Sending a kid on a tour - updated posting

I would say it depends on how much money she needs. Since it is a school trip, I assume the basics (transportation, hotels) have already been paid. Are all meals covered?

If all she needs is a bit of pocket money, you may prefer to order/purchase some euros here and send them with her. That way if any are lost/stolen, all you are out is the cash. I would be reluctant to have her take a debit or credit card since I don't think an 11 year old will be up for handling calling the bank/credit card company, should the card be lost or stolen. Travelers Cheques are also a bad idea, as most places no longer accept them.

One other suggestion would be to send her with a prepaid Visa or similiar card, that you preload before she goes. However, I don't know if they work in Europe.

As a parent of two children, I would NOT send my 11 year old on a trip out of country no matter if it is with a school group or a family member.
Too many "things" could happen and I would not feel at all comfortable having them in a foreign country.
Just my thoughts when I read this question.

I like Liz's suggestions.

I too liked Liz's suggestions, but , I must say I agree with MissB ,, an eleven yr old!! to be alone , well it seems to be asking alot of the chaperones. You are very trusting.

I also should stress Travellers checks are NOT a good idea at all, so many places will not take them, and will the tour leader be willing to take your child to a bank every few days to cash them?
If it is just souvenir money your child needs, then I think a money belt with euros will do. If your child is expected to have money for anything else I would be surprised, and frankly, I would definately question whether an 11 yr old( even a mature well behaved one) should be expected to be in charge of that kind of responsibility.

Ask your daughter's school about money. I cannot imagine that they would not impose a very low limit on the amount of spending money that an 11 year old should have. I would guess it would be similar to any school trip - maybe $100 for a week? In that case I'd get Euros ahead of time. Traveler checks and credit card will absolutely not be a good idea. I did send my 13 year old daughter with a debit card tied to a low balance account when she traveled with a friend's family. Even then she had trouble using her card and had to "borrow" some money until she came back to the States.

I'd have her bring Euro's and maybe a debit card, making sure that the Pin is 4 digits and a that she remembers the password by numbers and not letters. Also make sure she knows the money has to last, I was on a trip in highschool where the students were 17, and they still had trouble with this concept, they got so caught up in buying a ton of souviners on the first day (at the Louvre) and felt very stupid the next few days when they could get the same thing less than half the price somewhere around the corner.

Oh and often tourist stores will let bus tours stop and use thier restrooms, if they are given a tour, and many people end up buying gifts there. Let your daugther know she is not obligated, and like the Lourve is often overpriced.

Having led a group trip do NOT send your child with a lot of cash (i.e., the Euros suggestion)

For our group I recommended the Visa Travel card. It has a four digit pin and the parent can access it to see what's going on. (Some of our parents felt that it was "safer" to load cash at periodic intervals.) It also allowed the kids to contact thier parents when a special opportunity arose and they needed more funds.

Do NOT get a Visa GIFT card, these will not work in Europe, you want a debit type card.

(And why did one poster feel it was necessary to tell you that you made a bad decision? I took kids as young as 12 with no issues!)

I agree with the idea of a VISA debit card. We use a Visa Buxx card for my daughter at college. It's really intended as a way for teens to learn to handle cards, but I use it as a quick way to get money to her in an emergency. I can load it from home, she has the money in seconds, and I can see where it is spent. How long is the trip?

I went on a school trip to Italy when I was 16. It was my first trip to Europe and it started a lifelong love of travel. Your daughter is very lucky!

I would think that the school would provide some guidelines as to how much money she would need per day. I recall when I was on my trip (many years ago) that we used the money for things like snacks, postcards, stamps, and souvenirs. The big things like admissions and meals were included. We really were not on our own, but sometimes we would get a little time in a gift shop at a museum or something. She will probably want to buy some things to bring back home to you.

I would make sure to send some Euros and some British Pounds with her and the prepaid visa card is probably a good back up. She will be fine. This is a great opportunity for her.

Little too young, IMO.

In my travels through Europe I've noticed there are lots of traveling school groups with kids that young. Granted they are mostly from other Euro nations, but it's not out of the ordinary.

Bob, Sabrina wasn't asking for opinions as to whether her daughter should go on the trip, only how she should carry her money. She sounds mature for her age and well-prepared for this trip.

Sabrina, we set up our Visa Buxx card online. Just Google "Visa Buxx" and you will get a list of various banks that deal with them. (Ours is with US Bank.) You might have a local bank that handles them, too. I know my little local credit union offers prepaid Visa travel debit cards. And don't worry (too much, anyway) -- she'll be fine.

Nancy, how do you know her daughter is mature for her age, you don't know her, and the mother didn't actually say that anyways, so lets not go off into conjecture.. Regardless , lets try and avoid some of the emotion that is going to pop up in a topic like this.
I notice one poster said she had taken a group and SOME were AS YOUNG AS 12,,, meaning that was not the usaul, plus this girl is 11, so some posters opinions that this is a bit young are valid and not meant to be mean.Each parent makes their own choice.I do not feel Sabrina is in any way a bad person or mom, in fact, I envy her ,, I sent my 11 yr old to Toronto last year to stay with cousins and I was sick with worry,, LOL

Since most kids will want to buy ice creams from street stands and souvenirs from little kiosks and such, I don't think alot of those type of places take Visa , debit or not. I still say send a bit of cash, there is no substitute. LOL

Pat, you're right, I don't know her. That's why I didn't say she IS mature for her age, I said she SOUNDS mature for her age (based on the social skills her mother says she possesses). I have no opinion about whether she should go or not, but it does sound like she is well-prepared. The question was merely about how she should handle her money. There is certainly nothing wrong with taking cash as well.

