Please help: Are these hotels ok for a Youth Tour in the UK?
 

Dear Fodorites, Although I frequent the US board quite often, this is my first post here. Would you be so kind to please tell me if the following are ok for a group of chaperoned High Schoolers: <BR> <BR>Point Hotel - Edinburgh <BR>Jarvis Ingram - Glasgow <BR>Best Western Ripon Hotel - Ripon <BR>Unicorn Hotel - Ripon <BR>Thistle Euston Park Hotel - London <BR> <BR>My fear is that tour operators will find the least expensive accomodations for teens (translation, not as safe!). If you have any info on any of the above hotels, your feedback would be GREATLY appreciated! Thank you very much!

Ellen <BR> <BR>The Point is Edinburgh is absolutely fine. Central and a lot more than cheap.

Thank you so much, Sheila; I appreciate it. Can you, or anyone else, tell me anything about the other properies? <BR> <BR>Knowing our kids are going to be safe will make this mom sleep alot better... <BR> <BR>Thanks again!

Hello, Ellen, I am curious...what are you coming to see in or near Ripon? <BR> <BR>I'm sorry to say I cannot tell you anything about the hotels you have asked about, other than to tell you the Unicorn is in the town center, overlooking the market square. The market is every Thursday. Ripon is a small medieval city (looks like a town, but because of the large cathedral it qualifies - by some ancient standard - as a city). The cathedral is a short walk from the town center. <BR> <BR>The Ripon Spa Hotel (Best Western) is, from the looks of it, a very nice hotel. I know it has conference facilites and also offers many other amenities. <BR> <BR>To find out more about the hotels you have chosen in Ripon, North Yorkshire, England...Check out the information on these websites: <BR> <BR>http://www.infotel.co.uk/hotels/21756.htm (info on Best Western Ripon) <BR> <BR> <BR>Well, having trouble accessing Unicorn Hotel info, but you can look it up - may have more info for you. <BR>

Hi JM ~ Thanks so much for your informative reply! It sounds like it's mostly a travel day, with a visit to the Cathedral there. They will be in Ripon on a Monday, so I guess they'll miss the market...is it a good Cathedral to visit? <BR> <BR>If you think of anything else, ANYBODY, please let me know. All replies are GREATLY appreciated!!!

Bumping up - please help! Thank you!

Ellen <BR> <BR>I have no further specific knowledge but Jarvis and Thistle are both good and reputable chains

Fodors <BR> <BR>Perhaps I can help ? If you'll tell me what dangers you see as facing young people in London I'll say whether they exist at the Thistle Euston Hotel. Can you also confirm that you mean the Thistle Euston Hotel in Cardington Street, NW1 ? <BR> <BR>A few general comments ad interim. On Cardington Street their greatest danger will be boredom: it's dull. Or they might be run over if they cross the main Euston Road carelessly: it lies a quarter mile to the south. For me the main thing wrong with Thistle hotels is that they make tea with tea bags, but I fear this is unlikely to trouble your party. <BR> <BR>I look forward to hearing your ideas of dangers. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines, London <BR> <BR> <BR>

Hi Ben, thanks for the reply! You're right, I'm sure they won't have a problem with tea! <BR> <BR>As for dangers - anything that might be dangerous as in any other major city - pickpockets, muggers, etc. etc. etc. - you get the picture - anything that would worry all of we mothers back here in the states! :) <BR> <BR>My question regarding the hotels is if they're in a FAIRLY safe area. Obviously nowhere on this earth is 100% safe, but we all know some areas are better than others. I also know tour-operators aren't as good to teens - often forgetting that their parents are major consumers and probably paying the bill! <BR> <BR>TIA for any and all replies.

Hi Ellen, it's me again. <BR> <BR>I actually live in Ripon, so if you need more info specifically about the North Yorkshire area, please let me know, and I'll see what I can come up with for you. <BR>One thing I can suggest for your kids to do in this area is for them to visit Brimham Rocks, about 15 minutes drive from downtown Ripon. It's a large rock field where people like to go rock climbing, go for walks, have picnics and take lots of photos of the surrounding countryside. Check out this website to see what Brimham Rocks looks like: <BR> <BR>http://www.harrogate.co.uk/album/brim.htm <BR> <BR>Also check out the city of Ripon home page: <BR> <BR>www.ripon.org <BR> <BR>And the Ripon Cathedral home page: <BR> <BR>http://www.riponcathedral.org.uk/ <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>As far as things to do in London for your kids...besides all the obvious historical sites, fun things to do might be to visit the London Dungeon (sort of a house of horror combined with history, along with a very short boat ride through one area); also the Trocadero in Picadilly Square might be of interest - it's a HUGE multiple floor arcade with a movie theater, a bowling alley, bumper cars, pool tables, and lots of other things. Beware though, that your kids will spend a LOT of money there. <BR> <BR>The above email is legit, so email me personally if you have more specific questions about North Yorkshire. <BR> <BR>BTW, you didn't say when you'd be travelling...?

help these kids out...

