Rosie, you'll be fine! As the parent of a California boy who made a similar trip (and later ended up studying in London and now lives/works there), your trip is a fine idea, and it sounds like you have done some good research. Do more.

My son travels from London nearly every weekend, and my only critique of his travels (yes, partly out of jealousy) is that he doesn't research enough and wastes valuable travel time. But it's HIS time, and my perception - he can always go back. So can you - have a WONDERFUL time!

I have an 18 yr old who graduates this July. The day after her last exam she and a bff are hopping on a plane for Croatia. Italy, France, Spain will be full of kids just like you exploring without 'adults'. Have fun!!!!

It sounds like the main concern expressed is kidnapping? I'd like to see the statistics of the number of American girls on holiday in Europe who are kidnapped. I can't imagine the number is very high (or that there is a "high chance" you will be kidnapped). I think the US cable news programs would love covering such events. By intending to not stay out too late and party you're already making your trip excessively safe (though I agree with Gordon_R who suggested it might be a good idea to tip a few during your trip). If you're not drinkers for religious or other personal reasons, fine, but don't restrict yourself so tightly that you don't enjoy yourselves. Just plan that at least 2 people won't drink each night, or something similar.

Also, plan for the fact that at some point at least one of you will be pick-pocketed or have a bag stolen. Know exactly what important documents were taken (passport, cc's, etc.), and how to quickly call to report/cancel them.

I'm extremely cautious by nature when it comes to other people and would probably not want my 18 yo daughter to go in this scenario, but if that imaginary daughter existed, she should ignore me and go and have a great time!

Hi Rosie17--I have a Rosie myself! She was 17 when she made her first trip fr. the States to Croatia. She traveled alone but did meet up with a small group when she got there. She did some local travel there by herself and did well. Her next adventure was when she was 20 and lived in Berlin for a year. Again, she went by herself, set up her own housekeeping, but went to a school part time. My son who is 21 is in Italy now-haven't heard from him for about a week-I am curious to know how he is, but I know he will check in when he can.

Regarding the teachers who you respect telling you this trip may not be a good idea. I understand what they are saying, but look at where they are coming from. Do they have little kids? Have they traveled abroad in their 20s? Their view may be skewed because of many reasons. If you had picked two other teachers from another area, they may have said the complete opposite. It sounds as if you are a respectful, intelligent person. If your parents are on board with this, I think you should go. If you are truly 'scared out of your wits'--like it is keeping you up at night and giving you a stomach ache, then perhaps you may want to put off your trip for another year. I have a feeling you just used that phrase to express your nervousness.

Your group is a little large. Think of prom when you were organizing who eats together, how to share a limo, etc. The bigger the group, the harder to manage. Perhaps you could each have a buddy--those two will vow to stay together no matter what. In the pub, in a cab, in the hostel, etc. If there is some separation, everyone will have someone. When you are in the larger cities, please consider tours to see the sights. It takes away having to plan and please all the group. It is sometimes restful to have someone else take over for a few hours. Good planning ahead of time helps tame frayed nerves and helps new travelers feel more secure. Plus your parents will kind of know where you are. That may make you feel more secure.

You may also try not biting off too much. Leave yourselves a day to get over the jetlag. Leave some time to do nothing except take a picnic to a lovely park or monument. You may see an activity that you will want to do and you want to have time to do it. Think of all these things while you are planning.

The world today is very different. We have wonderful things such as the internet and cable tv to help us along. However, those things tend to magnify the bad in some respects. When is the last time you heard a news story about 18 yo students having a great time in Europe and returning home safe? Yet it happens all the time.

I love it when people travel and go outside their comfort zone. Traveling broadens the mind and global outlook which is very important today. Going outside a comfort zone helps prepare a person for new experiences.

I hope you go on this trip. You will be fine and have a great time!

Excellent point, Sidny, on pickpocketing - a far more likely scenario than kidnapping.

DS (age 22) was pickpocketed a few months ago in a London club and his bank account was drained within 10 minutes via stolen ATM. He called us immediately so we could notify his bank, and his money was replaced (after a bit of questioning).

However, many of his friends have had iPhones stolen across Europe, and that could be a much more expensive and inconvenient experience - so be aware and prepared.

My previous post comes across as negative, especially after Mutti's good suggestions!

Rosie, you could get pickpocketed here in the States just as easily as in Europe, so I only meant to be cautionary (avoid carrying all your money, ID and passport around in one place; be aware of your surroundings, especially in transport hubs like bus/train stations - or bars).

I, too, hope you go - good luck!

