This past February, we ended our lovely time at home for maternity leave and departed Florida for the long trip back to Botswana. The route – Orlando to Atlanta to Johannesburg to Gaborone – includes the second- longest single leg direct flight in the world. It takes almost 17 hours to fly from Johannesburg to Gaborone.
 |
| Asleep, post-bouncing. |
Although this was not our first time on this flight,
it was certainly our first time on the flight with a baby! Throwing a two month old into the mix made
flying a whole new experience. Our typical pre-baby routine on other long
flights we’ve taken between, for example, Atlanta and Johannesburg; Shanghai
and Chicago; Hong Kong and Newark; Shanghai and Sydney; or Sydney and San
Francisco has been:
Arrive
at airport two hours early
Check
in
Saunter
around airport and buy magazines and candy for the flight
Board
plane
 |
| Excited to finally be aboard the plane. |
Watch
a movie
Eat
dinner
Watch
another movie
Take
Ambien
Sleep
for 8 hours
Watch
movie #3
Eat
breakfast
Watch
movie #4
Deplane
–
And voila! There we are in a new destination.
Enter
baby and change the travel routine to:
 |
| The little traveler. |
Arrive
at airport four hours early “just in case”
Parent
#1 struggles through the airport with five suitcases (two for each parent and
one for the baby)
Parent
#2 juggles screaming baby, diaper bag, and stroller
Parent
#2 hands off baby to Parent #1
Parent
#1 bounces baby (who is still screaming) to sleep
Parent
#2 quickly grabs some sandwiches for the flight
Two
parents lug baby and stroller and car seat and diaper bag and carry-ons and
finally board the plane
Two
parents spend 17 hours taking turns stroking baby’s cheek, holding baby’s
pacifier in his mouth, changing baby’s diaper, intently watching baby in his
car seat to make sure he really is sleeping,
walking baby up and down the aisle when he gets bored. Parent #2 feeds baby
every three hours (she is the female parent).
Parent
#2 manages to watch half a movie during the 17 hour flight.
When
the plane lands, two parents wait until everyone else disembarks, and then they
lug baby and stroller and car seat and diaper bag and stroller off the plane.
Two
parents collapse in exhaustion…
–
And voila! There we are back in Gaborone. Easy, right?! :D
