I’m live-blogging my SAS EuroBonus SkyTeam Million Mile challenge this week. Click here for background and route information.
Maybe all that ice cream in the Saudia Lounge was a bit too much? Augustine appears sick and now I’m looking at pausing the trip…
Augustine Gets Sick…
We arrived in Kuala Lumpur after a very pleasant flight on Saudia from Jeddah. Augustine was in a great mood going into the flight after enjoying the eight-hour layover in Jeddah eating ice cream, drinking hot chocolate, and watching the iPad (along with some homework too).
During the flight to KL, Augustine only wanted a bowl of fruit after takeoff.
He then went to sleep and slept for the remainder of the flight (about seven hours), which made sense considering he did not nap in the Saudia lounge or during our Saudia flight from Tunis to Jeddah.
We landed in Kuala Lumpur and he seemed to be in a good mood. Yes, he slept through even the landing, but was then happy to walk around KLIA a bit ahead of our KLM flight to Jakarta.
Before boarding, he suddenly became tired again and said he wanted to lay down. I told him he’d be able to sleep shortly onboard.
We boarded our KLM flight and all of a sudden Augustine looked at me and said, “I need to go the lavatory. NOW. I feel very sick.” I asked him if he needed to vomit and he nodded, then made a beeline for the lavatory.
He emerged five minutes later, looking a little pale and confirming that he had vomited.
But he said he felt better and settled into his seat.
And in fact, he start giggling right away watching some cartoon on the IFE screen.
But moments later he was asleep…
So I’m not quite sure what to do here. Maybe this trip truly is too much for him and we just need to take a few days off in Jakarta.
But I’m hoping it was just too much ice cream in the lounge…
I Hope he will improve.
If you press on, does he know what he wants to do with his million miles?
Keep going. Kids recover fast!
Vomit is very acidic and damaged the teeth. My mother, if I vomited, would supervise me to rinse my mouth thoroughly then to brush, ti dislodge all food particles.
Any fever? Diarrhea could be next but sometimes one episode of vomit and it’s over and resolved.
Where’s the masks?
No fever. Makes me think (hope?) it is food poisoning.
Might be cimbination of improper clothing and food. I have noticed shorts in cold Europe and lounge in Jeddah is very cold and he seems have just thin shirt. No offense but never else i have seen people so disproportionally dressed to weather than in the US. Freezing cold people in shorts or flipflops etc. It never cease me amaze. I think the orthopedist in US makes a killing
Yup. Often lost in our quest for miles, points and status, our bodies may not adjust well and we need to be in good physical shape. Even short domestic flights can be brutal if it involves delays. Get well soon.
I thought you were home for thanksgiving?
As I said at the outset, this trip is being reported live style, but there is a delay for our own safety.
We had a similar incident. At least Augustine made it to the lavatory. My son did not. I’ll spare everyone the details, but blankets, a plush toy and tote bag were thrown away.
Same. I already travelled with a second set of clothing for all of us but the “vomit” flight taught me to also travel with a small, heavy duty plastic bag to serve as a catch basin.
Exhaustion can hit young ones in different ways. I hope he feels better soon.
Hope your son feels better soon. If you guys need to see a doctor in Jakarta, I would say the Siloam MRCCC Hospital or MMC Hospital have quite reliable doctors and they’re located in the city center.
Either see a doctor in Jakarta or Taipei. The airport express MRT to Taipei stops at a major hospital on the way to Taipei even though you could take a taxi there.
Its too much ice cream + dehydration+ exhaustion from his body not dealing with time zone changes. If you have changeable tickets, I would spend a day or two in Teipei. If not, boogie home & finish later. Travel with kids can be complicated because it’s harder for them to deal.
On the plus side, a young kid can throw up and minutes later be up and about having a good time. Somewhat similar to college girls out a the bars at night.
I can only imagine what Heidi’s reaction was when she heard about the details leading to Augustine’s incident. Be very afraid,Matt.
The nurse was level-headed. Said to give him water and let him sleep. Only got scolded for not taking Tylenol along (Advil too strong, per hte nurse).
Kids vomit for many reasons, including stress, fatigue, and illness far from the GI tract. A one-off episode should be nothing to worry about. Hope he feels better!
I really think this post misses some important points about the impact of constant travel on a young child’s health and well-being. Research shows that flying frequently, especially with kids, can mess with their sleep, diet, and emotional state. Augustine seems to be dealing with fatigue, nausea, and mood swings, all signs that the travel schedule is taking a toll. Experts say kids need stability, routine, and quality time with their parents, which is hard to get when you’re constantly hopping between time zones to rack up airline status.
