<p>My D is studying abroad and left yesterday for a week in Spain. Her program has a vacation week mid-semester and she and 2 friends left yesterday for Barcelona, spent the overnight 14 hour layover exploring (!) Barcelona and flew this morning to Santiago de Compostela. She agreed to let me know that they had arrived once they got settled in Santiago. It is now 4pm in Santiago, I know the flight arrived at 11:55am and I have yet to hear from her. She has a phone with an international sim card, so unless there is limited cell service in Santiago she should be able to call. I recognize that I am being unduly neurotic. My sons have traveled all over the world, the first without the benefit (for me) of a cell phone, and the second to areas of Uzbekistan where having the phone was irrelevant, there was no service. I’m trying to conjure the adage, “no news is good news” but I’m still nervous. Is it because she’s a girl, because this is her first foray negotiating “European low fare airlines”, because I’m nuts? Probably a combination of all of the above. She is traveling with her roommate who is fluent in Spanish and a young man who traveled much of eastern Europe on his own this past summer, so I’m sure they are fine. I also recognize that her definition of settled (I’ll get around to it), and mine (you’ve landed safely from this 2 day journey) may be vastly different. She did let me know the information about the hostel where they are staying before they left, so I guess if I really need to know I can check and see if they checked in, oy she’d kill me. 
Really just need to vent my anxiety, thanks for listening!</p>
<p>Please don’t worry, she really hasn’t “gotten around to it.”</p>
<p>I have had that experience and DH hates to talk me down so I am here for you! I’m sure all is well. Probably they arrived tired and excited and she forgot to call. You can always get online and track the flight to see that it arrived safely if it will make you feel better. I wouldn’t call the hostel. Let her enjoy the trip without thinking about your anxiety…It sounds like she has excellent travelling companions so that should help you know that she is fine.</p>
<p>I hear you! Mine is abroad and on break also. Remember that in Spain everything runs on a different schedule than here if that helps.</p>
<p>I’ve been there … with my 16 year old sophomore son traveling around Europe on his own during his year abroad. It’s scary. She is most probably fine and doesn’t know you are worried. She just hasn’t gotten around to letting you know she’s fine. </p>
<p>Deep breath. </p>
<p>(My 22 yo senior is in Atlantic City on a college sponsored field trip. Casinos. I’m worried today too!)</p>
<p>Oh boy, I know that feeling! I have two girls and even though I’d like to believe that people worry about boys the same way as girls, I do think it’s a bit different. </p>
<p>Having said that, I’m sure she’s fine, especially where she has the two companions with her. Think about it, if something happened, one of them would call you and if something bad happened to all of them (how unlikely!), you would have heard from authorities. She’s fine!</p>
<p>Is her phone enabled for text messaging? I find that my girls respond more quickly to texts than calls. Probably because they can reply quickly without getting into a long conversion. </p>
<p>I fully expect to see your post later today that says she called and is having a great time!</p>
<p>Woody and ebeeeee, thanks for lending an ear (or ears!!) or really maybe eyes! My head says not to worry, and my heart is doing all the worrying, but I know you’re both right! ebeeeee, I hadn’t considered the sleep factor, they probably crashed once they checked into the hostel.</p>
<p>I would be worried too BUT</p>
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<p>She might think that this is a day or two into her trip, after they get the lay of the land.</p>
<p>I am so glad to hear that my worry is not “over the edge”! Wish it were not true, but I do worry more about her than I did about her brothers. And added to all of this she just (2 weeks ago) had to deal with her wallet (id, debit and credit cards) being stolen out of her backpack in the U-Bahn. I’m thinking that is also increasing my worry factor. She was quite obsessed before they left about keeping all her documents and financial access safe.</p>
<p>Another member of the worried sick club here. D went alone to China and I didn’t hear from her until 2 days after she was supposed to let us know she got there. Deep breaths. Distract yourself with whatever works. Go to the movies, shop, clean the house or yard, keep busy. I’m sure she will call. They just have a lack of understanding when it comes to this kind of thing.</p>
<p>She’ll be fine! Santiago is a beautiful city. They may just be exhausted. Mine is abroad as well. Every weekend it’s a different jaunt, so far so good.</p>
<p>I understand the worrry. But times have certainly changed. We recently discussed with our kids how when we went abroad…in the ancient pre-cell, “how could you even think of wasting money on an international call” days, frequent calls weren’t an option! </p>
<p>H, who was abroad for a year, called his home twice. I was abroad for a semester and called home once…just before I was leaving for home! We eached traveled around … didn’t stay at our abroad study city/school during breaks…but never would have thought of calling home just to say we had arrived somewhere.</p>
