Kirstie Allsop's 15 Year Old Son

My friend and I went interailing at 16.

We didn’t ask our parents. We both worked and saved and paid for ourselves.
Think 16 was seen as older in the 80s.

We were away for 6 weeks and it was very very challenging but also a wonderful experience.

He’s just young for his school year. Interrailing post GCSE isn’t unusual at all.

What an amazing summer for him.

I’d rather mine did that at 16 than head off to festivals.

I don't see it, because it wasn't at all 'sarky' or 'mean-spirited' - that is your erroneous interpretation.

You have a good day, now.

I’m more amazed they found places he could stay (unless he stayed with friends)

My daughter is 16 and her friends all wanted to go on a holiday after GCSEs, but couldnt find anywhere that would take them. They’re all so trustworthy too :-(

Or that the kids had SEN.

Brilliant experience for him.

To
clarify - under 18 accommodation eg air bnbs are out, most are out etc

Yes, I went interrailing with one female friend at the age of 19. No internet or mobile phones then, and we were probably a lot more naive than kids our age would be now.

We too slept in a lot of dodgy places and had a few close shaves, but overall a very positive experience which we still talk about over 3 decades on. I'm sure Allsop's son is perfectly fine.

Way too young imo, not something I would let mine do at 15.

Interestingly I don’t think K would have let her DD do this.

18 snd 19 year olds are usually impulsive and make bad decisions, I'd say a lot of young people are still like that it their 20s too. They have the option to drink alcohol too which increases the risk.

If your daughter was eighteen I’m not sure you allowed anything 😂 Unless you mean you funded the trip and thus allowed it to take place.

I mean he’s fifteen not five, interrailing in europe is very easy, the majority of stations are well manned and any missed trains etc are easily resolved. If they can catch a train in the UK and walk to a location they can do it in europe, I’d be quite embarrassed if my fifteen year old who had left school couldn’t do it, it would be a huge sign that me and my husband had done a fairly rubbish job of raising our children.

Surely at 18 you don't 'allow them'.
They can do what they want as they are adults.

Yes I agree. I don’t think it indicates jealousy to say that coming from a privileged background helps. It’s just stating facts! He would probably be used to at least annual ski trips, and extensive travel generally. And posh school trips help. As does speaking a foreign language and family or friends with second homes abroad. A lot easier if you have some spare cash to fall back on in an emergency. But good for him anyway!

It’s just a lot harder if money is very tight, your school trips go no further than the local amusement park, languages aren’t an option at o level, you’ve never been abroad before, or even out of your home town much.

at 15/16 my guess is the kids stayed with friends and family along the way as most countries in Europe dont allow under 18 s without an adult - as I learned when trying to book accommodation for my kids post gcse European jaunt - I ended up having to send signed permission on a copy of my passport to a nice hotel!

a school mum thought I was very irresponsible to do this but I felt far more confident than with a druggy festival. I trusted the kids going

I did it myself at 16 all over Spain. The summer before my parents had packed me off to a foreign country to learn the language while living with s local family. I was just 15 at that time.

It opens your mind to an unimaginable extent.

My son is not very adventurous but he's certainly been flying on his own to see family abroad since he was 12.

I think between school and university is a more appropriate juncture tbh.

Mind your own business??

Sounds like a great way to spend the summer to me.

I read threads on here about 16 year olds who can't be trusted at home overnight, or who have never caught a train by themselves before, and I do wonder why their parents don't seem to have done anything to prepare them for adulthood and university.

I remember moving into halls and there were people there who didn't know how to use a washing machine or make a basic pasta dish 🙈

Absolutely not in normal circumstances. 15 is very young. I didn't have my first abroad holiday until I was at least 18/19 and inter railing requires a much more detailed itinerary than hopping on a plane to Malaga!
That said, I suspect they will have had help. Possibly a chaperone, certainly loads of money and people looking out for them. So not really your average teenage holiday.

Ha! Like people who say they’ve done up their gaff. But turns out they just paid someone else to do it.

Much much less of an issue on the continent, certainly when it comes to hostel accommodation.

Most of my European friends (and DH) were far more independent than me and my peers were in our teens. DH upped and moved to the country we live in now when he was 17. In fact our teenage family members brought up on the European mainland are far more confident and sensible than our teenage family members brought up in the UK. The difference in them is stark.

DS will be getting his Revolut card loaded before he leaves for his destination. He has cash too but that's not as safe. Mainly for tipping.

I think London teenagers can be very grown up and streetwise.

I wouldn't judge Kirstie for this. I bet her children are very confident plus he'll have been well funded so won't have had to sleep anywhere dangerous.