Thinking DS' travel itinerary is none of our business

[WelshMeg]

DS is 18, he's going inter-railing in the summer 6 weeks or so all in, with 5 friends.
Last night he was talking about his itinerary, they have decided to pre-book all their hostels as apparently it's not uncommon in some places to be unable to get a room.
In the 48 days I think it is they are travelling they have booked for 20 different cities. They aren't doing any massive travel days but some are more complicated than others (like getting from Lake Bled to Trieste or having to get a boat across Lake Como to get to the hostel) but generally they aren't travelling more than 4 hours in a day and there are quite alot of 1/2 hour journeys like Venice - Lake Garda - Milan, Lausanne - Geneva etc.
DH thinks they will be exhausted, I think yeah they probably will be but it's not our business and leave them to figure it out?
They are staying 2-3 nights in each place (maybe one place is a one night stay but I think it's because of trains).
AIBU thinking it's not our business and we shouldn't warn him? Or should we suggest they change it up so they aren't moving so quickly all the time.

I'd be knackered doing all of that but I'm not 18!

You're right. Just leave them to it. They'll have a great time

He's young and off on an adventure - he'll be fine. What sounds exhausting to us is nothing to teenagers.

Absolutely leave him to it - sounds great!

My daughter’s itinerary is impossible. I’ve stayed right out of it! She’ll learn.

It's an adventure!

Leave them to it, but make sure you are able to keep in touch in case anything goes wrong (they miss a train/boat/etc and need help booking alternatives) - does he have roaming on his mobile contract?

I wish I'd done something so adventurous when I was 18, instead of getting pissed with my mates every weekend 😂

They'll be fine, sounds like mostly short hops. I would 'educate' him on packing cubes. I really wish they existed when I went inter-railing followed by backpacking.

Also remind him he needs to carry what he brings so it isn't too heavy.

Make sure he has a GHIC or E11 card what ever it's called.

He's old enough to make his own mistakes and learn from them. I did similar at that age.

Don't even consider telling him it'll be too much, for many reasons: You're wrong and he'll be fine, you're right but he won't agree, and it'll be easier for him to change the plan if he does it off his own bat rather than trying to prove you're wrong.

To be honest, it's a lot of money to waste just to be tired and miserable. I think I'd gently say something like "my goodness, I'd be knackered with all that, I think I would leave some extra time here and there for x,y and z" or something like that.

That said, he'll probably have a great time.... oh to be young again!

Better than spending the summer on XBox!

At university I would sometime double up working day and night shifts for the cash... teenagers are more flexible than full grown adults! And its not like they are hiking... its train travel.

The whole point of interrailing is to see as much of Europe as you can, and I think it sounds amazing! You're absolutely right, you just need to let your son get on with it.

It's not like he'll be carefully packing and unpacking everything on each stop off, he's living out of a backpack. And he'll also be spending time just chilling on the train and watching the world go past from the window.

I actually fancy this trip myself, apart from the hostel accommodation, and I'm 47!

I did similar around that age. It was tiring but it was fun and it made a difference having a proper bed available every night. He'll probably have a great time but will be in bed for a week when he's back at home!

Do you have flexibility to change your trains with interrail? If so, I foresee some schedule changes.

I assume they're booking cancellable accommodation, so they'll be able to adapt as they go.

I'd keave them to it. Maybe they'll have a blast ticking off all their cities.

They are 18 not 48, they will have the time of their lives.

Oh dear his summer is all packed - They get back on the Friday, friends 18th on the Saturday, A-Level results the next week then off to Greece for a party holiday the next Sunday for a week to party, back for a few days then going to Wales with his dad. One of his friends has it worse, she will be back from Greece about 3 days before going to New York for a week!

But you're not 18. If he has 2 or 3 nights in each place, it'll be OK for his age group. And if it's not, they'll learn from it and plan differently next time

At 18, I could stay up for literally days at a time... 'tutorial at 9am, that's fine, I can be home at 6am, an hour in bed, shower and go'!

Also travelled and worked around Europe averaging around three hours' sleep a night...

Clearly this is now beyond me at 44, but I did it and I survived.

And do you know what? Even if he is tired or bored or hungry at points, it's fine: it's all part of the experience.

I hope he has a great time and I'm sure he'll come home with lots of great stories!

Did you do it yourself when his age? I did.. we travelled on the train right to Brindsi in Italy.. on the ferry etc.. stopping off in Milan and Paris and other places.. Brindsi to Corfu on 16 hour crossing. .. sleeping on deck floor.. Greek island hopping.. we were camping too.. with backpacks n tents .
Also did it another year.. France to Belgium to Germany.. Austria... Luxembourg... lichtenstein.. Switzerland..Italy.. we figured it out.. it was fun..
Some days we were very tired but just lazed about sunbathing etc.
I'm sure they will be fine..

Which is why I said I'd gently suggest, not dictate or rebook everything on his behalf. I also said he'd probably end up having a great time too!

Are you in England? I ask because A level results are out to students on 15th August this year.

oh to be young again - sounds great to me 😀

He’ll be fine, I did very similar trips in different places every summer between leaving leaving sixth form and finishing university.
Hostel accommodation is usually pretty flexible so they will probably be able to change plans at fairly short notice if they need to. Having to work out how to change your plans at short notice is a good learning experience.
However, staying 2-3 nights somewhere before moving on is totally doable when you’re 18 (it wouldn’t be my choice now).

It’ll be a really exciting adventure for him and he’ll learn about how he likes to travel. He might plan similar trips in the future like I did or he might decide that he prefers to stay in one place and have a more relaxed holiday.

It’s going to be fine, I did something similar that age and it all worked out fine - if anything it’s way easier now being able to book online etc. They’ll be able to cancel up to 24 hours before and amend bookings if they’ve gone through booking.com and places like that anyway and isn’t this the whole point of travelling at that age with mates? If your parents plan the itinerary every step then it may as well be a family trip!

Sounds about right to me
When I did it we rarely stayed more than 2 nights in one place, often just one or traveled overnight.
The whole point is to keep moving

Leave them to it, it would be my nightmare now (at mid 40s), but I did similar during my 20s and it was amazing
i know he’s technically an adult, but let’s face it, he’s still a teen and we all know they won’t listen
they’ll be fine, they are being organised, if anything, help him by giving him some packing cubes (since he will be living out of a suitcase / backpack), help him find solutions to wash his clothes, it will be fine

Just reading that tired me out 🤣but I'm 55 with health issues, when I was 28 it was more than doable, then at 23 did a 10 week camping trip with a friend by car, so loads of driving and putting up the tent most nights.

i wouldn't be able to help myself from saying it seems a intense, he won't be able to help himself rolling his eyes and saying 'Muuuuum give over'

💁🏻‍♀️