Semih
Travel editor at Reisedrop · 2026-08-01
Once your child turns two, flying is a different game. They need their own seat, they definitely have views of their own, and they come with about the energy of a small jet engine. The upside? If you plan it properly, this can actually be a brilliant age for travelling. Toddlers are genuinely fascinated by planes. Your job, really, is to keep the performance going.
Own seat, own fare
From age 2 an own seat is mandatory – and in return there's the child fare, usually around 25 percent below the adult price. With us, just enter your children's ages in the search and we work the child discount into the total automatically. The family's seats are booked together too.
Direct beats bargain
If you're flying with a toddler, this matters most: direct flights are worth gold. A connection means boarding twice, security twice, and hearing «why do we have to wait AGAIN?» twice. Use our 'Direct flights only' filter and go for late-morning departures. A rested child helps, rested parents too, and delays in daylight are simply easier to handle than the ones that drag into midnight.
The entertainment arsenal
A good rule of thumb: one surprise per flight hour. A new colouring book, stickers, a small car, all wrapped separately, because even kiosk trinkets can suddenly feel like Christmas. Add the tablet with downloaded episodes (and test the headphones at home first). Then keep one trump card back for descent. A very good trick, by the way: a gel window-cling set can keep children busy at the airplane window for surprisingly long.
Snacks are diplomacy
A hungry toddler doesn't negotiate. Pack twice as many snacks as seems remotely sensible: rice cakes, cut fruit, pretzels, cheese cubes. Best skip the sugar bombs before take-off; the invoice arrives at 33,000 feet. Also, bring an empty water bottle. Filling it after security saves money, and often a fair bit of discussion as well.
The day after starts the day before
Pack the carry-on together with your child. A child who packed their own little case will usually wheel it proudly through the airport. Explain beforehand what happens when: check-in, security, waiting, boarding. Toddlers like routines, more than people think. And on arrival day, plan absolutely nothing at the destination. Nothing. That's not a lost holiday. It's what protects the rest of it.
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