I wish I was a social secretary

Some parents moan about how they have to service their offspring’s hectic social lives.

Family cars bearing notices such as ‘Dad’s Taxi Service’ and ‘Unpaid Chauffeur’ cruise from destination to destination, to pick up or disgorge precious cargo.

I wish my offspring-related issues were so mundane.

This evening I have spent hours – hours! – trying to make Daughter’s trip happen.

She wants to come and stay with me for a week or two in August.

That’s nice.

And while she’s here she wants to go to the Reading Festival.

That’s fine, I can swing that.

The big issue is getting her here.

Daughter’s local airport (and I use the word ‘local’ in the widest possible terms) is Almeria.

The two airlines that service direct routes between the UK and Almeria are RyanAir and EasyJet.

But she can’t travel with either RyanAir or EasyJet because she’s 13 years old.

Both of these airlines view her as an unaccompanied minor.

And, according to their airline policies, she is not allowed to travel by herself.

Iberia and British Airways would accept her as an unaccompanied minor, which is great.

Except the nearest Spanish base both of those airlines operate from is Malaga.

And Malaga is a long, long way from her home village.

Such a long distance that Daughter’s mother is being highly resistant to making the trip.

For either leg of the journey, let alone both.

So if anyone from the ‘Unpaid Chauffeur’ service can come up with a solution to my problems, please feel free to let me know.

If you’re wondering how I’ve done it in the past, on previous occasions I’ve:

• flown out to Spain
• hired a car
• driven up to her village
• picked her up
• had hugs
• cuddled
• had lunch
• giggled
• told jokes
• cuddled some more
• driven back together
• spent the night in a near-airport hotel
• dropped off the hire car and
• flown back together

And done the reverse arrangements at the end of her holiday.

Obv.

Edit…

Lee, a Twitter buddy, has found bmibaby.com who have a weekly flight from Almeria to Nottingham.

And they’d accept Daughter as an unaccompanied traveller.

But, weirdly, their website won’t let anyone actually book a journey for an unaccompanied 13-year old.