Sending my son on EU tour for Graduation

Read Rick Steves' Postcards from Europe. Second it would be better if he had a friend with him. Any cousins around? Third -- read, Europe Through the Back Door. That should get you started.

Kelly,

You could always send your Son on one of Rick's Family tours? There would be a greater possibility of finding someone his own age, and I'm sure he would have a good time.

You might send an E-mail to the Tour Dept. to see if they have any recommendations.

Good luck!

Kelly....see my PM to you regarding tour companies that specialize in tours for 18-25 year olds. (I can't mention them here for I will be blasted for not saying the Rick Steves way is the only way to go.)

What he will learn on any tour is that he can go back on his own without any problem.

BTW...tours for people his age are not "chaperoned." He's an adult. They are led by professional tour directors who understand how to mix sightseeing with fun for people his age--or as you put it the "kid friendly fun part of Europe."

A long time ago, when I was a high school senior, my dad gave me a roundtrip plane ticket to Europe and a rail pass. I spent the first week with friends we had who lived in Germany. Then I took off for a quick weekend trip. I never went back. Spent 2 months covering Europe from A to Z. Saw many great sights (once you get to a city, it is difficult not to stumble across its main sights). Became curious and wanted to learn more about history and politics. I also learned a lot about life. How to manage my money. How to read a train schedule. Not to put my feet on train seats!! How to master public transit and language barriers and find the youth hostels. That overnighting on a train was sometimes an option. How to keep my valuables safe and watch my stuff. How to improvise. Also experienced things I'd never seen before: A couple showering together in a hostel in Amsterdam. People offering me a joint. People who were critical of my country. Topless beaches. People selling drugs. Young people getting drunk. Kids who spoke 4 or 5 languages and had grown up all over the world. Experienced great hospitality and stunning landscapes. Met people with wonderful priorities and people who I knew were headed down the wrong track. Definitely I saw much more good than bad. But most of all: My dad gave me the gift of travel. I got incredibly hooked on it. To paraphrase the Spanish saying about education: Travel is not filling a bucket, it is lighting a fire. In short, I never regretted that trip. Parenting is difficult and there are no "one size fits all" answers. It depends on how adult and mature your son is and if he has basic "street smarts." But, as I said, for some young adults an independent trip through Europe is a confidense building entryway into a whole new world. What ever you decide: good luck and all the best.

Great post, Thomas!!!

I suggest that both you and him read Andy and Jackie's (Rick's kids) travel blogs. On the menu above, go to News and Events, and look at Rick's Travel Blog. That will give the both of you a sense of what it is like.

If both of you think he can do it on his own, it's a much better option just for the fact that it'll make him grow up real fast. Wish I could have done it. Good Luck

Partly it depends on how organized, independent, and mature your son is. If he's well-traveled and organized (or can be with Mom's help!), then going by himself or better yet with a friend/cousin would be a fantastic experience for him. Safety-wise, as long as he has a good head on his shoulders and takes sensible precautions (moneybelt, checks in via cell phone, etc.) he should be fine.

However--I took my first "solo" trip to Europe on a RS tour. I was the youngest in the group at 24, but that didn't matter. RS tour groups tend to be young at heart and we all got along fantastically. The info/organization provided by the guide was really nice to have for a first Europe trip, and so I felt a lot more confident when I returned to Italy and did part of the trip on my own (with my dad) the following year.

Another advantage of the RS tours is they are structured to give you free time, so if the tour doesn't cover everything he would like to see in a particular location, he can take advantage of the free time.

A third option would be to do a tour to start with, and add some independent travel on the end, when he's feeling a bit more accustomed to being in Europe. Overall, I think as long as he (and you) are organized and does the reseach ahead of time, it'd be hard to do it wrong!

Thanks to everyone for the posts. We have looked into it and have decided he will do a tour for 2 weeks and then do travel on his own for 2 weeks. All the notes were awesome and very helpful. Thankfully, he actually does have a decent head on his shoulders and he did spend 3 weeks in Ecuador when he was 14 on a mission's trip so he has some exposure to travel. I really love the post about moneybelts and other safety measures. I didn't think about those. Thanks again and I actually hope he does get the travel bug ;)

Frank wouldn't name Contiki, but I will. I don't have personal experience with them but have crossed paths with them and everyone seemed to be having a great time.

Yes, Contiki was one I mentioned in the PM. The other was EF College Breaks which is geared toward college aged students. Contiki is 18-35 but seems to average about mid-20's.

I didn't mention the tours then because another thread was going on asking about RS tours versus others and the RS tour people very adamently insisted there's were the best and didn't want to hear otherwise.

Personally, I think an 18 year old would have more fun traveling with people his own age rather than with a group where the next youngest might be twice his age.

Christian is really excited, he finally found a friend last night that got his parents approval on doing the trip. His friends parent even offered up their timeshare for one of the weeks so the boys are trying to figure out if they want to stay an extra week or spend a little extra while visiting. I almost wish I was going on this trip rather than him!

Frank , Contiki tours are great fun for youngnsters, but the average age on a Contike tour is NOT mid twenties, have you gone on the Contiki board>> Contiki is popular with the 18-22s ... lots of young folks. And they party hard,, read the forums.. the tours are cheap, they get a taste of alot, but they do get nickeled and dimed quite a bit. They will take you to most major sites, but emphasize is on having a good time,, not history or culture. A young girl from our work went on one, had a fab time,, but admitted to alot of drinking and partiying. It was a good taste of Europe though and she has already been back as an independent traveller, the tour helped her figure out where she wanted to spend more time.

