teen daughter traveling to Amsterdam...mom worried about hotel location
 

My 18-year-old is traveling with 12 students and a teacher and Aruba is on the mind of any parent who has a child traveling this summer. I have not been able to obtain much information about the hotel in Amsterdam, other than that the location is a little "iffy", especially for women. It is the Casa 400 @James Wattstraat 75. I always rely on Fodorites so if you have any information that I can pass along to her I will be grateful.

We spent a week in Amsterdam a few years ago so she's aware of the culture. However, we stayed in the city center and felt quite safe at our hotel so I don't want her to have a false sense of security about hers.

Thank you!

You're right about the tragedy of the young woman missing in Aruba. Such a shame when young people are just having fun in another culture, but they forget to be mindful of strangers.

We just returned from our first visit to Amsterdam and loved it there. The people were so open and friendly and the streets felt safe all over. So, if your daughter is traveling with 12 others, and they are level-headed teens who use good judgement and stay in pairs at least, I'll bet she'll be safe most anywhere in Amsterdam.

We did avoid the red light district, for its obvious tackiness, but otherwise felt perfectly safe everywhere in town at all hours of the night. Do you have any options, anyway, in where she stays?

No, she is actually in Lisbon right now and all of their hotel reservations are set. The teacher hand selected the kids because they are "boring" which is a great compliment! I don't worry about them--it's everyone else around them that I worry about!

Thanks for your help.

P.S. Forgot to mention my husband and I were traveling with our just-turned 20-year-old daughter and our 16-year-old son. One night we felt perfectly safe in letting them head off by themselves to a concert at the Paradiso. It's near the museum area, and our hotel was about a 15 minute walk away. We did have them take a cab back to the hotel late at night after the concert, but they had no problems (except the cabbie overcharged them).

If your daughter doesn't know of it, the Paradiso if a very cool venue for live music. It's a converted church and has a good reputation in the states. Our kids saw a group headed by the previous lead singer of Smashing Pumpkins, plus another band from the U.S. They loved it. Lots of smoking going on, of course, but that's Amsterdam, if you know what I mean. At some point, you have to trust their judgement.

Jayne - what's the name of the hotel she'll be staying at? Last month we were at the NH Doelen right near Univ. of Amsterdam, so loaded with students. Great atmosphere for kids of her age. Our daughter is going to spend a semester in the Netherlands (maybe Amsterdam, maybe Maastricht -sp?) probably in 2006 or 2007.

If you know your kid and feel she's level-headed she will be fine. I traveled twice to Europe as a teen and you tend to figure it out, although I know that today's society is a little scarier than when I went in the '70's. Just make sure she doesn't have that false sense of security some Americans have in Europe and she will do fine and learn a whole lot about life. Give her a cell phone to keep in touch so you feel better!

The name of the hotel is Casa 400.

Any false sense of security was diminished the first day of her trip. Her day pack was stolen in the Newark airport. She lost her camera, but she had all her documents, credit cards etc. in a security waist pack. It sent the boys in the group scrambling through the airport looking for one of their own!

Maureen, thanks for the tip. I'm going to copy and email it to her. I've already told her to take a cab back to her hotel anywhere she feels her safety is compromised. The airport incident was a valuable lesson in how quickly something can happen.

Although there is theft in Amsterdam it probably isn't any worse than what happened in the US airport.

Seriously, since there is no evidence that the young woman in Aruba was forcefully abducted and your own child has sense enough NOT to go off with strangers I honestly don't think you have much to worry about.

You can raise them but you cannot shelter them forever.

The last night we were in Amsterdam my husband left his "man purse" with all our passports on the back of his chair at the restaurant. He didn't realize it until we got to the hotel. He raced back and they had it waiting for him with all the contents intact.

I wouldn't worry about her physical safety anywhere in Amsterdam any more than in any other large city in Europe but you may worry about her being pickpocketed or going to coffeeshops (min age an unenforced 18) or going to bars (drinking age 16) - things most young folk her age go to Amsterdam to do. But an Aruba like incident - never heard of it here, though probably has happened as anywhere but i wouldn't worry about location. Never heard of James Wattsraat but am familiar with most streets in redlight, diciest area of town, and probably not there. Been going to Amsterdam yearly since 1969 - crime seems to be way down recently - was out of control with pickpockets and bag snatchers until mid 80s. I wouldn't worry about her physical safety - now if she does something stupid...

Thanks PalQ. Unless, as you say, she does something stupid or out of character she will be fine.