The Gen XY Lifestyle

How to make sure your child is safe when travelling alone

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There are several good reasons why a kid should or can travel alone or even with other kids. Importantly, a key question is how to ensure their  safety as they are travelling alone.  

Some people often ask why a child would be allowed to travel alone Some equally good reasons are perhaps the child is visiting a non-custodial parent or grandparents or traveling to study abroad.

However, the decision to let your child travel without you should be personal and not one that anybody should be influencing or taking for that matter.

All you need to do is to make sure that your kid will be safe while travelling alone. Let us see how.

Prepare their minds for it

It is very important to talk your child through the trip, especially if that is the first time he or she will be traveling. If the journey is by air, let them know what to expect. Explain the boarding process, take-off, the turbulence immediately after take-off, the restrooms, and the landing. Let them know that because of the pressure changes during taking off and landing, they could feel some discomfort in their ears. This could lead to panicking if they were not aware before. Telling them it is perfectly normal will get them ready. Let them know that they can also speak with the flight attendant if they need any help. If they are traveling by road, let them know how long it would take and what the route to their destination looks like. Make sure they have enough food and water for the road and why it’s important that they drink water regularly.

Book early

There is usually a limit to the number of children flying alone on each flight and the only way to get some flexible options for your child who is traveling alone when scheduling his flight is by booking early.

travelling alone

Booking a flight that departs early is also important to minimise any cancellations or delays. One of the advantages of booking early flights or train tickets is that you get to choose seats that will be favorable for your child. You can pick an aisle seat close to the front of the plane so that the flight attendants are able to keep a close eye on him or her. The thought of being close to a responsible adult will make the child almost forget that he or she is travelling alone. This goes with paying for a bus. Book a seat near the driver so that your child can communicate with him anytime. If you book late, you won’t be able to have these opportunities for your child.

Stay reachable and in touch throughout the journey

This is very important, especially if your child is one that is very shy when relating with others. You need to make plans for an easy connection with you so that you can provide any help he or she would need during the journey. Travelling alone may look awkward and scary for your child but when they know that they can just pick up their phones and connect with you easily, they would feel safer and not too alone during the journey. Now, staying reachable may require that you go for SIM only deals for your child’s mobile phone because it is possible that the phone’s original mobile network would not work in their new location. Getting this SIM-only plan would enable them to switch to a sim that works and only pay for the duration of their journey within the location. Before the journey, the phone can be unlocked to take and recognize other SIM cards. Getting your kids to stay online and connected with you is very important for their safety during their journey.

Know how travel insurance works

Looking into the insurance cover for your child is very important before they travel alone. If your kid is travelling on an education tour, the coverage that the school will have for your child is all about their own liability and it is not to cover your child’s medical bills or even make you available to them if they need you. The same goes for travel insurance when your child is traveling with another family member. If they have an insurance plan, your child won’t be covered by it because they are not related. Make sure you already have a family travel insurance plan that covers your child when he or she is traveling alone or with family members. The right insurance plan will protect you from huge medical bills if your child is in an accident but can also provide coverage to fly a family member to the insured child’s bedside if they are hospitalised. Travel insurance is very cost-effective, especially for kids, so there is a need to get it.

Install a tracking app on your child’s phone

Sometimes, you can avert dangers if you are aware of them on time and take swift measures to put things right. This is why it is important to install tracking apps on your kids’ phones that will feed you their location at any point in time. Since you would have made enough inquiries and seen the route to the destination, you can monitor your child’s movement to see if there is any change in the travel route. The tracking app will be very helpful if your child gets lost. Make sure to provide your child with a copy of their itinerary, so they know when they are scheduled to arrive at their destination.

travelling alone

When it comes to children travelling on their own, it is usually a scare for the parents. However, if they prepare everything right to keep the child safe while traveling, the kid will have an awesome adventure and learn so much about their own capability and confidence.

There are so many things to plan ahead of time, the early bookings to get good seats, booking of safe accommodation, making sure they are reachable, and a host of other things to ensure your kids are safe throughout their journeys. If you make sure they are safe when they travel alone, then they will be safe.


Article contributed by Inna Atwood and edited by the Active Age. Inna works as a fitness coach & a part-time content writer. She loves reading and travelling. She is young and ambitious and does hope to share her knowledge and experience with anyone willing to learn something new.

Photo by Tobias on Unsplash and by Steven Lewis on Unsplash

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