First time traveling alone with my sister

Maya,

As this is your first trip travelling on your own, I'd recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip, as that provides a lot of good information on "how" to travel well in Europe. As I recall, it also includes a section on safety for women travellers. Then use the country or city-specific Guidebooks to plan lodgings, sightseeing, transportation, etc.

AFAIK, you shouldn't have any issues with your ages for the trip. Based on other posts I've seen here on the HelpLine and on other travel boards, many people your age manage quite well even travelling solo. I'm sure the ladies on the board will be able to offer some good suggestions.

It's very difficult to suggest "places for young women to visit". It would help to have some idea on where you most want to visit. You should be able to visit any place that interests you. Especially for travel in July (peak season!), you'll need to do some planning rather than using the "spontaneous approach" (IMHO).

If you plan on staying mostly in Hostels, I'd suggest getting memberships in HI Hostels. They have properties in most cities (sometimes several in each city) and I've always found them to be "safe", well run and the facilities are fairly consistent from one property to the next. You should be able to get the memberships online.

It's very easy to plan the trips yourselves rather than relying on your family in Europe. That's the method most of us use. It will be much easier to offer more detailed advice once you provide a more specific list of places you want to visit.

Good luck with your planning!

Hi Maya!

1) You are going to have the TIME OF YOUR LIFE. Traveling with a friend or sister at your age is beyond fantastic. Don't let anyone scare you off of anything. Just go for it and have a BLAST.

2) You are the right age for hosteling, not too young. Ken suggested you join the hostel association, and I agree. Makes things lots easier. Nowadays you can reserve online, which is awesome! Back in the late Paleolithic, when I was traveling around in my teens, the drill was just to show up early in the morning - it's much better now!

3) Safety question is a good one. Just use the same common sense that you would at home, and you should be fine. Don't get too drunk! (Sorry - you might not drink, but getting hammered and losing good judgement is probably the most frequent "poor safety" move that young travelers make.) If you find the hairs on the back of your neck prickling - trust that instinct! If someone skeeves you out, it's probably for a good reason. If you stick to lighted streets, well-traveled roads, with lots of folks around (well, not when camping - in town) you will be safer.

4) You are going to get hit on. HARD. You should worry way more about unwanted advances than being pickpocketed. Learn the cool smile and the "no thanks" hand gesture. That'll get you out of all but the weirdest potential encounter. But by the same token, don't freeze friendly men out - I had some of my best experiences meeting people by being open to guys who really did want to show me around in the helpful, platonic way.

4a) If you do get in a jam, approach the nearest middle-aged woman and straight up ask for help. I had to do that a few times, and was never turned down. One incident was with a group of young male teachers who seemed to think they could convince me to do something unspeakable with them in the bathroom. I changed seats - plopped down to a woman in sensible shoes and said "those guys are bugging me, can I sit here?" and she not only let me, but she got up, went over, and read them the riot act! Another time I was being hit on by some jerk (also on a train - sense a theme?) who wouldn't take no for an answer. I moved and joined an elderly couple from Eastern Europe. We didn't have a speck of vocabulary in common but they immediately figured out what was wrong and took me under their wing. We shared some AMAZING home made sausage and cheese and bread and shared a flask of cider. It was great.

5) Planning is great, but spontaneous leaps can be amazing. If you get a chance to do something that you didn't plan - and it's safe - I say go for it! If I hadn't felt free to be spontaneous and ditch my plans I would never have done some of things that turned out to be the most memorable!

Have a great time! All of us crabby oldsters on this board are beyond jealous right now. :-)

Hi Maya,

I agree you're going to have a wonderful time. I traveled on my own in Europe when I was 19 and studying there and then 4 years later my sister and I visited the UK for on month. It was fantastic.

Kira is absolutely right with the advice about approaching a middle-aged woman for help. I helped out a young Australian woman extricate herself from a bad situation. Her traveling companion was having a hard time remaining platonic.

On the first trip I stayed in Hostels. With my sister we went for B&Bs. As I look back, I wish that my sister and I had also stayed in Hostels a couple of times. You meet people in Hostels who are your age and who have ideas on things to see and do which can really pay off. One thing that you should do in advance is each build a list of things you each want to do or visit. That way one of you won't be always leading the way. As the elder sister you may find yourself leading any way. But, we older sisters need a rest from always making the decisions! :)

And I agree that you will get hit on. It just happens and the advice from Kira is right on.

