My son and three of his (male) friends will graduate from high school in June, and are interested in spending a couple of weeks in Europe, probably Spain and Italy. Two of them have been to Europe before, my son has been to Ireland and Paris, but none of them is fluent in language other than English. Parents aren't sure that we want them to just wander around, but my preliminary search of tour companies doesn't look like the right match either.

I'm wondering if any parents out there have looked at similar travel options and have suggestions? I'd appreciate any insight you can share if your children have gone to Europe independently or with tour groups not affiliated with their schools?

Thanks!

If your concern is about language, as a rule of thumb, natives in the southern countries will generally speak less English than in the northern countries, and in the south, there is less signage for international tourists in English. Also, I'd say that the general infrastructure is more accessible for young tourists in the north than in the south. Trains, for example, tend to be more frequent, dependable, and serve more destinations in countries like Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium, than they do in Spain. There is a much denser network of youth hostels in the north as well. Pay phones tend to be more commonplace and work better. Cultural differences between the US and northern European countries are generally fewer as well. Petty crime (pickpocketing, etc.) is more common in the south than in the north.

So I guess if you're looking for a more sheltered experience, help them devise an itinerary from the Alps northward, if possible. But I'd say that for the most part, eighteen-year-olds shouldn't have that much trouble travelling independently in southern countries if they're relatively mature and plan their trip well. I prefer to travel in the north during the summer months out of weather concerns, mostly.

Hi P,

Lucky kids.

Russ has given good advice. Especially since these youngsters aren't completely ignorant of Europe.

I suggest that the parents work with them to plan an itinerary that will be more useful than just bumming around.

After that, just sit back and cross your fingers.

Sounds like a lot of fun, and responsibility. I can only wish I could speak from experience! I agree with the earlier comments. I can't see a bunch of young adults really enjoying the normal tour experience, but maybe you and the young adults can plan a general itinerary (not too specific). That said, make sure your son and his friends engage in some serious pre-trip planning, including destination info as well as general travel considerations. Have him report to you what he has discovered. DO NOT DO HIS RESEARCH FOR HIM. We have seen on this forum where parents do the research for their adult children. Not surprisingly, the "children" get in some kind of trouble and mom and dad have to bail them out. Not that mom and dad shouldn't be available for that purpose, but you lower the odds by making sure your kid is self sufficient. By the way, I think Rick Steves has some info on his website re: train passes, which might come in handy if they are covering a lot of ground.

Not sure if your finances would allow for this, but back when I was 16 (too many years ago). My parents agreed to a trip that I wanted to take with 4 other friends, Their solution was to hire a German/french langauge teacher to act as our escort. He was 25, so young enough to have fun with us, yet as a teacher he did provide supervision. He also, was able to rent a VW mini bus in which we travelled. I believe the deal was that the parents would pay his share of all expenses plus a token salay of $500....the trip was 4 weeks long.....I think we all thought we got a "deal"....hed did much of the lanning too.....you may want to check around for available teachers....

Hi Pittsbrgher,

I am a retired college professor who has been to Europe a few times and has some experience with dealing with college-age youth.

I would be more than happy to act as mentor and guide for these young people. I would ask only that you pay my expenses.

I can't speak as a parent but as someone who travelled around Europe as a teenager. If they are anything like the very big crowd of young people backpacking around Europe during the summer, they will do fine. Of course they will do a lot of things that parents don't approve of but that's part of growing up.
They will probably visit the same places as a million of other young people that summer and act as teenagers tend to do. As long as the don't do anything really idiotic or have really bad luck, nothing worse will happen than a few hangovers, a few nights in awful hostels, or a night on a train station after having missed the last connection.
So my advice is: make sure that they have their passports, flight tickets and money and bring them to the airport. They will manage the rest.

What great replies! Thanks to all of you -- I feel much more inclined to let them off on their own now. I would love to hear from some college-age people who've done this recently, if anyone's out there... They really are very mature (for 18-yr-old boys!) and I think have reasonably good judgment, so maybe our next step will be to see what they come up with in terms of itinerary and planning.

You might want to look into Busabout for them. This is like a railpass idea, only for buses. They go to many larger European cities and kids can hop on/off whenever they want. However, they help the kids out by helping them book hostels ahead, and they'll be with others their age and generally have someone to ask questions. Here's the URL
http://www.busabout.com

I think Seafox's parents were brilliant, that's a great idea.

I have no first hand experience with this but have a few suggestions. The slowtravel.com website evidently has a section which appeals to younger budget travelers. I think it may be the Thorntree message board. You're more likely to get answers from there from other youngsters.

My young female cousin did this kind of trip after graduating college. She had several European friends from college she was able to visit while there. I think it really "made" her trip being able to stay in their homes, meet their local friends etc. I suggest your son start corresponding with some kids his age in Spain & Italy. There has been info posted here about finding email pen pals if you do a text search.

mclaurie raises a good resource: The Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree seems to attract more backpackers. Your son may want to read through it over time (posts there are usually from a younger perspective).

You might let the 4 young adults plan where to go (as a group) and then you can help them get the best deal/location for accomodations and airfare. They will get the most out of it the more they feel part of the planning process.

Contiki--"best" young person group travel agency.
Busabout--"just as good"
also STA, Top Deck, and Affordable Tours...