Have any of you traveled to Asia from the US with the kids yet? Do you still have family there? When is the best time to go? Our daughters will be in preschool & 1st grade in the fall, so we'll only be able to travel abroad over Xmas break or summertime from now on. Going to Taiwan to visit the family is appealing, but I'm worried about the car seats, food issues, long flight, time change, etc. We have a portable DVD player, but I think it runs out of juice after 2 hours. What will they do for the next 13 hours on the plane??? I guess we also have books, snacks, Gameboy, Leapster, cards, playdoh, crayons, Aquadoodle, and a laptop for computer games. Maybe I'll bring lots of candy, too. How did you manage?

We took our four year old to China this past January. We took lots of snacks, coloring books, stickers, the little tiny princess dolls that you can dress. But the main life saver was her Leapster and a couple new games. She played it nearly every waking moment. It was wonderful for the plane and buses. And I believe that you can get an extra battery for most of the portable DVD players. We purchased an extended battery and that worked well. Try and get bulk head seats- they have more room and the kids can claim their own space.
All the best.

Thanks for the info, kam. I'll have to look into the extra battery.

I took my kids back to Thailand a few times already. It's not as bad. I agree that Leapster is a lifesaver. Pack some coloring books so they can play quietly. Also TV on the plane will most likely have a children cartoon as well especially on a long flight. But don't count on NW.. they are bad..

We probably have to cut back on the trip in the future. The price of the ticket is ridiculous. $1500 per ticket!!

As far as when you get to the country, I have never been to Taiwan but I'm sure there are a lot of amenities like here. We didn't bring the car seat. Shocker!! but we just hold them. I know.. dangerous but millions other kids have no car seat there either. If you are concerned, I am sure you can bring the car seat back with you. Plus it might help on the flight there.

One of the trip I carried a car seat for my sister and I put my son there. It was great. He slept in there and hardly complained about getting straped in the car seat.

Good luck!

-Amy

Thanks for the info, Amy. Wow--$1500 per ticket for our family of 4 would be prohibitive! If we wait long enough, the kids will be old enough not to need car seats at all anymore!