Found Not Lost

My daughters were supposed to come home last night from their summer vacation in California. Unfortunately, when they went to the airport to check in, they found out that their connecting flight from Atlanta to NC is the last flight of the day. As unaccompanied minors, they are not allowed to take the last flight of the day just in case the flight gets canceled and they end up stranded at the airport. Now their flight was booked over a month ago, they flew to California over three weeks ago. Why were we not notified of this fact before they showed up at the airport to check in? What a waste of everybody’s time!

Anyway, no sense in me ranting about it now. They are in the air as we speak. They just left half an hour ago and will be here in about seven hours. I’ll chuck this up to another learning experience and add it to the previous lessons learned.

Minors should not take the last flight of the day.  Even after you book the flight, confirm with the airline that this is a suitable flight for unaccompanied minors. i.e. not the last flight of the day.

I’ve mentioned before that the girls flew by themselves for the first time this summer. They’ve been flying to California almost every summer since they were toddlers so flying is really nothing new to them. When they have gone in the past, they usually bring with them all their favorite things to keep them busy during their month long, or more, stay with grandma. This time around, they had to pare down what they could bring because of new baggage restrictions. For one, they can now only bring one free checked in luggage, not weighing more than 50 pounds. They usually do some shopping while they’re there so I told them to leave room and weight allowance for what they will be bringing back with them. It’s a pain, gone are the days when you just cram everything you need for the summer regardless of weight.

This week, Delta announced that they are increasing baggage fees even more! Now if you want to check in a second bag, the fee is going up from $25 to $50. More if you are checking in stuff that need special handling like surfboards, golf clubs or ski equipment.

I haven’t checked yet, but I heard that some airlines are even charging fees for a checked bag. So I guess now if you’re going to fly, you have to wear what you plan on packing or pay the fees. There was a comedy skit on one of the late shows where they were testing how many pairs of underwear one can put on. Pretty soon, you’ll be seeing a lot of very bulky people getting on the planes. lol!

What kid doesn’t like summer vacations? Some of my fondest memories growing up were the vacations during the summer months. One memorable trip for instance was our first ever trip to Europe and my sister and I city hopped and museum hopped all over the place. Before we got to London, we had never even heard of Madame Tussauds Museum. An aunt, whom we were staying with, took us there and were we amazed! Now just about every major city has a Madame Tussaud exhibit.

Just last year, when we were looking for things to do in Las Vegas we found out there was one there! So you know we just had to take the girls over there, even the little ones. They had a blast! Of course, their favorites had to be the fairy tale characters. Go figure!

Wherever your planned destination is, don’t forget to do your research first before you get there. While there is something to be said about the wonders of the less traveled road, traveling with kids and ornery adults requires some planning ahead. For your next trip, make sure you include Trusted Tours and Attractions in your resource list. They have valuable online travel guides for almost every major city in the country which gives you a list of interesting places to see and things to do.

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While my daughters have been flying since they were toddlers, this is the first year that they traveled by themselves. Since they are minors traveling by themselves, there were a few things that were different:

1. There is a $100 additional fee that must be paid at check in. This is the fee for the added attention accorded to minors, such as escort to their seat and transport to their connecting flight. A family traveling together (such as my 3 daughters) only pays $100 for the group, not each. Thank goodness for that! I didn’t have extra $300. They also only take cash or credit card. No checks.
2. Each child is given a paper bracelet, much like the ones they get at amusement parks, to identify them as minors traveling alone. My ten year old daughter exclaimed, “we’re being barcoded!”
3. The airline gives parents a security pass so they can escort their children to the gate. They must stay at the gate. They must stay at the gate area until the plane pushes off.
4. Upon arrival at their destination, the responsible party picking them up must meet them at the gate for the ‘hand-off’.

I have yet to interview the girls to see what they thought of the experience.

You don’t have to be a world traveler to ever have a need to rent a car. There are a number of times when you need a car rental right at home. Actually, the few times I have rented cars, it’s been to use within 50 miles of home.

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