Uganda Trip: Travel To

Travel to Uganda from the US is a long affair, about 20-30 hours en route depending on what airline you choose. We opted for KLM mostly because of their service and total travel hours (25 hours from departure at COS to arrival at EBB). The first lesson from the get-go: all our US-connected flights were actually operated by Delta Airlines, which we didn't like. Next time we'll pay attention to this detail.

We started packing about 4 days before our departure. We were allowed 2 checked bags each (4 total, up to 50lbs each), plus 1 carry-on each (or 3 with baby artifacts). We couldn't check in online because of international travel with an infant, so we got to COS around 4:30am the Sunday we departed. There was a problem printing our boarding passes, holding us up for 45 minutes at check-in. Eventually we were on our way though, with stops in ATL and AMS.

When you travel with an infant, you must be creative on how you keep him entertained. We decided we'd maintain his feeding and sleep schedule as they were back home, using one of our phones in airplane mode to set timers and keep US time. What also worked was finding things he could spend hours distracted by: headphone jack in/out of receptacle, opening/shutting window shade, opening/closing containers and putting/removing stuff from said containers, etc. He was super friendly to people that showed interest in him, playing peek-a-boo with them for long chunks of time. It also helped to let him crawl in the airplane aisles (and wipe his hands with disinfectant as soon as he was done). He's not old enough for the kid entertainment on the flights, but he did really well we were so proud. On all our flights, people commended him on how good he did; we literally had no problems with him.

Amsterdam has "baby care lounges" in the lower floors of their terminals. These were a godsend in managing Moses' sleep. They are generally quiet (except for other babies' noises) and dark silos with a crib anyone can use. It was a good alternative from sleeping on our chests during flight, putting in 2.5 hours of a nap. We also tried to have naps there, but the available space outside the crib is frustratingly limited to allow laying down.

We arrived in Entebbe (EBB) around 11:45pm but didn't clear Ugandan immigration/customs and get our luggage until around 1am (Monday morning local time). But my sister and brother, along with some cousins were waiting for us outside, with our driver and ride. The trip from Entebbe to Kampala where we would spend the night took another hour due traffic and poor road conditions. This first van ride was a little bit rough on Angelene, throwing up and all. Blame the pregnancy hormones or air or something, but we are fortunate it wasn't anything lasting. We had dinner around 2am and turned in for the night, completing the first phase of this trip.