Rosie,

Good for you to question and be aware of what you think might be a problem. And address your worries. I think that kidnapping is the very least of your worries. Just be aware of your surroundings and especially in large cities find out what areas are safer.

But a few more practical things to consider:
Have a cell phone system that works.
Have a way to have access to money.
Keep your passport safe (and have a copy in America in case something happens so you can go to the American Consolute).
Figure out where the hostils or pensions might be.
DO NOT over pack and have good walking shoes.
If you are broke then take the night train and sleep on the train.

I think you will find some amazing areas where you will meet all kids of people your age from all over the world and it is a wonderful experience.

Also keep in mind that your teachers are probably wonderful and I have many friends that are teachers and they really do worry about the people they teach. But that does not mean that they are always right.

Hi Rosie,

You will be fine! To put things in perspective, my daughter (at age 18) set off on her own on a 5 month backpacking trip through India, Nepal, Thailand, and Indonesia. Was I a worried parent? Heck, yes, but she met other backpackers en route, had a wonderful time, and returned home safely.

Now, some years later, she and her boyfriend are about to leave on an overland trip through Africa, driving a Land Rover from Egypt to Cape Town. Again I will worry, but that's my job as a parent. ;-)

The fact that you are asking these questions tells me you are a responsible person, and will make the right choices during the trip. You will probably be safer in Europe than were you to take a similar trip through the US. :-)

I cannot think of EVER hearing about an American girl being kidnapped while travelling in Europe. EVER. And I read several newspapers every day.

There was that American girl who kidnapped a Mormon missionary in Britain, but not quite the same thing.

Since the question's been asked so many times, I've essentially been told that us girls have a high chance of being kidnapped.>>


even adults are not very precise when they talk about risk. you are MUCH more likely to be run over by a bus [which could happen just as easily at home - that is, if you HAVE buses] or to be pickpocketted than you are to be kidnapped. Honestly, it is so rare as to be negligible, as everyone [well, most everyone] has said. I am more likely to win the lottery, and i don't even buy a ticket!

if that's really what is worrying you, just forget about it and buy the ticket.

I can't imagine why this is even a questions. As long as you have the time - and the money (make really sure you have access to enough money via credit cards and ATM cards) just make your plans and go.

Just be sure you are not underestimating the cost of the trip. Last summer my daughter (19) and two friends met a couple of American girls who had not spent wisely and had run out of cash and credit - and whose flight wasn't leaving for 3 more days. They leant them the mone for a hotel and a meal and acess to a phone to call home and arrange to get more funds. So - make sure you have available at least 50% more money than you think things will really cost.

Rosie17, I say go for it and have a fantastic time! Be sensible but have fun too! By sensible I mean protect your handbag and valuables just as you would in any big city at home, don't take a drink from a stranger, watch out for each other etc. Just like you would at home.
And just as at home, there will be unwanted male attention, I'm sure you've already experienced some of that, it's part of being female and young. It's highly annoying and when you are 18 and the men are ten and more years older than you it is plain gross and believe me it happens all over the world no matter where you are. But don't worry, when you hit my age it pretty much stops. LOL.

When I was 18 I travelled all over Europe for 4 months with a female friend. That was really common then where I'm from. We stayed in youth hostels and pensiones and we had a blast, meeting people from all over the world, and yes, we went out drinking and dancing, but we used our common sense.

This was back in the dinosaur days before cell phones, email and such, I think I called my parents twice in four months and we wrote letters back and forth, picking up our mail at "Poste Restante" at American Express offices....does anyone else here remember that?!

You are young, enjoy it, live it up, stay out past 10 o'clock at night, you will be in Europe!
17, 18, in Europe on your own with other young people...it doesn't get much better!

Rosie, if I were your teacher, I'd say go for it! And promise to tell me about when you got back!

RainCity, I remember "poste Restante" at American Express nearly fifty years ago. Always found a letter from my grandmother when we pulled into a new city--as long as it had been on the original agenda. No phone calls home in that time away. Recently found the letters I had written to grandmother and other family in box in attics at "home" and at "grandmother's". I also have my journal from that trip. A few details were left out of letters or were changed to protect the "guilty."

This trip was my first time out of New England and there were many in my small home town who told my parents they couldn't believe they let me go. Many thought I was shy and wouldn't be able to even find my way around the airport. But this was only the first of many independent trips overr the years.

Go and have a wonderful time and bring back lots of adventure stories to share in a trip report here on Fodors!

