... to ask what age you first went abroad on holidays without parents (trigger warning)

[anyhue]

This question is prompted by the incident on Cyprus with Israeli youths. Google and you'll find it.

I could not afford to go on holidays with friends without parents until I was working in my early 20s. Now it seems people can afford to go at younger and younger ages.

I was sexually assaulted as a teenager at a campsite in France, on vacation with parents. I only told them 9 months later when it looked like we would return to the same place.

I think they need much better policing in these resorts, with CCTV, active policing, etc. Things have changed for the worse, and authorities need to keep up!

I never went abroad on a holiday before I became a tour rep at the age of 23. My first proper girls holiday was at 29 I went with a friend and we had a great time.

Youth hostelling around Devon and Dorset when I was 17 in 1990.

Paris when I was 18 in 1991. With 2 friends each time.

Paid for it myself from a Saturday job.

Went to Cornwall (a good 6 hours minimum away) aged 15 with 2 school friends. Also went to a couple of big festivals age 15 and 16 and they are hardly sensible places. Can't imagine letting mine go at that age.

14, but for summer camps so supervised. 19 for a proper trip by myself.

18, after A-levels but had been working weekends to pay for it. Two weeks on The Algarve. Was pretty sensible.

Age 18 travelled round Australia and Thailand with a friend. We had a few dodgy encounters but generally we were lucky and had an amazing time. Probably one of the best 6 months of my life

13 ! What happened was vile but it’s always happened
Just maybe wasn’t reported in the days of yore

17 Barcelona, had a great time, got mugged but not sexually assaulted.

I think as another thread has proven, it can happen almost anywhere. I think sometimes in holiday accommodation parents let their teens have extra freedom which could make them venerable giving abusers the perfect opportunity to take advantage. I was sexually abused when I was 15 (not on holiday) and my parents could have stopped it happening .

I’m from the generation of people that went to Ibiza as soon as their parents would allow (usually under 18), I’m sure a lot were sexually assaulted after getting totally off their head on drink and drugs.

18 to magaluf in the 80s. I had been working for 2 years since leaving school at 16, so possibly not a very 'young' teen?

Certainly 30 years ago a lot more people left school at 16 and worked full time and were able to fund their own holidays, so I'm not sure teens going abroad without parents is a new thing.

I was 24, went to France with my then boyfriend who became my husband (& still is). I was a lot later in venturing abroad than many of my contemporaries; some had been abroad with school or had continental holidays with parents but not me.

Went to Paris with my younger brother when he was 16 & I was 17. He was mugged at knifepoint on the Metro while I watched on helplessly.

Very long time ago.

I was 16! It scares me. I would absolutely not let my DD go away at that age on her own!

Aged 19 with boyfriend to Tenerife.

I’ve never been abroad with a group of friends . Couldn’t afford it when I was at university as I had to work to save to pay for the next year or try to reduce my overdraft . First holiday was to visit a boyfriend who lived in Paris and we travelled around France and Switzerland camping .

I was about 23/24

16 to Europe. I had a job to pay for it

First trip abroad W/O parents was with B/F(now hubby!)aged "23.Just read about this truly horrific attack in AyiaNapa..AnyHue I agree that better policing CCTV etc is most certainly needed .

18

I moved abroad without my parents at 18, I only moved back when I was 24.

Went to Turkey on my own at 23 - creepy hotel photographer took me somewhere quiet for early rise photos... went okay until he decided he was going to start making out I was his gf for the next few days! Hassled me on the beach, rang my room. Wanted to meet me up an alleyway to discuss payment for photos!!!

I was pretty on the ball though, as I lived alone at 22.

People thought me mad to go to Turkey alone. Apparently the locals like blonde hair and blue eyes... didn’t I know it! Think I left the beach resort twice the whole time!

A week before my 18th. I was with my sister though who was 5 years older. The year after I went with just my friends.
My daughter is 18 in January and she's going to uni and leaving home in 2 months. That's scarier than her going abroad for a week 😱

19 with a group of friends.

Very very lucky and could have easily ended up like that poor girl.

I made terrible choices, blithely wandered off with groups of lads, slept with boys I barely knew names of, was completely separated from my friends by the end of most nights. Lost my key and slept in a corridor, accepted an offer to sleep in a room with some boys we had met only once. Off my face on vodka and 341's. Also Ayia Napa.

We would all wander back to our hotel room at some point in the morning laughing about our "antics".

In "real life" I was sensible, level headed and quite boring actually.

Now I'm in my forties and have my own children its actually terrifying and I'm so hopeful that my girls are not so ridiculously stupid as I was.

14 to France for a weekend and then at 15 I went to Denmark for 2 weeks. I'm not sure my parents actually knew where I was though, I often went away in the UK with the same group of friends and they never really asked me where I was going, my parents never really asked much about anything. I had a part time cleaning job and a lovely boss who paid me the same as the adult staff, which went pretty far with no rent or bills to pay.

It doesn't matter does it, the blame here is solely on the perpetrators. Your question insinuates victim blaming.