In case you don't know it, I work for a company that's behind many major actors in the travel industry, especially airlines. At my job, we usually have to test new features (e.g., what happens if you want to change your return flight when you haven't taken the first flight). One of the things we do is to test various combinations of parameters, including how many passengers are travelling. Two of the most frequent tests include one passenger travelling alone (1ADT for adult) or a family travelling together (2ADT 1CHD 1INF for adults, child, infant).
This Summer we went to Romania for the holidays. When I booked the plane tickets I laughed when seeing how I travel now: 2ADT 1CHD 1INF... We are now the typical family travelling :) Those of you who have kids and have travelled by plane with them, know what this configuration implies. The amount of stuff you need to take, the huge suitcases full of tens of sets of child clothes - they seem to go through 2-3 t-shirts every day. And don't forget the diapers, milk, baby food, lots of toys and other stuff. Be careful what you can take with you in the plane and what needs to be left in the main luggage. Keep the baby carriage with you in the airport, but leave it when entering the plane and hope you'll get it at the arrival. Take your seat and start the begging: please don't start screaming, please keep quiet, please don't try to leave your seat, please shut up, please fall asleep.
In short, flying with children is not too much fun, and I am saying this knowing perfectly well that our two boys are angels when compared to others I've seen on the planes. Anyways. I flew back from Romania earlier than the rest, wife and kids coming back after one week. As a side note, although I was going to the office during the day, I consider that my real holidays happened during that week. I love them, of course (the wife will probably read this, so just in case), but some time without them is so nice... I disgress, again. My point is that I travelled back alone (1ADT).
And how nice it is! I had forgotten the liberty you have when travelling alone! Suitcase dropped, just me, hands in my pockets. I could read in the plane. I could think in the plane. I got bored in the plane. Heck, I could even sleep in the plane. When in transit, I entered shops and just looked around. With too much time on my hands, I even sat down and had three beers! I travelled alone...
When people are asking how much your life changes when you have children, I usually share the typical joys of parenthood. You know, sleep deprivation, impossibility to have a beer and watch the game at TV without someone yelling in your lap, back aches from picking toys from the floor every evening, all the stuff sticking to your feet after they have eaten, impossibility to have a conversation with another adult, etc. You know, parenthood. Quite well summarized here.
I have never thought to include travelling by plane in my examples of how parenthood changes your life. But I do now, as I have tasted again of that sweet sensation of travelling alone... And when my colleagues will test some features, I will make sure they know that 1ADT is not just another use case, different from 2ADT 1CHD 1INF. They are simply a world apart...
