A rediculous plan?
 

A few of my friends and I are looking to travel to London, England sometime in the near future. Would it be completely crazy for teenagers, alone, to go there? Would that be just madness or could that be acheived simply? When I went to Ireland, a kind B&B hostess mistook my brother and I, there with my parents, for students. I figured it must be fairly common-- is it not? Maybe three or four of us are interested. Lodging is not an issue right now, really. Plane fare and getting around the city are, for now. Has anyone ever done this? Thanks for responses.

Tons of kids do it - live a little before you shrivel up (like a lot of people here). Talk about it, plan for it, save for it, go for it. You never know unless you try.

Go for it! Get Rick Steves' London guidebook and you can check out hostels (my son stayed in them), restaurants, and sites and city walks. Probably the Time Out Magazine you can buy there will tell you what's going on for your age group. Have fun!

How old of a teen are you? I think if you are 18 it is perfectly fine.GO FOR IT! Any younger I would be a little worried,ie about obtaining lodging,renting a car....<BR>Start researching and saving. It will be a fantastic memory.<BR>I went at age of 21 I'm not sure if I was mature enough to go at even 19.<BR>

If you're 18-19 it should be fine, you'd probably have trouble renting a car though (although you definitely don't need it if sticking in and around London). If you're 17, you'd probably be OK too, however, check the entry requirements to see if you need to carry a permission note from your parents...not kidding, I went to Montreal w/my sis when I was 19 and she 17 and she had to carry a note from my mom saying it was OK. &lt;g&gt; Younger than 17 I'd recommend going w/a tour group rather than independent.

BTW, if required, the note usually has to be signed by both parents (unless you have one w/sole custody) and notarized.

Yes, it's rediculous.

Nothing that rediculous is that hard to acheive. Whatever did happen to that lovely objective case of "I"?

Correcting the bad spelling on this board is *ridiculous* isn't it?

spellingBea, not if it's teenagers who should be concentrating on their schoolwork instead of surfing a travel website.

Maybe Dan can do both....but at least now he knows how to spell ridiculous; you learn something new every day (if you're lucky!)

I agree -- 18 or over, no problem, any younger, go with an organized tour. My first jaunt around Europe was when I was 20 -- for me, that was perfect. (and oh boy, have I learned a lot since then, 12 years later!)

Nonsense; my brother's first unaccompanied trip to London was when he was 15. A goup would have no trouble at that or any older age.<BR><BR><BR>Subject to the legals, of course<BR>

Thanks to all those who put thought and helpful content into their responses. Typo, sorry, it is 'ridiculous', I actually realized it after I had posted, no way to take that back, though. And just so everyone knows, teenagers really aren't ignorant, crude, arrogant, unintelligent people (not most anyway-- it isn't as though I don't know any). Isn't ambition worth anything to anyone? And I would just like to point out to Jamiell, that you also spelled 'ridiculous' incorrectly. So you are perfect are you? Thanks again for the responses.

I would advise you to check the message boards on www.eurotrip.com, which caters for young travellers...

Dan,<BR><BR>Don't be discouraged by nasty comments on this board. And as the father of two teens, I agree with your statements in defense of teenagers. <BR><BR>I think that London may be one of the easiest cities outside of the US for American teens to visit--not one of the least expensive, mind you. No real language barrier, cultures that are vaguely similar, good public transportation, and lots of interesting stuff to see and do.<BR><BR>Here's some other resources you may want to check out:<BR><BR>http://www.smarterliving.com/student/<BR>(a commercial website with a fair amount of student travel info)<BR><BR>http://www.londonnet.co.uk/<BR>(info on concerts, lodging, clubs, etc)<BR><BR>I think that lodging SHOULD be an issue for you....London accommodations are very expensive. There are lower cost alternatives, such as hostels, but you may also want to check out staying in the dorms at a local university. Here is one website with info on dorm stays:<BR><BR>http://www.ad.ic.ac.uk/conferences/index.htm<BR><BR>Hope this helps.<BR><BR>Dave White<BR>http://www.KidsToLondon.com<BR>

P.S.<BR><BR>As a parent, and as someone who follows London news closely, I've got to add this: if you go, be aware that drug use is very prevalent in the London "club scene"...so be wary.

Dan, if you're going to England, you'd better learn how to understand sarcasm. I fear for the wit of this generation.