Teen Jetsetters!

[khall64au]

Two days ago, I saw my 16 yr-old niece and her schoolfriend off at Phuket airport - bound for Yeppoon. Their travel itinerary was Phuket - Singapore - Brisbane-Rockhampton... and a short road trip back to Yeppoon on the Capricorn Coast - to their own beds.

My query is - would you trust your own teenager to do a trip like this? Dear niece is a very seasoned traveller and has flown many times as an unaccompanied minor - she knows airports, checkins and kindly airline hostesses as a fact of life.

To me, she is my baby niece but obviously she knows her way around international airports (that's my girl! Would you trust your own daughter/ son at this age?

[khall64au]

Did I mention that they are legal to fly around the world on their own at 16 - but they cannot vote or drink alcohol?

[britmaveric]

Too young personally - think better off at 18. (even then I'd still worry)

[seonai]

As I mentioned to you before, in Scotland kids (cos that's what they are) can marry at 16 but can't have a drink at the wedding - and people worry about SE Asia...

[cobra]

IMHO that's too young to be globe trotting unescorted,

I realize mature decision making comes from experience, but if your under 18 you should have some escort or protection, (we all know some of the situations and places we should never have set a foot in, if we were kids it could have turned out badly),

[meadish_sweetball]

It depends on how much experience they have and how well they handle themselves, obviously.

This is only partially connected to age as some people can't be left alone even at 35 because they will hurt themselves or get lost, while others are capable of taking adult responsibility at 15-16.

I will do my best to raise my children to feel comfortable handling situations on their own at that age and obviously I would let them do so if I felt they could handle it. If they are still not ready, then no.

It's a question of maturity rather than age.

[jetjock]

Would I trust them? Yep! Would I let them do it? Nope! IMHO the world today is too dangerous for 16 year old girls to be taking trips like that without an adult along. Predators look for easy targets and young looking girls traveling alone appear to be easy prey. I even worry when my 30 year old wife travels on trips alone because she could easily pass for a young girl under 20 which also makes her an attractive target.

[intumult]

If they are mature enough, I would trust them, but I definitely would not trust the predators out there with all the means they have at their disposal to 'take young people' be it from drugs, drink or some other means.

[VTR1000]

Why not?

I and my sister were brought up in Southern Africa but had to attend boarding schools in Britain. From the age of 9, I traveled from Scotland via London and then Jo'burg before catching a flight to my final destination (3 return journeys a year). We would have someone meet us in London to make sure we got through there ok but the rest of the time we were on our own. We managed it then (early 70s+), so I don't see why a 16 year old should have problems nowadays ... the only difference being the increase in the number of idiots out there. If they are sensible and experienced, as you say your niece is, I don't see any problems at all.

[thomo]

Well in the UK you can join the army, get married, buy a house and have a baby at 16.

You have to wait 2 more years before you can rent 9 1/2 weeks (or anyother over 18) video from blockbusters tho'.

[Heng]

Depends on the person. If they have done so with some regularity, there's nothing to worry about. Have been travelling alone (albeit on package tours mostly to Europe from the US for about 2 weeks at a time) since age 11-12.

[jetjock]

I think the dangers on the street have steadily increased over the last 30, 20 or even 10 years ago due to the increased prevalence of designer street drugs like meth and some of the harder drugs that seem to bring out violence in people. The number of nut cases and wierdo's walking the streets seems to be steadily increasing thereby making the comparison of what we did when were young compared to today's youth like comparing apples with oranges. When it come to snatch and grab brutal rapes and killings, the predators are not equal opportunity employers when it comes to girls and boys. Now almost everyday we read about a new victim of one of these heinous crimes. Young girls seem to be the prime targets of so many of these crimes that for girls traveling alone out of their safety zone, there is always going to be an increased risk factor. I know these kind of decisions are really tough and I see that some posters disagree but my personal comfort zone is that I always would prefer to be error on the safe side rather than be sorry since the stakes can be so high.

[meemiathai]

It depends on how much experience they have and how well they handle themselves, obviously.

This is only partially connected to age as some people can't be left alone even at 35 because they will hurt themselves or get lost, while others are capable of taking adult responsibility at 15-16.

I will do my best to raise my children to feel comfortable handling situations on their own at that age and obviously I would let them do so if I felt they could handle it. If they are still not ready, then no.

It's a question of maturity rather than age.

Well said.

I started going out when I was 4 from morning till night and I am still here.

[t.s]

are they farang?

if so they should be safe from all and sundry. one thing i have learned from the venerable TV crowd is that no one finds farang females attractive.

[Prakanong]

My mates daughters have flown from say London to Tokyo and London - NY returns on their own for years ie since they were about 10 years old.

Airlines do have special schemes set up for this and both Virgin Atlantic and BA were particularly good.

