The first time we ever left my daughter was the summer before her junior year in high school. Actually, she left us -- she was chosen for the Georgia Governor's Honors Program and we couldn't let her miss that. Hubby had a business trip to Barcelona, so I reluctantly went without her. I was a nervous wreck.
I was afraid others wouldn't take care of her and something bad would happen. I didn't trust my mother to keep her because on several occasions she almost let my other brother and sister drown in the pool because she would get busy talking to someone and forget about them.

You'll have to understand where I'm coming from -- my five-year-old brother was killed by a drunk driver who lost control of his car and ran over my brother, coming withing inches of hitting me, too.
Our daugter went everywhere with us, even on business trips when I was able to join my husband. I wouldn't even let her ride in a car with even my siblings -- I went with her on every field trip, every basketball trip, every violin lesson in Columbus (about an hour south of us), etc., etc. That is, until she was a junior and became embarrassed by it. I still went ... in my car. The exception was basketball games -- her small private school had no buses, so we were official drivers for the basketball team.
So I'm probably not the one to ask about leaving a baby and going on a trip.
