Suggestions for 15 year old ( child / teen ) travelling alone

Question

I'm traveling to Albania from Australia next week alone. I'll be taking multiple airlines (mainly emirates)

Last time I traveled overseas was when I was 12, I traveled with my family. Any things I should look out for or that will help me travel?

Answer 1

As you are not of an age of majority (ie, an adult); you can avail the special services Emirates provides for young travelers:

Can my child travel alone on an Emirates flight?

Yes. Emirates has two categories of service, with separate conditions and requirements, for our passengers between the ages of 5 and 16 who are travelling unaccompanied by an adult.

For children between the ages of 5 and 11, classified as Unaccompanied Minors, we have separate check-in facilities and dedicated ground staff to help on departure and arrival.

For the purposes of fares, any passenger aged 12 or over is considered an adult. However, passengers between the ages of 12 and 17 are not be able to accompany a child alone without a passenger who is 18 years or older. In such cases, both passengers would be considered Unaccompanied Minors and the applicable adult fare paid for all. Please contact your local Emirates office to arrange these bookings.

We also provide special attention for those children between the ages of 12 and 15—classified as Young Passengers.

Your parents can visit the nearest Emirates office and have them arrange this for you.

This means that you will have:

1. Priority boarding and check-in.
2. Someone from Emirates staff waiting for you when you arrive in Dubai to escort you through the airport.
3. Someone to make sure you are boarded on the right flight (again, with priority boarding).
4. You may also be given access to a private/restricted area of the terminal for your safety and security.
5. At your destination airport, someone to escort you through customs and immigration and release you to your family members.

As a traveler yourself you just need to be aware of your surroundings and don't be afraid to ask for help if you don't understand something - especially if you are facing a language barrier; although almost everyone at Dubai International understands at least two languages (of which one is English).

You have not provided your itinerary, but generally speaking when you land at a transit airport make sure you:

1. Have your boarding pass ready.

2. Confirm the gate, date and time for your next airline. This is very important as this information can change without notice. Look up at the flight information displays or ask the cabin staff (before you get off the plane) to confirm the information for you.

3. Be mindful of your belongings and surroundings. It is very easy to forget something (even adults have this problem) or get disoriented and lost when you are in a new place for the first time. In fact, many people have this problem even if they are seasoned travelers!