18 Year Old/ First trip to Europe

Jim, just to reassure his mom a bit. When my nephew turned 18 , literally two weeks later he went off solo to Europe. He had booked a 2 week tour , but had booked himself to arrive in London 10 days pre tour. So for first ten days he was alone in London. He grew up in the country( rural) area, had never taken public buses, let alone a metro or tube , and attended a small country school ( 200 kids grade 7-12) so he was completely unworldly.
His family had never taken him more then 200 miles from home for vacations, so he had never been even on a plane in his life. We were all nervous. He did not own debit card or credit card, and get this, neither did his parents ( they are old fashioned), so I took my nephew to the bank and got him set up with a ATM card and an emergency use only CC card. He came home safe and sound , dirty and tired, 3.5 weeks later.. I explained about wearing a money belt, and some basic travel info. and he was fine. Suggest you give him Travel Through the Back Door book from RS, it has great basic travel tips and info.. it would make a good present.

Does the $5,000 budget include airfare? That alone is likely to consume about $1,500 in July or August. A lot depends on how much traveling he is going to do, because ground transportation (trains) can get expensive and a Eurail pass is not always a bargain. I would say that the cost of a hostel is around 25-30 Euro a day on average. If he's traveling with a friend (which could be a good idea, although many friendships have collapsed during such trips) he could split the cost of a hotel room for not much more in a budget B&B.
For food he should be able to get by easily with less than Euro 50/day if he's doesn't splurge too much at expensive restaurants. Museums aren't that expensive and some sights are free (like churches). 20 Euros a day will cover all of that and then some. I think Euro 100 a day (US$135/day) is doable including accommodations, food, museums, entert., gelato etc. To that you need to add transportation costs, both within Europe and airfare from/to the US. For airfare from the US, I would plan $1500 that time of the year. Transport within Europe is a big question mark because I don't know where he wants to go and how many countries he wants to visit. High speed trains can be expensive (and so are Eurail passes). Local buses and regional trains tend to be very reasonable. I'll throw up to $500 for 10 days of train travel within a month there (pure guess based on the average cost of a Select Eurail pass for 5 countries for youth under 26, plus buses, occasional taxi etc.). I think he has money for comfortably staying at least 3 weeks there, if airfare is included in the $5000. If the $5000 doesn't include the airfare to Europe, then he can stay at least 10 days more.

We did something like this a number of years ago hoping to get our son out of a relationship. I told him I didn't care what he did in Europe as long as he didn't get arrested. He had enough money for a month and didn't get arrested, as far as we know.

My daughter did a 30 day post-graduation trip summer of 2011. Her budget was less than $5000 and she was not completely broke when she arived home. Her intra Europe transportation was prepaid and I believe she had about $3500 in her debit account. I would highly recommend you visit the Eurolines.com website. This is a bus line than caters to student travellers and backpackers in Europe. You can get a 15 or 30 day buspass, it goes all over Europe. My daughter bussed from London to Paris, then as far east as Bucharest, then back northwards...her final destination was Warsaw for her flight home. They hit all the major cities in Europe. They have affiliated hostels in every city they service, and I think she averaged about 25-30 euros. Several of the bus trips were overnight travel, so she saved a few nights lodging costs that way. Modern buses with WiFi and restrooms; according to her, very easy to sleep on the bus. BTW - pass prices vary based on low, mid or high season and the season is determined by the first day of bus travel, so if he can time his trip to begin at the very end of the Mid-season, he can still do the majority of his travel during high season.

Jim, It would help to have a bit of further information. For example, does the $5,000 include his airfare and possibly a Railpass? If he spends $1500 on air fare and another few hundred on a Railpass, that won't leave much for travelling around Europe. I agree with a previous suggestion that it would be a good idea to read Europe Through The Back Door before he gets too far along in the planning. "He has no idea where he wants to go" After reading that, my first question is what prompted his desire to backpack through Europe??? Has he expressed an interest in particular countries or sights? It would help to have more information on that. Of course, using open-jaw flights would be a good idea. Having a membership in HI Hostels would provide reliable, safe Hostels in many of the places he'll likely be visiting. I've always found them to be well-run and not "party hostels" (that might be comforting for his Mother). If he's travelling in July or August, pre-booking accommodations would be advisable. Is there any possibility he could scrape up a few extra dollars? I'm assuming this trip will take place soon after he graduates? Backpacking Europe after high school graduation is a very popular endeavor with many. With adequate preparation, he should have a wonderful and problem-free trip, as so many others have. I can appreciate Mom's concern, as I've been in the same position, but it will probably be a good experience for him. Cheers! (*NOTE: this is duplicate Thread of one in the "To The West" section)

My first trip to Europe was to a summer program in International Marketing and Money & Banking at the University of Innsbruck. Unless the young man is very, very mature for 18 years old, it would be much safer if he went through a college credit program. And any 18 year old can make it on $5K for a month, especially if staying in hostels. July & August can be especially hot, and European air conditioning is sub par by our standards. Some countries essentially close and go on vacation for the month of August. Many prefer going other months if at all possible.

