Will DS just have to accept some lost money

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DS is 18, he was with his girlfriend for over a year during year 12/13 - broke up with her last week. Various reasons but she was a bit too needy, he lost interest etc.
They were meant to go travelling with 4 other friends in the summer. They've booked flights and hostels, he's paid for his interrail pass.
Somethings he can get a refund for or haven't been paid yet but other hostels have a fee to cancel or no cancellation policy and obviously flights too.
The other 4 people are more his exs friends than his. So they've decided she will go and he won't. I've suggested he try and find another friend to go with, still use the flights and interrail pass but maybe take a different route? He said they are trying to find someone else to take his place but really it won't happen.
AIBU to think he may just have to accept a loss of some money?
He worked part time and hard to earn the money so he's devastated to be losing it, such is the nature of young relationships though right?

Yeah. Lesson learnt.

Can he travel around on his own? If he stays at hostels he'll make friends on the way.

Yea we were all young once I know I did my fare share of stupidity in the name of love

Get refund where he can asap and lessons learnt!

He shouldn't hold out for a 4th person to turn up. Anyway there will be fees to pay for charges to tickets - better to cut losses.

Will his travel insurance cover any of the cancellation fees?

For a break up? No.

I'd encourage him to change the dates if he can (otherwise he's a weird stalker) and either go alone or with a friend.

He does the trip as friends, they can't kick him off it. Had something similar happened to friends and they cracked on. He won't get this age back to do things like this.

@LouOver he can't go on a trip he's not welcome on!
OP yes he'll just have to write off some of the money, and learn a lesson hopefully.

I never get tired of the faith mumsnet puts in travel insurance.

Why doesn't he see if one of his friends wants to go? They can book the same trains, they don't need to sit in the same carriage. And stay in different hostels. Or he could go by himself ans make friends on the way?

I don’t understand why he has to go with the group? I booked interailing and went by myself in my 20s I made friends in every city. In Barcelona I made friends who were going the same route and we did a bit of the journey together and then I continued alone and made more friends

Mainly because he doesn't want to, he'd like to be with at least one person he knows.

OP he should go, staying in hostels its pretty easy to make friends and he'll have fun!

just sit somewhere else and stay other places where he can

I agree with a pp: if he doesn't want to go alone (and he is quite young), could he try to recruit another friend and do a different trip? If he can make a plan of what is not refundable and too much money to write off, he can plan a different itinerary that still takes in those places. It might not be too expensive to change dates, but if it is then keeping the same dates and flights should still give him the freedom to take a different route on the interrail pass and see some other places. I would write off the hostels and start from just the flights and wherever the interrail pass covers, personally, but if that's too much money for him to lose then that's up to him.

Ah what a baby!

yes he loses the money and loses the opportunity to travel and learn some life lessons

Right so he doesn’t want to go he will have to take the loss.

Me too.

Although I'm sure people just say it for the smug factor just in case there isn't any travel insurance.

Before he writes off everything he should try to find someone else amongst his friends who wants to do some travelling this summer. Maybe even a couple of people would want to do shorter trips. He will make friends in hostels though, probably get more from the experience than travelling with his gf and her friends.

Goodness, the nasty buggers being horrible about an 18 year old... nice ! He's not a baby because he doesn't want to go travelling alone or with his ex. It's not for everyone but calling him names is really pathetic and cruel

Don't be so mean. Not wanting to travel abroad for a holiday by himself at 18 does not make him a baby. Making snide comments about an 18 year old you don't even know does make you unpleasant.

Does he have any other friends who might be interested in booking to go with him? They wouldn't have to have anything to do with the original group.

Otherwise, he'll have to write off the lost money - I don't blame him for not wanting to go alone, I wouldn't and I'm not far off three times his age.

He should go on his own with the flights and inter rail pass, he'll meet people along the way!

I agree with others that he should go by himself if he can't find someone else to go with. I spent a year travelling by myself, I met people everywhere I went, and I'm not the most extroverted person in the world.

Well, he's booked flights and bought an interrail pass and paid for some non refundable accommodation. If he chooses not to use them, then obviously, he loses his money. If he does choose to use them, he needs to accept that, because of his own choices and actions, that he's not going to be hanging out with his ex and her friendship group - he'll need to sort his own travelling companions/social life out.

I mean what did he really expect?

Well, that's his loss then.