Sasurai no Shoujo Nell

In one story, there is a girl traveling with her mother in order to reach her grandfather, in the other, a girl is looking with her grandfather for her mother. The direction of travel is north. The journey is not always easy, and hardships need to be overcome. This usually succeeds due to effort and the assistance of other characters. However, in both stories, the protagonist also suffers a bitter loss, which cannot be prevented by effort or other people. If you want to see a kid on the hard road to happiness, both titles may be for you.  

In both titles, the protagonist is a cheerful blond girl. Also the stories are similar: The protagonists set our for a journey to find their mothers, following vague hints on their route. On their way, they have more or less enjopyable encounters with other people. Also the daily life withe the travel companions and the highs and downs of their relationships play a role. If you like a travel story spiced with soap opera, both titles may be for you. 

A tale of a child and their mentor figure/grandfather who have found themselves to be without a home and has to wander around, thanks to which they meet various people, both good and bad. Both are based on old western novels.