Travelling with children on budget airlines is hell

So, the research from TravelSupermarket, that parents should consider booking adult seats for their babies in an attempt to save money is both unsurprising as it is useless.

Unsurprising, because anyone who has attempted to book a flight with Ryanair, easyJet or BMI, with a young child will realise the pricing policies of all these airlines are Byzantine. And useless because I would urge any fellow parent: just don't do it.

Travelling with young children on budget airlines is like entering Dante's seventh circle of hell, which, if I remember correctly, involved being transformed into thorny trees and being ripped apart by harpies. Or was it forced to swim in a stream of boiling blood? I forget.

First off, there are the outrageous charges. There are booking fees, for both legs of the journey even though they are being booked on one card as part of one transaction. Then there are the harsh baggage limitations. As a young, childless man – with hair and optimism – I could swan off to Prague or Nimes with no more than a toothbrush, a crisp white shirt and a dash in my step. Ten years on, it's just not possible. Teddy bears, favourite pyjamas, board games, Nintendo DS consoles, car seats, booster seats, sun hats, swimming arm bands – these are not optional extras, but life or death necessities that require more than hand luggage.

Are buggies an extra set of luggage? Invariably not. But child car seats usually count as one. Do you incur the £40 return charge, or hire one when you get there for £50? These are decisions that dog every step of the journey.