5 Tips on Surviving ATL Hartsfield Airport with Kids | Motherhood Unplugged

Turn the challenge of navigating the airport into something fun with kids in tow! In my past life, I worked in an accounting role for an International engineering company that hired quantity surveyors to assist in managing large scale construction projects like that of the People Mover in the Atlanta Airport. Each time we are able to ride the train in the International terminal it makes me reminisce about my days at the office.

My kids love to ride the people mover aka train at the airport. They are total boys so any mode of transportation excites them. If you are short on time I'd definitely recommend utilizing the train, it will give them some entertainment and you a break from walking. You can see their pure joy in a recent Youtube video we filmed while going to Orlando, Florida.

If you are not short on time, I would also recommend skipping the People Mover as this would provide a bit of exercise for your kiddos and opportunity for them to get out all the wiggles before boarding the plane. There are plenty of exhibits to visit along the way to your gate at Hartsfield. There is also a moving sidewalk if you want to speed things along just a bit.

When you arrive at the airport parking can be kind of tricky deciding how much you want to spend on your fee. There are several options though the first being to take an uber. If you decide to drive you have the option to park offsite at The Parking Spot and ParknFly as well as terminal parking. If you are near the MARTA station, you can ride the red or gold line straight to the airport. We've done this before we had kids but now that we live further out it just makes more sense to drive.

Once parked getting to TSA checkin can be made much easier by the type to baggage you brought along. There's a great company called, Lugabug, that makes an awesome compact travel bag for your kiddo! Isn't that a genius idea? It's a travel bag that secures to your roller bag and is great for minimalist like us but perfect for little + tired feet. This is definitely a time saver in my book and believe me I've been there running in heels while pushing a double stroller because the plane is leaving in T minus 5. Don't be that mom, get one of these.

Going through TSA security can be a pain regardless if you have kids or not but it definitely doesn't help with them especially because there is no courtesy line for families to expedite things a bit. However, waiting in line with a snack can take the tension off a bit. I can't tell you how many times I've had to remind my kids not to play with the ropes while we snake through the TSA line but if they have something to eat quickly while in line then they tend to forget all about the ropes. Just remember to ditch the food and liquids before its your turn to be scanned. If you and your family flies often, consider getting a TSA pre-check, which lasts for 5 years.

Playing at the airport is always a given, I mean children can have fun just about anywhere right? Well there's no dedicated space for that at Hartsfield but there is one underway. In the meantime, I tend to let them play amongst the empty chairs in a gate that is unoccupied. We never have a problem with this sense we tend to fly at the crack of dawn anyway. It also makes for great photo ops when the airport is empty too. During our last trip, I packed two folders full of distractions which helped out a great deal. They kept them entertained for the entire trip during our downtime in the airport + hotel.

Let me know what you do to survive going through the airport with kids.

Happy Travels

#travel