There are many reasons that could lead to a child having to fly on their own. Children attend summer camps, visit relatives, or have parents that live in different states. Sometimes a parent does not have the time or resources to accompany a child on the plane, which means they have to travel alone.

Due to the speedy and safe nature of air travel, children being unaccompanied on a plane is not unusual. For example, Southwest Airlines estimates that around 300,000 unaccompanied kids traveled on its airlines in the last year alone.

Kids flying solo may be a common occurrence, but it is still important for parents to plan these trips well in advance. Most unaccompanied minors are sent on direct flights, which reduces the need for transiting in airports and eliminates switching of planes. However, plans can go awry due to bad weather, scheduling issues or other unforeseen circumstances. It is crucial that parents prepare their kids for all possible outcomes when they are flying alone.

**I do not intend to offend anyone with this article, specifically people with children; I am merely writing this based off of my own and other’s experiences.

Before you freak out, I’m not talking about banning children from planes or not allowing them to travel. Children have just as much of a right to travel as anyone else. I saw most of the world as a child (I was also a very well-mannered child that didn’t kick people’s seats). And in addition to annoying children, there are many other annoying things that come along with traveling- rude flight attendants, neighbors who start snoring on our shoulder, people playing their iPods too loud, people with poor hygiene, etc. It is something we have to deal with when traveling whether we like it or not.

Are you stuck on where to go for the 4^th of July this year?  Well, don’t fret because I have listed the top 10 places I believe are great destinations for the 4th of July! These 10 places truly embody this holiday and are guaranteed a lot of fun.  Enjoy!

via weheartit.com

My mom isn’t the most tech-savvy person I know nor does she have the best sense of direction, but she does love her iPhone. I’m beginning to think she loves it more than she loves me. Certainly there isn’t a son-replacing app out there…right?

I had the opportunity to beta test the app, ScoutAtlas, before it’s official release. At first I thought the app would only be useful for remembering where I parked but I soon realized it was more than just a simple app.

Here is a description of the app from the developer:
This app helps you save your location, keep a list of your favorite places, and share these coordinates with your friends. You could save the location of your parking spot as you exit the car. You could save the location of a small, secluded spot on the beach. You could save any location you want and with the power of Apple, find your way back to it easily. While looking at the map, you will be able to see how long it takes to get to each of your favorite places. Scout for different locations and store them in your atlas, ScoutAtlas.

So without further ado, here is my experience with ScoutAtlas and how the app brought me closer to my mom.