Last minute Summer ideas for 18 yo DD

[Jezzabelle]

DD has worked so hard on her A levels. She has had a few friendship issues over the past year. Her two best friends basically dumped her and she has begun to hang out with a few other people. She was looking forward to an amazing Summer of travelling and going on holidays with friends, but it's just not worked out. No one she now hangs out with has any money apart from one girl who is more keen to go partying locally, having previously said she wanted to go away. DD is really upset, feeling like she has a long stretch of doing nothing ahead of her. Any ideas of something she could do on her own? Was thinking something like Camp America, (but perhaps a European based version!) She's very social, able and quite confident. I'm worried that it is too late for her to organise anything like this now, but thought someone might know!

Unfortunately, no family holiday as she thought she was going away with friends until they all bailed on her and in the meantime I booked to take youngest DD away, just the two of us! Now I feel awful, but money is very tight just now. She has some trust fund money which she can spend. She's got a uni place in September, but was going to defer. Has a few plans with friends, but I think based on what's happened this Summer, she's probably better off just going to uni!

I came on here last year with exactly the same query after an interrail plan fell apart for DD. One of the suggestions was a turtle conservation project in Greece (Kefalonia) which she did 2 weeks with in the end ( you can go for longer) . She had an amazing time- and although she was the youngest there at that time at 18 (most were early 20s) it was very friendly and international. Two Finnish girls took her under their wing- she found the staff and other volunteers really friendly. My DD sounds similar to yours in that she likes to be sociable and it worked out well as a way to travel solo but have a common goal with other young people. It wasn’t cheap however, although cheaper than interrailing would have been .

Sounds amazing! Do you remember the company it was with please?

Sounds amazing! Do you remember the company it was with please?

Loriginale, it wasn't a fall out as such, they just stopped asking her to things! She has a boyfriend, (who doesn't have a penny so cannot go away with her btw) and I think they were a bit jealous. They grew apart and they just stopped including her. She has about £1000. We actually live near the beach and she is looking for a job, but she was really after more of an adventure. She had her sights set on the best Summer ever and it all seems to be falling apart at the seams!

Depends on how adventurous they are. My 21 year old is currently in Germany via this: https://www.workaway.info/. She will need to get there but then board and lodging provided in return for some working hours.

Company was ‘the mighty roar’ and they do various projects I think if that one doesn’t look like her kind of thing . They call it volunteering but in reality you are paying good money to go . She had some time for exploring as well as the work which included cycling to the beaches to be there at dawn and find the nests and either rope them off or relocate the eggs. Some days they were at the harbour explaining to tourists why it’s not a good idea to feed the turtles. It’s obviously a very beautiful place to be and your work days are organised into teams on different shifts so she met people. Accommodation was ok- dorms and self catering. For her first time away on her own I think it worked really well.

My daughter has increased her hours at work, I have a week off to do some days out too.
She has limited friends as she was bullied in year 11 at high school so chose to go to a boys school for sixth form where she has thrived and made lovely friends but being boys they don't want to do the same things as her!
Can your daughter get a job, my dd is starting to make girly friends again through that and going out.

she cld try to get a job somewhere like greece or ibiza - I spent two summers working in ibiza was literally best time of my life - I have no idea how she could do it I just got a cheap flight then found a job out there! and that was about 100 years ago.

Or - what about trying to get a last minute summer job somewhere different to where you are? like a more lively beach town?

I know how hard it is when you are young but perhaps try to lower her expectations of the perfect summer - and she could head to uni in october then have an amazing summer with new uni mates next year!

Why not just get a job and work this summer so that she can fund more travelling and really enjoy herself on her gap year? Lots of travel agencies run group trips specifically for teens/young adults her age. It’s a great way to meet people or she could always go and work a ski season, hospitality in Australia etc.

I think that both you and her are blowing things out of proportion a bit. It’s only 8 weeks and very few 18 year olds have the ‘perfect summer’. Most go on the typical party holiday and spend the rest working to pay for said holiday and get some savings in the bank for first year uni!

Loriginale I think in the end three girls attended in her year and then three more joined in the year behind her.
So the school is single sex and the sixth form mixed although low uptake from girls.

She hasn't gelled with the other two girls in her year but made some fabulous male friends. They just don't fancy shopping or having their nails done! But she does enjoy cinema and Nando's trips with them

Was that deleted comment directed at me as I'd replied? I didn't see it.

Honestly. I hope your daughter has a fabulous summer, some of the suggestions are great.
If mine didn't like her job I'd def be encouraging some of them

This is what I was going to say.

After A levels, mine all worked for the Summer.

I remember fondly time spent volunteering abroad when I was 18+. Did it for a few summers - I helped build a cottage hospital, worked in a local school and the third year an animal conservation project. Met some amazing people along the way. There’s various organisations - not sure how many can accommodate at short notice. Far flung travel needs organisation eg vaccinations, but things in Europe could work if she’s up for an adventure