TRAVELING TO ADOPT

  You are about to have one of the most wonderful experiences of your life. . .

becoming parents of an internationally born child.

Stay flexible and open to new experiences.

Let the country captivate you.

Your love for your child's country and respect for its people

will forever be important.

 

Many years ago, Tempo Travel was kind enough to offer office space to The Ties Program, which was initially intended to provide heritage journeys to adoptive families. Then, an interesting thing happened. We started getting calls from pre-adoptive parents who needed help traveling to pick up their baby or child. 

As experienced travelers and adoptive parents, we really enjoyed helping with this most precious trip.  It has been wonderful to be able to "talk families through" what is often their first experience in both parenting and international travel.   After many years of working with adoptive families traveling to adopt, we are pleased to offer this helpful information.

Preparation for Traveling

  • Get your passport early.  Some adoption agencies require you have it as you file your first paper work for international adoption.  Adult passports are good for 10 years.    For detailed passport information, see http://travel.state.gov/passport/download_applications.html.
  • Carry a copy of your passport and a copy of the passenger receipt part of your airline tickets, secured away from those actual items.  In case they are lost or stolen, both are much easier to replace if you can produce a copy.

  • It is never too early to let us know you will be traveling to adopt. The sooner we know, the better we can serve you when the time comes for you to travel.  We  suggest you complete and return a "Pre-Adoption Information Fact Sheet" so that we have specific information on file so that when your time to travel arrives, you are not caught up in so much detail all at once. 

  • Consult your doctor on vaccinations.  Physicians get regular updates from the Centers for Disease Control and can advise you with the greatest accuracy based on your personal medical history and makeup.

"Thank You so much for getting us here on time.  Elizabeth is now officially our daughter. We are so sorry for having to call you at such an inconvenient hour when we were stuck in Tokyo. Thanks to you for your outstanding efforts. You are the greatest."

~Denise and Steve Petit (emailing from China) 

Airfares

  • When searching for the best airfares, here are some things to know:
  • Airlines themselves usually have the highest international airfares and always have the least flexibility.  When you book directly with the airlines, you will need to make a commitment (even if you don’t have one from your adoption agency) according to the ticket rules.
  • Travel agencies need to comply with airline ticketing rules but are able to provide you with insights helpful in deciding whether it is time to purchase your tickets.
  • Travel agencies can offer a variety of airfares including consolidator rates and Adoption Fares.
  • Adoption Fares:  Some airlines offer special discounts to adoptive families.  They are not usually the lowest fare in the market, but offer the maximum flexibility, no fees for changes and preferential seating.  See Seat Assignments below.
  • Consolidators are companies which buy airline seats in bulk at reduced rates and sell them to travel agencies for less than the airlines sell their own seats. 
    Travel agencies usually make more money selling consolidator tickets even though they cost you less—one of life’s great mysteries.   So, it seems to make sense that everyone wins.  Not so!
  • Consolidator tickets come with strings attached.  The seats allocated for consolidators are very limited and hard to obtain.  More importantly, they frequently cause problems en route—problems adoptive parents traveling with a baby or child(ren) don’t need.  For example, consolidator tickets cannot be “endorsed” to other airlines, so if you are in Korea on Northwest consolidator tickets and Northwest cancels a flight, other passengers will be re-accommodated on the next available flight on any carrier and you will be stuck sitting at the airport waiting for the next Northwest flight to take off.
  • Consolidator tickets often are subject to different rules as well.  Recently, an adoptive family called from China trying to leave China three days earlier than scheduled.  All of the flights following their original routing are sold out.  Flights are available via Tokyo, but United Airlines will not allow them to travel through Tokyo because they are using consolidator tickets. 


So, why were they using consolidator tickets?

Even with those drawbacks, sometimes it makes sense.  Here is an example:

  • When there is a BIG difference in the cost. (for the family above, that was true. In the case above, for example, there was literally thousands of dollars of difference in the cost of their tickets based on a very unusual circumstance.  We have come to believe that is the only time consolidator tickets should be considered for adoptive families.

"Just a quick note to thank you for your help in
arranging our travel to Korea, to bring home our
beautiful son.  You made the trip SO much easier for
us, and the extra info you put in the packet was SO
helpful!"
                     ~Nancy, Jim and Kai Covell

First/Business Class

  • Many adoptive parents ask about flying business or first class.  Both business class and first class are extremely expensive.  One way to reduce the amount significantly is to fly on Northwest Adoption Fares that allow a 50 percent discount for adoptive families flying business class.  A fare to China, as an example, would then be approximately $4000. 

