After finishing up her time at the John Deere Classic and dealing with a long flight delay that kept her waiting for hours, Amanda Balionis dropped a big update. She is heading to Wimbledon for the first time ever. As she got ready to fly out, Amanda was treated to a little extra.

So, Delta gave her access to their premium lounge, and she made the most of it. While waiting for her flight, she turned into a bit of a food influencer and shared, “I will be now food influencing until my flight takes off.” From the looks of it, she had a great time relaxing and enjoying the food before her next big adventure. Now, it’s Amanda, and if there’s one thing we’ve learned by now, it’s that nothing ever comes to her without a little drama attached.

“Just over here waiting for a special someone to join me, they never answer their phone or text me back, but I keep them anyways…” Amanda wrote on Instagram, glass of expensive wine in hand, soaking in the moment. She wasn’t being sweet or sentimental; this was Amanda at her sarcastic best. The way she said it, you could tell she was calling someone out, but in her own playful way. Now, of course, the question is, who’s this special someone she’s waiting for?

“Typical, she wouldn’t come to me, I had to come find her, let the mother/daughter trip begin!”  she then shared. Turns out that “special someone” Amanda was jabbing at earlier wasn’t some mystery person after all, it was her mom, Dana Balionis. It was the perfect reveal. Even while relaxing in a premium lounge, enjoying wine and good food, Amanda didn’t think twice about stepping out to find her mom when she needed her. Traveling with her mom isn’t new for Amanda; it’s something the two of them do regularly. 

Their mother-daughter trips have become a special tradition, something they try to do every year, no matter how busy life gets. Last year, in September 2024, they explored the scenic beauty of Hokkaido, Japan. That marked their sixth trip together, and now with Wimbledon on the itinerary, this makes it lucky number seven. But what’s the actual story behind this tradition how it started? 

The story behind Amanda Balionis and her mother’s travel tradition

“This trip began when my dad passed away in September,” Amanda shared last year on Instagram, opening up about how their now-annual tradition truly started. It was 2018, just weeks before she was scheduled to travel to Singapore for the AAC Golf event. At the time, she had lost all hope of working and getting her confidence back. “I honestly didn’t see how going back to work would ever be important again,” she said, grief had taken over, and canceling everything to stay home with her mom felt like the only option. But then her mother stepped in and helped her. 

Dana asked Amanda to book the tickets and an extra ticket, as she will be coming along with her to give the moral support both needed at that time. That one moment shaped how they would face life’s hardest days together. From that point on, it was about showing up, moving forward, and doing it side by side. Since then, what started as a way to cope with unimaginable loss has grown into something so much more. Amanda calls these trips “one of the greatest gifts of my life.”

Whether it’s walking the streets of Hokkaido or now heading off to Wimbledon, each journey is layered with memories, laughter, and love. Wimbledon may be new territory for Amanda, but with her mom by her side, it’s just another special stop on their journey.