To send my 19 yo niece to Heathrow by coach?

[WildflowerMarmalade]

My 19 yo niece is coming to visit the UK from abroad. She has had a very sheltered upbringing as she lives in South Africa where it is too dangerous for her to travel far on her own.

She will be staying with me in London before travelling to stay with my parents up North. She will then need to travel back to Heathrow alone to get a flight. I have suggested she travel by coach. DH says it is not safe and you get dodgy people on coaches. AIBU? Is it safe on the coach or not?

My reasons for her travelling by coach not train are that it will be easier for her to change coaches at Victoria ( Mchr - Lndn Victoria then Lndn Victoria - Heathrow). When I take her to get on the coach to Manchester we can look together where to go for the Heathrow coach. This seems less stressful for her than getting a train and then having to get the Tube across London to get the Heathrow Express. Also it is cheaper - and she is planning to pay for it herself.

Coach is perfectly fine!

My cousin is from SA and got a coach to Heathrow when she visited us at the age of 17.

I used to get the coach from The North to Heathrow regularly as a teenager. It was a long and boring journey but always uneventful!

Think it is easier than train if you are travelling with luggage because it will be put safely in the "boot" and you don't have to find space on the train for it or abandon it in a luggage rack.

Coach is fine. Also cheaper for her.

If she has a lack of experience with using transport just talk her through it and tell her to get there early to sort everything out so she finds it less stressful.

Tell dh not to mention 'dodgy people' she will be fine.

"DH says it is not safe and you get dodgy people on coaches."

In my 9 months or so on MN I've seen some comments which have caused me to raise an eyebrow but that one takes the biscuit. In fact it takes the whole packet of chocolate Hobnobs.

This is a 19 year old on a bus in the Uk going to an airport. Don't be ridiculous.

And by don't be ridiculous I mean this is a perfectly normal safe thing to do.

Have you considered her flying from Manchester to Heathrow?

She will be fine.

If she has had a sheltered upbringing she is probably ready to spread her wings.

National express are really pleasant now. The only problem is on a busy coach you can't change seats/go for a walk if the person next to you is annoying.

Megabus tend to not be as nice, but I've only braved them once for a long journey.

Coach with no stops is much easier than the train when you've got luggage.