When my Alex and I were grabbing our baggage after a sixteen hour flight from Dubai. Now already the middle of the night at Los Angeles. We had been traveling for several years now and Alex was an absolute pro when it came to handling difficult flights, crowded airports and new cities. When Alex was five we started traveling, and I started this blog, all of the time it has been just him and me. I was working full time back then in a big advertisement agency, but I soon figured that I had to be there for my son. And that was when I turned our life around and decided not only to home-school Alex, but also to take him on what should be the biggest adventure of his – and of course my – life. Alex always was into science and a little nerd. That must definitely come from his fathers side, because I consider myself less bookish. And so we headed off to Europe, the Middle East, and the world in general – just to come back to the States two years later. Alex is now a sophisticated eight-year-old and I am a hot mom in my mid-thirties. 😉
“Mom, I can’t find my jumper!”, he was always picking up new fancy words from people we meet on our trip, I was pretty sure that one came from this comical English professor we had met in Egypt. The jumper was found and we headed out into the gloomy L.A. night. I always tend to be very skeptical when it comes to hiring a car service in the middle of the night, but this time I had made some preparations and ordered an SUV from an lax car service. I ordered the “Airport Transportation” but later on decided to upgrade the package. It was almost three a.m., but our driver for the night was waiting for us with a huge smile – and a big bag full of burgers and fries as well as chilled drinks in his hand. He even got the additional apple I had asked for (I always make sure that Alex gets enough fiber before and during flights, but I had the feeling an additional apple would be great)! Don’t be shy to ask for special tasks like providing chilled water – in most cases a great lax car service, or any car service really will provide you with your requests, believe me I have had quite a few encounters so far!
The next day Alex had asked to go and see the Griffith Observatory, he had read up on the hall of sky exhibits beforehand and was really pushing me to go there. We were picked up by another driver that day after I had decided on short notice that I was not feeling too well and did not want to drive myself.
What can I tell you guys? The observatory was huge and I took some great photos from up there! Alex was okay with me wanting to walk a bit more and so we decided to go on a scenic hike along Amir’s Garden Trail and meet up with our driver at Mineral Wells Picnic area, where he could easily find a parking spot.
The hike was gorgeous and calming, I could let my thoughts wander whilst watching my boy playfully running through the woods. I sat on a bench and watched the blooming city beneath us, felt the fresh air and listened to the birds’ songs. It’s these moments that make us like a “normal” family and I even enjoy them. Life as a traveling single mom is not always easy, but you just got to get some quiet time in – and as much help as you can get from professionals. That’s why I enjoy hiring professional drivers or get take-away foods (you can even get them as keto meals these days). Alex just loved the animals, to him it was a perfect day. When we were back at our hotel room we simply ordered room-service that night and Alex fell asleep really quickly. That’s how I deal with jet-lag in an eight-year-old.