You're lucky to have local family. My parents notified business colleagues about my trip and asked them to be emergency contacts. It relieved their mind thatI had someone local to call on. I actually used the contact in Greece when the plans fell completely apart.

Have a great trip.

Pam

Maya.. visit Paris,, only 3 hours by train from Amsterdam and pretty darn safe for women alone too.. Only thing is like many places. watch your stuff.. pickpockets definately around.

Second thing.. Europeon women tend to avoid making eye contact with strange men.. meaning if you are a cafe or bar and glance over at a fellow and you meet his eyes and smile.. he will come over and hit on you likley.. as Europeon women have perfected "looking through " men if not interested not at them. When men call out to you don't reply,, just keep walking. Responding in anyway is seen almost like flirting. stupid , I know but thats how it is..

My friend and i did 3 months in Europe at 23 and have very few issues at all. We met some nice Italian boys on the beach in Greece once.. we just chatted with them and we said we noticed alot of German and Dutch girls also travelling around but hadn't met any Italian girls yet.. and they told us "good Italian " girls stay home.. hmmm we realized then they saw us a fair bait.. Now perhaps they have changed the mentality a bit now ,, this was decades ago.. but somehow I do thing some Europeon men can view young girls traveling the world as sort of free spirit types who are free in other ways too.. ha.. Just be firm and cool.

That said,, of course you should chat to folks.. hostels are an ideal way to meet young folks from other countries and join up with them for night outs etc.

Book ahead.. hostels fill up in summer.

MIJE in Paris is a good one.. and an 18 yr old girl from my work stayed at the St Christopher in Paris and liked it also.

tons to do and see in Paris so you won't get bored.

As you must realize your age in Europe makes you an adult.. you can drink smoke and do anything as an adult in Europe by 18 .. so just take it easy.. if you are not used to drinking take it SLOW.. worse thing you can do is get dead drunk.. you will likely forget safety rules and may set yourselves up for more then you bargained for. Yes,, have a glass of wine or beer,,just don't go pounding them down in nightclubs( too pricey anyways..)

My dd is going to be 18 in May and I am encouraging her to visit Paris next summer too.. and I wouldn't send her off if I thought it was dangerous.. she has common sense.. so if you do too.. you will be fine.

Hi Maya-What fun! In addition to all the great advice you've already gotten, I would only add that you should pick up a copy of the Lonely Planet and Let's Go! guidebooks for wherever you're visiting, and have a look at them in advance (Lonely Planet also has a great website). We're die-hard Rick Steves-style travelers, and I wouldn't suggest either of the other two guides to the exclusion of his, but in our experience LP and LG are a little stronger on the student budget and hostel/backpacking scene. Lonely Planet (both in print and online) also has extensive resources and advice for solo female travelers, as well as LGBTQ, minority, disabled, you get the picture!
Best,
Peggy

Has Let's Go improved? We used to call it "Let's Go...Get Another Guidebook" because it had so many errors.

I haven't used Let's Go since... well, since I was in college, so I don't know if the series has improved. Lonely Planet is a pretty comprehensive series, and it's great for college or young adult budgets, but I'll note one word of caution. ALWAYS double-check their information online. Examples: While reading their 2010 Netherlands edition, the text noted that the Rijksmuseum was closing for renovations "sometime in 2007"! They also continued to recommend a restaurant in Belgium at least three years after it had closed permanently. I wonder if they even bother to proofread their old editions before they slap a new photograph on the cover, much less re-research the information.

"I wonder if they even bother to proofread their old editions before they slap a new photograph on the cover, much less re-research the information."

That's one reason I really like the Rick Steves Guidebooks. They're always updated every year, and in some cases Rick does the research himself. With any print Guidebook, it's extremely difficult to keep all information current, given the lag between submitting documents to the printer and getting the Guidebook on the shelves. There's a "Guidebooks Update" page here on the website which lists changes in the book since they went for printing, which helps to provide the most up-to-date information.

You stated you have already been all over The Netherlands, France and Italy on past trips to Europe, so I would suggest trying someplace different and skip Paris if you have already been there. You mentioned you want to go someplace for "a few nights" while you are over in Europe for the month of June - so how many is a few? 2 nights, 5 nights? 7 nights?

