And let me add, for those who think young people are stupid (no one is going to argue about that), who are we to tell grown ass people what to do?

This past week I was in Kampala meeting with young tech entrepreneurs, of which 5 where from eastern europe, all under 21. 4 where women. Not one was raped, mugged, murdered or otherwise harmed.

Had they done stupid things, of course, but otherwise how will this next generation learn?

Fund: No, not at 18. too young to appreciate it and more likely to take advantage of the lowered drinking age.

Go: Alone, no I'd worry myself to death. With a group and a decent plan; no problem.

FWIW I'm stationed in Europe. As mentioned above, you get all the interesting stories and don't see the every day. That said there was a travel alert issued by the State Department for Europe.

Natalee Holloway was with a group, on a trip to a safe area.

I damn sure wouldn't finance the trip. Show me you're mature enough to go, by earning the money to take the trip.

This is no and bad on so many levels. There is only one reason that comes to mind that would justify this trip over other alternatives, and even then it could be deferred a couple of years. Every other reason is a big no.

Hell no if I had any say in the decision....
I'm ultra paranoid when it comes to my kids and grandkids. Working in a school district I see the attitude young men have toward girls all the time.
Sidenote.....
We were camping last weekend and a guy camping there said "hubba hubba" when my 10 year old grand daughter and her friend walked by. Sick mf'ers everywhere.
In case anyone is wondering this dude got straightened up in a hurry and the police ended
up being called (not to arrest me although that was quickly becoming a possibility!)

It's hard for me to comment as I don't have kids, so take this with a grain of salt. On the surface, I agree with most who said no. I also agree that this kind of trip is an after college trip...not after high school. After some thought though, I've had an idea which might be sort of a win/win. Sit down with daughter and plan the trip together. Instead of hostels, find less expensive B&B's and plan a specific route to tour with routine check-ins. To make it more safe...or more acceptable, coincide this trip with one of your own, so that you're close by...not following the same path, but maybe in the same country at the same time. Obviously, this would have to be well coordinated, but financed, but it could be fun for the whole family with meetings maybe once a week. Just a thought.

At 18, she's an adult.

But if it were my child wanting to do that, they would have to fulfill the rest of what being an adult is. IE, pay her own way.

I have a 17 year-old daughter. I have traveled extensively on 4 continents, including some extremely remote places that would be considered dangerous. I would not let my 17 or 18 year-old daughter travel through Europe alone right now. Hell no.



.

Is it a gender issue?

My kid went on a church trip to..... Mexico.
I was adamantly against it but overruled by my Ex, who had custody. When the kid came back, he told me he hung out with the local cops, who sat on the corner near where they stayed. The cops were in..... An armored vehicle!
So my vote is for no.
Other than the reasons other posters have mentioned, consider this:
1- Medical emergency. What will it cost? Is quality care available at every point during the trip?
2- Method of travel in Europe. Train? Bus? Private car? When stationed in Europe, I traveled by train and felt it was safe. Driving not so much.
3- Emergency assistance. Should a problem arise, who could assist that you could trust? Can you afford to fly immediately to Europe? Do you have a valid passport?

I mentioned all these concerns to my Ex when my kids trip was planned, but it fell on deaf ears.
Thankfully nothing happened!

IMO...

There was a time, a few decades ago, when a trip such as this for your daughter would have not only been a great opportunity to see the world, live a little, and learn, but it could have been done all while being safe enough that I would not worry. Unfortunately, we no longer live in that world.

When I was that age, no matter where I went in the world (pretty much) mentioning that you were American meant most everyone treated you well. Nowadays, mentioning that you are American could get you beheaded, shot, stabbed, or blowed up real good.

I would not recommend her going, nor would I pay for it.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
At 18, she's an adult.

But if it were my child wanting to do that, they would have to fulfill the rest of what being an adult is. IE, pay her own way.

That would be my only concern. RHINO, what did your parent's say when you decided to crash into carriers at night with 500 pounds of fuel on board? My son at 17 decided to join an organization that shaped his head into the shape of a jar, we shook hands on BAF in 04.

My daughter decided to drop college before 19 and do her own thing and is doing very well.

You grow these young things up to a point to where they make their own decision then let them go and hope for the best, once 18 is obtained my financial responsibility ends, they have become ADULTS.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

By themselves? I've seen Taken too many times to be comfortable with that.

Ummm . . . it is fiction . . . you know that, right?

Slightly off-topic, but I think Google will lead you to a 2014 Backpacker magazine article about Aubrey Sacco. Granted, Europe and Nepal are vastly different and Sacco graduated from college and was presumably older & more mature, but this article will give any parent nightmares about letting their kids go by themselves on a voyage of discovery without planning and more than passing knowledge of the culture and surroundings. It's an eye-opening article.

quote:

Originally posted by at-home-daddy:

Here's my question: Would you allow (let alone finance) your 18-year-old daughter to make a month-long hostel trip of Europe

No way in hell, she is just to young and probably doesn't understand risk of young women alone in Europe.

quote:

Originally posted by sig229-SAS:

quote:

Originally posted by at-home-daddy:

Here's my question: Would you allow (let alone finance) your 18-year-old daughter to make a month-long hostel trip of Europe

No way in hell, she is just to young and probably doesn't understand risk of young women alone in Europe.

Does she understand the risk?

I wouldn't be supportive of my son going, at this point in time, much less my daughter.

I would not be financing any of it.

I took a class trip to Germany in 1978. During our free time, three or four of us were walking around Munich. The girl in the group was approached by a 30-40 something y.o. guy. He was trying to get her to accompany him. He kept grabbing and pulling her jacket, even though she was with two or three guys.

Without even having to think about it, No. The way the people are over in Europe now, I wouldn't even want to go, let alone any 18 y/o boy or girl of mine.

No way would we let our daughter go to Europe at this time! Way, way, too much crap going on over there.

And the sad part is that we cannot trust the media to give us actual info on the violence, especially against young girls.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
And to think I used to be puzzled about where snowflakes came from.

10 day trip, major city, hotels, locking doors and private rooms... Sure.

30 day, hostels and backpacking? You understand that hostels are basically just all night party venues for people who are out of town? I wouldn't want my 18 year old daughter, not even in college yet, spending the night in a shared dorm with a bunch of 20 somethings whose goal is specifically to drink and fuck their way around the world.

Worse case scenario is she becomes enamored with the lifestyle and never properly motivates herself to get a real job. True story, happened to one of my highschool friends, who is now a full time ski bum despite being brilliant.

Let her grow up a little, set up some roots and direction in life before intoxicating her with the allure of continuous world travel.