Amira Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 My 15yo is taking his first solo international flight soon. He's an experienced international traveler and I'm not really worried, but I just want to make sure I've thought through everything. It's a direct flight with relatives meeting him and he's flown in and out of the airport here and there several times recently. Like I said, he's flown a lot and I've been having him take care of finding the gates, leading us through security, etc, for the last few flights he's been on. He'll have a credit card, all the documentation he needs to give him permission to fly solo (a notarized letter and the correct forms filed with Mexico), and a cell phone he can use in the US or Mexico. His flight is less than four hours which seems really short to him. We'll send some food with him or he can buy food in the airport. He's not checking any luggage. I've talked to him about filling out customs forms. He has the correct visas. And hopefully he'll wear a coat because his destination is much colder than it is here. :) Anything else I need to do or tell him? It really seems very straightforward since there are no connections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsie Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Does he know how to make an international call on his phone? Do you need to let the credit card company know that he will be traveling internationally? Does he have a way to get cash at his destination? Does he have a copy of his passport and other important papers in a place separate from his passport? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 He (and you!) sound very well prepared! All I can think of is to be sure that the relatives' contact information is written down - but you probably have that already! Anne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 I have their passports around their necks to more easily keep track of. Money can be kept in a couple of places. Also measure and weigh the carry on according to airline rules. Sometimes they are picky. Does he know bags are sometimes taken and gate checked? Mostly I love that they can call when planes are delayed, canceled, and rerouted. Yes it did happen to my 17 year old. It sounds like you've got things covered. He'll have a great trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 He'll have pesos for this end and dollars for the other. He's traveling really light with two small bags so his luggage won't be heavy and he's used to having one bag gate-checked since we've always flown on small planes in and out of this city. Thanks for the reminder about calling the credit card company. I'd forgotten about that one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aiden Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Sounds like you've got it under control. It's a route he's familiar with, routines he's done before, no layovers where things could get wonky. I'd go over personal security stuff til he could quote it to me in his sleep because I'm paranoid like that, but he's probably a pretty savvy traveler already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saw Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Maybe have a backup plan if the relatives are delayed? So meet at an airport coffee shop or something if they miss each other or are delayed in traffic. Does he have everyone's phone numbers? Maybe double/triple check the ticket? We had a hellish time this summer when we sent dd to China, as the ticket agent refused to accept her ticket for some weird reason (couldn't find her name, claimed it had been cancelled, etc etc). It's the first time in a lifetime of flying that this has ever happened to any of us. Since then I've been super-paranoid about this happening again and calling the airlines to confirm everything. Other than that, what you have in place sounds like what we had for dd16 this summer when she went to China. She came back two weeks ago and managed just fine on the 20 hour flight back (including change of planes). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 He has phone numbers galore. At least six different cell phones of relatives who live within an hour of the airport. There would have to be a major natural disaster to keep someone from picking him up. And my mother will move heaven and earth to be at the airport before his plane lands. If it were someone in dh's family picking him up, I'd tell him to be ready to wait. :) He is so excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Basically he's going to take a walk, watch a movie, and eat for three hours. It sounds like you've done everything else there is to do for him. He's got you to do all the worrying so he can just be excited about the trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 I don't think I would send food with him. That's a problem if he still has it when he enters the U.S. P.O.E. (Port of Entry). They have dogs to sniff for food and if we were going to the states and brought one bag of Colombian coffee, we would need to declare that and probably be delayed in a different line. They have Winter WX in many parts of the USA today and he should be prepared, in case the aircraft needs to divert from the normal route and land in another city. Sounds like he will have $, credit card, etc., and the most important thing is that he have documentation permitting him to leave Mexico and enter the USA and then leave the USA and enter Mexico, since he is an unaccompanied minor. NOTE: If he is a citizen of more than one country, he will need valid passports from each of those countries with him, if those countries are the USA and Mexico... He will be fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Make sure the phone numbers and contact information are written down on paper as well as in his cell phone. Just in case his phone is lost/stolen you don't want him to have all of his contacts lost too.Teach him how to use payphone. You said he has a credit card and cash, but send enough cash that just in case something bazaar happens and the plane is diverted to another airport that he can eat out of a vending machine for a day or so. Have an specific meeting place set up and an emergency back up plan, again in case the phone is lost. Pick a spot near a restroom so that in case he has to wait for someone a bit, he isn't having to cross major parts of the airport to go to the bathroom. If the family hasn't seen him in a while.....snap a picture on your cell phone just before he boards the flight. Text the picture to the family so they know exactly what he looks like, and what he is wearing on the flight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHASRADA Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 I don't think I would send food with him. That's a problem if he still has it when he enters the U.S. P.O.E. (Port of Entry). They have dogs to sniff for food and if we were going to the states and brought one bag of Colombian coffee, we would need to declare that and probably be delayed in a different line. Just as a clarification, yes, he definitely shouldn't bring any fruit, veggies, meat or dairy products that may come off the plane with him, as these will hold him up at customs (which I'm sure you're aware of as a very seasoned traveler, but I'm mentioning this for other readers). However, snack food should be no problem (crackers, chips, popcorn, granola bars, etc.). Just a funny anecdote: One year when traveling overseas to visit the ILs, we would be stuck at the airport waiting to board at dinner time. Not wanting to subject ourselves to the ridiculously expensive and not that great airport food, we brought our dinner with us: several different kinds of salad in plastic tubs, sandwiches and a whole roasted chicken. We had no problem going through security with our food, and ate near the boarding gate. Unfortunately, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, and we couldn't finish it all; we didn't even touch the chicken. We boarded with the chicken still packed in a plastic grocery bag. When we arrived, MIL reheated it in the oven for lunch! Fortunately our family has iron stomachs and our destination was a developing country that doesn't concern itself with food imports :) I'm sure your son will be just fine and have a great time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted December 31, 2014 Author Share Posted December 31, 2014 He has to take food since they're only serving drinks on the airplane. He'd starve. And it's easier to take what he likes than to buy something on the plane. He's all too familiar with US customs regs and knows what he can't take through. Phone numbers are already in his iPod, on the phone, and on paper. He has a calling card. All the important stuff will be around his neck and he's not small. I'm glad this first time is a direct flight because he'll have plenty more solo flights with many more connections in the future. He'll be fine, even if something unexpected comes up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 I appreciate all these posts. Dd will be taking her first solo domestic flight this summer, and the comments help me clarify my thoughts. I'll have her take the lead when we fly in a few weeks :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Sounds like you have everything covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 He sounds better prepared than I was for my first solo international flight (at the same age). :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsie Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 DS, who is also 15, just flew solo on a domestic flight. We found that the rules regarding a 15 year old flying alone vary from airline to airline. I think it was American DS flew. We could not purchase his ticket online; we had to call. We could not print boarding passes at home or at the kiosk. So, I would warn DS that even though he doesn't have to be an "accompanied minor" there may be some special hoops he has to jump through that are different than those he is used to when traveling. From what we could tell, for American these special rules no longer apply when DS turns 16. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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