A Place in the Sun’s Laura Hamilton reveals her free travel hack to settle small kids on planes

LAURA Hamilton has been travelling with her kids since they were just weeks old.

So it's no surprise that the presenter for A Place in the Sun has some handy travel hacks for any parent travelling with youngsters abroad, and one tip is completely free.

6

6

Laura, 42, is mum to Rocco and Tahlia who are now 11 and 9, but have been travelling with their mum since they were babies.

Laura told Sun Travel: "One of the best tips that someone told me to use for travelling with a baby is to try and get them to equalise their ears.

"So for a baby, obviously make sure your finger's clean, but let them suck your finger or suck on a dummy. Them sucking on that is no different to adults sucking a sweet.

"It helps them equalise their ears when you're taking off and landing."

She added: "At an early age, it would be a case of them sitting on my lap. The toughest age is when they start to be more mobile and they want to wriggle around."

From having her two children join her on trips while filming A Place in the Sun, or family holidays, Laura has found "so many travel products" along the way that make travelling with them much easier.

She told us: "I love the Doona, it's an amazing car seat which turns into a pushchair.

"I'd also say that if you are going to travel with kids, don't feel like you need to pack absolutely everything.

"Almost everything is available abroad, so unless your baby has got something particular they need, then you can buy nappies, you can do the washing when you're out there.

"When I travel now, actually - I've done it for a very long time, even with the kids - we all take hand luggage suitcases so that we don't spend too long in the airport."

6

As Laura's kids got older, she continued to find some great products to get her through the airport rush.

Laura explained: "I used to have some really great Zinc Flyte Scooters. They were scooters that flipped up in the back of a suitcase.

"My kids would zip around on them with their luggage packed in the front of the case. 

"They were amazing because one of my biggest frustrations was that when I would land, I could never find pushchairs available to go from the gate all the way back to the airport entrance - it used to drive me mad!"

6

6

Laura continued: "So when they were old enough to be able to scoot themselves around, that's what we did.

"Then they were transporting their own luggage at the same time. It made it so much easier."

Laura, who helps Brits their dream home in the sun, is also embarking on her own project.

The star is sharing her own travel stories and encouraging her celebrity guests to do the same on her new podcast 'Mile Fly Club' which is set to return for a second series.

So far Laura has chatted with Duncan James, Andrea McLean and Bradley Walsh about their lives through travel from their favourite destinations and holidays to conspiracy theories.

Brand new episodes of A Place in the Sun broadcast weekdays at 6pm on Channel 4.

6