'Gap' holiday

[neva]

My daughter will be 17 and a half next summer. She wants to go with a friend to a south American country for 4 weeks before final year of sixth form. She seems to have done her research and found a company which arranges this type of holiday, which includes voluntary work. So far the others booked on the course are in their twenties. Anyone have any experience of a 17 year old going on this type of trip?

Has she found this herself or is it something that the school is arranging?

There is no way I would have let either of my DDs go on a holiday like this if it is something they had researched themselves. They are just not old enough. Their school has been doing something like this for the last couple of years, through a company. One year was Tanzania.

I just don't think they are old enough at 17. A lot of my DD1's friends went. It didn't go according to plan though. They were trekking and doing voluntary work in one of the villages. However, the whole party got a bug and they ended up holed up somewhere being will... rather defeated the object of the trip and a bit of a waste of the £'000s of pounds it cost. They had to raise at least £2,000 on their own.

I think they can reap far more of a benefit if they are older... just my opninion of course!

ended up holed up somewhere being ill (not will!)

Agree with helliebean. They are just not old enough. If she insists I would be vetting the company myself, and talking to all other parents and friends who want to go.

That said, I have 2 tennage dss and I wouldn't let them go to south america at 17.

Youth hostelling in the lake district yes, south america no.

I went on a gap year when I was 18 - actually I should say I came on a gap year, because I came from Australia to here and worked in a boarding school in the uk. It was good for me. I know your ds isn't considering a year, but would he consider doing something a little less exotic (eg, going to Australia?) Do you have any far flung rellies he could visit? Could he do a short term exchange through a student exchange company? I can understand why he wants to do it and I think it will be a good experience, but obviously you need to be comfortable with the arrangements. I'm sure there are some reputable companies who arrange this sort of thing.

sorry, dd, not ds

maybe you could convince her to wait until after she finishes 6th form?

My DS1 was 18 when he spent 3 months travelling around Africa with 2 mates - it did him the world of good and I think they had a fantastic time. So it can be OK, but I think you need to spend a fair bit of time checking out the company that's organising it - see how clued up they are about Health and Safety, the sort of accommodation, how much it's about profit making etc etc. And a lot depends on what sort of girl your DD (and her friend) is, whether she's pretty sensible and grounded, or whether she's likely to take silly risks. I wouldn't write it off, just do some research.

I think much depends on their previous experience of travelling. I Let my 17 year old ds go on holiday with his mates, but one set of parents were holidaying a bit further up the coast (Europe) and were available if there was a crisis. The following year I was happy for them to go to the same place as a group (they were 18 and a half) because they knew the place and could find their way round.

My 16 yr old wanted to go to Spain with a group of friends this summer, but I want him to do some short trips away closer to home first, so that he gets a bit of experience.

If they haven't done much travelling before, i think South america is probably not the ideal first experience.

Thanks all. Still thinking about it...