... 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!

17 went to turkey with a group of friends for a week, went pretty good apart from the plane home feeling very hungover.

16, holiday to Ibiza paid for by parents. I went wild and my children won’t be doing the same! I was far too reckless and thought I was invincible

I was 19, went to Melbourne in OZ (from NZ) with a couple of girlfriends. This was 2000.

Few late nights drinking but our hotel was nearby and I knew the city well. Few dodgy comments in Aussie slang and one guy did try to force myself on me but he was too wasted. It was nothing I haven't experienced in other clubs.

My mum was a bit concerned but she did say there were far worse places I could have gone.

I went interrailling at 19. I was robbed twice and wanked over two or three times at night on the trains while asleep.

19, with boyfriend now DH to France. Terribly sedate though, we borrowed my grandfathers car and drove round large parts of France sleeping in auberges, the car and the woods. About a million years ago now. I always breathe a huge sigh of relief when which ever child returns from their first abroad trip unscathed. They think I fuss

I was 21! I'd travelled all my life as I grew up abroad and only one of my parents is English but I went on a girl trip to Holland and it was fantastic.

I was 25 & it was my honeymoon! 😂
To make up for my lack of gap year, teen holiday adventure we did inter-railing from the Netherlands to Spain

18, back in the early 70s, to Rabat. I went with a friend from work. Best holiday of my life!

11 and 16 on school trips. Then 25 on a road trip across the west coast of the States and on to Burning Man.

18 - went to Kavos (grim). Got plied with drinks by a 36 year old man & had awful ONS. Then "rescued" by a 34 year old man who I had a short relationship with back home. I was totally unprepared and taken advantage of.

16, butlins, skegness. But one girls mum was there. The other two of us, me and another girl went and stayed with some ppl that the other girl knew from going there every year before. the second week we had our own chalet in Butlins.

Then when we were 18 (1999) we went to Ayia Napa by ourselves. On an 18-30's holiday.

I was 4. We used to go abroad every year for two weeks in the sun.

1965 with Girl Guides to Italy. I was 11. We wore Guide uniform all the time. We were chaperoned by guide leaders and a Catholic Priest. I remember being groped by a man on the bus.
1972 just left 6th form, worked in a factory to save up then interrailed with my bestie, her boyfriend and his mate for 3 weeks. Bloody fantastic, no mobiles, phoned home once a week.
No bad experiences apart from bestie getting sunstroke.

I was 4. We used to go abroad every year for two weeks in the sun.

Did someone not read the OP properly 😂

18 with boyfriend on a coach trip to Italy. We were the youngest by miles and had all the older couples take us under their wings. Was quite a sensible, adult holiday.

I've never been on a clubbing, alcohol heavy holiday though, only couples holidays.

I went abroad on school trips at 14 & 16 (obviously there were teachers with us, so I don't think that counts). I first went abroad on my own (South Africa) at 20, I think. I'm nearly 40 so this was awhile ago now.

I don't think it's that more young people are going abroad today, but it IS very class based. Being able to travel is quite a privilege, even with cheap package holidays and such.

That said, most of my close female friends have been raped. None of them happened on holiday, so I don't really think that has anything to do with it.

17, I went hitch hiking around Europe on my own. This was the early/mid 70's & I had wanderlust. Never had any serious trouble/concerns but I'd many interesting encounters. Met so many kind people though who far outnumbered the odd dickhead.

13 when I went on a plane for the first time ever to visit my French pen pal and her family. The pen pal was arranged by my French teacher who was from the village, but the travel and trip was organised just for me, my parents spoke to hers on the phone in advance.

They were very bohemian, spoke little English, and I ended up sharing a bed with her 15 year old cousin at her grandma's beach hut where we did have a kiss and a cuddle, but pretty innocent. My parents would have hit the roof had they known.

Also lots of drink driving with us kids all just sitting in the boot, crammed into the back seats. Haven't thought about that for years

Otherwise went to Dublin when I finished sixth form with a group of mates and shared a dorm, we all got hideously drunk but nobody copped off

Also used to go to Youth Hostel alone with my friends from the age of 14 years old

Did someone not read the OP properly 😂
Missed a bit of the title there. In that case I was 16, just, and went to Spain alone and was met at the other end. No trouble travelling everyone was very nice, even though I looked like I was about 12.

Aged 19 with a group of girlfriends to the south of France. Early 1980s.

21, my then boyfriend took me to Turkey for my 21st birthday.

Abroad with various school ski trips and other trips such as music camp from age 12.

PGL style summer camps abroad as a teenager.

At 16 I went on a world challenge month long trip to a very remote place.

At 18 I went traveling for my ‘gap yah’

So 18 without any adult supervision.

Are people seriously having a chit chat about the time they first went abroad without their parents off the back of a 19 year old girl getting gang raped abroad? Seriously? Fucking hell.

Just turned 18, Club 18-30 holiday to Kavos in Corfu for 2 weeks.

Most important thing we can teach our daughters is to look after their friends.

I think it is important to teach our daughters AND our sons this lesson