How to prepare when traveling with children
Years ago, when my wife and I were guardians of a grandson, we quickly learned that traveling with two kids is easier than traveling with one. But when we took one of our grandson’s buddies on a trip to Oregon, the operator of a low-risk jetboat excursion on the Rogue River refused to allow the friend to ride with us because we didn’t have notarized permission from his parents. As you plan to resume family travel this summer, many of you will be traveling with kids or arranging for kids to travel. Here’s a checklist to consider.
Identification: Even on a simple road trip, camping trip or group outing, each kid should have some kind of government-approved photo ID, including vaccination, if applicable. And if you’re flying, you need the obvious ID required by TSA. Fortunately, TSA has yet again relaxed the need for REAL-ID compliant state ID; the new deadline is May 3, 2023.
Consent forms: As long as you’re traveling as a single family, you probably won’t need to plan in advance. You can sign any required releases on the spot. But you might need special forms in two circumstances:
If your party includes one of your kid’s friends or some other non-family member, you might need some form of permission from whoever is authorized.
Permission can also be a problem with kids of divorced or separated parents. Government agencies are sensitive to problems of unsanctioned “kidnapping” by one family member during custody disputes. You’re more likely to face a challenge on an international trip than on a domestic one, but there’s always a chance.
You can avoid permission problems by having a joint guardian of your own kid or the legal guardians of your kid’s friend fill out a consent form, which you can easily improvise or download free from eForms at https://eforms. com/consent/minor-childtravel. For minimum risk, have the form notarized. Official permission is important if you’re flying and especially if you’re going out of the country.
Family flying with kids:
U.S. airlines do not generally offer any discounted fares for kids or students. Anyone 2 years old or over needs a full-fare ticket.
If a kid age 12 or under is with you, he or she needs no special ID to fly domestically, and TSA offers some special protocols for screening kids of that age. But TSA treats kids 13 or over as adults. That means they also need regular adult ID. DoT still doesn’t require that airlines seat families together without paying seat-assignment fees, but that’s likely to change.
Kids flying alone: Kids 4 years or younger can’t fly alone on any airline; they must be accompanied by an adult. But the minimum age for kids to fly alone, as an adult, is one of the few situations when the big
U.S. airlines don’t operate in lockstep: 12 years for domestic flights on Hawaiian and Southwest; 13 years on Alaska; 14 years on JetBlue; and 15 years on Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, Spirit, Sun Country and United. Age limits vary on international lines.
For kids between 5 and minimum travel-alone age, most airlines offer “unaccompanied minor” service that monitors them, and with lots of schedule limitations, and a fee up to $150 each way; Allegiant, Frontier and Sun Country do not. Check with airlines for details.
Trains: Amtrak offers 50% discounts for one minor ages 2 to 12 accompanying each full-fare adult; not applicable to sleeper accommodations or first class on Acela. The minimum age for solo travel on Amtrak is 16. Kids younger than those ages must be accompanied by an adult, but Amtrak offers an unaccompanied minor program at some stations for kids ages 13 to 15.