<p>h-mom, Do you know that you can follow her flight status on line? For me, this was a great anxiety reliever. I’d also talk through some what ifs: What if the flight is delayed, re-routed, luggage lost. Normal occurences for seasoned travelers can be upsetting for first-time-aloners.</p>
<p>“Still, have none of your kids had similar issues staying solo in hotels due to their age? Is this because the college vouched for them to the hotel?”</p>
<p>That was actually an issue with D on the 1st leg of her current trip. I tried to arrange for her to stay in a motel close to campus for the 1st night of the visit. She will turn 18 in two weeks and the person I spoke to at the motel said she couldn’t stay there without an adult. I contacted the admissions office and they were able to find an overnight host on campus for the 1st night instead. I didn’t get to the point of speaking to a manager at the motel and I might have been able to make something work. I am thankful that we were working with a small college as I can’t imagine a larger school being able to help out in this way.</p>
<p>Historymom, your post made me smile.</p>
<p>My d is independent and worldly - for an 18-year-old. I had no qualms about her flying out to visit a college out east by herself this past fall.</p>
<p>I got a call the evening she was to fly home on a flight that included a transfer in Chicago. This little-girl voice said “Mom, my flight is going to be late. If I miss my connecting flight in Chicago, will you come get me?”</p>
<p>If you don’t have a map of the midwest in your head, Chicago is about an 8-hour drive from here.</p>
<p>Such great advice here! Good luck historymom & D!</p>
<p>I’d ditto the advice about not taking the last flight. I arrived in our city alone at about midnight last month (son & hub were on another flight, from a college visit) and it was a little nerve-racking being all alone with just the janitors (I’m sure they were nice people) and everything else in the airport closed up.</p>
<p>OP - is there a specific part of the journey that concerns / troubles you? (The flight, the transport from airport to hotel, the hotel itself, transport to the college, etc.) It might be worth thinking about what makes you most nervous and focus on what work-arounds or mind-easers might work.</p>
<p>But seriously she will do just fine!</p>
<p>Ditto on keeping the pocketbook zipped, stowing cash elsewhere, having a typed itinerary (including street addresses, contact info) and phone numbers pre-programmed. Make sure she has some singles in her pocket for tips – better than having to open her wallet when dealing with bags, etc.</p>
<p>Go to the website for the airline – most have maps of the airports they serve. Useful for a visual before she gets off the plane. Don’t be afraid to ask uniformed staff – I do it all the time.</p>
<p>The hotel thing has been an issue with our son when he traveled on his own pre-18. I spent several hours once trying to get him checked into a Hilton where he had a reservation and expected to spend the night. I talked to managers, was willing to fax them written permission, financial guarantees, etc. all to no avail. They wouldn’t let him stay and I have refused to stay at a Hilton ever since. He found something at a cheaper hotel.</p>
<p>Our biggest scare was when labor unrest caused all the flights leaving Peru to be cancelled on the day he was scheduled to fly home (18 years old). As I remember it, we got an email from the state department, but it didn’t do him any good because he hadn’t taken a cell phone with him on that trip and we had no way to contact him. His university sponsored class was long over and he had been just bumming around on his own and sending us the occasional email from a cyber cafe. He eventually managed to get out and land in Atlanta where he was able to get in touch using the old fashioned collect call method. He spent the night in a really nice hotel in Atlanta that the airline put him up in and got home safely the next day.</p>
<p>He has traveled enough now and had enough problems to overcome, we no longer give it any thought. My biggest issue is that he have a credit card on him. With money, all things can be fixed–food, transportation, hotel.</p>
<p>Thanks one and all. Some of the things you have pointed out are things I know I take for granted but she may not have realized.</p>
<p>I can not get over what a fabulous resource this is and gadad your post was amazing!</p>
<p>History - good luck to your D. I hope she has a wonderful time.</p>
<p>I agree - this is a fabulous resource - you’ve gotten some great advice. Even if you knew most of it yourself, it was probably nice to have the reminders.</p>
<p>historymom - thanks for asking the question. I know I will return to this thread when my turn comes to let D travel solo. </p>
<p>gadad - your post brought tears to my eyes. I will share it with DH, who does not understand why I am so addicted to CC.</p>
<p>I’m glad for this post–I’m going with DS on the college acceptance trip early next week. I hereby vow to keep my mouth shut and let him find our way thru the airport, etc. (no doubt many of you have done this for years, but we have not).</p>
<p>Historymom, hang in there! It is OK to be worried. My D is a frequent flier (has been flying solo since the age of 10), but I’m still a nervous nelly every time she travels. Her recent holiday travel saga is documented on CC. :)</p>
<p>A safety tip from my H: when taking a cab in an unfamiliar city, text or phone someone the cab license plate number so the driver is aware of the fact you are letting someone know. And if you are meeting a “sketchy” Craigslist seller, bring a friend with you and let someone else know who and where you are planning to meet.</p>