If you have longer than just 2-3 nights to be on your own, I would suggest going from Amsterdam to London or Berlin. If it's just 2 or 3 nights you are wanting to get away, then try Belgium which is very quick and easy to get to from Amsterdam - Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels, Bruge - pick one to base yourself for those few nights and you can easily pick another city in Belgium to visit as an optional day trip since train service runs frequently between them. Not sure if you speak any foreign languages, but even if you don't Belgium and Berlin are not places where you will have to struggle as a decent portion of the local population that is under the age of 45 can speak a little English, and you will certainly find much of the hostel staff or people manning the local Tourist Information offices will speak some English. While there is certainly no language barrier, London will have a different currency and although the exchange rate is not that great, there is quite a bit to do in London for sightseeing that is absolutely free of charge.

You are prime age for staying in a hostel and the only "problems" you might encounter would be possibly booking a place that is a dump (read reviews on websites like Hostelworld.com before you book anything) or booking a place with co-ed dorms (if the thought of sharing a room with strange men makes you uncomfortable, then make sure the hostel has an option for female only dorm rooms, or look for a private double for just you and your sister). Note that budget hotels like Ibis can sometimes be the same price as booking 2 beds in a hostel dorm if you find a good rate and book ahead - but you certainly won't have the access to a good network of travelers that are in your age range if you stay at a hotel.

I was younger than both of you and traveled solo in Europe for a good amount of time after visiting with some of my family. Use the common sense you already have and stay aware of your surroundings, look out for each other and you should both be just fine. Biggest challenge I had when traveling at your age was getting hit on, and some countries had far more aggressive Romeos than others. Even dressed in modest clothing, you will likely still find this is going to be a bigger problem for you both than the supposed rampant pickpocketing or hostel theft people on this Helpline are forever waxing endlessly about. Don't be a shrinking Violet if some guy is verbally pestering you or your sister, or if he tries to put his hands on you. You don't need to speak his language to tell him to get lost if you are using a strong tone. If you can't do that, then find a local woman who will open up a can of whoop ass on him for you. When you go out to clubs, don't just watch out for how much you are drinking, you need to watch your drinks. Don't leave them unattended. Don't accept a free drink from someone unless you personally see the bartender pour it in front of you.

You certainly don't need your family to be with you to book a hostel - it's easy enough to do it ahead of time online. They don't need to tell you where to go. That's what guidebooks and the internet are for - research. And if you are staying in a hostel, you can use that network of travelers your age to pick their brains about things to do and see while you are in town. From cheap restaurants to nightclubs to shopping to sightseeing - they and the staff will be more than happy to share whatever gems they know about.

Hi everyone, thank you so much for the awesome replies.
I had never realized or even thought that getting hit on would happen so often, i guess we will have to watch out for each other on that one. As for traveling on the rest of the trip, my sister and i were hoping of starting out in holland and then venturing off on our own and staying in various cities for 2-3 nights or so. I am fluent in french and my sister knows some italian so i guess that will make us feel more confident with the language barrier.

Maya,

You've received some incredibly useful replies so far!

Once you've decided on which cities you'd like to visit post another note here with the list, as the group will be able to help you with things like transportation, lodgings, sightseeing and other useful tips. Using open jaw flights would be the most efficient method, so keep that in mind when booking flights.

"I had never realized or even thought that getting hit on would happen so often,"

Here's the sad, brutal truth. Amongst some groups of young European men, young American females have a mostly unjustified reputation as being "easy". Why? Most of the opinion is formed by what they see in US popular entertainment, urban legend, and the occassional tourist who will keep the stereotype alive by living up to it. I know you're Canadian, but most won't know the difference unless you wear a maple leaf on your clothes. So, just be careful, and realize that they may single you out because they think you're an easier target.

But still... have fun!

A lot of good posts here. I have travelled alone in Europe for 3 summers, and although I don't go out clubbing I have never had issues with safety. There was one weird time in Sarajevo where I was licked by an old shop keeper but I managed to sanitize and after that it was a laugh. I do use hostels a lot but never bought a membership. I use hostelworld.com or hostelbookers.com to make my reservations. There are so many amazing places to stay on those sites-all ranked by users. Most ratings are accurate. Have fun!