We'll be travelling with 2 teenagers. They're at that stage where they feel comfortable exercising some independence.....and are fine until faced with some adversity. I'm having visions of getting split up in Paris or Rome because someone misses a transit stop.
Can anyone share a successful system they have used for circling the wagons if someone in your party goes AWOL.
Sure -- Everyone returns to the last place that everyone was together. The final fall back is the hotel where we are staying. Everyone should have that address in their pocket plus a few Euro for the cab ride.
Whenever we visit a place, be it here in the US or in Europe each summer, we always pick up a business card from where ever we are staying and put it into our money belts just in case. We are both young seniors so we would both have our own money to get back to the place we are staying. I would suggest you give your teenagers some money to be used only for emergencies such as this.
Thanks, and good suggestions guys. It may sound like a lame concern; but even as smart and industrious as our kids are, I'm consistently amazed at how lost they can get. Even in our hometown.
Always better to be prepared than to "manage by hope".
We also make sure each member of the family has a hotel card with the address and phone number. Both of our teens have a credit card linked to one of our accounts that they carry as an "only in emergency" tool. It would be of use to get back to the hotel if they happen to spend all of their cash while getting lost shopping!! If you are leary of a teen with a credit card you might look into the prepaid Visa debit cards that look and act like credit cards, with a limit.
Whether it's your hotel or some other place, don't let your kids wander off without a business card or something in their pocket with an address on it to go to if they get lost.
Our kids can be maddening. They would never consider the possibility of getting lost until they're lost (just like they don't consider the possibility of running out of gas until they're out of gas). You have to think ahead for them.
Always have a backup plan. We often go different directions now and agree to meet at a given time and place. If they had been kidnapped, we would never know because they always have some reason why they didn't know what time it was or couldn't make it on time. Fortunately, it always works out and other than being a pain for me and a worry for my wife, nothing horrible has happened yet and we eventually find each other.
One more thing: make sure they can read a map and each have one with them if you're in a city. Look at it together the first time and when you plan your routes for the day. In Paris, the hotels have free street maps that are really good for orienting you and not at all cumbersome to carry around. Also, it would be a good growing experience for the teens if they were out on their own a little, even if you are worrying in the meantime. I bet your kids are more resourceful than you think! Teach them to pay attention to their surroundings - read street signs, metro directions, etc. Play the what if game with them - what would you do if you were lost or missed this stop or whatever....Also, a small inexpensive compass would be good, might save them from going in the wrong direction on the right street.
Many hotels have very good city maps. Ask some at the desk to mark the hotel's location on a map for each family member, as well as having their card. Not all cabbies are as "well versed" as the London cabbies! When on public tranport, we always made sure that everyone knew which stop was the final one. Then if someone failed to get off, we all waited at that stop- on the platform- and the laggard was to return to that stop. It only ever happened one time!
We got separated while boarding a Paris Metro train. I had our six year old by the hand (huge rule, hold a hand), but I did not anticipate needing to hold onto my husband:)We made it on the train, he did not. We had agreed earlier that if someone gets left, we go to the next stop, and wait for them to catch up. Worked great!
It may cost you but it's not unreasonable to text in Europe (50cents or so). That can be an emergency plan as well.
Depending on your personal circumstances and phone service, consider taking cell phones with international roaming for "emergency" use. I prefer not to take my cell phone and resisted for several trips; I now at least carry one, even if it stays off, and on the last two trips, my wife and I each had ours, just for the purpose of locating each other. We have ATT with international roaming included, rates are about $1.25/min, but for the little use we see, it is much cheaper and easier than going the unlocked cell and Sim card route.
All great suggestions. Thanks everyone!
You dont say how old your teens are, but why not see if you could get each one of them to plan a sort of a walking tour route and then lead it. Beginning from your hotel to wherever they want to take the family. This gets them interested in things like the Metro lines or bus lines and landmarks and street names. Ask them to help you find the hotel, tourist sites, etc on Google Earth. This is a lot of fun, and you the "old person" can act appreciative of their help and assistance. Teens do like that! We actually use Google Earth before any trip. We get ouff the train and know exactly where the hotel is. No need to pull out maps and look confused! If they do this, by the time you all get to Paris, you can rest assured that they DO know their way around.
Just for fun I asked my 10 year old what the rule was for the Paris Metro. This is what he said: "If you get on the Metro and your Mom or Dad don't ....go to the next stop and get off. Turn to your left and walk as far as you can but stay on the platform. Then wait for everyone to catch up with you." He also said: "If you get on the Metro but I don't...I just wait right there until you come back."
I guess we drilled it into his head because it has been two years ago since we were last in France and Italy.
I also like the idea of putting the kids in charge of navigating!
Always give them something with their name and your names written on it as well as where youll be staying, that way if (god forbid)they got hurt and were unable to communicate, at least someone would be able to find you. I usually typed up little cards and did that self laminate on them, so its more like a little card in their pocket.
And your kids should have a phrasebook for the language of the country, and know how to say basic words.
I travel with college age students and have had situations where they have gotten separated from the group. It is not a good feeling when you realize it has happened.
Since our hotels are pre-booked, I make business cards for each with the hotel name, address, and telephone number, and my cell number (it works abroad). That way, if the hotel doesn't happen to have one, we still do.
Since these are older students, the rule for subways and buses is to know the direction we are going, and the final destination and to meet there. Either the entire group, or one of the instructors will wait until all are there. This happened on a trip to London. During morning rush hour, one student didn't make it on the tube, but met up with us at the destination. For our situation, we don't do the next stop thing, because that can backfire with regular trains. We had a group of students and one instructor get on the wrong train in Switzerland. They got off at the next stop, but they had been on a local only train, and our next stop wasn't the same. Unknown to us,our train passed them by, and we met up several hours later in Zurich. We had SwissRail looking for them, but had no information until they arrived at the train station. That one was really scary.
Another thing is, if they are on their own for some free time, they need to know name, location, and look of the meeting place. We had two sitting at the wrong church in Vienna last May. It looked the same as the one that was our meeting place. Luckily they discovered their mistake and made it to us, just a little late.
A little time for preparation like this makes everyone's trip more enjoyable.
I'll tell you what Rick Steves did on one of his shows.
When his two kids were in their mid teens, the parents went out to eat where adults like to eat, and they let their teens go to another place to eat where the teens like to go. The two places were near each other, but the kids felt more independent. I think that was a neat idea.
