NYC for unaccompanied teen/s?

[mumblechum]

DS really doesn't think he can stand the tedium of another holiday with dh and I. He'll be a couple of weeks short of 16 next August holiday season. His mate is also keen to have a parent-free holiday.

He's always really wanted to go to New York but dh doesn't want to go as he already spends about a third of his time in the States.

Does anyone know of any PGL type holiday companies in NYC? I obviously wouldn't just put ds on plane with a fistful of dollars, he needs to be somewhere fairly organised, supervised etc so I'm thinking maybe some sort of summer camp, but in the city. I dknow there are some computer game design ones but does anyone else have any experience/advice?

Have posted this in travel as well.

TBH, if I had kids, I wouldn't send them at that age. I went with my school at 16 (19 now) and some of us had real homesickness issues, even though we'd all been away from our parents before.

That's a big ocean.

No, not a cats chance in hell at that age.

Really? I think he'd love it but would only send him with one of his best mates.

All american kids go to 'camp' in the summer. My niece is just turning 16 and definitely went last year. If he wants to go parent free to US I'd send him to one of the camps in upstate NY. They may include organised trips into the city as well. Pricey, but at least it comes with some supervision.

I know, some of the ones I've been looking at do look a bit GodSquad, which he wouldn't go for.

His dad's off to Boston tomorrow and he's just been badgering him to go with him, not yet, but when he's 17, so at least his dad will be in the general vicinity, and ds can get the train into NYC from Boston (dh also spends a lot of time in Philly).

I don't know what the obsessionis, but his room has lots of those big black and white photos of the Chrysler building etc. He'll probably hate it when he eventually gets out there and gets it off his chest, but for the last year or so he's been going on and on about wanting to live in the States, pref NY when he qualifies. Talk about forward planning, I never thought beyone the next party at his age.....

I know nothing but I personally wouldn't let my child do it so young. It sounds like he'd really like his dad to take him over there for some 'bonding' - is that not a possibility? Or that all three of you go at a time when your dp is there anyway and you and ds do touristy stuff whilst dp works, then meet up in the evenings, or something?

We keep trying to do that but dh inconveniently always seems to be in the states when I can't get time off work/ds is at school. I need to Take Him In Hand [

I did an amzing PGL trip at 14 to the states. I was the youngest, and the age ranges were 14-17 (IIRC).

It was a 2 week trip. We flew into NY, had 3ish days there, then got on a mini bus and travelled down through Washington, Charleston, Savannah, Florida, finishing up in Orlando. We camped everywhere apart from NYC and I can honestly say it was one of the most defining and enjoyable experiences of my teens.

This was 17 years ago now so I don't know if they still do it, but it was amazing. We saw so much, had a wonderful time, were well supervised, but not mollycoddled (eg, we all cooked, cleared up, put up tents etc etc).

I had done PGL trips to the UK before that from the age of about 12, and I was never the homesick type. It awakened a love of travel and the outdoors in me that has never gone away.

Thanks for all your replies. Have checked with PGL but unfortunately they only do UK & France now.

Cheers everyone.

That's a shame, it was a good way of seeing it sans parents, but still with adult supervision; the perfect combination at that age.

I went to Australia by myself at 16 1/2 so if he is a sensible lad he'll probably be ok in a couple of years.

The excellent plus point of the USA in general for teens is that they are super strict on drinking. Even when I went at 20 I was chastely sitting around in coffee bars even though I'd been at university for a year!

I totally understand that feeling of just wanting to explore the big exciting world and everything in it at that age. I still have it a bit now to be honest.

Could you suggest that him and his friend could go the summer afterwards, when he is nearly 17, on their own, provided he proves himself sensible and trustworthy before then? That's basically what my parents did with me.

Have a look around on TripAdvisor. There is a lot of information on there.
NYC is so safe and lovely, he will definitely love it.

Thanks. His best mate's mum phoned a couple of days ago to say that she's probably going to send her son for 2 weeks to stay with his grown up brother in Idaho. He did it a few years ago and loved it, did a kayaking course etc (they're in the yellowstone nat. park), and if it happens again next year, would ds like to go?

Of course he said he would, tho' nothing's definite yet. Even tho' it's not NYC at least it's the US. Also dh said when he's a bit older probably 17 he can go along on his business trips but will have to do his own thing as dh works practically 24/7 when he's in the states.

So it's all looking good.