... 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!

19, travelling around Greek Islands with 2 male friends in 1 person tent and cheap hotels. The boys saved me from a few, in retrospect, dodgy moments .

I am 75 and have never been on holiday abroad with a group of friends like that. I went to France on a day trip from Folkestone when I was 15 (my first trip abroad) with my family. My ds at 18 had a European camping trip with our jeep and 3 friends.
My dd’s first non family trip was her gap year to Australia.

Age 8 I flew solo to the west coast of America but was chaperoned by airline staff including a 2 hour stopover in Atlanta. For that it was a male but all I can remember is eating white ice cream for the first time instead of yellow Cornish ice cream! (We weren’t allowed ice cream van ice cream.)

At 14 I went away with a school friend.

At 17 I was the only female (convinced them I’d be their nurse😂) on a rugby tour to Benidorm but an older brother was there too.

At 18 I went to New York to meet up with a friend and again to Denver when I was 19.

Otherwise it’s been with family or working (as a nanny).

I think I must be in a minority as, aside from flashers (whom we laughed at) I’ve never been sexually assaulted or harassed.

DD 18 is going interrailing soon with 4 female friends. Thankfully, none of them are big drinkers.
We’re not overly concerned but I have stated that they should not let anyone go off on their own even if they’re pissed off to the eyeballs with them. If one of them goes off in a huff (very possible as it’s a new dynamic and they’re all learning to navigate such circumstances) they must make sure at least one of them follows. From a safe distance if needed to allow them to cool off.

18. I went to America as a nanny for two weeks.

17. Italy with another girl and two boys. Interestingly we did have a bit of trouble with some guys we got off the night before. It was only thanks to a stranger that intervened on our behalf ( and rallied half the campsite to our defence) that we didn’t end up having something nasty happen. I can see how these things escalate on holidays- how you behave on holiday isn’t necessarily how you’d behave back home.

19 me and a df went to kavos, we had a ball! I spent the entirety of my 20's living/working in Ayia Napa without incident, out on the strip every night for 6 months + each summer. Large groups of Israeli teens were common, they had very different social boundaries and would swamp/surround you. Most of the night clubs would not allow them in.

Here is an article from local newspaper in Dublin

"young Irish women report rapes every 48 hours on foreign holidays"

www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/very-very-worrying-young-irish-women-report-rapes-every-48-hours-on-foreign-holidays-38327360.html

People are relaxed on holidays, they are enjoying themselves, they are in unfamiliar locations, they meet unfamiliar people, maybe sometimes they have a drink. It should all be great!

Many of us have had lucky escapes, some not.

16 hitchhiking around Europe with boyfriend. 1980. Told my mum I was in Devon with best friends parents who didn't have a phone..

'Twas fab. ! Worked in Tesco from 14 to save up . Them was the days...

Fifteen - Vancouver Island

I didn't have a chaperone or anything either was travelling fully alone

Apart from school exchanges and trips, 22 on my honeymoon with DH.

16 with 2 friends but we went to my old village in Italy. Popped round to my nonna's most days for lunch and the only boys we went out with were my 2nd cousins who took us to gelateria in the evenings and attempted flirting/practising English with my friends.

DBro and his friends did the same holiday the summer after yr 11 too.

Think all the friend's parents were very happy that their teens had a safe place to practise going on holidays without adults!

I was 16, straight after O levels. Went to Majorca with my best friend.

I did a French exchange via an agency when I had only just turned 14. Whilst the family was nice, my exchange was a complete cow.
We would head into the village & she would go off with various village lads on their mopeds, leaving me alone with the rest of the lads. Luckily their decency meant I was safe but she used to take the piss after saying I was ugly & no French boy would ever look at me...
It did my French good but did nothing for my self confidence!
Next holiday was at 18 in Italy with some girlfriends - much more fun!

I went to Crete to stay with a friend at 16.

Went on a language trip aged 15 but it was very organised and stayed with host families etc to Hastings (I am not british) then went to Rhodes with girlfriends aged 16, I can't actually believe now that our parents let us go that young. We weren't assaulted but heard a lot of horrible stories when there and were chased one night.

I went to France every summer for a few weeks to stay with friends of my Parents from age 13 onwards - flew there and back solo and got myself around CDG airport easily enough.

I went to Spain with friends at 17 and again the following summer. Fortunately nobody was harmed, but looking back on some of the behaviour we could easily have been assaulted. It's terrifying now, having a teen who'll in a few short years be doing the same thing.