17 year old traveling in Southern Europe

The biggest difference between the USA and Europe is alcohol. Kids are allowed to drink earlier, and since there is public transportation, this can be done without the drunk-driving issue. So, I would expect that they are going to drink. I doubt any comment from you would stop that. You may wish to consider allowing your daughter to have a glass of wine or a beer prior to leaving in the privacy of your own home. Not to give permission, but simply to understand the physiological effects. Any attempt on your part to create a "guilt" issue is likely to back-fire.

My kids all went to Germany alone to a home-stay there. They all drank. Beer, wine, shots of Jaegermeister. As far as I could tell, every single night. My most sensible daughter kept an extensive beer diary, that turned up recently. She tried a lot of beers.

The only other thing to emphasize is the safety issue. Buddy up, girls, and go in pairs. Be alert, and keep your eyes open. Europe is safe, but nothing is perfect.

From what I understand, adult in Europe is 16+. Hotel reservations, planes reservations, etc can all be made independently if you are 16+. I cant think of any obstacles, especially as a few are 18. I would check about health insurance. Im thinking, if something happened and they had to go to a doctor - I believe the way most US insurance plans handle this is for you to pay the doctor in Europe and get a receipt of some kind that you later submit to your US insurance plan, but if the patient is younger than 18, will the US plan give you a hard time in collecting. Also, check with youth hostels for restrictions. I would assume they too follow the 16+ policy. I would think of all the places they will go and double check, but in general, Europe considers teens to be independent and adult far younger than the US does

Do 17 year olds in the US not drink? Most British teenagers will have been paralytic in the gutter on multiple occasions by that age.

However Southern Europe tends not to have the “drink till you pass out” culture of Northern Europe as wine is just a more normal part of life.

As to the comment about "17 YOs drinking", I would say that some do, some do not. My kids did not go to the parties with alcohol. In general, I would guess that 25% of teens have had serious amounts of alcohol by then, but many have not. When I was growing up, before the invention of movable type, there was little drinking. I never drank as a teen.

In the US, there are still many cases in which parents who host parties in which teens drink are arrested and charged. They can go to jail. You can give your kids alcohol at home, but it's not common to see kids drinking in public. We still have a puritanical culture. The USA has decided that kids should drive early and not drink. In Europe, the opposite - they can drink early, but it doesn't appear that driving early is as common.

What type of lodging will they be staying in? Many hotels require a minimum age - whether that means all or just some of the group, you will have to check websites for. They might also require that people under 18 have to be accompanied by someone over 21 or 25. If it's hostels, your written consent is suffice.

Not what you asked about, but be sure they realize that the cheapest accommodations probably won't be air conditioned, and that may get to be rather unpleasant if this is a summer trip.

Thank you for all your replies so far! They plan on mostly staying in hostels and cheaper accommodations. This trip will (hopefully) take place at the end of June.

TPWWS - the legal drinking age is 21 in the US. It would seem many people feel this is adhered to. I have been slammed for commenting that perhaps those under 21 have a different take on it.

I know a 16yo going to Europe this summer alone. This kid could get hotels and plane reservations at 16+ online, but could not get a plane ticket from the US to Europe online (had to do it through the airline). When looking at policies for airlines and hotels, the websites said "Adult 16+" vs. in the US where it says "Adult 18+". But as I say, double check

Aside from drinking concerns, here is something to think about.....how long is this trip? They are planning on covering a lot of ground. Spain and Southern France is certainly doable, but Spain and Italy I would suggest flying. Italy/Greece as well.

Spare some thought about how they will handle their finances on the road. Do the 17-year-olds have credit and debit cards?

An anecdote about young drinkers: There are formal rules about the age of eligibility, and then there is the actual situation, like back home. In Bologna, with a huge student population, I saw a young man turned down in a student bar even though he had his parents and clearly older brother with him. It may be the exception. But common sense, however valuable, does not necessarily prevail.

Drinking is, IMHO, the least of their concerns. They need to accept that behavior that's deemed acceptable in Italy and Greece is considered sexual harassment here in the USA. When I was living in Germany I had to take a couple days and go down into Italy to "rescue" one of my parents neighbors daughters. An attractive girl, she had gotten to the point where she wouldn't leave the house without escort. Northern Europe is a little more respectful of personal space and tends to keep it's hands to itself.

When I was living in Germany I had to take a couple days and go down into Italy to "rescue" one of my parents neighbors daughters.

