18-year-old girl leaves family at airport to avoid babysitting her 3 and 6-year-old half siblings: 'They didn't handle the airport well at all'

The more you can travel in this lifetime, the happier you'll be. It's not always easy, and it takes a bit of planning, but taking that time off from work to leave your current city and explore the world is an amazing feeling. 

I think a vacation finally starts to feel real once you enter the airport. There's a lot of preplanning that goes on before that — getting your PTO approved, paying for your hotels and excursions, and coordinating everything with your family members. Finally, after months of waiting, it's time to head out the door with your suitcase! This feels especially transformative if you have an early morning flight. It's the weirdest feeling to wake up at like 3 or 4 AM and creep around the house gathering your last-minute belongings. By the time you get to the airport and through security, the sun is just starting to rise, and you get this wonderful feeling of lightness inside you, because you know your adventure is just beginning. 

Okay, that scenario I described, though, is the kind that happens if you're traveling alone, or maybe with a spouse. If you travel with your family members — and heaven forbid, small children — you will not experience this type of peace. No. You will all be kind of stressed and rushed. Hopefully, you actually get to enjoy your vacation too, but I don't blame this 18-year-old for hopping on a flight alone in order to get some R&R without the hectic nature of a family vacation. 

Next, read about some startling travel experiences people had, like one weary traveler who lamented, "After 24+ hours of traveling... [airline] lost my luggage."