My son will be attending BS next year. Do kids routinely travel to/from BS by themselves, even at 14yo? Including flights, trains, etc? From what I’ve read thusfar, he should get a state ID. Any other advice?
Check out the thread from last spring with a lot of info – I think it was called “Flying as Unaccompanied Minor”??
Great question. Love to read about some experiences.
Here are a couple of threads:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19805500#Comment_19805500
Yes, kids travel on their own. Most airlines require that children under the age of 15 fly as unaccompanied minors. The fee for the service is typically $150 each way. Once they are 15, the service is optional and they can fly solo. Even then, there are restrictions, e.g., they cannot fly on the last flight for the day.
You may want to research the current policies of the airlines you expect to be using. Southwest is an exception to some of the rules above.
My DD was 14 when she started BS. We flew the route together for campus visits/revisits and she was quite familiar with it by the time she had to start school. For move-in day, I had her lead the way as if she was flying alone. Never had any issues, and she is a seasoned traveler by now. She routinely uses train, bus, taxi service, and Uber for other solo travel. Independence is one of the many fringe benefits of BS. 
Our son traveled between AZ and Choate on his own starting freshman year. He did have a state ID but was never asked for it. He flew almost exclusively on Southwest where he was not considered an unaccompanied minor as he was over 12. The school provided transportation (for a fee) between campus and the various airports. He never had an issue. Most schools give advice about travel and transpo. These are good questions to ask at revisits. Most schools will discourage any student from taking any last flight out due to logistics if the flight is cancelled.
He also walked to the Amtrak station in Wallingford and took the train to NYC a few weekends to meet up with his dad when DH was there on business. Again, no issues.
A concern may arise regarding weather related delays & hotel registration for those under 18.
5 happened for us once in college at a "no under 21" hotel, but a parental guarantee got D a room.
We use Southwest whenever possible as their age restriction for unaccompanied minors is much lower than most. Our most significant problem in doing that is to fly Southwest she has to travel almost two hours to an airport. There is one closer to her school, but United and American wouldn’t allow her to fly under 16 because they had no direct flights, not even as an unaccompanied minor and Frontier only flew seasonally from late April to late September.
Depending on the location of the school, sometimes traveling can be more logistically difficult. BUT it’s still completely doable and navigating at airport is a great skill to have at a young age. This year at Christmas my DD has finally said I no longer have to walk her in the airport anymore. :((
In regards to delays we never book on the last fight out for the day! Luckily we’ve never had to figure out a contingency plan!
@COChoatie, if your son will travel to and form school by air, make sure to get him TSA PreCheck. It costs only $85 for 5 years and saves so much time and hassle.
Better yet, get the Global Entry. It costs $100 for 5 years, includes TSA PreCheck, and lets you breeze through immigration returning from international trips.
My son was 14 when he started BS. I have not gotten my son a state ID. He has been using his school ID with DOB.
ID is not required for a kid under 18(?), but he looks 19 (he is 16, lol) so he often gets asked for one.
He has flown exclusively Southwest and JetBlue. We have never used UM service. I always book direct morning flights. He has also flown a few connecting flights. By now he is a pro airport navigator.
We have never had a logistics problem (knocking on the wood.) Cell phones are a blessing. We exchange texts as he gets on the charter bus, arrives at the airport, boards the plane, and deplanes.
He uses school transportation (large charter buses) to Boston Logan airport and once used a privately booked small van to Hartford Bradley airport.
I had these concerns about a week before DS (14 yo) was to come home for his first break (Thanksgiving)… @cababe97 assured me that there would be tons of BS kids at Boston Logan and TSA wouldn’t bat an eye…sure enough. He flies Southwest every time and so far, knock on wood, he’s flown hassle free. I did get him a state ID because it made me feel better, but he says he’s never been asked for it. He’s a pretty confident kid, so he had no issues with gate changes, etc. and he said he did see tons of other BS kids on his flights out of Boston.
There is no direct flight on any airline between our airport and Bradley, the airport closest to Choate. ChoatieKid had at least one connection on every single trip to and from school his entire four years there and still no issues. By sophomore year, our son made all his own travel arrangements and just sent us his itineraries. No worries, @COChoatie. You will be surprised how quickly your kiddo becomes a seasoned traveler and earns status on an airline.
As one of those seasoned travelers based on BS experiences, I concur with @ChoatieMom . And I have to say, there is nothing like getting bumped up to business class on a transatlantic flight when traveling home at the end of the school year. 
Saying that @ChoatieMom is right is a tautology, but my experience is just like hers. No direct flights from our airport either, and while my D cannot make her own travel arrangements (they’re made by a travel agent and paid for by the school according to the terms of her scholarship), by now she has clear preferences about flight schedules, airlines, connecting airports, and seats, which she is able to communicate well. She checks herself in and takes care of any upgrades. All I’m allowed to do is drop her off, feeling banished like @RuralAmerica. (GoatDad has won the picking-up-from-the-airport job, lucky him.)
I feel like an overprotecting helicopter mom as I still book all his flights, add his itineraries into my TripCase app, and emails him so that he can add them to his TripCase app. I also track his flight with FlightAware app during the day to check his flight status.
I even set the alarm to check him in on-line 24 hrs ahead. You know the Southwest drill. When I will be unable to check him in, I buy EarlyBird check-in so that he doesn’t get C group to board the last.
As soon as the next year school calendar comes out, sometime in February, I start to make arrangements. Ok, I should have become a travel agent, but so far I am just playing the executive assistant for my children.
My TripCase shows that I have booked the trips for End of school trip in May, Return trip to school in September, my family weekend trip in October. I will book his Thanksgiving trip next month as Southwest has not opened it yet.
Although DS is now old enough to fly any airline without the pesky UM rule, I prefer Southwest.
The reason we gave up and let ChoatieKid make his own arrangements is that we never knew his exam schedule/release times for sure. On two occasions freshman year, we had to reschedule flights after we were informed of last-exam changes (thank heaven for Southwest). For us, it was just easier to let him do it.
@payn4ward I’m hovering right next to you with the SWA app in hand!!! Our kids are probably sitting next to each other on planes & not even knowing it. we should open our agency together…we could specialize in BS kids’ travel!! @ChoatieMom , there is no direct flight for us either…and some days we have only 2 flights from the main hub home, so I’ve had to make the 6 hour drive to pick up DS and then turn around for the 6 hour drive home…
That’s awful, @buuzn03. My hat’s off to you–you love your kid a heck of a lot more than I love mine.
@buuzn03 lol. deal!
That is a long drive.
I had been spoiled by having lived close to Denver airport, a major hub.
I should stop complaining. Since our move south, I have been saying “what? only one direct flight to Boston a day? Denver has two or three a day!” Dallas or Houston is ONLY 3 hours drive away for me.
I drive 4 1/2 hours one way to pick her up from the airport! Luckily my parents live out there so we usually make a weekend out of each fight incoming and outgoing!