My ten year old daughter complains about being the only one in her class to have never been on an airplane. My husband and I both travel for work; and when the kids were younger, the last thing we wanted to do with our precious time off was spend it slogging through airports. We’re lucky to have both of our families within driving distance. Now that they are getting older, we’d like to take a trip; but with the cost of everything going up, the far-away vacation is one of the first things to go.

I remember when I was a kid how exciting my first flight was. The pilot came out from the cockpit to give us “wings.” My daughter won’t have that experience. Yet, even with all the hassles of flying these days, I’d still like give her a “first flight” experience soon. In my travels, flying is almost always an adventure... although not usually a pleasant one.