Fodors <BR> <BR>There is little money to be made by picking pockets in hotel areas, as the streets are not crowded enough. So our pickpockets gather in such tourist spots as Parliament Square Westminster and Leicester Square. Also in central London tube trains. The solution is for the children to put passports, credit cards (do children have credit cards?) , and spare funds into the hotel safe. Every Thistle Hotel has a safe at reception. More, even the little money needed for a day or two should be loose in a pocket, not in a wallet and especially not in the outer pocket of a backpack. <BR> <BR>Muggers: no. They exist on one or two estates of social housing three or four miles from central Lonon. The estates are ugly, and no tourist goes to them. <BR> <BR>Within the West End and City (that is to say, within central London) the only respect in which some areas areas are safer than others is that crowded tourist areas have pickpockets. <BR> <BR>Of course, there is no fearof sexual attack. The prettier girls will attract the attentions of interested young men, but I should think that by now they know how to respond. Not neccessarily with a total negative. Some will be of an age to take a little flirting in their stride -- and boast to their girl friends later of how they were stood a Coke by a French boy or a good-looking young Jamaican. <BR> <BR>Please write again if I can comment further. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines <BR> <BR>

Thank you everyone! (And to whoever posted this back to the top!) <BR> <BR>Ben, they will be traveling in June 2001. The weather should be ok then, right? <BR> <BR>This is an eight day trip, including travel days. Too ambitious? <BR> <BR>And, the hotels are all ok, right? <BR> <BR>Appreciate ALL your thoughts and ideas!! Please post any and all additional comments! Thank you so very much!

Ellen, <BR> <BR>June will still be somewhat chilly in areas, with unpredictable amounts of sunshine. The best time of the year to travel weather-wise in Britain coincides with the MOST EXPENSIVE time of the year - July and August. <BR> <BR>Make sure the kids bring jackets, pref. water-resistent or -proof ones with hoods. However, also let them know that if they wait for sunshine to go out and have fun, they could waste at least part of their trip!!! Be prepared for the possibility of some chilly rainy days, but don't let them spoil your fun!!!

Ellen <BR> <BR>The Jarvis Ingram in Glasgow is a good three star hotel previously owned by the local Stakis Hotel and Casino Group. <BR> <BR>It's situated right in the middle of the city bordering on the Merchant City area of the town centre. From the hotel the shopping areas, including Buchanan Street are few minutes walk and George Square, often regarded as the heart of Glasgow, is a few steps away. <BR> <BR>The hotel sits right on Ingram Street which can be busy with traffic. <BR> <BR>We use the hotel regularly for conferences and occasionally some of our staff need to spend the night there. In that respect, I've never heard anything but good about the Ingram. <BR> <BR>It's still there too - I walked past it this morning :o) <BR> <BR>Bill

This is a simple enough question for all you experts. Help these kids out.

Help these kids! Please.

Hi Ellen and all, Lucky kids! Sounds like fun, wish I could help! COME ON FODORITES!!!!

The Ingram in Glasgow is just as Bill says - additionally it is beside the Museum of Modern art - free entry & has hands on multimedia in basement.Great for a school trip. <BR>Area is safe & central.

THANK YOU all for your responses! Just one more question: There are a few parents who do not want the kids to go, for various reasons. They are all H.S. Juniors and Seniors, and would be well chaperoned. In YOUR opinion, why SHOULD they be allowed to go?! Please respond a.s.a.p. as the final decision will be made soon. Thank you again, very much!

Ellen... although it's been a real pleasure to share information with you, your group is starting to sound just a little paranoid... <BR> <BR>It is impossible to pin down just one reason why the kids SHOULD be allowed to go. Don't you think before they head off into the college years, they should be exposed to other cultures/customs/languages/craftsmanship/heritage/art/food/landscapes/architecture/music/etc etc etc etc??? <BR> <BR>Or would you rather they stay safe within their own small community, just because it's familiar and comfortable (and to your kids, possibly boring, predictable, uninteresting, been-there-done-that...)? <BR> <BR>The chaperones are presumably reliable people, who have every intention of making sure nothing happens to your kids. And your kids are probably more responsible and level-headed than you give them credit for. <BR> <BR>You gotta cut the apron strings SOMETIME - why not let the strings just stretch a little for now? After all, they're not MOVING overseas...they're just VISITING!!! <BR>

When my daughter was a sophomore in high school, she was asked to join a band trip through Europe. Till this day, she swears no other event has so positively affected her as much as her whirlwind tour thru Europe,,,it would have been criminal of me not to let her go!

