Itinerary for 2 Weeks in Guatemala with a Baby, Day 13: Our Experience at Guatemala City Airport (GUA)
Arriving Early
We caught an Uber to the airport first thing this morning after having some breakfast at our hotel. Alaska Airlines kept telling us we needed to arrive at the airport FOUR hours early… that was not necessary. We arrived 3 hours early and from the curb to our gate it only took 30 minutes. 🤯
It was super hot in the airport, but we did end up finding a nice air-conditioned spot to spend the time until our flight, buy some bottled water, and have one last delicious coffee.
However, when we went to our gate to start boarding, they did another full bag check, asked us to pull out all our liquids, and took apart our bags. They wanted us to dump all the water we had just purchased after security, with no other opportunities to get water again until the tiny cups on the plane. Benjamin told them the water was for the baby and they let us keep it…
It seems like each flight is harder than the last as Robin gets older and more prone to big feelings, hangriness, and constant wiggles, but the airlines do their best to make things as easy as possible for parents—keep your liquids if they’re for the baby, early boarding, skip the customs line if your baby is crying (which we did at LAX!), and all kinds of allowance’s for baggage (gate check stroller and car seat if you have them, bring a diaper bag, cooler, and breast pump if you have them…basically bring your whole house with you if you want!)
Robin just recently started having lots of big feelings that she doesn’t know what to do with, new fears she never had before, and lots of new words she can use to communicate, but she forgets them when she’s tired! I’m super proud of her for how well she did despite all these things. This stage was difficult to handle while traveling, but I believe it would have been just as difficult at home. At least this way we got to see the world while teaching her how to handle her new emotions!
At the end of the day, that’s what it really all comes down to. Life is going to keep happening and kids will keep changing no matter where you are. But when we’re exploring the world while these big changes happen, I truly believe it is making Robin a better person. She’s learning so much about different cultures, languages, foods, nature, and resilience when the routine is disrupted. I just can’t wait to see who she becomes!
Follow along for updates on our entire trip to Guatemala with our 11-month-old daughter!
If you’re like me and you read travel blogs wondering, “Should I use this itinerary?” – because how do you know if the blogger would do it the same way a second time? I’ll just say, I highly recommend this route! Our original plan included some beach time down on the Pacific Coast, but you’ll see we changed our plans mid-trip. I’m so glad we did!