That's one reason I suggested the buddy system.

When my wife was doing a year abroad in S France, she had many stories about that problem. My daughter did get the offer of many camels for her virtue. Walking around late at night in some places is a bad idea for young women. Traveling in groups of 2 or more is important. And not agreeing to the offer of the friendly young man to come back to his flat to look at his etchings is also a good idea. Note, also, that drinking can compound the problem.

I'd check really carefully on the lodging requirements. They are in their 20s now, but I seem to recall that my European-born and raised nieces had some issues where they couldn't stay in hotels with their older friends when they were under 18, and some hostels turned them away because they didn't have a parent or guardian traveling with them - others would not let them stay in co-ed hostel dorm rooms until they turned 18, but they were free to book beds at other hostels that had female-only dorm rooms.

As for the alcohol - I think a lot of parents have blinders on and think "not my child!" - apparently, something like 10% of parents are willing to fess up and admit their kids have likely drank to excess at least 1 time in their lives, but there's been plenty of studies on it and if you asked the teens themselves, more than half have been drunk (many more than just once) well before they are even seniors in high school. Not every bar is going to be diligent about checking I.D., so if it was my kid, I'd just remind them if they are going to be in a place where their friends are drinking and they are likely to have some drinks themselves, then they need to keep it in check and keep their wits about them. They should look after their friends if they are drinking - but if their friends become completely trashed and stop listening to a voice of reason and they are moving forward with doing something stupid and refusing to get in a taxi and call it a night, then sorry, not sorry, but all bets are off. I wouldn't want my kid putting herself into a dangerous situation because they tried to stick with their friend who has lost all common sense and has seriously impaired judgment.

Car hire may also be an issue, if they are hoping to do it.

I think they may want to look at the hostel age limits. From what I've read, anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent/chaperone/guardian in European hostels. I think they may have some real problems in lodging since most hotels don't allow 17 year olds to stay without parents.

I'd have them research this now rather than be looking for lodging upon arrival.

heather, before my post I checked and youth hostels have a policy of accepting people under 18 with a written letter of consent from parents. Others here state 16 is considered adult for europe for booking hotels....though those I searched didn't state any restrictions.

Car is an issue under 25. Hopefully they plan public transportation.

I'm not sure about hostels? I'm staying at Jacob's hostel in Dublin in May. One house rule is families with children under 16 have to book private rooms - which wasn't true in Netherlands and Germany a decade ago. From their note, however, it does appear 16 is the cutoff.

I've never seen it formally spelled out that 16 is an adult. For purposes of drinking it always seemed like if you're able to buy a pint, they'll serve you one.

The US is one of the most strict border control countries so I wouldn't be surprised if we require more than most European countries. I'd give her a permission letter, signed and notarized by both parents, along with a copy of her birth certificate, just in case it becomes an issue. Chances are she'll never be asked for it. If she does, it will probably be by the airline as she's leaving the US.

Obviously, All the girls need to understand basics. Europe isn't a dangerous place but common sense still counts. Being a young woman out alone, or using an ATM, in a bad area late at night isn't smart anywhere.

WNYC's Alison Stewart discusses “Women Who Travel” on her show today. You might find some useful info there.
https://www.wnyc.org/story/solo-travel

Megan Spurrell, community editor at Condé Nast Traveler, and Lale Arikoglu, digital lifestyle editor at Condé Nast Traveler, join us to discuss the “Women Who Travel” Facebook group, which has grown into a 130,000-member community.

They mentioned this article several times - Adventurous. Alone. Attacked.
Here's a companion article -- ‘Don’t Succumb to the Fear’: Women Share Travel Safety Tips

I don't know how much exposure to alcohol they've had but they should know never to accept drinks from a stranger or new acquaintance. Also if going out together to a club or anywhere, the buddy system works well. Keep tabs on your friends. Somehow on vacations, people tend to lose their good judgements, relax and do things they wouldn't do at home.

Again, not all teens are like this. My sister went to Europe at 17 and while she had a glass of wine and a beer she was fine. Unfortunately some of the kids went wild on the trip and without parental supervision and access to alcohol got drunk every night and threw up on the tour bus. One person even got so drunk he got lost and couldn't find his way home from a club-luckily a Good Samaritan helped him to call the hotel and the tour guide picked him up.

This site may provide some info

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/travel-documents-minors/index_en.htm

scroll down a ways to where you can select each country individually