Infants/Children’s Fares

  • Infants to age 24 months traveling internationally pay 10% of a full adult one way fare from the originating airport to the first point of entry into the United States.  Infant fares rarely exceed $200.  That fare does not entitle the infant to a seat—it is really more of an airline service fee.  Infants to 24 months traveling domestically are free.
  • Children (2-12) usually pay 67% of an adult fare from China and Korea and are entitled to a seat. A one way child's fare from Russia is usually discounted by 25%.  Currently one way child fares from Central and South America are not discounted.  The fare is usually based from the originating airport to home city airport in the United States.  Note:  On Adoption Fares, children 2-17 pay half of the adult adoption fare.

Seat Assignments

  • Seat maps for most flights open two to three months prior to flight date. 
  • Adoptive parents rarely get even a month’s notice before travel.
  • Those realities create a problem for getting adoptive parents good seats (sometimes any seats) because people who can make their arrangements well in advance secure seat assignments leaving precious little for people who book at the last minute by necessity.
  • The good news is that airlines usually retain about 30 percent of their seats for assignment at the airport on the day of the flight.  So, if you do not like your seats or can not get advance seat assignments, arrive a little ahead of the crowd, and chances are the airline will be able to help you.  Note:  on Adoption Fares, adoptive families are given preferential advance seat assignments and are nearly always able to obtain advance seats.
  • Bulkhead seats are usually first choice for parents traveling with children.  The bulkhead is a row where the rows break and you have no seats immediately in front of you, allowing you more leg room and easier access in and out.  Some airlines allow pre-assignment of the bulkhead.  Most retain those seats for airport checkin.

Working As A Team To Bring Families Together

Within the last few years airlines have made the decision to no longer pay commission to travel agencies.  One reason for this move is to push the consumer into purchasing their air tickets from the carrier's own website, thus eliminating the ability to compare fares between companies and reducing the need for customer service agents.  The airlines also want a customer to finalize a purchase by securing a name and credit card number so the tickets can be issued and the rules of non-refuundability become effective immediately.  We believe that families working in partnership with Tempo Travel Service, Inc. have more flexibility and are able to think about their newest family member rather than focusing on their travel arrangements.

Working in adoption, we:

  • "Coach" families through the waiting process, talking with them before their actual travel preparing for that important day
  • Help families think through their travel plans prior to receiving dates
  • Evaluate airefare choices by looking at prices and change / cancellation rules
  • Provide lots of uesful information about the in-country experiences
  • Help families evaluate whether it is the right time to purchase their airline tickets
  • Place a family's name on a waiting list with the airlines if seats are sold out on a desired flight, working to clear space on a flight
  • Provide families with our home phone number and e-mail address in case something comes up during the night or over the weekend (as things do when talking about children)
  • Offer help and follow-up when there are changes or problems
  • Request seat assignments, place other special requests and open frequent flyer accounts

In order to be able to provide these services, Tempo Travel Service, Inc. charges a per person processing fee that applies only to airline tickets.  No further fees are levied to make other arrangements related to your adoption.  We feel that we provide  tailored, professional and compassionate service to adoptive families as well as effiecient, accurate and expedited service to adoption agencies on projects that need quick turn around.  In short, we become a part of the team that makes the adoption process go smoothly.

 
Traveling With Your New Family Addition

  • Anytime you travel with kids, the name of the game is to keep your hands free for shuffling passports, attending to little ones, etc.  A back pack rather than a diaper bag is really handy.  And a baby front pack for infants is a real blessing.
  • Carry an extra supply of diapers and formula in case you are delayed anywhere or suddenly on a 15 hour flight with a baby with diarrhea.  Your carry on should also include infant’s or children’s Tylenol as well as a couple of changes of clothes for your child.  It is also a good idea to have an extra shirt per adult just in case!
  • Flight attendants cannot legally handle soiled diapers as they are handling your food.
  • Try to keep your baby on the same formula she has been drinking until you arrive home.
  • If you are traveling with children, order a child’s meal for the plane—they are much more likely to eat.
  • Ear pressure can be extremely painful.  To help alleviate that pain for an infant, have a bottle on hand for take off and especially for landing, which is usually the more difficult of the two.
  • Learn a few key words in your child’s language, even if you are adopting a baby.  Things like "Mama" and "Daddy" and "I love you" for a baby.  Add "Are you hungry?" and "Do you need the toilet?" for older children. 
  • When traveling internationally with a baby, airlines will provide a bassinet on request.  They are designed for very small babies and attach to the wall in front of you in some bulkhead seats or sit on the seat next to you if available.


In all that you do when traveling and in life, remain flexible and calm.

In doing so, you will smile each time you see the moon and recall a phrase we have come to love:

“I am not the same having seen the moon shine on another part of the world.”

Enjoy this beautiful experience!

For further information, please email us!  We are always happy to help.