Rather than a fully structured tour, why not get him a pass on a hop-on/hop-off backpacker bus (i.e., Busabout)? With the pass, he's able to visit a number of locations throughout Europe. The backpacker buses stop at many out-of-the-way sights along the route that may not be easy for your son to get to on his own without a car, and they also help arrange for activities and lodging at each of the overnight stops (hostels, camp sights, etc.). Your son has the flexibility to hop off the bus and stay longer in cities or villages that interest him, and he doesn't have to stay with the same group of people for his entire tour.

You need to read reviews of any tour or hop-on/hop-off bus you might consider. Some companies are geared toward party-hard travelers and some are not. In New Zealand I traveled on a pass with a company I researched thoroughly before departure and while we did drink after-hours, every single one of us was ready to go at 8:00 AM and spend the day making stops for hiking, boating and other activities. Other bus companies that ran the same circuit were full of people who slept all day on the bus until they got to the next overnight stop for another pub crawl.

The ages on the buses run anywhere from 18 to mid-30s, with most in the 22 to 28 year old range.

Don't rely entirely on chaperones to keep a watchful eye on your son. Yes, it can be reassuring to think there is an adult that will be there in an emergency. But you need to be the judge of your son's maturity level and street smarts. Years ago I went on Spring Break in Cancun when I was 18 years old. We had a 50 year old teacher accompany our group as a chaperone. She started drinking on the plane and spent the rest of the week drunk by the pool during the day and drunk in the hotel bar at night. She never checked on any of us and never accompanied us on any of our day or night excursions around Cancun or the Yucatan. So much for having a responsible adult around!

Pat, my girlfriend during my touring days had been a tour director with Contiki. I know quite a bit about their tours. Yes they drink a lot, and party a lot, but that's what people that age want to do. (Not all, some would rather travel with people their parents and grandparents age.)

But, of course, you spoke to one person who took a tour, and read the boards, which, of course, makes you, an expert.

Kelly, I think you made a wise decision..your son will get the best of both worlds....a tour to help him get his feet wet, and then the freedom to truly explore.

Yeah, I could see MY kids' response if I asked them if they wanted to go on Rick Steves tour. Laughter would be the first. Touring Europe with kids your own age is preferable, if going on your own is not possible. If your son is worried about not knowing where to go without a guide, then being on a tour sounds best. Having a chaperone for 18 year olds sounds a little odd, but you might have to come to terms with the fact that in Europe, when you are 18, you are an adult, and expected to act like one too.

Gee Frank you are an expert on so many tours, its amazing.. what exactly did I post about Contiki that you think was inaccurate?

I did not claim to be an expert like you Frank, we all know you are the expert,, I mean, all those things I said are so wrong,, oooh, I am so ashamed.. I mean, I said Contiki tours were filled with young folks who like to drink and party,, aaahhh ,, I must kill myself now.. please Frank,, you had an old girlfriend who worked for them years ago,, so please enlighten us with your expertise,, then, I will offer you some medical advice,, I mean, I dated an intern years ago....

That's great Kelly! One thing that always stuck with me from the Let's Go Europe books, is when hosteling, "Your only as alone as you want to be." <---So totally true! I think you made a great choice, doing tour first, then hosteling for him! It's so much fun, once you have a grasp of Europe to wake up in teh morning, and have someone say, "Who wants to go see ______?" And do it. :)

I'd recommend the Let's Go guide books as the best for that age group - written by college kids, for college kids, and in my experience is the most accurate on hostel phone numbers, hours, etc. Hope he has fun! What a great Mom! :)

Pat, I'm not going to lower myself to your level....

In life I've learned something; there are two ways to deal with angry, opinionated, critical, know-it-all, my way is the right way, bullies like you. I can stand up to them, or ignore them. I think I'll choose to ignore you. (Unless you come after me again.)

As for the other people you attack, I'm going to have to learn to let them stand up for themselves.

FRank, I have not come after you( wow, that is a weird comment) ,,I did ask you to clarify what exactly I posted that was so very offensive to you. I merely said Contiki catered to a younger crowd then you mentioned( although I know literature says 18-35). You then accused me of acting like an expert and threw in your"expert comments"which oddly basically said what I had said.. who has the problem?

Note, no one blasted anyone for suggesting Contiki, although you felt someone would, I have never noticed people blasting others for suggesting other tours, although I have seen many people support and endorse the RSs as being different then the usaul mainstream tours.

Kelly, I am a college sophomore and have traveled with EF Collegebreak repeatedly.
I saw one of the earlier posts and it's true, most trips for people over 18 aren't "chaperoned."
However, with EF COllegebreak, there is a 24-hour tour director. They've picked me and other travelers up from the airport when we arrive, lead us to the motorcoach bus that the company has set up for us, and check us in/out of hotels, are always nearby for assistance.
THe great part about it is we visit a few landmarks/attractions in the mornings and we have the afternoon and evenings to experience the countries we're in on our own. The director stays in the same hotel building so if I ever had any questions/directions I needed, he/she would go out of their way to research/guide us.
It's a perfect combinations of direction and independence. I want to travel as much as I can with EFCB before I reach the age limit. They only cater to students 18-26.
I love it, my friends have loved it, and I'm sure your son will too.
If you have any questions feel free to contact me. I will be taking 2 trips this year:)

you can browse/book trips at www.efcollegebreak.com
and CM discount code ALTAMIRANO2007 gives you an automatic discount!