17yr old wants to travel to Ireland.

Let her go!

She sounds like she's got it all together, and normally you trust her! It's a wonderful opportunity, one she'd regret if she didn't take it. It's the perfect way for her to start, having local guides and somewhere to stay.

Show your trust, let her go. And make yourself feel better by learning about the country, and what she might see.

Of course,, overseas is safer then the States anyways,. I was sent over at 13 to stay with family and friends,,, and that included flying by myself and finding my relatives in Amsterdam airport.. I am middle aged now and still look back at that time with many happy memories.
Your daughter sounds smart and mature,, your fear or lack of experience in travel shouldn't hold her back from a GREAT life experience,AND she is not going alone really anyways. I know 18 yr olds who have travelled in Europe on their own with no friends or family to oversee them at all.

If you know her friends and feel comfortable with them, let her go. This is a wonderful opportunity for her to travel with local help and insights. Hopefully she will enjoy it and travel for many years to come.

Sounds like there's no reason to not let her go!

For what it's worth, a friend of mine (whom I have known since she was 13, now 21) has traveled all over europe and the world at a very young age. She spent the summer in Denmark, living with the family of an exchange student she met over here. She was 16 or 17 at the time and she was just fine! She and her friend even went to the Roskilde music festival by themselves. This past year, she spent half the year in Argentina. Traveling when you're young doesn't have to be scary, if you've got a good head on your shoulders.

Ireland is a very safe place for everyone and she'll have a great time. It also helps to see how others live. It will make her a better person so let her go.

As Pat said, Europe is safer then here in the States. Do you know your daughter's friends from Cork? If they are friends that you feel comfortable having your daughter with then let her go. She will have the time of her life.

She sounds like a great kid, and what a wonderful opportunity for her. I think you'll feel terrible if you DON'T let her go.

Let her go. This will give her confidence that she will have the rest of her life.

laura,

As someone else mentioned, are you comfortable with her Irish friends? If so, this would probably be a great opportunity for your daughter. The fact that she'll be travelling with a friend is one good aspect.

You may be more comfortable with the idea if she takes a Cell phone, so that she can at least send texts very day or so (very inexpensive) to let you know that all's well. If she currently uses either AT&T or T-Mobile, her phone MAY work in Europe.

You both may enjoy having a look at the "Ireland" Guidebook, to get some idea what to expect there. You could also have a look at the Ireland DVD offered in the Travel Store on this website.

Cheers!

To Laura: Your daughter sounds like a very well grounded, mature, sensible young woman, so I'd let her go BUT I'd make sure I reiterated staying safe with her. I don't agree with Robin and Pat that Europe is safer than the US. While some areas of Europe may be safe others are not. It's a common mistake for a lot of Americans to think EVERY place in Europe is safe and that they won't get hurt travelling there. This isn't true. My brother was mugged and beaten in Italy while in the Navy and ended up in the hospital. I have friends and family who could certainly tell you the "no go" areas of some European countries. The bottom line is that if your daughter keeps her wits about her and doesn't just blindly follow the pack, then she should be fine.

Definitely let her go! I was in a similar situation when I was in college, had the opportunity to stay for free for 10 days in Ireland, and my mom agreed to let me go, and it was a great experience. Dublin is not in my opinion one of those places where 'tourists' are particularly targeted... I found the people to be extremely friendly, and happy to talk about their country. Buy her a Rick Steves book or even have her peruse this website and she'll have plenty of ideas about how to make the most of the experience, and how to 'travel smart.'

Here is one of my lasting impressions of Dublin- it was well after sunset and I passed a group of preteen girls walking themselves home from field hockey practice. Now admittedly, this was in the Ballsbridge neighborhood, which is one of the more prosperous parts of town, but still, it speaks a lot about the overall safety of the place. The biggest thing to prepare her for is alcohol. She'll be too young to go in pubs, but she may come in contact with it elsewhere. Even in a relatively safe country, there will still be cretins who will try to take advantage of her if she gets a little tipsy.

I would make sure you understand any potential legal implications of a minor traveling internationally. What I mean is, who makes decisions if emergency medical care is needed, that type of thing. I'm sure it will never be needed....but worth researching. Also, as a young/female American, she will stand out more in Ireland than at home. Someone said she won't be in pubs, I am not so sure of that. I would stress to her to not get separated from friends.

To kind of elaborate on what I (and possibly Michael) are getting at (and this is about to be extremely politically incorrect)... one of the unpleasant facts of life over here is that there is a persistent perception that young American women are... well, "easy targets". Everyone has heard apocryphal stories about young coeds on semesters abroad and the movies and TV shows from the states don't exactly contradict the stereotypes. So for that fact alone, she may receive a little bit more attention that might not be just friendly curiosity. I don't mention this to scare you into nixing the trip, but you need to have a honest conversation with her about it.

Definitely. I know just how you feel. We Mums find it hard to let our fledglings fly the nest. Our daughter travelled to the USA as an 18 year with a group from University. Before she left, I spoke to the family she was being billetted with in San Francisco and felt very comfortable with them. She was staying in Anaheim when the big quake of 1994 hit. My stress levels spiked during this time, I can tell you. Have you met or had contact with the family she'll be staying with? The fact that she is travelling with a friend is a big plus.
It's a great opportunity for her to visit an amazing country and be able to see it through the eyes of people who live there.