My daughter and her friends are talking Europe next summer after graduating HS

I know how you feel . Last April my then 19 yr old daughter left with her fiends for almost three months going through Europe . ( my daughter took the year after hs to work two jobs to make money for this trip , and now is in college )

We had a few chats ( lots lol) about many topics , safety , travel tips etc . Luckily my daughter knows I have done all our travel planning for decades , and that I too took three months to do Europe with my best friend when I was young , so actually asked for most advise lol

I think the thing I warned her about that actually made most impact was the difficulties of extended travel with a friend , and also since they were a group of three , one person can be outvoted and that can cause resentment .

I wished she had listened a little better on my safety tips as she saved up money to buy fancy 250 walking boots , that were stolen after her first two weeks , when she left them out overnight at a hostel !!

There are very few gals graduating high school that have the maturity to go to Europe unescorted by a responsible adult. Europe is not as safe now as when I went there to college.
It's a great college experience about 2 years later however.

I think Pat makes a good point about extended periods of travel with the same people. Sometimes you don't know whether or not you can live with a person until you have to, and then unexpected problems arise that can cause bad feelings that can taint the rest of the trip, and possibly future friendship. I would highly recommend that all the people who are going sit down and have some frank discussion about expectations. Here is a good link to share: https://lifehacker.com/how-to-travel-with-a-group-of-friends-and-not-lose-you-1451652555
If they are planning to stay in hostels then I would suggest looking at the Lonely Planet forums where there are lots of young people their age travelling the world who can offer a lot of practical advice on where to go, and where not to go.

Europe is not as safe now as when I went there to college.

Now there's a big generalisation if ever there was one.

Safer in what respect?

Whereabouts in Europe? All of it or just parts? Europe is a huge continent.

Why do you believe it was safer when you went (whenever that was) compared to now?

Excellent advice from Pat. Also, don't lock in budget and itinerary plans as a group until it is certain that all will go. Things happen in a year.

Expect to split up occasionally without hard feelings. Have a plan B for days when I e person is holding up the group's progress, again, no judgment or hard feelings.

Everyone is responsible for their own stuff.

Here in London, violent attacks are on an upswing. In just the past few weeks there have been acid attacks, knifings and even guns are showing up. The criminals arrive on mopeds so they are there for just a few seconds

These attacks are usually late at night but tourists have been victims. So please don't have this attitude that the worse thing that can happen to you is having some smiling pickpockets hand in your trousers. Violent crime is on the increase in many major cities. (Yes, it is still less than in the U.S.)

You might suggest to your daughter than she read "Europe through the Back Door" or peruse the Lonely Planet travel forum. The more information she has, the better off she will be prepared for anything.

How wonderful!

The best way to help is to talk to them about how much it will cost. Not to discourage, but to be realistic. Channel your inner super hero, Middle Aged Man, and sit down with all of them. How much is food daily for three meals plus snacks? Lodging? Travel within cities- metro, buses, taxis? Travel between cities- trains, buses, air? If by air, will their bags be small enough to avoid baggage fees? Tourist sites like museums, etc? Flight to Europe? Plus all those other costs that are forgotten. Passport if they don't have one. Airport parking. Phone bill. Hostel memberships.

Don't worry about them thinking you're an old fuddy duddy. They'll talk to you because they're excited about the trip. You should also act happy. Don't get all lecture-y. (Yet.)

You can also get them to be more realistic about itinerary. Show them that it will be more valuable in time and money to stay put for a few more days.

Maybe have one meeting, discuss possible destinations, and have them go research things. How much to go up the Eiffel Tower, etc. Train tickets. Then have another meeting. Get an estimate of how much money they'll need. They need to understand that they can't buy airfare, lodging, food, etc for a total of $2000 for 3 weeks.

There's a good possibility that at least one of their parents is against the trip. You need to be the encouraging info guy that they feel comfortable talking to. Plus it's fun to plan a trip, even if it's not your own. If they don't want to involve you much after that, that's OK. You've given them a basis to work from.