Oh sorry Nancy, the OP has edited her original post and includes more information on daughter then was in her first post. I did not reread the OP each time I came on this thread, just the once, so now that the post is altered I can see what you mean.

Dear Nancy,

I am older and have been there, done that in a vast variety of situations. I see no reason to discuss how this child should dispurse her funds, but did want to give Sabrina another point of view. IMO, 11 yo is too young. For the record, I am not an overly cautious Dad. Adventures are great, but this sounds like trouble that should be avoided.

no harm intended - just well meant concern.

I'm glad someone else was able to suggest a prepaid Visa that works in Europe!

Just wanted to add that in addition to some euros, your daughter should probably also carry $20 or so U.S. especially if she has a layover in an American airport.

I am not a mother, so I don't know how much my opinion counts for, but I think she will be fine. Schools have a lot of practice at supervising kids and arranging field trips/tours. Europe has an overall safer feeling than lots of places in the U.S. (to me anyway). As long as she knows the rules (you already said she does) and perhaps a few backup plans of "what do you do if you get lost, etc." I am sure she will have a great time and it will be one of her lifelong memories.

Bob, as I said before, the question was about how to handle her money, not whether she should go at all. Perhaps you should private message Sabrina with other concerns.

Has anyone heard of CISVChildrens International Summer Villages? They take 11 years all over the world. Fantastic organizationhelps children learn and before friends with other children from around the world. When our youngest daughter was 11 she went to Gautemala for a month.

Robin, I have heard of that organization, they have been around since I was a child, so that is a LONG time, lol. They are very experienced and proffessional .

Sabrina, no one things your daughter would do any of those things,, yikes, she is only 11, I think more people are concerned that she may get lost, or abducted. I know I know, one in a million shot there, but hey, eveyone thinks it won't be THEIR one!!

Anyways, I hope your daughter has a great time( well I know she will).

PS You are showing your age, LOL, my parents would have done that too( the doll story) as would have most parents, YEARS ago,, LOL Remember leaving the house in the morning and coming home for dinner, played all over the neighborhood , and that was at 6 or 7, nowadays child welfare would knock on the door if you had no idea where your kid was all day..

Regarding the doll story - wehn we took our kids to Europe (9 years ago) they were 9 & 11. We were in Oslo and stayed in the embassy district. There was a bakery/shop a few blocks down the street - you had to cross the tram line to get to it. We sent both kids down the street with their "foreign" money to get snacks for the room. Living where we do in Atlanta I had not yet given them permission to cross the busiest road in our on neighborhood! It was wonderful to allow my children a bit of the freedom I used to have.

Later in France our son (now 11) would go down to the boulangerie in the small town where we were staying and get fresh bread every morning for the week. I know this is off topic slightly but just relating to the relative safety that I felt in Europe with regards to my children being able to wander a bit on their own. Also our public school takes 5th graders to France for spring break each year-heavily chaperoned but not 1 parent per child. They have a great time!

I've been following this thread with interest. I first thought 11 sounded too young; then I understood that there was proper supervision and the child seemed well-prepared for an international trip. My traveling life began with my family when I was about 11, continued with another family in my teens, and has never really stopped. Early travel is so valuable for children's confidence and experience of the world. I have a 12-yr old niece who loves maps, gets excited when I talk about my travels, and would be a good candidate for an international travel experience. She wanted to know if it's possible for an American to live in another country!! That's my girl! The only advice I would add to the preparation of the 11-yr old is to have her practice the whole financial experience before she leaves home. Wear the moneybelt, use the ATM, control her own spending money. Some children are very experienced with finances and others are clueless.

I'd go with a debit card. She can use it at cash machines without having to explain why her parents aren't making the transaction. At home, you can put more money in the account in case of an emergency.

I wish my parents had sent me. At that age I was safe at home hitch hiking to the beach with my surfboard or catching snakes (including rattle snakes)in the fields of North County San Diego.

My answer has nothing to do with money as I can only speak from an adults point of view. The Visa Travel Card sounds like the way to go though. I'd imagine that the school would have provided some sort of guidelines and specifications regarding money.

Anyway, I don't think Sabrina is looking for comments regarding the age of her child and whether it is safe to travel. That stage has already passed and her mind is made up. Keep your comments to yourself.

Sabrina, I went on 2 school trips out of country when I was a child. They were both to France. I was 10 the first time and 11 the second time. I still look back on that time and remember how much fun I had. It was a safe environment and a unbelievable learning experience. We all had to order our food in French, etc. It was something that I will take with me for the rest of my life and it was the base of my extensive travel record throughout my adult life. It will be a life changing event for your child in a very positive way.

The Visa Travel Card my group used was from AAA. However, I understand that now several banks offer them too.

Hope she has a great time.

When my nephew was that age he was in a Children's Choir that did a tour every summer. One summer they went to Germany at stayed in homes of people where they were performing. It was a wonderful trip for all the children. They following year they flew to Oregon and traveled down to California.
Everything was paid for in advance. They just needed money for souviners and gifts. He was really into buy T-shirts for everyone at that age.
There were many parents on the trip and he was well chaperoned. He met his first girlfriend on that trip and they always sat together on the buses and ate together. When he got home her mother went with them on a date to the movies, and that ended their relationship.