbid you lose track of your child in a busy airport, but just in case, have a recent photo of your child with you, preferably with the clothes he has on that day.  We take our digital camera on board with us, so this is easily done.

So, those are our 10 must haves…what do you always take when you travel?

This post is linking to Works for Me Wednesday at We Are That Family.

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I know.  Crazy.

We’ve never booked this far in advance before, but just couldn’t pass up the current sale that Qantas is having.

Flights to Australia over Christmas are usually at least double the normal price and even the agents kept commenting what a great deal it was that we were getting.

This leads me to the first tip on how to save, which is to watch for sales for the airlines on which you travel. We always travel on American and Qantas.  Many airlines have an RSS feed for their sales information.  Knowing that Qantas was having this unreal sale prompted us to start making some decisions.  They also posted their fares for the next 12 months, so we knew this was going to be the best deal for the dates we wanted to travel.

Also, although you can often get some great deals online, we nearly always book through an agent.  This time we saved quite a bit by booking through an agent instead.  Sometimes agents can let you in on rules (i.e. tricks!) that you may not have known.  We learn something new from an agent almost every year.

Note that booking through an agent sometimes comes with a fee ($15-$20), but the savings in this instance more than compensated.

Here are our tips regarding booking with an agent instead of online.

Online Fare Quotes. We were looking online last night and it was quoting us $400 more than what we were quoted by an agent and the flight home wasn’t direct.  We got a direct flight going through an agent and for less money.

You can play around with dates. With an agent, they can easily tell you what dates are available around the time you are looking.  We were originally looking at different set of dates, but were able to get something that worked even better with the agents suggestions.

You can put flights on hold. This is one of my favorite features of speaking with an agent.  I hate when I find a fabulous deal online, only to go back a day, or sometimes even an hour later only to find out it’s gone!  Most international flights can be held for 3 days.  Usually domestic flights can be held for 24 hours.

Award Travel. You have to book with the airline that you have the award travel with.  So, we had to book our award flights to Los Angeles, return, with American, then the International, Los Angeles to Brisbane return, portion through Qantas.  This way, we could use our award miles, which saved us about $900.

Did you know this about award miles? We learned that adults earn more miles when flying than children do (at least on American Airlines).  Which is dumb considering the flights cost the same (i.e. no discount for kids).

So, my husband and I had enough points for two award seats.  But, instead of using them for us, we used them for me and Big D.  My husband’s seat is a paid flight, so he will earn points…more than what Big D would have earned for the same seat and cost.  I had no idea.  I also didn’t know that we could even use our points to buy flights for someone else.

Tips on saving money with kids.

Infant with Seat. This is a new offering on Qantas, apparently.  This is the same price as the child fare (which is 75% of an adult fare from ages 2 to 12) but the taxes are less.  This doesn’t make much sense to me as to why the cost of the ticket would be the same but the taxes less, but whatever.

So, check with the airline you are flying to see if they offer discounts for infants or children.

Holding an Infant. Since there are only three seats together on domestic flights (rather than the four you can get on the larger International aircraft), we decided to hold Little C on the domestic flight.  It’s five hours, but we figure we can manage (we hope).

We could not book it like this online, so going through an agent and booking the flights separately, saved us $456 since we opted to hold Little C.

So, all in all, we got an unbelievable deal!  Just over $3100 for four people to Australia return.  And we learned some new tips to go into our repertoire for next time.  And even better…we didn’t even use half of what we budgeted for!

What are your tips for saving money on flights?  Do you know any tricks for earning/using award miles?

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