18 year old solo traveler. Would you allow this?

"give him the money" really? Give your child money to go off on a trip that you are not really happy with because a) your child is a young boy. He may be 18 but he is immature and naive. b) he needs to fund himself. c) entitlement of children to use their parents' money is off the wall.

In your shoes my anxiety would have me shitting myself but you must let him fly. Give him the money and let him have his own adventure.

Wow there are some pretty harsh comments on here! I would be nervous if my son wanted to go off alone, I have to say. Even though he’s 18 he’s only just an adult. I think I’d prefer if it was my son that he went with someone or did an organised volunteering type thing. There are several organisations that do that kind of thing. Good luck OP with it all.

Is he a student? I worked and travelled with BUNAC at about his age

That sounds so wonderful!

Let him get on, Scandi countries should be very safe for solo travel. He might need to be a bit more switched on in Rome, but still no reason not to encourage him on his adventure.

www.gap360.com this one. Different places and lengths of time.

Mine both had fab times starting off with a company and then heading off either with people from there or alone but more confident as they were set up with a bit of local knowledge and practical things like bank accounts or sims. I think it was gap360 but I would recommend that route tbh.

I went interrailing on my own at 18. Female and no mobile phones then. I had a brilliant time and really grew up a lot. There was an aunt in Rome - I started from there and then carried on travelling. Had a wonderful time!

He’s not planning to go to the arse-end of nowhere. My mum was a worry guts but I don’t think she’d have been too concerned if I was going to travel around Scandinavia.

DD and her friends met lots of solo travellers aged 18-20 in the youth hostels they stayed at across Europe. They'd hang out in a big group for a few days then go on to the next place and meet more people, plus others they'd met in p[revious hostels on the trip along the way. It was incredibly sociable and safe.

I'm afraid you can't 'insist' on anything. He is 18. You can suggest, guide and support but not insist.

Ds had a few friends who have done this. He'll be fine aandof not he can come home.

Hi, sound like a fantastic idea, one of my biggest regrets is not travelling before a life of responsibility!
I read many of the responses but not all so not sure if this has been mentioned but try this site it’s a specialist site for gap years for young people. www.gap360.com
Good luck to your son.

I would point him in the direction of Couchsurfing. It's an organised website where reviewed and verified locals offer a couch or spare bed to visitors to their part of the world. You can bring a gift from home or cool them a meal as a thank you but it is a fantastic way to budget travel, meet people and experience what a place is really like. As a female I was always careful to choose hosts who had both male and female guests so I knew they weren't after hook ups, but you would be amazed how much it restores your faith in humanity, how lovely people are. Hosts are all ages between18 and 80. They also do group meet ups in local places which is a great way to socialise.
Experiences I have had:
Stayed in diamond merchants flat in Manhattan
Stayed in artist's flat New Orleans
Went to group meets in Holland and met lifelong friends.
Stayed in house in Paris where host cooked for me
Met up with locals in Hawaii
Hosted people from France, New York and Holland.

It is so much fun. Be selective about who you stay with, good reviews etc. If he prefers to stay in youth hostels it's still worth using Couchsurfers to meet up with locals.

I’d encourage him to go on an organised trip, with flexibility to continue the travel afterwards (potentially with new travel mates).

If money isn’t a problem, and he has the time, I thoroughly recommend a Raleigh International expedition. Will be full of young people his age looking to develop themselves and make a contribution in the world.

Or, if that doesn’t seem the right fit, try looking at Much Better Adventures, G Adventures or Intrepid.

You can't stop him, and shouldn't, but I appreciate it's scary for the parents left behind. I persuaded mine to have a tracker on their phone, Life360 is free and was a comfort. Be enthusiastic, ask for lots of pictures!

I know you are worried that he has been sheltered more than most, but honestly so many school leavers who travel are similar…lots of those who seem less sheltered are still pretty sheltered when it comes to it. Very good point above about sob stories.

This. I used to work in hostels and there were plenty of lone backpackers, especially from Australia and New Zeland who hang out in the common room making friends.

I lived in Oslo as a young single person. My London job had the opportunity for a 12 month placement and so off I trotted. Oslo is lovely, particularly in summer. It's also fairly safe. I used to go out of an evening and meet up with colleagues and travel home alone. I went to concerts. The museums are great. The islands are lovely and the woods around Olso are easily accessible by tube and well signposted for walkers (there are even little cafe's in the woods to buy pancakes and brown cheese and jam). It's EXPENSIVE but I'd recommend it. The drive over the moors from Oslo to Bergen is fab and you see the real remoteness. The trains are good.

I travelled a lot in my youth on my $ and now travel for work on my own all the time. I've done Rome, Paris (a lot recently), various Scandi countries, the US... Google maps is brilliant and means I can easily find my way around. Pickpocketing is the biggest risk. I use Ubers for late night cabs home.

Your son will have a wonderful time, wish him well, travel is wonderful!

He's 18, so it's entirely up to him to travel solo or not. It's also not unheard, many 18-year olds would go travelling by themselves. I went solo on a group tour to Thailand at 19 and went to London solo for a week when I was 18 (I lived in The Netherlands at the time). I was going whether my parents agreed or not. I also funded the trips myself, so it's like they could stop me going in terms of finances.

If he wants to go for a weekend then alone would be fine.

For a longer trip , especially as he's got no experience whatsoever, I would look into some kind of work abroad for young people scheme. Something where he gets accommodation and pocket money and works in exchange. It will be much easier to make new friends in that kind of set up. Travel alone is likely to be lonely and expensive.

Maybe look at holiday rep, seasonal farm work, work in a kids holiday camp, work in a youth hostel or hotel. Or some kind of "voluntourism".

I'd also encourage him to self fund at least half the cost

If he stays in youth hostels he will make friends to hang out with

Travel is such a privilege and if you can comfortably offer him that opportunity I say 100% do it. He will learn so much - about the world but also about himself. The places you have mentioned are very very safe - he needs travel insurance, a passport, and an understanding of e-sims. Don't send him on an organised tour - there is really no need in the places you've mentioned (where English is widely spoken and the path is well trodden) - you have no idea of the kind of people he might be stuck with.