Flying Alone Again for the First Time Since Pregnancy!
Eeeii! I just did something that made my heart somersault: I bought a plane ticket to fly somewhere alone for the first time since I found out I was pregnant, 20 months ago!
Sure in those 20 months I've flown to Hawaii for a Babymoon with my husband, alone with the baby to Florida, and with both husband and baby to Puerto Rico. But let us pause for a moment and sing the praises of SOLO flight!
Flying alone is a rush. It's a thrill. It's a whirling, twirling dance! Your soul soars and your mind flies free. You can talk to people or not. You can be who you were, or not.
As the plane does its heart-pounding initial zoom to the sky, your stomach flips and laughs, and the clouds drop below like sighs of happiness. The future trip stretches out, an ocean as open as the one flowing with tiny whitecap winks below.
As you can tell, I find flying alone awesome. So how might it be now that I'm a mother? I think solo flight will still have the same exhilaration, only with a little pang now of, "Oooh, I miss my little guy, and big guy, too."
Happily, I know my men can amuse themselves for two days, and both have said (one in "Gagaga" language) that they're super supportive of me... going to this upcoming Global Education conference at the White House! (Yes, that was me revealing why I just bought that plane ticket. Woo hoo!)
I love my baby, but am passionate about not giving up the things that provide me with joy and career traction outside of the home. Self-expressed, successful, and fulfilled parents make for a well-adjusted child, methinks.
So what about YOU? How do you feel about solo flight? If you're a parent, how have things shifted with traveling alone since having kids? Are these issues different for men than for women? Do share!
The author, Lillie Marshall, is a 6-foot-tall National Board Certified Teacher of English, fitness fan, and mother of two who has been a public school educator since 2003. She launched Around the World “L” Travel and Life Blog in 2009, and over 4.2 million readers have now visited this site. Lillie also runs TeachingTraveling.com and DrawingsOf.com. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media!
Your description of flying alone is ON POINT! Thanks for writing, I'm a big fan of your travel experiences and traveling alone post marriage & baby! However, if you find yourself unable to take a trip and needing someone to take your place, feel free to send me a note! Haha!
Hehe -- Thanks, Elaine!
Wow! Ms. Marshall this was a great article with lots of "juicy" words and phrases. Also the pictures that go along with it match perfectly. Now I will consider flying alone... if I can!
Nice shots from plane window... especially the clouds pic..
Have a great time at the Global Education conference!
Thanks!
Well I fly solo all the time. Yes, I love it!
Were you at TBEX? Sorry I didn't meet you! I absolutely love flying by myself. Most of my travels are by myself although I'm married with two kids. That's the occupation of a travel writer. Luckily, I was able to fly to Athens with my husband. I prefer not to fly that far alone but I've done it. I daydream, read, think and sometimes talk to people but most definitely, sleep!
I was at TBEX Toronto! To bad we didn't meet then, but hopefully we can unite at the next one.
How exciting! I've never actually flown alone so that would be a new experience for me. Have fun at the conference!
wow, flying alone after you have kids is a wonderful experience by the way. :) i remember mine too :) but i had my husband with me. we left the kids at home with care taker :) i wish you have lots of happy alone journeys. Love from Gabi
I love flying alone and loved it especially when my daughter was little. I had a story assignment on St. John when she was just over a year old. The flight was bliss (so was the trip). I hear you!
I go back and forth...sometimes I enjoy flying alone because I can read a junky magazine, space out, etc...but I do get lonely and miss my family, too. My kids are old enough that they entertain themselves so when we all fly together, I can pretty much read that junky magazine and space out anyway!
I love flying alone when there are onboard movies! Sucks when planes are delayed and you've got no one to talk to, though! Fingers crossed my flights over the holidays aren't too bad, though I should restock my Kindle!
I can't stand flying - it's a necessary evil (I have horrible motion sickness). But your elation makes me happy! :)
My husband and I are now empty nesters. I enjoy traveling alone because it means I can fly where I want, dine when and where I want and go to bed whenever I want. Now with one kid in college and one kid living on her own, we save our dollars for flights to visit them! Full circle moment.
Great! I think it's exciting to fly alone - pregnancy or no pregnancy. But yes, you need to be more cautious while you are carrying a baby. You need to walk slow... let's see...maybe I will travel alone when I am pregnant. Thanks for inspiring! By the way, your child is adorable. :-)
Thanks! To clarify, I am not pregnant now, since I had the baby last year. I was saying that since I found out I was pregnant last year, I haven't flown alone. Thanks for reading and commenting, and happy travels!