18-year olds traveling on their own

I give you alot of credit for cutting those apron strings. Make sure he has an ATM card under your name but w/his signature on it. Or have his own account connected to your checking account. The idea is for you to quickly transfer funds for his easy access. It might be easier w/a commercial bank. I did this w/a Citibank branch and they understood my request. Figure out what mode of communication to use, when it's neccesary. Has he been to large cities by himself? If he hasn't, you may want him to practice on how to use public transportation, how to order at a restaurant(I'm sure he won't be doing much of that), how to walk on city streets, etc...The idea is to give him confidence and make him aware of his surroundings to prevent pickpocketing and other such things. I started doing this w/my daughter when she was 15. I let her visit NYC many times. The following entire summer she went to Istanbul(stayed w/a family), toured the city by herself, and returned home w/an accent and a smile.

Hi
Jus a suggestion....
A friend's daughter had a wonderful experince this summer. She had just finished her 1st year in college. For the summer instead of going to work at the beach, 3 girls rented an apartment in Ireland for the summer and got jobs as waitress and bartenders. They did some touring in their free time in Ireland and had saved enough to travel after for a couple of weeks, before returnng for school.
I sounds like a great way to earn money and get to live like a native in a country.

My son is 17 and wishes he was in your son's position! You might want to check out Rick's son's blog; he also traveled right out of school:
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/europe/andy_blog.htm

Marie, how did the girls get jobs in Ireland? I thought they had some pretty strict employment laws for non-citizens, not like the old days when kids could get jobs all over Europe. For young people, I don't think there is a better life changing opportunity than traveling.

Chere,
They actually did eveything on the internet. They would have made more money in the USA, but wanted to try this. Not sure how they did it. Had dinner with one of the girls parents last weekend. They flew over for a week and visited her and took her around to the Ring of Kerry, Bunratty Castle, etc. 2 girls loved it and one got homesick and flew home half way through.

One of my daughters lived and worked in Paris for the summer, arranged everything such as work permit and job interviews through Council Travel. She found her apartment and 2 roommates through the American Church in Paris. My other daughter and I, of course, had to visit her for a few weeks although we couldn't stay with her since the rue Cler apartment was so tiny. Definitely a great summer for all of us!
I think though that Council Travel is now out of business but this type of info would probably be available through a university.

Linda, Why don't you look into AFS-USA for your son?They have a major office in Portland. Their goal is to send American high schoolers to foreign countries so they can learn the language, culture, etc. They stay w/a family for 3, 6, or 12 mos.

Sue, I think it is very Wonderful and Great that a boy, at age 18 can travel in Europe. If a person will be a student at a College or University, I think it is best to travel to Europe before being a student at a college or University, not after being a student for four years. If he must be a student in a college World History course, being a tourist in Europe could prepare him for that. When I was a college student, the only students who got a grade of "A" in college World History were those who had been on a vacation trip to Europe. I am much older than 18, but I remember that when I was 18 the only thing I wanted to do was Travel !!!. I could not afford to go to Europe then.
In my opinion : forget about working in Europe or Ireland. Just travel. He will want to see as many places as is possible. I recommend that he goes to Portsmouth harbor-H.M.S. Victory, and Isle of Wight in England. Cinque Terre in Italy. The island Naxos of Greece at the Aegean Sea. Bacharach, Germany.

Sue, at age 18, and if he has a limitation on money to spend in Europe and Britain, I suggest : do not go in any big city in Europe, except for London. Big cities are expensive, stressful, and bewildering. Denmark and Sweden and Norway are VERY EXPENSIVE.
If you want my suggestions for his traveling in Europe, and recommended Hostels, send a Private Message to me at this website.

I would respectfully disagree. Some of the biggest cities in Europe are the best place for first time travellers because the transportation is excellent and there are lots of sites in a small area.

Getting out of the big cities is what often takes a bit more guts - you are more likely to be in areas with fewer tourists, fewer people who speak English and less frequent (or no) public transportation.

My tip would be to make SURE he gets an ISIC Card - Europe is full of GREAT student discounts, so a proper student ID can make all the difference on a student budget.

Also, don't rule out Scandinavia, but plan well. Scandinavian hostels are among the best and dorm rooms are affordable. Also, there are great discount supermarkets, so if you cook at the hostel, it's not at all expensive.

I would suggest that the boys try to plan their trip so they can figure out costs and transportation. Some hostels fill up quickly in the summer, so booking ahead may help and ...

and also by booking ahead, they can lay a framework for their trip. Planning ahead will also give them a chance to decide their priorities for sightseeing (and having fun) so they can figure out which locations fit their ideals and make sense as far as transport and costs.

One point - at 18, they will be legal to drink in any European country so you may want chat with them about safe drinking. Alcohol is often expensive here, so they may want to abstain to keep costs down, but if they do imbibe, they should be well aware of the dangers of over-imbibing, especially in re crime.

I would recommend Scotland - June is a great time to visit, and there are lots of outdoorsy things for 18 year old boys to enjoy, plus there are inexpensive hostels and good public transport. Also, starting in an English speaking location might be less daunting. And from here, there are plenty of discount airline routes to other countries.

Kate

I agree that any of the big cities would be a great experience, rather than small towns. I think those would be best, safety, transportation, health-care, and activity-wise. Plus, if you need to have them come to meet you for any reason/you need to come to meet them for any reason...lots easier logistically.

I also would suggest Scandinavia. In Copenhagen, my best friend and I (both 24 year old women at the time) stayed with Puk & Holdger de la Cour (one of Ricks' private room recommendations at the time), and had a fabulous time.