When embarking on a long journey with the whole family, which includes a young child or toddler, parents may feel unsure as to how to ensure that the flight is an enjoyable experience and not one that is riddled with complications and anxiety. This need not be a cumbersome task at all, if suitable preparations are made beforehand, in consideration of the active and adventurous nature of young children.

Reading travel tales and watching movies about it may go a long way in explaining the processes involved in travel, but an additional effort should be made to help children to understand its processes. Aspects like having to wait in line for assistance, or having baggage checks performed or experiencing a substantial restriction of their movements for the duration of the trip to chosen destination, need to be explained.

Many children become overly nervous and anxious at the open space of a busy airport or by being surrounded by security guards. It may be useful to visit an airport a few days before the flight is due to depart and to walk the toddler through the various lines, baggage check-in points and waiting areas, in order to create a sense of familiarity and reduce the fear of being overwhelmed on the day.

Being delayed on the last minute by ill preparedness and running late as a result, should be avoided at all costs as conditions before the journey should be as relaxed and at ease is possible. Last-minute hassles make toddlers feel overwhelmed and anxious, as they are relatively unable to assist in alleviating these problems, which causes unnecessary pre-flight tension.

Snacks should be packed for children but sugary varieties should be avoided, as they produce abnormally high levels of energy, which may lead to further disruptions during the journey. Advisable suggestions are dried fruit and nuts like peanuts and raisins or snack bars containing ingredients with natural glucose, like honey.

Activities while travelling aboard a plane should be practical, which is why toys with many removable parts should not be brought on-board. Better alternatives include sticker albums, books which include activities for children to complete or ones which require children to find certain objects within bigger colorful pictures.

By researching these kinds of flight details beforehand, as one does with the details of the destination ahead, the suitable preparations can be adequately made. A number of online guides and books are available for parents who wish to ensure that the trip is fun-filled and pleasant for the whole family including the little one in tow.

The urge to see the world is as primal and as essential to human nature as eating or drinking. People choose to wander the globe for any number of reasons and the vast majority of them chose flying as their preferred method of travel because of its convenience, safety and ease. Using SAA flights is just one way to ensure a smooth travelling experience.

The airline has a colourful history starting with its inception in 1934 as a result of the government at that time taking over the assets of ailing company Union Airline. With state resources they were aiming to turn the company around, attract more passengers and be more efficient with their mail drops. The biggest obstacle to this was the perception by the public that airline travel was unsafe.

The purchase of sturdier planes and a relatively crash free period set the minds of the flying public at ease and business was booming again. At that point the airline covered all the major towns and cities inland and on the coast notably Johannesburg, Cape Town Durban and George.

Fast forward to the present day and the airline is a modern fleet with all the latest technology, great planes capable staff and a great reach locally and abroad. Stringent safety regulations have ensured an impeccable safety record thus far.

Currently the airline still has domestic flights to all major cities and towns withing south Africa. It also operates a very efficient regional subsidiary named South African Express that services all the neighbouring countries and most of the Southern African region.

In addition the airline has purchased a few jets and is able to fly to almost any international destination. The addition of fist class and business class seats as well of state of the art entertainment systems makes the long haul flight much more comfortable. In addition there are Baobab and Cycad lounges for premium passengers to relax in and refresh themselves between flights.

In a bid to attract and retain more customers a loyalty programme called Voyager was launched. It rewards frequent fliers with miles and even those more land bound get an opportunity to earn miles by shopping at selected retailers or spending with a specially linked credit card. Once enough miles have been earned they can be redeemed against SAA flights or used to obtain other rewards such as flowers, spa visits and even hotel stays.

Online sites that allow one to be one’s own travel agent are interesting. One may not be able to afford to travel continuously but it is interesting to study different options. Vicarious flights can be fascinating and a lot cheaper than the real thing.

For example, one can go online and work out how to get from a town in South Africa to Beijing. This may be his favourite city in the world and one he would like to visit if he had the funds and the time to travel. The possibilities and the imaginary experiences are available at no cost at all.

There are four different local carriers from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg at prices ranging from 1655 to 1836 rands. Since they would all link with his connecting flight he could take the cheapest for this short flight and save himself R181. This in itself is a source of some satisfaction.

Airports across the world reveal the ever growing chasms between rich and poor. So too, looking down from the air above port Elizabeth one sees black plastic shelters huddled beneath the flight path and near them expensive bungalows beside straight roads and amenities. The plane swings out over the Indian Ocean before turning north for Johannesburg and flying far above the grazing and grain fields of the interior of South Africa.

There are various options from Johannesburg to Beijing. They range in price from R6878 to R12083 but one needs to study the flight details before jumping at the cheapest offering. Staying over somewhere could cost more than the difference between two flights.

From Johannesburg there are many options. One can fly to Europe first, but that costs quite a bit more. A Middle Eastern carrier will take one directly to Beijing with a stop over in Addis Ababa for the lowest price out of eight possible options. Another carrier will take one first to Doha and then over the Himalayas to China. It is worth a higher fare to gaze down on the snowy peaks of the highest mountains from a great iron bird that seems to hang in the sky.

Approaching the huge conurbation of Beijing one may gaze down on the countryside of China and wonder about the people and their lives in the country. It was not long ago that they were instructed to go to war against insects, flies, rats and sparrows and this may be why the countryside still looks bloodless despite the planting of trees and flourishing economy.

The wonders of Beijing await, with the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall snaking its way across the land below. China is an inexhaustibly interesting, ancient and modern nation. The Internet is also wonderful because the same site accessed from a city in South Africa allows one to book flights to other parts of the distant country. If it is January the traveller may wish to select one of the five different carriers available to take him from Beijing, north to Harbin where he may enjoy the annual ice festival in temperatures well below zero.

By using an online booking system like SA flights one can access many options for travel within South Africa. It is possible to be one’s own travel agent from the comfort of one’s own home. One can access many options for travel within South Africa.

Flights to South Africa usually touch down at either Cape Town or Johannesburg, the two major cities in the country. Although other international airports have been built at Durban and Port Elizabeth they are usually accessed from one of the two major cities.

Johannesburg was built around a ridge of hill in the middle of nowhere until vast reserves of gold were found beneath the earth. It retains many characteristics of a mining town although most of the gold has now been mined out. A ‘can do’ attitude persists as first and third world people mix in extremes of world travel views, having in common the search for fortune.

Good national airlines can link the traveller quickly with other destinations within South Africa. From a laptop in London one can arrange through the website to arrive in Johannesburg at eight in the morning, walk a short distance to catch a domestic flight to Port Elizabeth and be among a three hundred strong herd of elephants by lunch time.

On many flights it will be possible to simply sit on the aeroplane in Johannesburg and carry straight on to Cape Town. This cultured and cosmopolitan city has many attractions within itself that will keep most travellers occupied for some time before they travel further.

The great mountain that looms over Cape Town brings the beauty of the country and fresh air to the heart of the city. Leaving a city centre hotel one can be on a rugged mountain pass within minutes, climbing through fynbos and rocks to the wildness on top of Table Mountain. A descent is possible on foot through the world famous Kirstenbosch Gardens, home to an extraordinary diversity of plants.

The website SA flights allows one to plan interesting excursions from Cape Town into the adjacent areas that hold much interest of their own. A domestic flight from Cape Town to George is quick. One can then hire a car and travel through the spectacular Swartberg Pass, to Oudtshoorn, home of the ostrich industry. Then back to Cape Town via the Great Karroo and the famous wine estates that surround the mother city.