Getting separated in europe

There must be a more convenient place than the embassy! It may be clear across town from where you are.

Select a central location near where you expect to be at the chosen time to meet.

A cell phone is not needed. For a traveller in Europe, carrying a cell phone would be one more thing to worry about : it could be lost or stolen or broken, or its battery could have low energy. I recommend that each traveller carry a valid Telephone calling card (5 Euros on the card should be sufficient) for using public Telephones in Europe. If there are less public Telephones in Europe now, compared with a few years ago : do not worry about it.

No walkie talkies, as they are often illegal, wrong radio bands from the states, and they don't go for a long distance. I guess I would do it the old fashioned way, lets meet here by a certain time, etc.

If your cell phone is an at&t you can add the European calls for a very small fee, and the security of having it in case of emergency is wonderful. Mine has worked all over Europe, the villages of Romania, the mountains of Guatemala and you do not have to answer it and then there is no charge.
You can get the rates by calling, but in most major European countries it was about $1 a minute. I just put a message on mine that I am out of country and if it is an emergency to call back, because it does not always show the number that is calling you, but this has definitely made life easier than the days of trying to figure out the phone cards... You just need to know how to call another US number from your phone, but it works like magic!

Before we start the day we plan what to do if we are separated (accidentally or intentionally). We always name a place most convenient and known to exist.

We choose our hotel, a specific store, subway station or street intersection. You have a wide choice; just be sure that everyone understands which it will be.

It might be a good idea for everyone to write it down and keep it in a convenient pocket.

I would get them cell phones.

Susan - if they can figure out how to backpack in Europe, they can figure out how to meet each other! In all our trips with 4-8 people we have never had cellphones for each person. If they miscommunicate and can't find each other at their designated meeting place, they will be old enough to know how to get back to their hotel, etc.

If you are worried about reaching them from the states, you can send them with one cellphone that will work in Europe, but I think that is even a little much. It is VERY easy to get internet access at cafes, hotels, even youth hostels. You will not be completely out of touch with them and believe me, they will figure out how to stay with each other!

This post does make me smile. We managed travel together, separate and get back together again all without cell phones back in the dark ages. As several people have pointed out it takes a bit of planning and it takes a bit longer. You can't meet up again in 5 minutes, instead you have to wait for the agreed upon meeting place and time. I will also say, that when I was a teenage I wasn't as good at planning as I am now, but I learned! I learned the hard way. I was supposed to meet up with friends for spring break in Greece. I was traveling from Germany and my friends were coming from London. We thought we had it planned, but we missed a big key fact. Even though we were attending Lawrence U. programs, the term ending dates were off. So, our lovely meeting place didn't work out. We did ultimately meet up, but the lesson is to be specific in your planning--date, time and place. ; )

Pam

Wwo, we do live in such a techo dependent age,, you do not NEED cell phones folks.

My friend and I travelled all over Europe years ago when we were young, for 3 months, no cell phones or internet.

We arranged meeting places. It worked fine. It still does for the few dinosaurs left on this earth that manage to lumber through their trips without them even now!!! LOL

Also, we had always agreed if we were serparted overnight we would find nearest Embassy( Canadian first then American) and check in there .. we never had to do that though.

Ron's advice is good. They can buy phone cards at any newstand carry the business cards of the hostels or hotels where they are staying (they all have cards). If they get separated, simply park at a cafe and leave word at the hotel.

Meeting back at a designated spot, or the hotel the best plan. Please also have a plan for if they get separated on the train. Our rule was to meet at the next station.

The real problem is what to do in the rare case where one party does not show up at the agreed upon meeting place. Tell the kids to both call home in case of any problems and you can relay the message. Of course, each should have your contact information on their passport in case someone else needs to contact you on their behalf.

During our 8 week trip we had designated meeting places for instance if we were visiting a museum...such as the entrance.

When traveling on trains...whoever was left at the station stayed there and the other came back.

CARL we meant if one of us went missing overnight,which would have meant a problem as we did not sleep around,, so no, the embassy is where we agreed to go in such a serious situation. We never needed to though as we would show up at hotel .

Making a pre-arranged spot for each day is fairly logical. Most cities do not have embassies or consulates in them unless they are capitols or very large cities.

Are they doing more hiking type of travel or big city travel? If they would be hiking in the mountains or woods, having a phone to sms the other one, might be a good idea. Having to schlep around a charger while backpacking is a drawback of course, when every gram counts. If they are staying mainly in cities, an agreed upon final destination for the day would suffice.

Trust me, there are times when a cell phone comes in very handy. I had that experience on this trip!

All my other trips we managed without one. You just never know.

It's pretty hard for reasonably grown up people to lose each other accidentally. If they somehow manage to do this they just meet back at the hotel. Not a big deal.

When we arrive at our hotel I always give each member of our party a card with the hotel name and address on it.

Susan references daughters who are backpacking, so I assumed that they were college age and a first trip. So, I don't think you can make assumptions that they will not get separated. It happens and it happens more often when you're young and not always planning ahead. So, as the parent, Susan needs to help her daughters understand that it is important to have contingency plans. It leads to peace of mind all around. Pam

Hi Susan,
Having backpacked through Europe with a friend before cell phones, I can offer a few suggestions:

1) When you arrive at a hotel/hostel, get a business card from the hotel/hostel or write down the name and address or mark the hotel/hostel on a map. If anyone gets lost/separated, they will know where they need to return to at the end of the day.

2) If you are travelling from point to point and are planning to find accommodations on arrival, the obvious place to meet is at the train station in the town of your destination (if someone misses the train ... quite unlikely as they will probably always get on the train together)

My friends and I typically split up when we had different interests (e.g. one wanted to spend the afternoon in the museum while someone else wanted to shop). We would generally pick a meeting time and place when we split up.

THANK YOU all for the good advice and tips. The thoughts about hostel business cards and contingency plans helped a lot. I am a big advocate for prior planning and having it in writing so no mixed signals but even a contingency plan for that too! I think they will be OK (perhaps even surprised!)when they do without a cell phone for a month..could be very liberating!!