I think the Grateful Dead thing still gets you some street cred.

"Europe is not as safe now as when I went there to college."
"This is complete nonsense, I'm sorry... Murder rate per 100k..."

IMO murder rates by country and over time are irrelevant in a discussion of travel safety. What percentage of travelers to Europe gets murdered? I don't know either, but it's probably too infinitesimally small to compute.

Also, the murder rate for a total population is not based at all on the set of risks faced by said travelers. For example...travelers generally lack European acquaintances (most murders are committed by parties known to the victim.) Travelers spend their nights in hotels and BnBs, not in their homes and more time in public places (both of which might impact risk one way or another.)

Death is perhaps a slightly more relevant concern than murder. AFAIK there is no body of death-data on travelers in Europe - but I'd bet my last dollar that murder would lag way, way behind other risks like car crashes, pedestrian vs. car accidents, collapsing overhangs and seating areas, alcohol poisoning, falls, food allergies/poisoning, suicide... These are all unglamorous ways to go that will never ever make the news, but they are more worthy of concern than murder rates, and they should definitely be on the minds of more travelers, IMO.

But I'd have to guess that death in Europe lags way behind physical injury. If you're going to be boarding trains with heavy packs, or walking to Santiago de Compostela (or crossing intersections in Paris, heh heh), you'd better give up your worries about murder and give some thought to the special demands of these undertakings, lest you end up in a foreign hospital or with a permanent disability.

I think the most obvious safety concern I'd discuss with an 18-year-old is the alcohol. Most accidents, fights, injuries, etc. are preceded by 2-3 drinks too many.

In this situation and at their ages, even one drink is too many-unless it's the three of them eating dinner together in a pub near their lodgings. Says someone from Birmingham, AL, former home of Natalie Hollaway. Honestly, that scenario concerns me way more than random terrorist attacks, because it's preventable.

Yes, when I read the initial post, my immediate thought was "alcohol".

Fantastic stuff, folks! Thank you!

I don't buy this thesis that Europe is not as safe it was 30-45 years ago. After every trip , this last one included in July, I see tons of youth travellers, ie millenials, college age kids, more and more all over either in pairs, groups of 3-6, some solo, especially Asians and also Spanish speaking. The Mandarin speaking Chinese youth esp girls I saw almost everywhere, train stations and towns, ...Potsdam, Paris, Vienna, Salzburg, Hannover London, Berlin , Munich to be sure, in heavily tourist areas, obviously, and non tourist areas such as in Vienna, and Hamburg, etc. If international youth tourists in your age range can manage and travel all armed with their Smartphones, I would assume you certainly can do likewise.

Rick's son Andy Steves has a book with advice about long weekends (3 night stays) in major European cities for college students. It's filled with the kind of things your kids would want to know, like nightlife, budget airline tips and tricks, budget eating, etc. https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/andy-steves-europe-city-hopping-on-a-budget

Lonely Planet's books and their Thorn Tree Forum, and Let's Go books, will have further information geared to your daughter's interests.

Love this thread! My grandson and the guys he's known since Kindergarten are planning a European trip next summer after HS graduation. I just sent the link to the thread to my daughter, who will be happily sharing all the great advice with her son and his buddies.

Make sure her friends are serious about the trip. I thought I had a friend to go with on a cycling trip in Europe. He backed out. Fortunately (?) my brother was able to go.

...its across categories. Look at the car accident rates in the 70s vs
now. Look at the crime rate across all categories in the UK. I don't
have time to hold everyone's hand... social media is intentionally
weaponizing stupid people by showing them every little one off event
that reinforces their fears, biases and worst tendencies. So maybe do
the research and stop regurgitating what you're being fed...