No countries that I know of close a single tourist site in August, and rates can be lower in August in some cities, like Paris for example. Heat can and will likely be an issue though, Rome can be smoldering in july and august, but hes young, he can hack it , just like all the other tourists. Getting ac is possible in some places, even budget places so he really should look and research well in advance to get those places if travelling to southern cities.
Most young folks( and some older ones like me!) can get away with cheap food quite happily, a crepe from a street vendor, a sandwich from a bakery, a piece of to go pizza or quiche, grab some drinks from a corner store and find a bench or park to picnic in.. If he visits London most of the big musuems are FREE, huge savings there.

Looks like Elaine has very useful advice based on real exoerience. I'd dig deeper there.
My sons traveled like this and came back smarter and better. Heck, I did it in the early seventies and somehow made it to Istanbul and onto sn Israeli kibbutz with a roundtrip Lax to London ticket. We had no idea where we were going when we left LA but had a fabulous, educational trip. Bon voyage to the young man. I hope the world opens up for him.

I second what others said. The biggest factor there is how much he will spend on transportation between cities. If he plans ahead and buy tickets in advance, he can save tons of money. But that is part of travelling, his mother might give him advise but it is his trip, he should do the advance planning. The best hostels in big cities also do fill up in advance in August, so double down on the plan in advance suggestion... This being said, assuming more common destinations, good hostels will be on the € 25-30/night range. A bit less in Spain, Portugal and Eastern Europe, more in London and Scandinavia, significantly more in Switzerland (at current exchange rates). Many teenagers resort to an all-fast-food diet to save money. Not exactly healthy but probably their young bodies can handle it (mine certainly did at the time).

I suggest you and the 18 y.o. visit Lonely Planet which is more geared to budget and backpacker travel.

Where is he meeting friends; Holland, The Netherlands or Amsterdam?

Agree with Elaine. A backpacker's bus route may be the way to go if he can cover the cost of the pass & have enough in his budget left for food, sightseeing & other expenses. Particularly good are those companies that offer flexible multi-day passes with the ability to hop-on/hop-off the buses when and where he decides a place strikes his fancy or he's had enough. It's a great way to travel solo as the majority of backpackers using those passes are also on their own, so he will meet a lot of different people throughout his trip, a number close in age to him in case he doesn't connect with his friend in Holland. They also take the hassle out of figuring out where to stay since they have the affiliations with different hostels at their overnight stops & he's pretty much guaranteed a bed for the night since those hostels tend to hold a certain number of bunks aside for the buses. I disagree with David that he would be "safer" if he waits until he can go as part of a college group because 18 is too young. I've met 16 year olds with more common sense and street smarts than some 26 year olds. I traveled around Europe after I graduated high school at 17 years old and managed myself and my budget just fine. At 19 I went to Cancun with a college group consisting of about 29 other 19 year olds for Spring Break and we had our 54 year old professor accompany the group as our "chaperone" to watch over things. From the time we arrived in Cancun until the day we flew back, that chaperone was belly-up to the hotel's pool bar and by 8PM we would be helping her back to her hotel room where she would promptly pass out (so much for the safety of "adult supervision"). By 9PM, 30 19 year olds would be hopping into taxis headed to La Boom. We chaperoned ourselves and no one got pickpocketed, kidnapped, roof-ied or went to a Mexican ER with alcohol poisoning.

We've been given no idea how mature the young man is, and how self reliant he is. Many young people are worldly enough to go on such an international trip. Many young people are simply immature and incapable of making good personal decisions. We took a chaperone on a high school graduation trip to Daytona Beach, and she was just there in case of emergencyand to go to the 7-11 for us. If one goes with a group of people, they have the synergy of a group to "protect" each other somewhat. My wife and I have experienced a few situations in Europe where we were simply uncomfortable. There are street people looking to take advantage of foreign travelers. I am very proactive in my personal defense, and most people don't mess with someone of my size. But some younger travelers may or may not have the maturity to handle such situations. It all comes down to the maturity of the 18 year old.

