Girls Trip! What I Learned Flying TransAtlantic Solo With My 9 Yr Old Daughter

​A few days ago I flew from Los Angeles to Barcelona with my nine year old daughter, Little Angel.

We had quite the adventure!  Between the 3 hour drive from San Diego to LAX in heavy traffic, 15 hours of flights, a long delay in Munich, a taxi strike in Spain and arriving to 33C/90F temps and a broken elevator in our apartment building, Angel and I enjoyed 36 hours of nonstop excitement.

(No wonder I'm still feeling sore and groggy two days later!)

Four years ago I would not have had the courage to travel by myself across the world with only my daughter... a woman and a little girl traveling from America to Spain alone! I didn't feel strong or assured enough to take on that kind of challenge back then.

These days, I don't think twice about it.  In fact, she and I are flying out tomorrow morning for another girls-only journey!  We're heading to Finland!

Here are some of the best tips I gathered this time, as a woman traveling across the world alone with a little girl:

• Keep your cell phone charged, and a charger with you at all times
• Pay attention to news and social media in your destination country
• Have a list of friends (or hotels/resources) you can call in the event of a surprise or emergency.
• Bring lots of snacks, plus an extra change of underwear and toothbrush
• Be street-smart... but don't be afraid to ask for directions, or to request help from professionals along the way.
• Use the journey as a chance to teach your child while having fun!
• Laugh a lot.  At yourself.  At unexpected hiccups. Because it feels good.​​

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Bonus tip for crossing the world alone with your child... sleep is essential! :)

Keep your cell phone charged, and a charger with you at all times

I travel with an iPhone and its own portable extra battery pack.  The extra battery is worth its weight in gold, as it has extended the charge on my phone from 3 hours to over 30! Additionally I try to carry a charging cord and plug with me wherever I go, because you never know when you may need to use it and I'm never, ever sorry that I have it.


Pay attention to news and social media in your destination country

Angel and I learned about the Spanish national taxi strike from a friend's Instagram post, while we were waiting in the Munich airport for our delayed flight to Barcelona. 

We were traveling with three HUGE checked bags.  Two of which I could not lift alone.

If we hadn't looked at the news or social media we would have been really bummed out to arrive in Spain after a 30+ hour journey to discover that we unexpectedly had to haul those three bags along the crowded metro for another hour... plus a walk uphill... just to get home. 


Have a list of friends (or hotels/resources) you can call in the event of a surprise or emergency.

When we saw the Instagram post, I immediately texted a dear friend in Sant Cugat to ask if there was indeed a taxi strike in Barcelona. 

Within moments she responded: 

"Hey! Yes apparently there is a strike today - no taxis at all.  C (husband) is home today and says he's happy to come pick you up from the airport. What time does your flight get in?"

We were so lucky that my friend's superhero husband generously offered to drive 40 minutes to the airport to pick us up (AND another 20 home!) to collect Angel and I after our exhausting day.  What a blessing!

If you don't have friends in the area you are traveling to, it's a good idea to get the contact information for a few reputable hotels (or your AirBNB host) plus private car services - just in case. E.g. we might have been able to work out an arrangement with a hotel airport shuttle to pay them privately for a ride into the city. 

​Having a backup option is always a great idea!
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Bring lots of snacks, plus an extra change of underwear and toothbrush

In Munich our flight was delayed by 15 minutes.  And then another 15.  Followed by another 20... and so forth.  By the time we got off the ground to head to Barcelona, our flight was running nearly 2 hours late.

My daughter Angel felt tired and very hungry at this point.  Luckily we had picked up a salad and a banana, plus a giant salty pretzel and some grapes, when we arrived in the Munich airport. Safe to say we ate our way to patience and a relaxed attitude while waiting, despite the frustrating situation.  

If they'd canceled our flight altogether we might have needed to stay overnight in Munich, so I always bring a change of underwear for each of us in my purse when we travel.  Plus a toothbrush.  Little things make all the difference!


Be street-smart... but don't be afraid to ask for directions, or to request help from professionals along the way.

During our journey I needed to ask for help more than once.  

At a Target store in Irvine, we asked for help finding something we could tie our rolling suitcases together with, since there were only 2 of us and 3 huge bags.  A nice man brought us to the sporting goods section where we found a simple yoga strap that worked perfectly!

At the Alamo Rental Car company in Los Angeles, we asked for help lifting our bags onto and off of the airport shuttle.  We later learned that our bags together weighed well over 100 lbs!  Two kind shuttle employees - one man and one woman - each helped us. 

​We tipped and thanked them most gratefully.
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Use the journey as a chance to teach your child while having fun!

I've taught my daughter that if she needs to ask for help or gets lost she should first search for uniformed professionals (like airport and airline employees) and then try to find a woman (preferably another mother) with a kind looking face. 

However, I myself feel very comfortable asking for advice or help from anyone - man or woman - after watching them carefully for a minute to assess whether they seem to have an honest, open vibe.  I go with my gut and it rarely lets me down.
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Laugh a lot.  At yourself.  At unexpected hiccups. Because it feels good.

When the airline in Munich delayed our flight for the fourth or fifth time, Little Angel looked at me... and I began to laugh.

"What's so funny, Mom?" she asked.  "Did you hear the lady say that we still can't board the plane?"

"Yes!" I giggled, and then kissed her on the top of her head. "You have to admit, it's pretty awful. I'm so tired, I can't see straight!"

"Why are you laughing then?" 

"Well, right now we can laugh or cry!  I think it's a lot more fun to laugh."

​Angel watched me for a second, and then she began to smile.  Her big, beautiful smile lit up the whole room!  Twenty minutes later when the airline attendant at the front desk delayed our flight AGAIN, she began to laugh too.  

"Traveling with you is fun!" she declared. "Mom-daughter trips are the best."

​​Life is short.  Get out there and choose your own adventure! :)

This sweet kiddo is an all-time favorite travel companion! Girls trips are awesome!

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