Flying My Daughter to Her First College Visit in London

Raising my daughter on my own meant making a lot of financial sacrifices over the years. When she got her acceptance letter to University College London, I cried for an hour.

We needed to fly over for an orientation visit, and I decided this was the moment to splurge. I wanted the trip to feel monumental, not like a chore.

Rachel at CEOFLIGHTS helped me organize the surprise. I told her I was looking at Virgin Atlantic because my daughter loves their aesthetic, but the direct prices were hurting my feelings.

Rachel found us two Upper Class tickets on the A330neo for $2,900 less than I was expecting to pay. It was exactly what I needed to make the trip happen without destroying my savings account.

The look on my daughter's face when we turned left onto the plane instead of right was everything. We were in the Retreat Suite section, and the space was incredible.

We spent two hours just hanging out in the onboard bar area, drinking mocktails and talking about her future. It's a memory I will hold onto forever.

My only real complaint was the food. My daughter is a strict vegetarian, and they didn't have her requested special meal loaded on the plane. The crew had to scramble to put together some side dishes from the main menu, which was a bit disappointing for a premium cabin.

But she didn't even care. She was too busy taking photos of her pod and watching movies. We landed at Heathrow excited and ready to explore her new city.