I don't have a quibble with your views of social media, and I happen to feel the world is safer as well. But over-reliance on rosy global crime statistics across categories - and a global perspective on danger levels - is equally illogical. It can "weaponize" people, (stupid or otherwise) by reinforcing their confidence that EVERYTHING is safer now when they travel to Europe - when in fact it is the odds of danger in their specific choice of destinations, their specific situations, and their specific surroundings that matter. It doesn't matter one tiny bit that domestic violence or residential break-ins might be down in 20 of 25 countries if you're staying in hotels or have no plans to marry a European during your vacation. It doesn't matter if Autobahn deaths are down if you travel by train. But such data contribute to the aggregate numbers, whether or not they apply to the individual traveler, and it's unwise to "regurgitate" that as well. A lower aggregate crime rate does not necessarily apply to the individual or average traveler's circumstances.

For example - if I'm riding trains for 10 of 30 days around Europe, I don't know whether overall train/train station accidents, thefts, or attacks are up or down compared with 1997, or in which countries or cities they are up or down. Wikipedia just doesn't keep track of all that. Wikipedia can't tell you which bars to steer clear of if you want to avoid physical violence, nor can it tell you how many pedestrians have been injured at a given intersection. Street crime data across the decades might sound more specific to the traveler, but trends by city, town, and the nationality/ethnicity/age of the victims, are rarely if ever calculated or available to travelers - what database is there to study whether people who look like tourists are at greater risk than those who look like locals, or whether City A is now more or less dangerous than 20 years ago for the traveler demographic?

As for the dangers of terrorism, they are indeed small (but if I had to guess, they're larger now altogether than in the past.) Is there enough data that risks for tourists in this place or that can be calculated? I really, really doubt it.

I did this sort of trip with a friend when I was 19 -- 7 weeks and 11 countries. It was nuts and wonderful in the old "Europe on $5.00 a Day" era. I think I spent $1000.00 including airfare. Wouldn't do it again, but wouldn't trade the experience for anything. What did I learn?

- Planning skills: Mom was not involved; we did it all except my friend's family hooked us up with family in Sweden for a few nights FREE. A Blessing!

- Budgeting skills: If I spent $5.00 for a room and breakfast, I had to economize somewhere else.

- Relationship skills: My friend and I -- both female -- did have a falling out now-and-then, but we had to share a room or the budget would not work. Had to be friends again by nightfall.

- Problem-solving: My student ID and Eurail Pass were stolen during the last week of the trip. Calling home was not an option. Texting had not been invented. I was on my own.

- Communications skills: I spoke high school/college class German. badly. My friend had 7 years of Spanish and could not speak a word of it when it was needed.

- Flexibility: It was a real cultural awakening for this kid from St. Paul, MN. the world does not care how we do things "at home."

These are the things she should think of: planning, budgeting, relationships, problem-solving, communications, and flexibility. Can she figure her way out of a situation without calling or texting home?

In 3 weeks she can only cover so much ground. Other than making sure she isn't trying to see 11 countries, her itinerary should be her own making.

Oh, and I came home with a new boyfriend, whom I eventually married. Expect the unexpected.

Lots of good advice. My thoughts:

1) Alcohol is going to be an issue. They are going to drink, most likely. Can one person be the "designated sober person"?
2) Smaller towns (Frankfurt not Berlin; Pisa not Rome; Rennes not Paris) may be better choices
3) Safety requires a discussion about sex. Can you have that discussion, Dad? Or Mom? Condoms, etc
4) I don't think there are safety problem. However, 4 girls do have to be a little careful. There are bad people, not everywhere, but they exist. Checking in with you occasionally may not be too much to ask.
5) We were just in Europe. I saw nothing that concerned me. I didn't see migrants. However, there are migrants. Suggest that the tourist bureaus be checked to ask "Are there no-go zones?"
6) Sometimes people get a yen to be in "the action". The action today is Turkey, where stuff is happening. This is not a good idea.
7) Rick's son runs cheapo tours for college kids. Possibly do a short bit with a tour?
8) If you know anyone in Europe that they can hang with to start, that's great. We have stayed with or near friends. It makes things cheaper, and also you see the non-touristy stuff.
9) The Eurail pass is a waste of money for most people. But having a computer and/or unlocked phone (UNLOCKED PHONE!!!!) is the key to train travel.