On top of that, using a child’s travel experience to gain points with an airline raises some serious ethical issues. Constant flying is also bad for the environment, something Matthew doesn’t seem to consider. It’s one thing to travel for fun or family, but using a child as a means to an end, like chasing status, sets a poor example and can be harmful in the long run. While Matthew might see this as a fun adventure, the research suggests it could be doing more harm than good to Augustine’s physical and emotional health.
Something indeed to consider.
Or perhaps you are thinking too much?
Let’s not put everyone into a shell of what you think is right. Or cite some random “studies” to guide a formula for parenting across the board. How about you trust a parent who is responsible and loves their child and is willing to share with them the passions they have.
This is not a quest for miles as I see it. It’s an adventure. I am sure this young man will grow exponentially from the experience and the bond he shared with his father in the process.
There’s also the distinct possibility that Augustine, when he gets older, might not appreciate that his likeness and personality has been posted publicly on the internet, and that well-meaning adults who are total strangers to him are talking about his nausea and vomiting incidents in a public forum. Although I respect Matthew’s decisions to make his own family decisions, I would be mortified if this post were about me.
I wouldn’t be too worried. I find when my kids wake from a deep sleep on a trip there is a chance they feel (temporarily) nauseous. Have had a few vomit epsisodes in custom queues, car rides from the airports and even on the jet bridge at ohare (8yo son woke from a deep sleep after a day flight from Barca (landed in Chicago at 1am Spain time).
Ice cream and fruit is way too much sugar as you’d know….
In terms of pausing I think pushing thanksgiving lunch a week isn’t the end of the world. I’m sure for your boys comfort it’s worth it (noting it’s all inconsequential as thanksgiving has passed (haha)!!!
I agree with the nurse Advil is hard on the stomach so you don’t want to give him Advil after he’s thrown up.
Tylenol is what the nurse recommended and I think that nurse is right.
I hope he feels better soon. Maybe he needs a day or two staying in one place where he can rest up.
And of course by nurse I meant my wife. 😉
This trip is too much for most anyone. Flying just wipes you out. Easy to get dehydrated, exposed to germs from around the world, questionable food, irregular sleeping schedule, etc. I’m not someone who says to avoid germs but anytime your body is lacking sleep, nutrition and exercise, it weakens your system and can lead to issues.
To me one of the worst things is to be sick away from home. I had food poisoning or something similar from 8pm until 4am in Munich and then slept the next day (except for sipping water and ginger ale). Then the following day I cleaned up a bit but still didn’t eat anything and found a couple of FF business class tickets home and we left. Ended up losing 15 lbs. Hopefully his illness is short lived.
Good luck.
What a click bait-y article title… here I thought something terrible happened in Kuala Lumpur and that I should completely avoid / cancel my plans to travel to Malaysia. Perhaps clarify that nothing actually bad happened because of the transit in Kuala Lumpur so it doesn’t leave a bad impression of the place.
Otherwise, hope Augustine is feeling much better!
My first though would have been the ice cream he hat at the airport prior to the 7 hours fligh to KIA. That would fit to food poisoning. All the best for both of you and get on your cool trip.
Overindulging ( Halloween, parties, all you can eat ice cream )is a growth experience. We all learn our limits. As parents we can only try.
Indeed!
Hope little guy is in better health and spirits today, praying for both of you guys!
Ordinarily I would say a person hauling his child around the world from city to city is none of my business, but you put this out there every day so I’ll butt in. I’m sure you’re a fine parent, Matthew, but you can’t be surprised the little guy got sick. At some point “fun” becomes an ordeal. My best to you both, but I truly don’t know why anybody would do that to a kid.
Indeed, it’s a learning experience for both of us.
Such a clickbait showing how much you care about title not about your son. Appreciate if you use name of cities in a positive tone.
Did our trip take a turn for the worse in Kuala Lumpur?
Yes, it did.
Augustine is the best thing that happened to tbis blog.
You managed to get the KLM flight without any problems even if the stopover was very short ?
During high school, I experienced my first long flight ever from Malaysia to UK but it was fine. However, I suddenly felt uncomfortable when I wanted to go back from UK to Malaysia. I felt nausea and so sick, I didn’t even eat anything but just felt so sick till Malaysia. I think we needed to transit ike 3 times to really reach my hometown so probably depends on everyone’s health.