Travelling with a toddler can be ... trying

Bright-eyed and bushy tailed ... just when mum and dad have turned into zombies after a long flight. Just one of the challenges parents face when travelling with toddlers. (PS: This is not Will, the columnist's son, though he too stayed wide awake!) — 123rf.com

Long-haul flights can be rough. And since we’ve had our boy we’ve realised that one great truth: Everything is harder with a toddler.

Take the 10-hour flight my wife and I took to Romania a couple of months back. We had it all planned out. A red eye flight. Will, our son, would get to the airport, be excited, settle down, and fall asleep in his stroller. Then we’d board the plane quietly, continuing to let him sleep, until he wakes up for breakfast on the plane, and we would land.