Thinking & Feeling

“The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think.” Horace Walpole

Monday 9 July 2012

Unaccompanied Minors - help!

Look at me on a roll posting today!

So I have a question and I need help.

The boys really don't see their relatives very much. Their paternal grand-mother wanted to come down for these holiday, but I was just too busy to arrange it, the timing wasn't right and the thought of her cooped up in my house all day with the bad weather was a bit stressful to be honest. Plus,  as I said to her, chances are the boys would run off to the park or their friends and she'd be sitting in my house alone while I worked!? So it didn't seem like a great idea.

But then the boys and I thought and spoke it through and it seems to make so much more sense for them to go to Durban to visit her. And their Aunt and cousin. (Possibly their dad too, but who knows. He is not in contact with us or his family, so unlikley, but still he is in that part of the world...). Durban is warm and fun and exciting and they have not been since 2006. They'd love it there.

Anyway, so I think they are old enough to go, without me. But what's the best way of arranging the transport without having to rebond my house? I can't book them on the cheap options like Kalula it seems as they don't accept unaccompanied minors...? Having been divorced for 4 years you'd think I'd know this stuff... but I am 'full-time mom', not 'every second week-end and holiday off mom'! Seems I actually have no clue how this stuff works!

Any advice, suggestions or experienced wisdom on how to do this would be gratefully received.

Thanks!

3 comments:

  1. Have a good look - sometimes the "cheap" airlines are not the cheapest and the others are close? Also, we flew Kulula last week and I am sure I saw 3 kids waiting with an air hostess to biard the Kulula plain - must be unaccompanied minors? Phone them in stead of try to book on the web

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  2. SAA is the only airline that takes unaccompanied minors.

    What we have done is flown my dad up to fetch them and I flew down (last year it was my aunt and David) to Cape Town - this worked out cheaper than going with SAA.

    I am very nervous to let mine go alone but your boys are lot "street smarter" than my two and they are boys so I would do it :)

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  3. Thanks guys. Since I get 35% off on Kulula via Discovery flying them there and back may well be my best bet... that or finding a friend or family member to join them as Laura does. Or I guess we could try the train or bus options too. But the bus one worries me, they don't seem very safe.

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