Tips for shopping on board when you're traveling with kids

Shopping while you're on the plane can be a lot of fun: there are some great deals to be had (especially if you're on an international flight where the goods are truly tax-free), and it can be a nice way to buy presents for people you know or yourself. However, when you're traveling with kids it's not always easy to find the time for shopping (or anything else), with the frequent bathroom trips, boredom, potential tantrums, sibling fights, kids experiencing ear-pain from the cabin pressure, and so on.

These days, most airlines let you browse their sales catalog online, and that can definitely be a big help. Another great service provided by several airlines is on-board delivery: you can shop online for the items available in the on-board shop, and then have those items delivered to your seat during your flight. This makes the shopping experience a lot more convenient for parents. A sample of airlines that provide this service is:

• Iceland Air's SagaShop  - also has some great items for sale that are made in Iceland, and feel kind of exotic to anyone who isn't from that country.
• KLM's Shop@KLM - offers on-board delivery if you're flying out of Amsterdam
• Lufthansa's WorldShop - offers airport delivery at Frankfurt airport, rather than on-board delivery.

Shopping at the airport can be one way to pass the time, but parents traveling with small children might not feel that comfortable browsing in a fancy airport shop with lots of expensive and fragile items on display. Still, those airport shops can look pretty enticing, and again, if the deals are truly tax/duty free then it can be a very good buy.

However, even if you do find a good deal, there are some things to think about when you purchase things on board or at the airport.

Do you have space in your bags?
If you're traveling with kids, your hand-luggage might already be rather full and heavy. Adding extra items, even if they're a good deal, might make your load even harder to carry to the next gate. Also consider how much your hand-luggage weighs: airlines don't usually weigh your carry-on (a lucky thing for me when my kids were babies!), but it does happen. And if you're over the limit, those new purchases could be a real problem.

Will you be able to bring it on your flight/s?
If you buy any kind of liquid products on board or at the airport, and are planning to bring them on your flight, you have to consider the airlines' rules about liquids on board. A container of liquid - for example lotion, perfume, wine, or beer - usually has to be 3 ounces/100 ml or smaller to be allowed in your hand-luggage. Sometimes, airlines do make exceptions for products bought on board, or at the airport of departure if the purchases are in a sealed plastic bag. However, if you have other connecting flights later on in your travels, you might have to put larger containers in your checked luggage.

This did happen to me once: I bought a bottle of body lotion in Amsterdam and was allowed to bring it on my flight from Amsterdam to Stockholm. But: when we went through security for our domestic Swedish flight with SAS, I was not allowed to bring the lotion (in a sealed plastic bag) in my hand-luggage on my next flight Luckily I was able to put the bottle in a bag and check that bag as an extra piece of luggage; otherwise I would have had to simply leave the gift at the security checkpoint.

Ways to avoid this problem:

• Purchase items on your last flight/last airport stop.
• Ask about the policies before you buy.
• Put the item in your checked luggage.
• Buy products that are no larger than 100 ml/3 ounces each.

Are there any customs restrictions?
Depending on where you're traveling, customs might have something to say about your purchase. This is especially true for alcohol: many countries restrict how much alcohol you are allowed to bring with you across the border. Check the rules before buying too many bottles of wine!

In praise of wearing yoga pants on long haul flights

Yoga pants. If you're in North America, you probably know what I'm talking about. If you live elsewhere in the world, you might not. Sometimes they're also known as lounge pants, though yoga pants make them sound so much more active and sporty.

How would I describe them? Maybe like this: stretchy, breathable fabric, comfortable waistband, form-fitting around the thighs and flared at the bottom.

Where I live, just outside Vancouver on Canada's west coast, yoga pants are everywhere: almost every woman I know and pass on the street seems to be wearing them: to the mall, to the coffee shop, to the playground, to the grocery store. Some supposedly fashion-conscious people judge this popular item of clothing rather harshly, saying that yoga pants are too revealing (hugging every hip- and thigh-curve), too casual, or just too unflattering in general to wear outside the house (or outside the yoga-studio).

That said, what really matters to me is that yoga pants are so very, very comfortable. And on a long flight comfort means a lot, making yoga pants pretty much the perfect pants for long-haul flights. They won't squeeze or pinch your stomach, and they won't squash the veins in your midriff and legs when you sit for extended periods of time. The wide, elastic waist-band makes them easy to wear and removes the need for belts. (Belts are a big no-no on flights in my opinion, since they are both tight when you sit down and can set off metal detectors.)

The wide leg below the knee makes them easier to wear than leggings (and yes, I'm one of those women who subscribe to the "leggings are not pants!" belief), and if you get them in black or another dark colour, any stains or spills will not be very visible (and will usually come off rather easily).

Last year was the first year when I traveled on our annual Canada-to-Sweden trek wearing yoga pants. It was a black pair of capri-style yoga pants I had bought at Costco and I became an instant fan: I will be flying in my yoga pants every long-haul flight. While I still love my jeans, and confess that regular sweatpants and even leggings do have their place, yoga pants are where it's at for me right now.

• For more tips on how to dress comfortably on a flight, check out my post 8 travel-wear tips for parents.