Google "young women touring Europe" - this came up:

https://thoughtcatalog.com/christine-cook/2013/10/9-helpful-tips-for-traveling-europe-alone-as-a-20-something-female/

Good stuff there.

Should be fun. We sent our kids to Germany, but with an escorted group. Even so, 2 of the boys went to a bar and missed the flight home.

My 18yo daughter has been stretching her wings over the last year, with me being scared for her and happy too, and of course proud. She took a gap year, and spent that time (among other things) on an internship in D.C., staying in intern housing that was basically apartment living so taking care of herself even more than she will when she starts college in September, and volunteering in Peru. Yes, the volunteering was through a program, and she stayed with a host family, but she got herself to Peru and back, and when there, to and from the school she volunteered with, got around the city, and arranged her weekend trips (using guided tours).

Things your daughter and her friends should know how to do before they go: travel by plane on their own, knowing how to navigate connections and through customs; navigating around cities; plan / schedule train and/or bus travel; have some familiarity with safety in cities, especially at night; how to avoid scams; how to estimate exchange rates. Are there weekend trips that the four of them could take, in preparation for their Europe trip?

And of course, make sure you give her all sorts of drinking-alcohol lectures (especially important for women) that she should be getting anyway as she heads off to college.

In Germany the migrants/new comers are everywhere, you just have to know how to spot them out. The same as in Austria. They are now part of German society and I saw them everywhere except on ICE and IC trains. The chances of seeing them in smaller towns in eastern Germany are also less likely.

One big lesson I learned very early on my first trip over at 21 for twelve weeks was don't rely/depend on your friends, especially if it is their first time over. They are either as stupid/ignorant as you are or worse. Rely on yourself and prepare, plan, etc. I made the trip solo and as pointed out above, it is a great and important learning experience. If other international youth tourists can do a trip, so can you, unless you think you are different.

I lived in Germany for four years from 87 to 91 and loved it. The crime rate was low. I have a German friend that married an American friend of mine, She is now a widow, but still lives here in South Georgia. She goes back to Augsburg every year to visit family. She says that Germany has changed dramatically. When in Germany, she won't go out at night by herself.

Recently, I had some family members that went on a cruise out of Hamburg, Germany and made a side trip to Berlin. One lady in the group was molested by what appeared to be Middle Eastern men. This was in broad daylight.

I have been to 80 percent of the countries in Europe and have no problem going back to any of them for a trip. However, for a young woman, I recommend caution in some areas. Travel in a group would be best. Visiting night clubs, staying out late at night in certain places, is not recommended.

In addition to all the practical advice above, for your own sanity, don't watch any movie featuring Liam Neeson in Europe that he filmed after Love Actually.

You know your daughter and her friends and will be able to judge her readiness for such a trip. Some of the indicators I would look for include:
Money management: Has she worked to pay for this trip or a good portion of the trip? Is there a reasonable budget? How has she demonstrated money management skills previously?
Travel Skills: Has she traveled solo before? Does she know how to go through an airport? Can she do the planning for this trip?
Resourcefulness: Can she solve her own problems and yet know how to ask for help when she needs it? How has she done when faced with a "crisis" in the past?
Street Smarts: Has she had enough variety of experiences that she will be aware of practical safety concerns in her travels?
Long term goals: How does this trip fit with her long term goals?

One thing that I would add - make sure that she knows how to rebook and get on another flight in case of delays or cancellations that make her miss her flight. On our recent trip to Germany, every single flight that we were supposed to be on ended up delayed/cancelled and we had to find new flights. Obviously, the airline will help her, but we called the airline and dealt with them directly, rather than dealing with the gate agent (along with every other stranded passenger from that flight). The phone agents seems to have a lot more options available to them than the gate agents - or they're just better trained for it since it's their whole job.

