I don’t have kids, and therefore, I take a lot of trips with my godsons.
Throughout the year, we take easy day trips around South Florida that don’t require too much planning, and we also take weekend trips to other parts of the state, like Key West and Orlando.
The boys have busy high school schedules, and I’m pretty busy, too, since I work full-time as a teacher.
Despite our time constraints, I really try to be intentional about making memories as a family. Whether big or small, we usually go on a few trips each year.
I bring 3 specific travel documents with me whenever we travel
Now that we’ve been traveling together for a while and are taking trips to other states, I’ve started bringing specific documents for each kid: a copy of their birth certificate, notarized travel consent forms from each parent, and their passports.
I don’t always bring these documents if we’re going on a road trip around Florida. However, I bring them whenever we travel by plane or go to a different state.
Before I started taking the kids on trips, I usually traveled solo and flew a lot. During those years, I didn’t have to think about which travel documents minors need to bring on planes.
However, this past December, I took the kids on a trip to Philadelphia and New York City. This was our first big flight together. During my trip preparations, I learned that minors aren’t required to have IDs when traveling with adults.
Even though IDs weren’t technically required, this wasn’t a risk I was willing to take
I made sure each of the boys took their passports on this trip, which was a good call because the TSA agents asked to see their IDs each time we went through security.
I don’t know what would have happened if they didn’t have their documents with them, but I’m glad we didn’t find out.
I’m super Type A and like to be prepared for worst-case scenarios, which is why I prioritized bringing these documents with me on our trip.
Before we went on our holiday, I found a generic travel consent form online and had each kid’s parent fill one out for their child. Then we went to get the documents notarized.
These documents outlined our travel dates and destinations, so if any officials ever asked to see them, they’re clear.
I brought the birth certificate copies as a double layer of security to prove that the people who filled out the consent forms are actually the kids’ parents.
Some people might think this is excessive. I think it’s wise.
Thankfully, nobody asked to see these documents
I can’t imagine a scenario when a flight attendant or TSA agent would want to see such detailed proof of our travel plans, but it’s not a chance I’m willing to take.
We’re taking a family cruise later this year, and the agent I spoke with during booking told me I’d need to fill out a travel consent form for each child before we board.
They emailed the form to me before we finished our call, which I really appreciated. I’ve worked in the cruise industry before, so I know major cruise lines have their own versions of these documents.
If you cruise with minors you don’t have legal custody over, you have to fill out and submit these consent forms before embarkation.
I love my godkids and am so blessed to take them on trips. I want our vacations to be unforgettable — but not because they were ruined because I didn’t have the right documentation.
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