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!
Elaine
Tuesday 12th of April 2016
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!
Lillie
Tuesday 12th of April 2016
Hehe -- Thanks, Elaine!
Anthony
Thursday 8th of January 2015
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!
Abdul
Saturday 6th of December 2014
Nice shots from plane window... especially the clouds pic..
Mary @ Green Global Travel
Monday 17th of November 2014
Have a great time at the Global Education conference!
Lillie
Monday 17th of November 2014
Thanks!
Penny Sadler
Thursday 13th of November 2014
Well I fly solo all the time. Yes, I love it!