As soon as it looked like we could miss a connection due to delays, my husband was on the phone getting us rebooked while everyone else was still arguing with the gate agent. Make sure that she has the airline's 800 number programmed into her phone.

"She says Germany has changed dramatically." How true. If one had been there in the 1970s to the early '90s, one would know how dramatic the changes have been. Even if you compare what you saw five years ago as a traveler/tourist to now, you would notice the obvious changes.

1) Alcohol is going to be an issue. They are going to drink, most likely. Can one person be the "designated sober person"?

It's surprising to me how much drinking is out of favor with young American adults. They are just not interested, nothing to do with the drinking age.

One other note: Depending on when they go, hostels can be crowded. In some cases, there are no spots. So a bit of planning ahead on hostels is a smart idea. Reserve ahead, and ensure that when they get somewhere, they have a place to stay. As to comments above as to migrants not being a problem, that's not true. They certainly have been problems for some. The key is to make sure that you are awake, aware, and not oblivious. You need not be prejudiced or racist, but being ready and prepared is the key. And knowing where not to go is important.

Lucky girls.

My one piece of practical advice is to trust your instincts. If somebody gives you the creeps, then s/he probably really is creepy and you need to get away from him/her. If s/he doesn't take the hint that you are not interested in whatever they have to offer, then you do not have to be polite to them. Just leave.

We're supposed to talk with our kids?? Seriously though, you have given her a look at Europe that should help her decide where she would like to suggest that she and her friends go. Also, how much travel experience does she have? As a father I worry also when my daughter (mid-twenties now) travels anywhere and she knows it. She is off to Peru in a few weeks. She has been to Thailand, Laos, and New Zealand on her own or with friends. As my daughter told me one time when I asked her about her choice of destination "I am going for me, not for you Dad". We have traveled pretty regularly as well as she so she is pretty self-confident. You have done what you can by having the discussion with her about traveling safely. Another tip, trust your instincts. You can usually tell when you are in an area that you should not be in. I can say that the youth hostels in Germany are more family friendly than in the past. Your daughter will do fine. If she is active on social media and allows you to follow, sit back and enjoy her photos and descriptions of her travels.

Crime and terrorism are not an issue - I'm not one of those.

But even as a 39 year old with no kids, I share your concern about her youth ... when I was going to europe for the first time 15 or so years ago, kids her age did not do these Europe trips as a rite of passage. That is new. I find it somewhat alarming, actually. It would make sense as a COLLEGE graduation trip... high school? Gulp.

Some great advise !

Some awful racist views .

Some fear mongering .

Some good tips .

This thread has taken a rather disturbing turn .

My sister in law lived in Canada from 1998 till 2010 . She then divorced my BIL and took the girls and moved back to Germany . She is happy there and does not feel in danger . Her daughters have taken a GAP year and come here to live with their dad - and travel around the rest of Canada . One girl is staying here ( she has dual citizenship so can) but the other girl is going back to Germany , she doesn't feel danger there anymore than here . Some of you should be ashamed of yourselves . Rapes and assaults happen everywhere , LOOK at your own countries prisons , I bet 99.9% of the prisoners are NOT immigrants . You will hear about an immigrant or refuge that commits a crim a million times faster than a local though , its big news !

18 is old enough if the girls are level headed .

And they will drink and have fun , get over it , as long as they follow the basic safety rules about drinking , American parents would do better to talk to their kids in a calm non preachy manner about drinking . Explain the things to watch out for ( never leave drink alone , never accept a drink from a stranger , don't get blotto drunk and wander home late at night , do drink lots of water etc . Tell them puking is not attractive . Warn them to never ever leave one of their friends alone when drinking . Don't make it such a forbidden fruit that they go nuts and binge , give them a glass of wine at home !