[bina]

our now 20 yr old daughter whom we call 'the general' has flown to europe and to the states alone (with relatives waiting to pick her up) ; once she was abandoned by the 'accompanying a minor' stewardess when she was about 15 (we paid extra for that 'service) and so daughter showed initiative and chutzpa (she's israeli remember) and elbowed her way to the manager in the office of the flight in the airport where she had to find her next connection and opened her mouth . she was promptly escorted to her connecting flight which she couldnt find. on the other hand my huge overgrown son i would not trust in the least. he's very, well, country bumpkin, and would end up in zimbabwe or something. also language barriers: 'the general' speaks fairly decent english, my middle child is not up to par yet. the youngest, i dread to think of her flying alone: blond, blue eyed, easily makes friends, very trusting... she'd be on a milk carton in a minute. even when she hits 20+.

this past trip back from thailand, the oldest was on a cheapy flight from bangkok thru kiev to israel and suddenly the plane wasnt allowed to fly in air space over somewhere and was delayed and they missed their connections etc... we didnt hear from her for hours, and i had visions of terrorists etc.... we were on the expensive but straight pathed flight with the regular airline (thai workers flight).

i was also on a flight once that made a emergency crash landing (TWA ) in ireland and there was some poor 16 yr old girl hysterical, no one helped her out so my (ex) husband and i helped her phone her folks, find a roommate in the hotel we were put up in, etc... it wasnt a good scenario. but many 16 yr olds are scary in their street skills.

bina

Edited October 9, 2007 by bina

[cmsally]

our now 20 yr old daughter whom we call 'the general' has flown to europe and to the states alone (with relatives waiting to pick her up) ; once she was abandoned by the 'accompanying a minor' stewardess when she was about 15 (we paid extra for that 'service) and so daughter showed initiative and chutzpa (she's israeli remember) and elbowed her way to the manager in the office of the flight in the airport where she had to find her next connection and opened her mouth . she was promptly escorted to her connecting flight which she couldnt find. on the other hand my huge overgrown son i would not trust in the least. he's very, well, country bumpkin, and would end up in zimbabwe or something. also language barriers: 'the general' speaks fairly decent english, my middle child is not up to par yet. the youngest, i dread to think of her flying alone: blond, blue eyed, easily makes friends, very trusting... she'd be on a milk carton in a minute. even when she hits 20+.

This is very true, a lot of the time it is up to you to determine who you can let loose and who not. But that is the same for everything not just flights.

A lot of minors fly unaccompanied but there is a big difference in that being just flights and being in a strange town on their own and making all arrangements by themselves.

[sbk]

I, personally would not feel comfortable with it. Not necessarily because I didn't trust the girls' judgment, but because its everyone else that I don't trust

My nephew (big strapping guy too) came alone to visit when he was 19--he stayed or travelled with us the entire time. Not because I don't trust him or his judgment but because there are some really dodgy people out there and if something had happened to him my sister would have KILLED me

[seonai]

I think two girls together at 16 is fine to fly if someone meets them at the airport. I flew alone many times when I was 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and my family always arranged someone to meet me. There's not much that can go on in a plane - any sleazy replies to this will be deleted

[FarangNoi21]

i would not let me daughter do it, but id let my son.

[britmaveric]

Dunno - are they stopping? - I was under the impression they weren't just changing planes. If this is the case just transfers then I think they can manage.

[JUDAS]

It depends on how much experience they have and how well they handle themselves, obviously.

This is only partially connected to age as some people can't be left alone even at 35 because they will hurt themselves or get lost, while others are capable of taking adult responsibility at 15-16.

I will do my best to raise my children to feel comfortable handling situations on their own at that age and obviously I would let them do so if I felt they could handle it. If they are still not ready, then no.

It's a question of maturity rather than age.

You took the words right out of my mouth ( I can't sing )

[papaya9]

Personally, I'd NEVER let my girl do this. Not enough street smarts and easy targets, not to make you feel nervous.

[JetsetBkk]

Would I trust them? Yep! Would I let them do it? Nope! IMHO the world today is too dangerous for 16 year old girls to be taking trips like that without an adult along. Predators look for easy targets and young looking girls traveling alone appear to be easy prey.

Agreed - with one minor caveat: if they are merely going from airport to airport, it's not so bad. But if they are stopping over, I wouldn't let them - not worth the (my perceived) risk.

[GuestHouse]

A while back I reported here on TV my experience of getting involved with giving assistance to a 17 year old English girl who was taken seriously ill while on holiday with friends in Thailand.

Her parents thought she was in France.

Tough caring dads that you all are ... bear this in mind.

When I asked her if she'd like to call home to talk to her mother, she said 'No she'd talk to her dad'.

What they want to do, what you want them to do, what they will do and what you eventually accept them doing might not always be the same thing.