I have a good friend whose son traveled a couple years ago with a couple friends somewhat like you are describing when they were about 20-21--a little older but still American college guys in Europe for a few weeks staying in lots of hostels. They had a blast--except for the night their passports and credit cards were stolen from their bags/backpacks which were on their beds/near their beds with them, taken while they were asleep presumably by fellow hostel-ers who were gone when they awoke. (I THINK this was in Amsterdam but not sure.) Anyway, the lesson they all learned was to always have passports/other cards on their persons--not sure what they decided to do about showers! Take them one at a time while someone held the stuff maybe. They got their id's replaced fairly quickly and didn't suffer any fraudulent charges, but the disruption and time involved was not fun. Just another cautionary tale that such travel takes caution but is certainly doable--all the best to you all.

I won't add much since most everyone else has given you good advice. Just one small thing . . . that 10PM curfew is not only unnecessary, it is practically impossible. In some of those cities you won't be eating dinner til 9:30 or 10:00. And you'll probably want to go to the theatre or concerts at least a few times. And then after the theatre or concerts you'll want to stop for drinks or late night noshing. So forget the curfew. As long as 2 or 3 of you stick together you'll be fine late at night.

(BTW, I am totally amazed at those two teachers - I personally can't even imagine teachers/professors thinking that way)

Wow,, when I read your post Rosie |I was absolutley SHOCKED! A 10 pm curfew is ridiculus,,I can't beleive you think you need to be back in bed that early, and I am the mother of three kids 16-22,,
My 18 year old nephew travelled to Europe BY HIMSELF at 18, and he was raised in a rural area with no bus service even , so the big cities of Europe blew him away, but he was fine.

And the kidnapping thing, sorry ,but that is also beyond silly.

I really think you and your friend should go, you sound sensible, but stop listening to paranoid people . Watch your stuff, pickpocketing IS much more common in Europe then America( and I know you are American cause they are alot more scared of Europe then most people for some reason?)

Is part of the background that some or all of you come from a small town or rural background, rather than a big city?

If the latter then common sense (which you seem to have in abundance) and past experience should see you right.

If the former, then there may be a few more things some of you need to think about to avoid trouble, such as being aware of who's around you - if only so you can adjust your walking speed to theirs, not dawdle along three or four abreast, and move to one side if you need to stop to consult a map or work out where you're going to go - that sort of thing. And always know where you've hidden your valuables, without checking them every five minutes (that's a dead giveaway to a pickpocket).

One other thing I've seen mentioned here from time to time: it is not usual in most European cities to smile at strangers, except when there is already some connection or transaction in progress between you (such as holding a door open, the "which side are you passing on" dance, or sharing amusement at a cute baby or pet). Otherwise it could be open to misunderstanding..

As for the curfew, I'm with everyone else, even allowing for not being in a position to appreciate exactly what it's like to be a young woman on her own. It's not so much about when, as where (seriously ill-intentioned criminals have been known to strike at breakfast time, but not in places where there are lots of people around). I'm in Barcelona at the moment; Spain is a special case in the keeping late hours department, admittedly, but at 2am this morning, the metro system was busy with people, many of them about your age and having a good time perfectly safely. Some were young women on their own, but they looked as though they knew what they were doing and where they were going, and were not to be messed with. It's a look that can be practised.

Patrick made a good point that I forgot.. smiling at men can be percieved as a open invitation. I don't mean like your waiter, but the guy at the table next to you ,, don't worry its not like they will attack you ,, its just Europeon people don't generally smile and say hello to strangers the way we do here( in my town if walking its common to say hi to strangers) so when you meet their eyes, smile, or respond to their hello, they may think that means you are interested in them. As i said, don't get all stressed about it, just learn to wear a "poker face" and if people stop you to talk, BE AWARE, they don't want to kidnap you they likely will try and pick pocket you!

I have never heard of college students - even if 17 - having a curfew (even when I was in college, back in the last ice age - out o fthe house meant no rules from parents). They ceratinly don't at school - and I can't imaigne any of them putting up with it from their parents. They are, after all adults, not children.

Plus at 10 pm they are likely to be still having dinner - or meeting local students at a pub or bar (yes, they will be drinking - since the drinking age in europe is way lower than in the US.) Does anyone really think they aren't drinking at college now? (Based on my daughters it's just as frequent, again, as when I was in college.)

If they are from small towns and have never been to a big city a couple of the tips (not smiling at strangers, always being aware of those around you) make perfect sense. But a sensible young adult shuold certainly be able to cope with it.

Concrete advice:

Photo copy your important travel documents and send them to yourself as attachments. If you lose them, you at least have a copy available on the internet which will facilitate replacing them.