Holiday money for 17yo

Is this an imminent trip i.e. there is no time for him to save up money to cover it himself? Did you pay for the cost of the holiday, or did he fund it himself? Is the £400 just spending money?

If it's imminent I think you are in a difficult position as this should have been discussed and agreed a long time ago. £400 sounds a lot to me (for ref, my 20 year old DD recently spend around £150 on a week's trip abroad, but she was funding it herself as a poor student, so probably more minded to keep costs down!) but if that is "normal" in the circles that you and your son move in, then it will be hard to see him unable to do the same things as his friends. I guess the question is "how much are you prepared to give him?" and possibly you could consider some of it being a loan.

Italy isn’t cheap but it depends on what he is doing, where he is in Italy? Watersports are pricey. Transport can be cheap, are they grabbing cheap pizza/pasta rather than full on meals out. I would take £500 easily for less than a week for me: butwe do sight seeing so museums/palaces etc. I’d imagine they aren’t going to do that, we have meals out with a couple of drinks, maybe a drink in the afternoon. Lots of walking around taking in the town/city etc.

Please make sure he has the right insurance for doing those activities and also alcohol is an issue if he is partying as insurance will use that to not pay out also he is 17.

Agree with the previous poster. Is it a last minute trip, has he had time or any means to save money: job, pocket money etc?

Did you fund the trip? You could loan some if you feel he is taking the mickey: jobs and things to pay it off at home if he has no part time job.

Why on earth is he not paying for himself £400 is no where near enough Italy is really expensive

That’s £57 a day. Which isn’t much to cover all those things.

Depends what they are planning to do. When my DS has been on similar lads holidays they just end up buying a load of beer and pizza and not really moving out their accommodation apart from 1 or 2 planned activities. Or only as far as the beach. I know times have changed and the cutting of one's cloth seems to be different, but 17 year olds shouldn't really be expecting to eat out every night (for example) especially if they are relying on their parents to fund it.

Where are they staying and is any food included in their accommodation? If it’s room only then yes unfortunately £400 isn’t a huge amount to cover the week. I would suggest that you don’t give it all at once, £100 every couple of days instead otherwise it will burn a hole in his pocket. And next year if he’s big enough to go on holiday by himself, then he is big enough to pay for it.

If £400 (or more!) is making a dent in your budget is there any way it can be offset, eg he could still look for work over the summer. Also if he has any outgrown clothes, tech etc that he can sell. Can you count money you give him as Christmas/birthday presents?

What accommodation/board have they booked? If they're self catering can they eat in some of the time? £400 pp spending money sounds like a lot to me, we don't spend much more than that for two of us, and that's eating out every day and drinks and snacks from the supermarket plus lunch stuff, activities etc.

I can't believe he booked a holiday before getting a job life doesn't work like that

€700

I agree that it’s crazy that you are expected to foot the bill but that isn’t what your post was asking! The amount he spends will depend on so many factors:
Accommodation- any meals included? Any facilities to self cater?
Location - busier areas tend to be cheaper as competition drives price down, other than immediately around tourist hot spots. Ie a meal 50 yards from the trevi fountain will be more expensive that one a 10 minute walk away.
intentions to drink?
Itinerary
Any dietary requirements?
The budget of his friends will also Influence his spending, if they are all ordering fillet steak and cocktails, jumping in taxis rather than using public transport, he will likely follow suit.