When they go abroad without you

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Eldest daughter soon going on first girls holiday (age 18) and youngest daughter off on school trip to Germany.

Two main questions -

1. tips for keeping safe for the eldest- we’ve already discussed drink spiking, emergency numbers, suncream etc but what might I not have thought of that was useful for your teens?

1. how best to give them non-cash funds? We personally use a Halifax clarity card abroad due to no transaction fees and best exchange rates but what’s the best equivalent for kids?

TIA

My oldest is in his 20s and I still give him the safety lecture/briefing before he goes away. 😂

Have a form of ID that isn’t their passport so it’s not so bad if it’s lost when abroad

Water safety, not jumping into water they don’t know depth of, rocks etc

Budgeting and what to do if they do run out of money

Find my friends or similar app in case they lose their friends

Don't be dickheads on balconies

No hiring mopeds, quad bikes or similar

You can only hope they take the advice on board.

Water safety. No diving into bodies of water, or jumping from heights, no swimming if drunk.
Have a paper list of phone numbers in case phone gets nicked.

Travel insurance and make sure they understand what is covered/what is not. Especially things like riding mopeds for example.

Never leaving anyone alone. Not swimming after drinking or in the dark.

Keeping passports safe.

Wise cards are very useful if their own banking options are not great. Our DC have Nationwide cards which have no fees abroad so they just use them.

Always access to backup emergency funds in case they need and memorise your number in case they lose their phone. At only 18 I would encourage them all to have access to each others parents numbers too in case of emergency.

I've used a Post Office cashcard for some school trips abroad, but oldest (18) went without adults for first time a few weeks back and just used their own Monzo card. They are pretty sensible and don't like alcohol much, and on this holiday there was not a chance their drink would be spiked anywhere, so I didn't bother going over that one. Maybe if they went somewhere more party-based though.

Condoms

Dont combine drinking and swimming

Condoms.
don’t leave your friends on their own and don’t go off with a boy on your own.

Share plane tickets with you/ have a photo of their passport just in case. Go through their idea of safety - no you don’t bury your phone in the sand if you want a swim and no friend there to look after it 🙄
Make sure they can get their bearings as soon as they are there to minimise being lost.
Spare cash, but the post office card is great for most of their money.
Usual advice around sticking with a friend, especially at night, vigilance around buying drinks and watching so they aren’t spiked. Not going overboard on the alcohol, especially when in a hot country. Suncream has always been drilled into mine, but also very important. I also usually send them with a small 1st aid kit including rehydration sachets so they can sort out most ills. Condoms!

I like the Wise card too.

Photocopies of passport and insurance. Suncream. When my DS (18) went abroad a few weeks ago one of his friends set up a WhatsApp group for the kids (8 of them) and the mums which I thought was lovely. They didn’t use it much but posted the odd photo and we are able to arrange lifts from the airport, etc.

Airalo or similar eSIM.

Monzo card for money.

Stay together.

At least it’s just a holiday at 18 mine went off around Central America independently for 5 months 🙈.

Dd uses a Revolut card for going abroad seems to work like a normal card, and be fee free? You just have to transfer money in to your account. I e just signed up for one and you can have a physical card and also a virtual card in your wallet. Seems good.

get your Dd to have photos of her passport pages in case her passport is lost. No idea how useful that is if the passport is lost but seemed sensible to me for such little effort.

I always made Dd have two cards for two different accounts and keep them separate. So bury one in a suitcase and keep it in hotel room, only to be used in an emergency. Then if one card is stolen/blocked there is an alternative.

No going out alone at night. They are all responsible for ensuring they all get back safely at the end of the evening.

Get the numbers of the friends in case. Ensure you’re listed as an emergency contact in the your dd’s phone if the friends don’t have your number.

More than one method of payment. My dd has 2 physical cards in case - my global money (hers wasn’t here in time) plus her debit card. Her global money is loaded on her phone. Cards left at the hotel in case. Plus dh’s card on her phone for emergencies.

Take photo on phone of passport and driving licence

Why would they need condoms if they can't go off with a boy on their own??

My 2 were don't hire mopeds ( went to Asia) and don't get shit faces and out of control

How does that work when they go solo backpacking) ( the not going out alone at night)

take a photo of their passport and also send to me

Do not get so drunk that when you wake up in the morning,you have 3 tattoos,one down the arm with curse words,one on your neck with the 3 lions and another random one somewhere else!

DD travels a lot and always uses Revolut when abroad - no transaction fees and can change currency instantly.

The adult child needs a monzo account or similar, the younger a prepaid currency card

Revolut card.

Condoms.

WhatsApp for keeping me in the loop.

DS travelled to the States aged 17 alone to see a girlfriend.
And has been to Portugal alone aged 18 and aged 19 to metal festivals.

When I say night. I mean late at night. A backpacker would presumably risk assess the situation and decide a time to arrive at their accommodation at night. If things go wrong and their train is delayed, that’s the nature of solo travel.

Just because they’re advised not to be alone with an unknown male, it doesn’t mean they’ll heed that advice.

My dd went travelling solo at 18 for 7 months across Asia.
Things she found useful:
portable phone charger
door wedge to stop anyone entering her room at night
monzo account
an adapter for charging her phone that fit any socket
seperate storage bags for her clothes (she only took a small backpack)
drink covers you place over your glass so no one can spike you.
Hope this helps!

Lol mine were in dorms so a door wedge would've been pretty unpopular

The portable charger is good though

Oh I thought you meant out at night to bars or clubs.

But honestly you don't often have a choice of planes etc arriving at a good time of day without price going up lots). Places like Bangkok Hong Kong and kuala lumpur are used to late night check ins