DD going Interrailing by herself....anyone else got DCs doing this?

[HoofWankingSpangleCunt]

Apart from having Interpol on speed dial and gps set up on her phone, what else do I need to do?

I'm kidding but now there's just one week to departure I'm internally fretting.

I know I should be glad I've raised an independent young woman who's all about museums and weird churches but I am not going to sleep at all for the fortnight she's away.

She won a pass in the recent DiscoverEU Interrail initiative so we haven't had a lot of time to prepare . Also I have been unable to contribute much financially so I'm feeling a bit crap about that . DD is going to be fine, isn't she? Isn't she,?

(And I'm not at all envious of her itinerary, starting with a train from London to Vienna. No, Not at all.)

Sounds amazing. Tell her you are jealous and give her a good send off. The problems that arise will likely not be the ones your anxious mind is going over, and overcoming those problems will be part of her journey, so all good.

She’s going to be absolutely fine! Travelling on your own does make you make a special effort to get to know people in a way you never do at home. She’ll meet people from all over & have very intense conversations with people she’ll only know for a day! It’s been a lifetime since I backpacked with a interail pass around Europe for 2 months but I’m sure the same basics apply. She needs to keep her money & passport on her & not in her luggage, particularly when she’s sleeping. Being sensible where you venture to at night is also really important. I used to sleep rough a lot to save money & from a safety perspective that really isn’t a good idea! What I would advise is doing less countries than more (after a while, all the castles, cathedrals & town squares start to blur into one & you stop appreciating them!), wander a lot, talk to locals & have a lot of books on the kindle as well as a great travel guide. Plentiful pants & dark clothes are also good! Wish I was 18 again & hope she has a brilliant trip!

I did this, it was amazing and life changing for me in terms of confidence. If you can navigate Europe on your own, you feel much more capable when it comes it everyday issues especially when you are so young.

The huge advantage you have is her phone. I used to phone Home every 4-5 days, when I think about it now, I don’t know how my poor mother slept. My own teens are traveling independently now, ds1 is just back from a month in japan and ds2 was in Berlin for 2 weeks. Between WhatsApp and Instagram I was practically on the holiday with them, we chatted all the time and were able to see the views as they saw them which was brilliant. When ds2’s accommodation fell through I was able to book him into a hostel and send him all the references instantly on his phone.

Also in terms of money you know that if she runs out of cash you can transfer some to her bank account. When I lost my last travers cheque it was an altogether more daunting experience!

My mother insisted on a money belt which meant my cash and passport were on me at all times, she probably should put her bank card in there too. My niece lost hers on holiday and her bank were pretty unhelpful in getting emergency cash to her, so maybe set up apple pay on your dd’s phone as a back up.

She’ll have a ball and hopefully it won’t be too stressful for you!

She'll have a fantastic time. My daughter's travelled a lot on her own and has always made loads of friends.