Traveling Alone with the Kids is an Experience in Itself!

 Norwegian Sky Bahamas cruise / May 9 - 12, 2014 / Departure!

This was my first trip alone with my two kids. They are older now (10 and 16) and more self sufficient, but in the past, I've always had someone else with me - my mom, my husband, a friend, but this time it was just me. I had been wanting to do this for quite a while but the right opportunity just never presented itself. I had just completed my first full marathon in Pittsburgh and at the end of the training, I just felt I needed some time with my kids! So when a short cruise opportunity came up I jumped on it! 3 days of sun and fun without any distractions - and over Mother’s Day. What a gift for all!

Our flight left Pittsburgh on time at 5:20am, which called for a very early morning. It's amazing how nobody seems to mind getting up in the middle of the night to go on vacation! We arrived at the airport around 4am and there was a slight line at the ticket counter. I had already checked in and paid to check one bag so it was just a matter of dropping off that bag. The line moved fairly quickly and soon enough we were heading to security. Trying to keep it easy we packed mostly carry-ons, just checking one bag of stuff we could live without in case it got lost. A little bit of stuff from each of us - never put all your eggs in one basket with the airlines! Making sure everyone could handle carrying their own stuff made maneuvering the airport that much easier.

Our next obstacle – security!  The TSA line wasn't overly packed but did have maybe 40 people or so. It was then I remembered that my and my daughter’s boarding passes were marked with the pre-check! Yes! But what about my ten year old son? After checking with the security agent, I was told that everyone in your party ages 12 and up must have the designation in order to use that line so we were good to go! Went through the pre-check line and sailed through security. Already having my 3-1-1 bags ready to go in the easy access shoulder bag carryon also helped.

We then headed to the gate and had plenty of time to grab a quick breakfast and use the restroom. Pittsburgh has a lot of great shops and restaurants at the gates but sadly McDonald’s was the only thing open at that hour.  What a shame!

At the gate we began boarding and it looked like there was going to be a problem but not so. (Yep, surprised me too!).  We got on the plane, took off and actually arrived in  Philadelphia early. Using my US Airways app I was able to continually check flight status and gate locations for my connecting flight. I warned the kids that we would change terminals and to be ready to go in case we ran late. Pre-warned is pre-armed!  Luckily, we were only going from B to C but it was a bit of a walk since we were the last gate. Philadelphia also had a lot of shops closed but it looked like all the good options were open. We had enough time to relax a little and wait to board our flight. So far so good, but planning ahead and being on top of things is going to be imperative for this trip.

Planning included suitcase sizes and carryon sizes, packing snacks and things to do. Never know if we’re gonna have time to grab some food so I always have my own. Especially good for picky eaters! As a parent, we learn to plan ahead for our kids’ daily needs. This is never more important than while traveling!

I might add that something happened right away that I never anticipated - this was bringing the kids closer together - at least for this weekend. My kids are very different in personality and 6 1/2 years apart so sometimes they clash. Since this was a last-minute trip, ideal seating was not available for all flights. From Philadelphia to Miami we had 2 seats together and one middle seat, 2 rows up. Of course I thought the teenager would want to be alone, so I put her there. Nope. She chose to sit with her brother and enjoy the experience together. I admit I was worried when it came down to it and the flight was full so I couldn’t move, but I never heard a peep out of them. Ok. They're getting along - this may be the best Mother's Day ever! At least so far – LOL!  Will let you know how long THAT lasted!