David, I also find your reasoning not quite online with my own. A group is not always safer for kids, they tend to party a bit more and let their guard down a bit more.
I am a middle aged female who has made solo trips to Europe, ( have you , big as you are?) and I have taken my kids one on one solo( no big man to protect us) and it is a common sense thing, and being on your own, or with kids to deal with you tend to be more alert , not less. I also do not thing a college group is a great idea, for reasons above. This 18 yr old WANTS to go, so that says something there in itself, I know grown ups who are intimidated to travel, or to go solo anywhere ( even people who won't leave their hotel rooms if hubby is in a business meeting, geesh.. ) . Yes, he needs some common sense, and he needs to do some research , but this has all been mentioned. Frankly I have been to LA with my kid and felt I was in a more precarious situation then I was when I took her to Rome, or Paris, or when I took my son to London. Pickpockets are something he needs to learn about though, and there are ways to stay fairly safe from them ( moneybelt ie) but I hope/know Jim will relay all the good advice and caveats we are giving out.

I personally think most teens, if they are minimally self-aware and responsible on their own, fare better managing a trip alone than in a large group of "mates" or "gals" where peer pressure is still an issue, especially when it comes to behavior that can get them in trouble.

James, while I agree with you in most part, I actually think Andre has hit the nail on the head too, I do think any 18 yr old, mature or not, does benefit from a bit of guidance. Most 18 yr olds are not experienced independent travellers, but more likely some may have travelled with their parents , not quite the same thing those as when you are completely on your own. And as for his age being a factor, heck ,there are 40 yr olds that come on this and other forums and seem to need alot of guidance and are not even aware of the real issues they should be considering, ( like I want to see 5 countries in 10 days ) etc,, so often they are given lots to think about on the forums by more experienced travellers. So Jim and this boys mom may just want to start him off on right foot with what sort of things he needs to think or ask about to begin with.. and yes, I agree he should get on forums himself and start doing some of his own research.. and personally I think he should check out the Thorntree Lonely Planet forums as well as this one, its geared to budget and young ( or young at heart) travellers. And yes, this boy may( or may not I do not know) be immature , but isn't the very desire to go off on your own at such an age show a bit of independence in his spirit, as young as he is?

How do we know this 18 yo isn't researching everything himself already? Just b/c Jim has posted here doesn't tell us anything about what the 18 yo is or isn't doing. I moved to Paris when I was 18 and lived and worked there for a year by myself. Never had one single problem. My son went to Europe alone two yrs ago when he was 20 and was totally fine. My son also went to the Caribbean w/his gf for 10 days when he was 20. He did all the research and arrangements from beginning to end by himself and never had one single problem. Like others have already said, I've known lots of 16+ yo that were very mature, very street-smart. Way more than many adults I know. I've been to Europe more times than I can count for years and for months at a time, and I have never, ever, once been "uncomfortable" in any way. Ever. That just sounds so odd to me.

I was going to say, with kids of that age, going in a group may be far more risky than traveling solo. I still have a bunch of friends in their 20s who tend to uh, overdo it and make mistakes when traveling together. (And I'm taking a bunch of them to Berlin next weekend, oh lord...) Any 18 year old with basic common sense will do fine in Europe as long as they do some research ahead of time and practice situation awareness.

IMO - that an 18 y/o young man has $5000 and wants to spend it, not on video games or electronics, or a car, but on European travel, speaks a lot about his level of maturity. Agree with Tex, Lonely Plant is a better guide for backpackers than ETBD; another excellent guide for anyone on a budget is the Let's Go Europe. Agree with Ceidleh and others that group travel is not necessarily "safe"; many of the student-travel groups tend to have a "pack" mentality; I think this is an excellent opportunity for this YM to travel and see and do what HE wants to, and, on his own schedule. "I would think a "mature" 18 year old would be able to plan his own trip, and ask for advice himself....Cut the umbilical cord." James - you come across so negatively much of the time. I myself believe in the "free-range children" movement, but there is nothing wrong with parents "offering" advice when appropriate.

My son had the same idea and I was very unsure as I felt he was too immature and he thought he was "hot stuff" so I decided to send him on his own to visit relatives. Gave him complete instructions on how to change trains, which subway to take, etc. All he had to do on part of the trip was to take any northbound subway one stop and it will put him in the bus terminal. When he came home he said he couldn't do it again, he walked the seven blocks from bus station to train station as he realized he wasn't ready to do this on his own. My younger one did the same thing and had no problems, he was the more mature one. Maybe this young man can do something similar in the states as a trial run, say San Francisco for example. Just an idea.