CHILDREN AND TRAVEL

BABY-SITTING

For recommended local sitters, check with your hotel desk.

DRIVING

If you are renting a car, arrange for a car seat when you reserve. Sometimes the seats are free.

FLYING

On flights within the United States, children under 2 not occupying a seat travel free, and older children currently travel on the lowest applicable adult fare. When traveling abroad, always ask about discounted children's fares. On international flights, the fare for infants under age 2 not occupying a seat is generally either free or 10% of the accompanying adult's fare; children ages 2 through 11 usually pay one-half to two-thirds of the adult fare.

Certain routes, including some in the Caribbean, are considered neither international nor domestic and have still other rules.

Baggage In general, the adult baggage allowance applies for a child's luggage when the child is paying half or more of the adult fare.

Ask about carry-on allowances on foreign trips if you are traveling with an infant. In general, those paying 10% of the adult fare are allowed one carry-on bag, not to exceed 70 pounds or 45 inches (length + width + height) and a collapsible stroller; you may be allowed less if the flight is full.

Safety Seats
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), it's a good idea to use safety seats aloft. Airline policy varies. U.S. carriers allow FAA-approved models, but airlines usually require that you buy a ticket, even if your child would otherwise ride free, because the seats must be strapped into regular passenger seats. Japanese and New Zealand carriers do not allow infant seats; other foreign carriers may do so and may charge the child's rather than the infant's fare for their use, or may require you to hold your baby during takeoff and landing, thus defeating the seat's purpose.

Facilities
When making your reservation, ask for children's meals or freestanding bassinets if you need them; the latter are available only to those with seats at the bulkhead, where there's enough legroom. If you don't need a bassinet, think twice before requesting bulkhead seats---the only storage for in-flight necessities is in the inconveniently distant overhead bins.

LODGING

Most hotels allow children under a certain age to stay in their parents' room at no extra charge, but some charge for children as though they were adults; be sure to ask about the cutoff age.