As for safety , Europe is as safe or dangerous as ever , anyone who visited the U.K. remember when the IRA was leaving little gifts in garbages ?

I really liked Emma's posts and a few others , but a few posts were not very nice or useful .

Jtraveler wrote: But even as a 39 year old with no kids, I share your concern about her youth ... when I was going to europe for the first time 15 or so years ago, kids her age did not do these Europe trips as a rite of passage. That is new. I find it somewhat alarming, actually. It would make sense as a COLLEGE graduation trip... high school? Gulp.

I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure that a European trip after HS has been a thing for decades. It clearly was not for me in 1983, but what I later learned is that it's just that I came from the wrong side of the tracks. In fact, isn't that just the audience that Rick Steve's was aiming for in the early days?

I don't meant suggest that it's common, or that "everyone" did it, but based on my anecdotal observations, I disagree with your statement that 'kids her age did not do these Europe trips as a rite of passage. This is new."

Anyone else have any thoughts on this? Just curious.

My daughter and her friends spent almost three months in Europe last year . They were all 19 , one year post high school . They said ( and photos they showed me showed this to be true ) that there were many young kids travelling about . Perhaps one must remember they won't all be Americans , hostels are filled with kids from Austrialia , and other European countries , and those countries have some different views about kids at that age .

By age 11 my nieces took the trains to school by themselves , by 16 they went to music festivals all over Germany . They are " good " girls , not wild ( neither of them smokes, drinks excessively or does drugs) ones all ! I remember when my daughter would tell me what they were doing I was a bit surprised , but neither of the girls parent thought anything if it .

We sent our daughter over at age 14 to spend the summer with her cousins , one of the expenses we covered was some sort of trian pass that my inlaws said she needed to have as the kids travel around ( not overnight of course !!) to visit nearby towns and sightsee , shop etc .

I do think a lot comes down to the indivulidual child . One of my sons would have been a disaster in such a trip at 18 , frankly he's almost 25 and still shouldn't leave town . My older boy is 26 , he would have been ready at 25 , lol , but not much before . We can't judge each situation the same . A child must have some common sense . If the child does , then all you can do is arm them with information and hope for the best .

I have an excellent relationship with my all my kids , my dd especially , and she's in her second year of college and earned a scholarship !

Kids most definately have been going to Europe that young for years , in 1985 we when I went I recall my fiend and I felt "old" compared to many kids at hostels . We were old because we had to work to complelty finace our own trips complelty . Many kids seem to have money at 18 that we didn't .

I was 19, in University, after my first year living away on my own, and I had close relatives and family of friends to rely upon. If I had been entirely on my own I think in retrospect I would have waited another one or two years.

Just me, my youth 3 month Eurailpass, and a huge metal frame backpack. I loved it, and always thought that I could happily have had another 3 months.

The HS graduation trip to Europe has been around since the early 1960s, if not earlier. By he time I graduated high school, I had heard dozens of trip reports from older friends and family.

I wonder how many 18/19 year olds who go to Europe (or elsewhere) on their own or with friends have parents who traveled on their own at a young age, or who traveled with their parents as children.

Zoe,

I had traveled internationally (US, England, Canada) with parents since a babe in arms, almost every year transatlantic to England as a child living for several months or a year either side of the puddle, less frequently as a teenager (last time I was in school in England was when I was 11), went to University in Montréal and Boston. Married a Texan (does that count?).

parents who traveled on their own at a young age

Both my parents traveled on their own (well, with their units) at a young age. My mother lied about her age and was posted to (as an English girl attached to a US post) Paris with General Eisenhower's staff, working with a US Colonel, and was sent all over France. Of course this was during WWII, and was after being evacuated with her family to the west of England from the London area. My father (whose family was bombed out three times in the war despite being the other side of the Cotswolds from London) spent much of the war as a Commando Sapper being trained under live fire in Achnacarry Scotland, and then serving in Sicily, up the backbone of Italy before the invasion, Montecassino before the attack, Greece with partisans, Yugoslavia with Tito's partisans, and ended the war as an explosives and booby trap expert south of Venice, on the Po. Again, I don't know if that counts as traveling on their own at a young age. I do know that if they hadn't done all that, they would likely not have found each other and stayed married for all their (long) adult lives.