Fodors <BR> <BR>I'm sorry I failed to reply on one point: "This is an eight day trip, including travel days. Too ambitious?" <BR> <BR>No. As Judy Rem says, a fast tour can make a great impression on a bright young person. And their stamina is far greater than that of their parenjts. It's true I'd give them a quiet day or two in the States on return -- if you can get them off the telephone ! <BR> <BR>It is not for a Londoner to judge the value or good judgement of such a journey, but you have excellent and well-thought-out replies from JM and from Judy Rem. I suppose that what I can say from this side of the ocean is that there is every sign that the USA will be as important to the world this century as last. We know, for example, what we owe to the many dead on Omaha Beach. It is of great value if the new American generation include many with some idea of cultures outside their own. If I may illustrate from British history, in 1938 Hitler occupied much of the Czech Republic. Our Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, said he would not go to war over "a distant land of which we know little." <BR> <BR>Ben Haines <BR>

Ellen first of all you must be one terrific mother, which is to say, you sound a whole lot like MY mother. When I was barely out of my teens my best girl pal and I, just by ourselves went off to back pack through Europe. During the late '80's. The whole time I knew my mother was on pins and needles with worry. Her and my father actually allowed me to use part of my college fund to take this trip and they fretted about that as well. Oddly enough, just this past weekend I had a sit down with my mother and we both were remarking on what a great thing that trip was for me. How it changed my life. If I had 400 more paragraphs I could not describe all the profound things that trip did for me. It opened my eyes to a different way of life, exposed me to different values, culture, history. It gave me confidence that I could survive. It instilled a love of travel and an appreciation of art and joy of living. Now, I can't lie and say that we spent every hour in museums. No, we partied like two young, blond girls-set free from their parents, know how to party! But that trip was so special, I get teary eyed just thinking about it. My best pal who went with me became a nurse and has kept up the travel, she is heading out on her second trek to Nepal and Mt. Everest! She plans to be a travelling nurse and help people all over the world. I believe , that trip we made all those years ago helped influence her decision. I am sorry this post is so long, but I feel so strongly that it is unfair to ask a young person to decide on their lifes course without letting them get out and see something of the greater world in which we live and experience the remarkable sense of global community. It teaches respect for oneself, the world and America.

Let 'em have it, Fodorites! Tell all those parents why the should let their little darlings go!

c'mon folks ---

DD just flew in the door announcing that her school is organizing a trip to Europe for next spring! What's up with these high schools?!! While the cost seems reasonable, don't they realize parents have college expenses looming ahead? What ever happened to going to Washington DC or Philadlphia? HELP!

Perhaps DD could get an after-school/weekend job (if she does not already have one), start babysitting, etc. and start saving her own money towards this trip and/or to help with her college expenses. I know I did this in high school and summers during college, as did most of my friends. Still managed to get good grades and have a social life. Wasn't thrilled about it at the time, but it did teach me that "money doesn't grow on trees" and gave me an appreciation for the financial support my parents gave me.

Getting a job is good advice, but do you people know how many extras there are in high school these days? And I'm talking public school. Especially for a senior? Not to mention sports fees, uniforms, music lessons, school supplies, clothes, dates out etc. etc. The cost is probably a BIT higher then when we were in school. And this is all before they even graduate!

See the next thread about a H.S. trip to France. Some excellent food for thought!

Hi Ellen, <BR> <BR>It doesn't sound to me as though the operator has chosen the 'least expensive" hotels. BestWestern and Thistle are definitely upmarket chains in the UK, and the Point is one of the most sought-after new hotels in Edinburgh, very avant-garde decor, and excellent food (I'm told). <BR> <BR>Tell your kids they MUST NOT MISS the Camera Obscura (in the Observation Tower, just below the Castle, on the "Royal Mile"). The Point is only a few hundred yards from the Castle, by the way, but it's a bit of a climb ! <BR> <BR>Regards, <BR> <BR>Chris

1)If you don't let them go you will be hearing about it for the rest of your life.("YOU RUINED MY LIFE" etc.) <BR> <BR>2)It's a good age to start getting some perspective.

Just a question....how many chaperones will be going with you? I just hate it when I see teens cavorting with no supervision....