18yo son travelling abroad

[BellissimoGecko]

My 17yo son is planning on spending this summer travelling abroad to his girlfriend's country where he will work/volunteer and see his gf.

I'm happy that he will have this opportunity to see his gf and spend time with her.

We think we have thought of all the pros and cons, but can anyone think of any other?

He will be within 10 mins of his gf's parents. He has money to leave, should he need to.

Thank you. I will miss him so much but recognise that this is a great opportunity for him.

You don’t need to think of any pros and cons. He’s an adult and therefore it is his decision only.

Insurance.
Illness, accident, loss or theft of belongings.
And tell him to read the small print carefully so he knows exactly what's covered and what isn't.

Make sure he has very good insurance, the best you can afford. He may never need it but it will give be you peace of
mind. That’s what we did.

Totally depends on the country really

Can he speak the language

Travel insurance, and the means to pay for illness or injury before being reimbursed, that's all really.

Insurance, vaccinations and a return ticket.

• off yo go!

Yes insurance. I went travelling at 18, with one friend in 1989-1990 and obv there were no mobile phones or internet. Two other friends joined us in Australia for the last six months. We were fine. My poor parents only got a phone call every couple of weeks and the odd letter. My friend only came back to sort out her emigration and is still there - we are now 54. Her (single) mum ended up emigrating there about 10yrs ago.
The only thing I'd be worried about my young adult kids going travelling would be (apart from the obv - getting ill, having an accident, running out of money) is that they would choose to stay. My goddaughter went to Aus three years ago (when 21) for an intended year and has been gone three, only coming back once. Another friends son (at 22) did the same but came back for a year then returned now indefinitely. But they both have great lives there.
My friend can afford to visit her son every year but my other friends can't afford to visit my goddaughter. Thank the universe for the internet and FaceTime.
I did get ill when I went travelling again at 21 in India but my insurance covered everything.
I hope your son has a fabulous time and stays in touch.

Access to an emergency only fund if he needs to return. Is he planning on staying with the girlfriend? How long has he known her? At that age with a long distance relationship it may not work out once they actually spend time together and he may want to return early.

What pro's and con's? So long as he's got insurance he'll be fine. If he ever rang you and needed help getting home you'd pay, so there's his emergency fund! All this unnecessary fretting over nothing.

@SlaveToAGoldenRetriever "You don’t need to think of any pros and cons. He’s an adult and therefore it is his decision only"

He's 17!!! It's quite usual to still need a bit of help from your parents when you're 17!!

I love how some people here think that on the 18th birthday a switch is flipped and your child is no longer of any of your concerns.

Most 17 year olds are still living at home and are in education.That means they don't really are involved in things like insurances and I doubt many have done such a long trip.

What is wrong supporting someone to plan a big event?

@BellissimoGecko outside insurance, does he need any permission to work/volunteer? Even just a holiday work visa?

As others have said, he's an adult and if he wants to go it's up to him to work out pros and cons.

Having said that DD regularly travelled abroad to see friends from 17 and went to did a year at uni abroad at 19. Things are were good for her to have were insurance, a EHIC/GHIC if in Europe, a note of her passport number kept separately, power pack if travelling around and contact details for eachothers family, and keep your personal possessions as close as possible. She had to have emergency treatment in hospital, had money stolen, lost her passport and one or two countries didn't have reliable electricity. She sorted everything herself and actually feels it was good experience and gave her the confidence to speak up for herself/sort problems out.

It's a Scandinavian country. He speaks the language. He is researching the work permit situation.

Yes to insurance and EHIC card.

He and his gf have met several times and have spent quite a bit of time together, including two weeks over Christmas, so that should be ok.

Thank you to everyone who posted helpful replies. I know DS is 17 and almost an adult, but oddly enough, I still care about him and want to help him make sure that this trip goes well.

Scandinavia? He's safer than at home!

That's how he feels too, @MrsTerryPratchett...