I hope that that helps your research.....

Thanks, Nigel. Great story. My father came to the US from Italy at 17, so maybe there's an adventure gene in many of us!

Pat - as of last month, 21.3% of inmates in U.S. federal prisoners were foreigners. I'll bet that state and local prisons/jails, the percentage is even higher.

Michael.J.Peter, I would also dispel Jtraveler's notion that the taking off for Europe right after high school is a "new thing". Sorry, it's not. I did it myself decades ago. What's changed since then is it's actually a zillion times easier to keep in contact with your family back home than it was back then when you either mailed a postcard or you made a short but expensive phone call.

Probably the advice I would offer to my daughter in advance of this would be: 1. Be prepared to have one or more of your 3 besties suddenly back out of this trip - so have a Plan B and Plan C ready (along with budget) if there will be fewer people than you originally thought, or if you find you are faced with doing this trip solo. 2. Be prepared to have your friendship tested with one or more of these people if you have never traveled with them before, or if this is their first trip where there's not some adult who organized and managed all logistics and expenses on their behalf. You can be besties with someone and completely incompatible as travel companions. 3. Keep a clear head when there is alcohol or drugs present. If you go to a club and someone offers to buy you a drink, make sure you watch the bartender pour it in front of you and personally hand it to you. Don't leave it unattended on the bar and go off to the toilet or dance floor. Don't just take a drink from some stranger's hand because they presented it to you. Don't binge drink. 4. Don't invite strange guys you just met 2 hours ago back to your hotel. Don't let your friends invite strange guys they just met back to your hotel room.

Don't freak her out to the point you make it sound like you expect every person they encounter will have bad intentions, or her trip is going to turn into a Liam Neeson movie and she'll be kidnapped and pimped out to rich foreign men - but even if her friends go nuts with the booze or drugs because their parents are not around, she needs to be the voice of reason and keep a clear head as much as possible because what they do can put her in danger, too.

It's only 2-3 weeks, so it's not like she's going to cover a whole lot of Europe in that time. Maybe encourage a trip to just a few key areas of England, Scotland and Ireland if she's got 3 weeks to play with. No language barriers and she could maybe time her trip to line up with some of the big music festivals that take place during the summer. Or somewhere that's well serviced by a good train system - like Germany for 2 weeks. Maybe add on Vienna for a 3rd week.

Stephan I don't believe that stat .
Where exactly did you get that figure ?

Federal Bureau of Prisons

as of June 24, 2017

I've never really understood why it is sometimes considered it racist or fear mongering to simply warn people about possible dangers they may face when traveling to certain places. Just because you may not have personally seen or experienced problems with gypsies, refugees, or whatever other "group", doesn't mean they don't exist. There's nothing wrong with making sure people are aware of the possible dangers they may face in a foreign land - particularly if they are in a group more prone to be victimized such as young kids, females, elderly, etc.

As the original warner about refugees/migrants, here's a little story: My wife and I were traveling this summer. We booked an inexpensive hotel in Frankfurt on Moselstrasse. If you have ever been to Frankfurt, you will know this as the red-light district. "Top girls". The "Male Sexy Shop". I am a guy, and am not huge but am large enough. Were my wife alone, it might be a different story. While 90% of the time it was fine to be there, we came home late one night, and there were 10-15 guys lying on the pavement, doing something that I did not stop to find out about. I did not take any pictures of this. Should 4 high school girls be in this kind of place at 11 PM? I'm not sure I'd be comfy with my daughter there. Knowing where the dodgy locations are is simply common sense.

