I have a very good friend whose daughter is in Italy doing a group program for two weeks. Then she plans to travel alone for one week. Her mom is very concerned about this plan now because of the death of the UW-Madison student in Rome over the weekend.
I have no sway over my friend in this regard but I’m curious as to what you would do if this were your child. Thanks.
How young and how street smart is the daughter?
19 and probably not very street smart.
I would not want my D to travel alone through Europe.
Any chance that a few young people from her group could travel together?
If she’s in a group program, odds are other kids will be traveling afterwards, too. The young woman’s daughter should be encouraged to find travel companions – if that doesn’t pan out, the parents may want the peace of mind of paying for a tour.
I would not want my D to travel alone in Europe…or anywhere for that matter if she can help it. That said, she spent a semester living in Denmark and currently is doing research far away (but still in US) from home. It’s probably not reasonable to expect her to always have a companion everywhere she goes anymore than it is when she is at home. I would hope she would minimize the risks as much as possible and stay close with friends in unfamiliar situations, but unfortunately, things can happen any time and any where.
ETA: I was answering the title’s question. But the question the OP states is more specific. No, I wouldn’t be okay with my D traveling alone for a week like that!
I would be perfectly fine with my daughter traveling Europe alone - the chances of her getting hit by a drunk or high driver are way higher than anything happening to her on a trip.
Yes, I would. My kids both did a gap year and spent a good chunk of that time traveling alone. The majority of Europe is extremely safe and poses no more risk or less than being in the USA.
What I would not want my kids to do is get inebriated in a touristy bar (or any place) making them an easier target for those looking to prey on a drunk tourist. Whether at home or abroad, females, unfortunately, have to be more cautious than males. A discussion of the risks ahead of time would be prudent.
Her D is more likely to die in a car crash to or from the airport in the US than be murdered abroad. She’s also more likely to be sexually assaulted on campus than to be harmed abroad.
My kid wants to travel in places like Turkey next year. I am pushing her toward places like Italy & France instead. So yes… I’d allow it.
I would. There’s no greater risk of being a crime victim in Europe than in many US cities. So I find the idea of worrying about Europe because of the case of the UW student kind of odd.
Would I allow my son to go? Yes
Would I lay awake every night with worry? Also, yes.
I lived independently and worked in Italy when I was 19 for about a year. It’s not completely safe, and you can’t be stupid-the hospitals and police are not like America, and the attitude towards women and Americans is variable.
When you’re doing itinerant things like staying in hostels and traveling by trains, you have to be really careful about not being a target for people looking to prey on travelers.
If it were my kids, I’d be ok with them staying in one place with a community that knows them (like when I was working), and not ok with them having a eurail pass and staying in random hostels by themselves.
I would prefer any 19-year-old child of mine traveling use a buddy system and travel with s reliable friend, whether in the US or abroad. My kids have had chronic health issues, so I have always been a bit more concerned that they have concerned friends nearby.
It seems like a good idea–someone to check in with, to share food/drink/lodging with, perhaps share a place to sleep, etc.
My kids are now 26 and 28 and did not travel alone much prior to graduating from college. S has traveled alone frequently since–in his job and for fun.
@MotherOfDragons, I agree. It’s not that they couldn’t navigate it alone, it’s just a high safety risk, especially for a young woman alone.
Touris areas attract criminals, theft would be one of the lesser worries, although it would not be ideal to have your wallet or passport stolen.
I would worry about far worse. But the same worries would exist if she traveled around the US alone.
My daughter went with a tour group when she was 16. She’s an airhead and doesn’t think things through but does follow directions fairly well. I told her to only use ATMS in banks or well lit areas with lots of people around (preferably policeman type people). Oh, she says, that’s a good idea. Lesson was reinforced when 3 people in her group (a teacher and 2 students from another school) were robbed using the ATM in the alley by the hotel. She was told to protect her passport at all times, watch her luggage, be alert. She came stumbling off that airplane (she was very sick) with that passport swinging from her neck and that’s all I cared about.
I think travel lessons don’t really differ if they are going to girl scout camp or NYC or Rome - travel in pairs, travel in daylight as much as you can, protect your belongings (passport around neck, money in money belts), be alert.
My other daughter traveled from Denver to LGA this weekend. I told her to get through security as fast as she could, no loitering in the main terminal, no chatting in baggage claim. I know the chances of anything happening are very small, but why not minimize them even more by avoiding the areas were the attacks happened in Turkey and Brussels, the main terminals? Get in, get out is my new MO.
I assumed going into this thread that the concern about traveling in Europe was going to be about all the terrorism going on at the moment, not the sad story about the young U Wisc student who may have been murdered in Italy. Unfortunately I feel like I’ve read much too often about young students in the US who leave bars alone late and night and are found dead the next day, this is certainly not a European issue.
Terrorism scares me but I would still let my kids travel in Europe as it’s an amazing experience (in fact, one of mine is at the moment). That said, I’d prefer they always travel with someone else whenever possible, no matter where they are
In my opinion, traveling alone these days – in the era of cell phones, email, emergency credit cards, near-instant on-line money transfers, ATMs, online reviews of sketchy-looking hostels, etc. – is much safer than, say, the mid-1980s when many of our generation (including me) traveled alone through Europe as kids. We managed to survive with a Eurail pass, a (shockingly small) fistful of traveler’s checks, a battered old Let’s Go Europe guidebook and a single gettone for calling home once every couple of weeks (had to say “I’m alive and doing fine” VERY fast before the call was cut off).
Yes, I would allow it and would in fact encourage it – but would make sure that my kid had a smart phone with a European SIM card, an emergency credit card with a decent limit (and permission to use it under a liberal definition of “emergency”), and a reasonable budget for transportation and lodging.
What do you mean by alone? Alone as not with parents but with another group of kids or alone as in no one at all. If it’s alone as in alone with no one else then the answer is no. I wouldn’t even travel alone. No matter the location. I grew up in Brooklyn, NY I never went anywhere alone not even the train station. I was alway taught its safety in numbers.
Even without the safety issue who wants to travel alone. Traveling is better when you have someone to share the experience with. At least IMO.
^but a smartphone can actually make you a target and/or less aware of your surroundings if you are busy taking selfies, checking instagram or text while walking around.