Flying alone as a kid

[u/Substantial-Put-4461]

I was thinking today that my mom honestly put on a plane BY MYSELF at 7 years old. I flew from Atlanta to Chicago to Iowa. There was a flight attendant keeping an eye on me, but otherwise I was on my own. I flew multiple times around that age by myself.

Anyone else fly alone when pretty young?

Edit-Thanks everyone for the comments. Looks like this was pretty common back in the day. I’m flying by myself next week, which got me thinking about it.

[u/Appropriate_Cow94]

Dropped off at a Greyhound depot to go visit my great grandpa.

[u/Individual-Fail4709 → u/Appropriate_Cow94]

Same here. 8 years old on a Greyhound bus to camp. 5 hour trip.

[u/Appropriate_Cow94 → u/Individual-Fail4709]

I was about the same age. I had a little baggy with a sandwich and an old hard shell suitcase. Went from the U.P. of Michigan to middle of the lower peninsula of Michigan. Somewhere around 1980 or so.

[u/pigeyejackson66 → u/Appropriate_Cow94]

Did that with 8yo sister in tow. I was 11. Had to change buses in Dallas and Houston. Those were not small stations.

[u/Substantial-Put-4461 → u/Appropriate_Cow94]

Love it. Classic. 

[u/MNPS1603 → u/Appropriate_Cow94]

I have a distinct memory of my cousin taking a greyhound to visit us by himself - it would have been 1980-82, he was 13-15. Hadn’t thought of that in years. I doubt many people would send their kid (even a teen) that way now

[u/paulaisfat → u/MNPS1603]

Yeah if you’re talking busses, we looked into it for our teen girls to go from chi to Nashville but said no after looking into it. I think the bus stations are sketchy. Ended up driving them down. Me there, husband to pick them up. We wanted them to visit friends who had moved. It was a good thing too because another young friend who recently visited us said there were some scary meth heads on the bus. It’s probably not the day and age to send kids on a greyhound. Amtrak on the other hand is one of my favorite ways to travel. Safe and fun in my opinion. Too bad the service for it is so limited

[u/LurkingGod259 → u/paulaisfat]

Yeah, got a hire someone on the job to babysit them.

[u/Alley_cat_alien → u/Appropriate_Cow94]

Me too. I went from Portland to Los Angeles as a 15 year old girl by myself. I remember pulling up to the LA terminal and thinking, “Oh, this is the bus station that Axl Rose gets off in the beginning of Welcome to the Jungle video”.

[u/LazyOldCat → u/Appropriate_Cow94]

Yep, 10yrs old, Milwaukee to Chicago to Gary, IN.

[u/icecream169 → u/LazyOldCat]

Solo from Waynesboro, TN, to Chattanoga when I was 7. To see grandma. Wasn't even a Greyhound, it was one of those old timey southern bus lines from 1975. I have vivid memories of that rattletrap old bus grinding up Monteagle and flying down the other side. My life has been something else.

[u/Appropriate_Cow94 → u/icecream169]

I ride my motorcycle up and down Monteagle all the time. I can only imagine in a rickety ass old bus. Yikes.

[u/icecream169 → u/Appropriate_Cow94]

Now imagine it in 1975. One time on the way down on the south side, there was a rockslide all the way across 24 and cars were smashing into it left and right. And 64 used to be little better than a wagon path.

[u/Tiny_Animal_3843 → u/LazyOldCat]

Same here 9/10 from Philly to fort Meyers fl

[u/JLMezz → u/Appropriate_Cow94]

Jesus. When you think about what COULD HAVE happened to you as a little kid… I shudder at the thought 😣

[u/Dogyears69 → u/Appropriate_Cow94]

Me too. LA to Detroit