Paul to adress your original comment and your last one. The idea of "no-go zones" have been invented by Fox News and the like. If they do even exist, it is not places tourist are likely to encounter, since the places that have been given this label are usually in suburbs with little interest to tourists.
The red light districts like you mention are usually located behind the central train stations in many European cities. This also happens to be where a lot of budget hotels are located. From my experience ( of staying in budget hotels that is) these places can be unpleasant to the eye, but not necesarilly dangerous.

I didn't care much for Moselstrasse during the day but it is where the Chinese restaurant is located as well as the coin laundry facility. The Hi hostel is far from that place, much better location

Paul, you are right, I've been to Frankfurt many times and even if you know your way around, it can sometimes be hard to avoid the red light district there as it's right in front of the train station. I remember on one of trips there I thought I could just go around it so instead of going down Kaiserstrasse I walked down a side street...big mistake. I don't remember which street it was but it was completely deserted, I was the only person on the street, most of the windows were boarded up and about halfway down I ran into a junkie sitting by a doorway shooting up. We're talking like probably 3 feet away from me. It was one of the only times I've actually felt a bit spooked and unsafe and I kept looking over my shoulder to make sure he wasn't coming after me, either to attack me or try and rob me. I've always been in pretty good shape so I've never really been bothered but there have certainly been situations where I would have been scared if I'd been an elderly person or a female or whatever. Most of my traveling in Europe has been done via trains and one thing I've learned is that the areas around the train stations tend to be the seediest areas most of the time and often are dangerous as far crime. They also tend to be the areas that migrants and refugees tend to be drawn to for various reasons. If I had a daughter who was traveling around Europe, I would tell her specifically to be extra careful in and around the train stations. I don't call that fear mongering, I call it common sense and being prepared.

RIk if seeing junkies freaks you out , don't visit my little city , we have lots , and they aren't easy to avoid , but they mostly aren't that dangerous ( it's the ones with mental health issues that freak me out )

I think we all have different tolerance for feeling uncomfortable .

My friend took her 13 yr old son to Europe on a RS Family tour that ended in Paris . She had booked an extra three days at end of tour as I had advised to be able to see more of my favorite city .

She said she felt very unsafe in Paris and in particular in the area around the Rick Steves hotel !!! They would not go out at dinner but she bought food and they ate in their room !!

Their hotel was in the 4 th !!

Pat, no, junkies don't typically freak me out. It was just being on a completely empty street and almost bumping into one, it startled me a bit. It was also my first year in Europe so it was something I never experienced before.

Funnily enough, a year later I was in Amsterdam with some friends for the millennium (Y2K), we'd been partying all night and then tried to crash at the train station around 3am but because of the enormous crowds, they locked the doors to the station around midnight. We had nowhere else to go so my buddy and I tried to sleep outside the station even though it was completely freezing out so I sat on a window sill with my feet stretched out resting on a bicycle. I was just starting to nod off when I felt something brush my leg. I looked down to find that a junkie had crawled under my legs and was smoking his crack pipe. I was in no mood so I shot him an "Are you kidding me?" look and he ran off into the night. The crazy things that have happened to me over the years, I could write a book...

"I think we all have difference tolerance for feeling uncomfortable" How true. Last June I decided to check out the Kaiserstraße area since it was on the way to the Goethe Haus/Museum, my last day of the trip, and I had not seen the place almost ten years. Obviously, in ten years time, it has changed. I stayed in a hotel in the Hbf area before you reach Kaiserstrasse.

And my original point was that finding out about these areas is a good idea. It is quite reasonable to consider if you want to go play with the junkies. Some do, some don't. It's sensible to know where you are going. There are areas in all cities which I would be quite uncomfortable in. In Chicago, there are areas I won't go to - in particular, the area where my grandmother was born, on the South side, is now a place that most white people will not go, especially after dark. If you were a European, you wouldn't know that, and a warning about areas in Chicago to not go to is a good thing. Same with NYC, same with many cities.