<p>Our college student, in the States but across the country, calls once a week. We rarely (2 or 3 times per semester) speak or text/IM outside of that weekly phone call . </p>
<p>We asked our kids if they could imagine not talking with us for 6 months. HS jr said no. It made me smile!</p>
<p>My daughter is in Rome for the semester and I have the same issues. She didn’t call when she got over there either. Found out she was delayed in Germany for 6 hours?? I lived threw it somehow. I will tell you that I traveled over to Rome 2 weeks ago and “turned on my international phone service” and it didn’t work. It just plain didn’t work but 2 times. I couldn’t even call the phone company to ask why it didn’t work. Don’t know if this is just Rome or what. I could text message easily. What I’m saying with all the others, is she is just fine, I’m sure. My daughter has been living in Rome for 4 months and is traveling everywhere. I just choose not to think about it too much or it can make me crazy!?!.</p>
<p>I just went through this with D1 a few weeks ago when she went to Fiji. I called her hotel and they told me that they had no such guest registered under that name. D1 had also turned off her cell because she didn’t want too many people to text or call her. It turned out they had her first and last name reversed. Of course while she was there they also had a tsunami warning.</p>
<p>I definitely understand how you are feeling. I am not into worrying when there is something I could do, like calling the hostel. I would call just to make sure she got there, so I could stop worrying. Next time maybe you could ask her to just text you as soon as she gets there. I am close to 50, my mother still worries when I travel. I usually call her as soon as I get home. I don’t think we ever stop worrying about our kids. As long as it’s not overboard, they could do their part to ease our worries.</p>
<p>Rmom–do you know where your D is staying? If it’s a hotel, you could call and see if she’s arrived there. D1 traveled all over Spain during a 6 month summer/fall semester. She and I also did a six-day trek on the Camino de Santiago (a trail that crosses northern Spain, which is part of a religious pilgrimage for many people) ending up in Santiago de Compostela. I never felt unsafe in the city or on the Camino. D also felt quite safe in Spain. Chances are your D probably got busy and forgot that she’d said she would call you. My D had a cell phone with international service and we usually weren’t able to use it on the Camino. I can’t remember if we used it in Santiago–we checked into a hotel right away. If you know your D’s flight arrived safely, I would wait until tomorrow before getting too concerned.</p>
<p>Your Dd has great travel arrangements what with two friends to watch her back!!! Lucky girl. Relax - she’ll get hold of you as soon as she thinks of it. My D spent 5 months in the other Santiago (Chile) as well as time in Armenia, China, Nicaragua,Brazil and several other countries. Time moves differently there, and communication is not always as easy to accomplish as it is here. Don’t worry!!! :)</p>
<p>I am sure there is nothing to worry about, but I would probably call the hostel ask if she checked in - and ask them not to say anything. Sneaky, yes. But I figure they don’t tell us everything they do & I believe in eliminating unnecessary stress.</p>
<p>Do you have skype - it is great when kids are traveling! First of all, once you have each other as contacts, you can see when they are on - and usually it loads when you turn on computer. D and I chat a lot that way. </p>
<p>Take care and if she calls to tell you she’s alive - DON’t Lecture NOW!! Just be happy, happy. </p>
<p>Kill her later :0</p>
<p>Thanks all. Well, no call yet, but I was able to ascertain the flight arrived safely. Of course, since this was a connection after a 14 hour layover I have no way of knowing if they were on it! Her brothers have assured me that I shouldn’t worry, that she’s with friends and she’ll check-in as soon as she remembers. I have sent a text, but apparently her phone doesn’t always process them well, with either her Austrian or international sim card. I will wait until tomorrow to stalk her via the hostel, hopefully by then she will have remembered. Re: skype, we both have it, but she doesn’t have her computer with her. When she’s in Vienna we communicate that way all the time. If she logs on via an internet cafe she’ll get my email messages. Ah motherhood…(or fatherhood, my H’s nervous too!)</p>
<p>Well, I admit I was born with the worry gene - so I understand how you are feeling. Let us know when all is well!</p>
<p>Relax … she is probably too busy having an amazing time & would be shocked to know how worried you are. </p>
<p>My D is also traveling Europe on a budget airline this weekend. She went to Brussels Wednesday & is taking the train to Amsterdam sometime during the trip. I haven’t heard from her, but I am sure she is fine. I have been so thrilled at the huge jump in maturity since she started her term at UEdinburgh, I guess I haven’t even considered being worried about her travels!</p>
<p>I have to admit the Lockerbee has nagged at my mind every so often, given her Christmas-time return. I just push the thoughts away & tell myself that all will be well.</p>