Advice on DD GCSE trip

[LoyalLimeMaker]

Few questions all in one here. Daughter - 16, and her best friend are huge Olivia Rodrigo fans, and unfortunatley missed the London concert due to maths GCSE! DD wouldn't stop going on about how annoyed she was all month, and how she wished she could have gone to the concert. The other day, my daughter came to me proposing that she could go to Paris to see Olivia in June, as it will be past her GCSEs. After an 'altercation' with some school friends, I've learnt that DD is not invited to her school friends girls holiday, and has no proper trip this summer. I cannot afford to go with her to Paris, and she seems to want to go by herself. However, I'm concerned for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, the only tickets she can find are on Viagogo, which I am not sure is a reputable source. Secondly, I am not sure where she will stay in Paris, as both the girls will be sixteen - though DD claims she can get around with her fake ID 😂. Finally, the whole concept of them going abroad by themselves slightly terrifies me! Any advice?

It would be a no from me.

I would agree, but I feel conflicted as previousley said yes to her Greece trip pre being uninvited...

Absolutely not!

I wouldn’t be happy with a 16 year old going abroad without an adult. It’s a lot of responsibility for a young person. I have a 16 year old and that would not be happening.

The Viagogo bit will stop this plan from working I believe as I tried to help my son pick up a ticket for Wireless in Finsbury Park last summer and you had to be 18 to use the sevice and pick up the ticket although 16 was fine for the festival. The ticket pickup queue at a temporary desk at a Mailbox etc in Soho was really long too and there was only one person who had to keep contacting head office for every ticket pick up and it was hours slow. In the end he missed so many hours of the festival that given commuting time from ticket pickup to the festival we gave up. He was very disappointed. We never found out if being accompanied by adult for ticket pick up was enough.

Paris is not far. I would try to make it work. Are you sure you can't come and find some cheap accommodation? Train/plane tickets to Paris can be ok price-wise.

Definitely not, I’d go with. I’d also try stub hub not viagogo as their buyer protection is better and they’re meant to find you another ticket if yours isn’t valid

Many hotels in the UK wouldn’t let under 18s stay. Not sure about France. Her fake ID will probably be no help as there will be acceptable IDs (passport etc)

No, in the circumstances you describe I wouldn't be letting any 16 year old off on their own. Exactly how does she intend to explain the passport age discrepancy.

The last time I was in Paris my UK colleague had to present their passport to reception on check-in.

Absolutely not. Just say no.
Perhaps she can go to a UK concert at some other time.

I think going to paris at 16 is absolutely fine - the ticket issue is a separate one.

Paris is like going to manchester - get a train - Im sure you can google where a 16 yr old is allowed to stay - youth hostel?

Not exactly like going to Manchester. Unless she's fluent in French and knows how to get help if necessary.

How is she able to afford to go? Has she costed train, accommodation, tickets, etc?

It would be a no from me (but then the Greece trip would have been a no as well), but I would try to see how much it would cost you to go along with them.
Do you have any money back from the Greece trip you could use?

You can get a coach to Paris which might be cheaper than the train.

It would be a No from me as well. Out of interest when is the concert - not near the Olympic dates ?

OP says June. Olympics are late July-early August

Not a chance would I allow it, but I wouldn't have allowed the Greece trip either
DS wants a post GCSE trip with his mates abroad, I have told him he will need to persuade DD and her BF to go with or its not happening (4 years older)

Hang on, a bunch of 16 year old were going to Greece? Please tell me an adult is going too! And Paris for two 16 year old would be a no from me as well. And the ticket issue sounds dodgy anyway.

I might technically be ok with the holiday abroad element, but the idea that your daughter thinks a fake id would cut it would make me feel otherwise. She could have looked into places that legitimately accept 16 year olds, so this lack of judgement would imply lack of maturity on her part.
That, together with a music concert, presumably late at night, would make me say no unless you could accompany her.

You are being absolutely absurd by even thinking of agreeing to this. Your DD is very naive and seems to have a lot of growing up to do if she really believes that a) the tickets on Viagogo won’t be a scam b) she’ll really be able to get around on a fake ID! It doesn’t sound like she’d be particularly safe on her own.

An unaccompanied Greece trip at 16 would also have been a hard no from me. Proper ‘girls holidays’ don’t really start until after A levels - she’s not missing out on a big rite of passage here at all OP.