Take Off with The Flying Pinto, Winner of Our Blog Contest
By: Colleen Lanin, The Travel MamaSeptember 21st, 2009
Travel Mamas and Travel Daddies like you voted for their favorite of three finalists’ stories in our first-ever blog contest. All of the finalists received lots of positive comments and votes but the winning blogger is Sara Keagle for her story, The Bright Side of Flying with Kids.
Sara Keagle, Winner of the Travel Mamas Blog Contest
As a little girl, Sara dreamed of one day becoming a writer. Now she writes about her 16-year career as a flight attendant in her blog, The Flying Pinto, which gives travelers a look behind the galley curtain and provides tips on how to make the most of in-flight experiences. Sara also writes as the resident flight attendant for the national digital travel magazine, Hip Compass Escapes. In a recent article, Sara wrote, “Being a flight attendant has taught me to go with the natural flow of life.”
Her easygoing attitude is apparent in her winning contest entry, which shows us how to make the best of something many of us dread – taking a flight with children. One reader, Captain Doug Morris, said, “As a pilot, father, and observer of passengers with children, Sara’s article is a great read.”
Sara is a Travel Mama to her daughter, Lucy (age 2) and stepdaughter, Bethany (age 12). In her story, Sara asks busy parents, “before you pack those DVD players for your trip, why not look at your flight as a way to spend some quality family time?” It should, therefore, come as no surprise that her favorite memory of traveling with her children involves flying. She describes her favorite moment as a Travel Mama as, “being in the airplane with Lucy and seeing her realize we were up in the sky and (observing) all the excitement that she was feeling.”
Sara has traveled the globe during her career but if she could choose one destination to visit with her children she would pick the Galapagos Islands. She said, “I think it would be magical for everyone, but especially the kids, to see those beautiful creatures in an area still mostly untouched by humans.”
It is ironic that Sara has become such a world traveler. Her most exotic childhood vacation memory was when her family drove to Provincetown, Massachusetts all 77 miles from Plymouth, Massachusetts. She remembers the trip fondly. She said, “It was a great adventure staying in a motel and exploring Cape Cod.”
Sara said the most important piece of advice she would like to offer to other traveling parents is to, “keep your sense of humor!” From one Travel Mama to another, I will certainly try to keep my sense of humor, Sara. But I’m bringing the DVD player along, just in case!
As the winner of the Travel Mamas Blog Contest, Sara will receive a $100 gift certificate to Diapers.com, which offers a wide selection of staples like diapers and baby food, plus toys, books, strollers, baby carriers, and more – much of which is perfect for traveling with children.
Read Sara’s tips for making it through a flight, not only with sanity intact, but also with a smile on your face in her winning entry, The Bright Side of Flying with Kids.
Thank you to everyone who voted, and a very special thanks to all of the bloggers who entered the contest!
Do you enjoy air travel with children? Do you have any tips for making flying with children fun? Leave a comment below!
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Tags: blog contest, flying with children
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