Interesting thread.

Great majority here have had money, opportunity, time to travel since youth and were TAUGHT by example and role modeling.

In my job I have students who come from Nigeria on a plane and have never SEEN a plane before the trip. They are like babies and are shell-shocked. It's more than just the culture shock.

Many cultures do not "allow" females to cross the street, let allow take an airplane to the next city or country. And in others, travel itself per se, is never strongly encouraged.

So in many cases, particularly in the USA / Chicago, where I observe young people who have NOT had any experience or role modeling for travel- these criteria are totally different and it is not something that can be attached to any certain age.

Saying that, I did let my kids travel when in high school on trips within the USA with schools etc. And I did have one 16 year old son go across country over a two week period once to go to a distant relative's funeral and aid the deceased's son through a difficult time (he is an only child.) And it was a complicated trip for a 16 year old to accomplish.

But age and experience are both big factors and there is no one rule at all, IMHO. I have friends who have never been out of Illinois and would have a very hard time. They have never had money or opportunity to expand in that way. And some come from cultures where it is just is not allowed for females.

My daughter had a friend that was not allowed to even travel to her wedding shower alone without a brother. She was from Jordan.

IMO--
16 yrs. is old enough to fly alone within the U.S. with someone meeting the child at the destination.
17-18 yrs. is old enough for a road/beach-type destination in the US
19-21 (College) is plenty old enough for an overseas trip, but not alone.
My upbringing in a sheltered southern home would not permit me to travel out of the U.S. ("Why would you need to go anywhere in Europe?"). Not only would my parents not have thought me mature enough to handle it, that they wouldn't pay for it, but I was too scared and silly acting in high school. Even though I whined and cried to join my A.P. European History classmates and teacher on a tour of European capitals, they still said no. Finally, the summer before my junior year of college (I was 19), I received "permission" to study abroad for the entire summer in Spain, then Eurrail with a small group of girls afterwards, IF I paid for all expenses except for tuition myself. I was beside myself. For the first week or so, I was desperately homesick. The program in Spain was completely immersion. By the second week, when I was told by my father on the telephone that by no means was he paying for me to come home early, I was forced to enjoy myself. That I did! Did I do stupid things? Yes, such as sleeping on the street in Barcelona after missing convent's hostel curfew, cavorting with a waiter in Paris, drinking and smoking for the first time...etc. However, I also learned to navigate on my own, make friends, live out of a tiny rucksack, use my foreign language abilities, become less Amero-centric, appreciate a diverse world...etc. To this day, even though I travel abroad 2-3 times a year, I will always value how my parents handled the situation. They trusted me and I became a more well-rounded human being.

Great input on kids traveling alone. I tend to lean on the over protective side. Not a good thing all the time!

We have taken our 3 children to Europe 3-4 times over the past 6-7 years. They are becoming very good at negogiating lines, unknown languages, foreign money, etc.

2 years ago when we decided to let our 11 and 13 year old fly to Portland by themselves to stay with an aunt, nerve racking wouldn't describe how I was feeling. However, our son, the 13 year old, who isn't the responsible one of the younger two, did a great job figuring things out and watching out for his 11 year old sister.

They fly back this Tues from another visit with their aunt. The only thing I had to make sure of was that he/she didn't take their knives in their carryon bags. (We'd driven them up so I just brought the knives back...they'd won them in bingo.)

I think cell phones take a lot of the traveling alone worries away, for the kids and for the parents. It is one thing that I will make sure my kids have when they travel from now on. They don't have a cell phone with them this time and so we have asked the aunt to loan them hers if she is leaving them alone anywhere, with all contact numbers programed into the phone.

Good point - I, too, believe in letting kids pay for their own travel or at least part of it. I paid for all my travel from 16 on - my parents couldn't afford it. And I'm not complaining - it's made me the explorer that I am today!

Our kids do the same if they travel without Mom and Dad. Sure, they have more opportunites than I did (isn't that what most parents want?), but they at least know they have to contribute somewhere along the line.