Kirstie Allsop's 15 Year Old Son

I read it and thought 'good for him'. Then immediately started thinking about that being a great thing for my own kids to do one day.

Revolut card is great if you cannot apply for a credit card.

At university I met someone who had backpacked round the world and worked in New York and Pakistan. Lots of people were in awe of this lad.
Me being the cynical creature I am asked a few questions and quickly established that he'd worked at his dad's rather big company and what he described as backpacking was actually flying first class.

Words are beautiful things.

I lived away from home (halls of residence) at 17 to study my degree! I just had to learn about life and get on with it.

Kidd need a chance to make mistakes and grow.

I did this at eighteen and I’d encourage my own sons to do similar at that age.
I think under 18 could be practically tricky though, as pp said you can’t even stay in a bloody premier inn under 18 in this country and you can’t have a credit card which would be useful in emergencies

Having said that Im amazed they managed to get accommodation but perhaps they met up with various friends and relations along the way and stayed there
Ds1 stayed in International hostels when he was under 18.
Many if them, especially in mainland Europe are practically hotel standard with their rooms and facilities.
I occasionally book a si e room in a hostel when I'm away, especially in Berlin where I go to my favourite one.

Agreed. I went to work abroad for a year at 18; I’m sure I could have interrailed with a mate at 16. We could only afford the friend’s aunt’s caravan in Kent at that age! My parents went into the navy at 16/17 - I’m sure my mum would have expected me to be able to travel at 16.

He was probably youth hostelling or staying with friends - I’ve just been abroad and all the hotels had a minimum check in age of 18.

But however he did it, good for him, and his parents. I know someone who knows her and has a very high opinion of her.

Apart from the under 18 accommodation issue, I'd let my DS do this. Depends on their maturity surely.

Depends on the person. I was up to all sorts from 14. I was confident and sensible, even though I was pretty wild.

My DS is about to get GSCE results and is least confident of my DCs. But he’d be fine with a sensible mate. Been using public transport in London alone since 12 and faced street robberies etc.

Money and knowing people in those countries helps a lot. If anything goes wrong, they book into nearest hotel. Doing it without much money, even for family to bail you out, is much tougher.

Is it really any of your business @ImAFemaleVersionOfRoyKeane

You don't know her son or how mature he is, or if, for example, there are family friends or relatives in Europe who could help out if needed.

Stop judging other mums?

Puts my mother refusing to permit me to go on a day trip to Brighton with my friends for the end of GCSEs somewhat into a context of her being unreasonable, doesn't it?

Didn't matter in the end, I found myself a boyfriend with a car two months later and never went 'home' again.

Haha, yep. The accommodation thing if you're under 18 is a nuisance. I can understand why it's done though. DS's partner is 21 so she's organised the accommodation.

Think it’s fine. Think kids need more of this to be honest. Not enough unsupervised exploring happens in my opinion and I think it’s one of the reasons young people struggle as adults these days
I I agree with this.
I see the lad is 16 tomorrow. I encouraged ds2 to go camping in Scotland to an area he kmows well with his friend when he was 16 a few days after hiis birthday. We don't live in Scotland!! He had the time of his life mountain biking and hiking.
Ds1 was older, he was 17 when he did the Prague ,Krakow, Paris trip. You have to be over 16 to book into an I tarnation youth hostel. There was a couple of mishaps,one included missing a flight but him and his friends worked through any problems themselves.

Too many young people are not encouraged to be resilient or resourceful.

This. Better than a summer on a gadget

😂😂😂

These situations may seem OK but at that age they think they are invincible, so they can be impulsive and not make the best decisions, especially when something goes wrong!

My 19 year old told me the other day that he feels invincible. So at what age is it ok to let them make their own mistakes and learn how to deal with things when they go wrong OP?

DS flying out to an American destination soon and meeting his girlfriend at the other end. He is 17yo. Am I nervous? Yes. Can I stop him? No. I can offer lots of support though.

You have to let go at some point!

This. Far to mollycoddled then can’t cope as adults or need constant help.

Re-read your post. It was sarky and mean-spirited
Clearly you don't see it

Again, nasty assumption to make. That green-eyed monster is strong on MN today

Both DC did this after GCSEs - one was 15, 16 end of Aug other 16. They loved it and yes, they were old enough.

Two of mine went travelling at 16. They were more than capable.

DD2 didn't go until she was a bit older as she wouldn't have been capable of handling things going wrong.

The point of parenting is to encourage them to live the life they're capable of so well done to her for not overly babying him just because

depends on the confidence of the child… as other have said he rich and well connected. I would have been ok myself at 17 years old interrailing.

So it’s not going to be poor interline and with good internet/roaming he will be connected to mommy.

I assume he was staying with people they know and is already well travelled. I doubt she sent him off to find his own accommodation.

Fabulous! It's a while until we have to worry about that but when our DS is a teen I hope we'll have instilled the confidence and common sense in him to do similar.