Will 16 year old boys fit in well in England, Scotland and Wales wearing US, below the knee, athletic shorts? They are insisting on wearing them as they will be comfortable and I am wondering if they will be too casual. We won't be going anywhere that is fancy.
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
Bring some long pants too. It can get quite cold in Scotland at times. I was there two years ago in July and would have been very cold and unhappy in shorts. Pam
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9369 posts
They will be fine. The teenagers there wear basically the same things that you see here.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Cindy, as said, they can wear what ever the like, but they really will need at least one pair of long pants. I have only been to England 4 times, three of those times were in July and August, and it was rainy and cool all of them!!!!!! They do have nice weather, but you had better be prepared for the other, its a lovely green country , and you do know how it stays green!
Posted by
OP
Little Rock, AR
42 posts
Thank you so much! We will now pack a pair of long pants!
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5435 posts
This past week has seen record high temperatures in the north of Scotland for the time of the year (ie 29C/84F) - in Altnaharra of all places (which holds the UK record low temp in winter of -27C/-17F). So be prepared in July August for a range of anywhere between 17-32C (62-90F) and you won't be caught out ...
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
What Marco said, plus be ready for anything from sunshine to pouring rain and windy. Quick-dry is another great feature to include in your packing. I'm a fan of polyester/nylon warm-up pants rather than jeans - but you may unknowingly sport a particular team's colors (I usually pack gray to avoid that).
Posted by
Conesus, NY, USA
37 posts
My son loves the convertible pants from REI and North Face. They are lightweight, zip off legs, that are easy to pack and look nice if you need to dress them up with a polo or button shirt for dinner. They zip off into long shorts too. We have traveled all over Europe with them. They are easy to wash in the sink and dry overnight as needed. You can find them online at rei.com or ems.com or in several good sporting goods stores.
Posted by
Texas
518 posts
They will be fine in shorts, but in Scotland they will be cold. Insist they take at least one pair of long pants something they like to wear. Our son who is now 21 and married has been with us to Europe 4 times. He always packs for himself and chooses his oldest stuff. I would have chosen nicer clothes, but he was happy. He would also take only flip flops but thanked me last year for insisting he take his athletic shoes. They will be glad to have a rainproof (not just rain resistant) jacket and a warm jacket. Our son wore jeans and flip flops a lot last year. He also wore that warm coat every day in Scotland. A toboggan felt good up north. It's also fun to leave some room in the luggage and let them buy something there. Our son bought some cargo shorts in London once that he wore for years. He bought a couple of dress shirts at H&M that he still wears.
Your sons will fit in fine and will be happy wearing what they are comfortable in. Have fun and enjoy them. Before you turn around, they will be 21 and married.
Posted by
Grafenwoehr, APO AE, Germany
43 posts
Yes! They will be fine, you'll be happy to know that on our travels throughout Europe we've seen many teens dressing very similar to what your boys prefer to wear. My husband also prefers to wear cargo style shorts while traveling as he is always hot, but when we travel more north, I've insisted on a nice pair of trousers....just in case, and he was grateful that I did, as we encountered a couple of rainy, cold days. Enjoy your trip! Patty
Posted by
OP
Little Rock, AR
42 posts
Thanks for all your replies. We will be taking long pants and we leave today!!!