16 year old going on holiday with out adults

[StephJGar]

My 16 year old daughter wants to go to Cardiff in the summer after her GCSE exams with her best friend (also 16 year old girl, who mother said its okay for her to go), she purposes to get a bus from Gatwick airport to Cardiff central and stay in a hotel near by for Five nights. Both my daughter and her friend are mature for their age, their both sensible and have common sense but I'm just worried if they will be safe? She said their plans is to go shopping and look around Cardiff and they claim their not interested about going out in evening, I suggested London instead (which is close to us and she could stay with her older sister there) but she said she wants to go somewhere different, I just wanted some other peoples option on how I should approach the situation and anyone had any experience with this? What did you do?

mine all go off and camp on a beach, moors and woods, at that age, or go off walking between YHA hostels,

Why Cardiff? love interest on the internet?

could you book a festival and go with them as a fun thing to do.

I agree with the Internet thing! Cardiff seems like a bit of a random place to me for them to want to go!

I think they're a bit young to be honest. Especially for 5 nights. I think I'd go with them and stay in the same hotel and let them do their own thing but of course that could get pricey!!

I'd go with your gut feeling

Five nights is a very long time to go to Cardiff isn't it? Not that I've been..

have you spoken to the other mother to make sure the friend is definitely going and that her mother really is happy with it?

agree with others. trust your gut.

There has to be a reason they picked Cardiff. I would think something was afoot.

Why Cardiff? Something's up...

I agree with the people who are a bit suspicious. Cardiff is a long way to go especially by bus.

I am not saying that this is what is happening here but a few years ago there was the case of one guy grooming a young girl over the internet. The girl made a similar excuse to her parents so that she could travel to meet the guy.

You know your daughter best, but I backpacked around Malaysia doing various bits of voluntary work at 16 and it was fine.

At 16? I am most impressed.

I went to Glastonbury at 16 and was fine. Parents let me go to Magaluf for a fortnight the following year as I survived.

They wouldn't have been thrilled to hear what I got up to either times, but nothing that caused any lasting damage!

I went to Corfu at 16/17 with a small group of friends, no adults. This was 10 years ago now. My parents trusted me 100% and I'm certain this is why it was uneventful!

I went inter railing around Europe for a month with a female friend when I was 17. My poor parents!

Having said that, I agree that Cardiff is a surprising choice. If your daughter is mature and sensible, could you talk to her honestly about your fears? Does she use Facebook or similar and do you know who all her FB friends are?