<p>My daughter has been invited to go to Paris for one 1 week with a friend. (without parents) Both just graduated HS. My daughter is 18, friend is 17. Airline tickets and hotel are free. (points) My daughter would have to pay for food and other expenses. Should I let her go????? Part of me thinks she is 18 and I should let her go; part of me thinks this is a long way from home if something goes wrong. I don't know anyone in Paris. </p>
<p>Does anyone have any insights on this or know the safety issues in Paris? Thanks.</p>
<p>As long as you're comfortable with the onslaught of European men that will be trying to sow the metaphorical American field that is your daughter. They call it the French Disease for a reason.</p>
<p>Lucky her!! Does the friend have some sort of connections in Paris?
If you like and trust the friend, trust them to be sensible, and can check out the itinerary carefully ahead of time, I'd say yes. What a great opportunity.</p>
<p>How independent is your daughter? Has she traveled alone before? Been to a foreign country (with or without you?) There are some 16 year olds who would be ready to tackle this and some 40 year olds who wouldn't.</p>
<p>I'm planning to send (finances permitting) my three sons to Europe after the youngest graduates high school. The older two will be 20 and 21, and they will have both been in college for 2-4 years. Youngest has been to Europe twice, and been on many "adventurous" activities with the Boy Scouts. He also speaks French pretty well. Even so, I don't think I'd send him alone. </p>
<p>My own independent trekking in Europe was when I was 19, but I had spent 6 weeks in an immersion program, spoke the language well, and had done a couple of weekends on my own during the 6 week program.</p>
<p>Honestly? I'd find a reliable young man or two. And/or some kids who have traveled and/or know the language. Last summer when I took a group of teens to Europe, my son (18 at the time, with a bit of French under his belt and a previous trip to Europe) and several young women wanted to do a day trip to Versailles. I let son go, and the adults were very happy that there was a 6' 5" young man along to guide the young women.</p>
<p>When my family went in 2000, there were some young folks at the Pointe du Hoc who overheard us speaking English. They had missed their bus back to town and needed a ride. The fact that there were girls in the group made my husband feel much better as my mother and I drove them back to town while my boys explored some more. And I'll bet the moms of the girls would have felt better (had they known the situation) knowing that their daughters weren't just getting into cars with strangers alone - the guys were along.</p>
<p>I am a HUGE believer in travel. You know your daughter. Good luck.</p>
<p>Paris is absolutely safe and it will be very easy to maintain contact. If you have GPS cell-phone (ATT or T-Mobile) you can make sure the phone is activated for international calls - its about $1.29 a minute to call Europe so not for long heart-to-heart calls, but certainly affordable for a quick "I'm o.k." call. Text messaging works too. The hotel will have internet so if she uses gmail, hotmail, yahoo or any other web-based email, she will be able to send/receive email wherever she goes. </p>
<p>Paris is wonderful, especially for a youngster, and your daughter will have a wonderful time. It is NOT cheap, especially with the current exchange rates, so I think you should plan for her spending at least $50/day while she is there, between food, transportation, admission to museums, etc. She and her friend can buy 5-day tourist passes for the Paris metro that also come with discount coupons for various attractions and allow unlimited rides on the metro, so they definitely should opt for that. </p>
<p>And if you decide to say no for any reason, then please let me know ASAP as I will be happy to go in your daughter's place and provide a suitable chaperone for her 17-year-old friend. ;)</p>
<p>As someone who has gone to Europe to 10 different countries since I was 14 (I'm 17) without my parents, I say let her go. It's an extremely rewarding experience because you see things differently. It's not just about museums, and I (like to) believe that I've become more cultured without my parents around to force me to see cultured things. Plus, it would become about her and her friend's interests and therefore seem MUCH more interesting and fun.</p>
<p>Paris is a wonderful, beautiful city (and my second favorite in the world) and extremely safe as long as possessions are kept close. If you're scared about safety (as any parents would be) rent her an international phone so she can at least call you or her friend's parents or look up emergency numbers in Paris. Hope I helped.</p>
<p>As to the language: I was in Paris on my own a few years ago, I do not speak any French, and it was not a problem. Pretty much everyone in shops & restaurants speaks English, and I discovered very quickly that I did in fact already know how to speak "French restaurant." The shop with the sign "Boulangerie" on the front was what I thought it was, and when I went in and asked for a "pan au chocolat, sil vous plait" it worked. </p>
<p>(Of course, do keep in mind that when your 18 year old figures out that she already knows all the French words for various types of wine and decides to order a glass, that will work too.)</p>
<p>I wouldn't have been comfortable with my 18 y/o D headed to Europe with a 17 y/o friend with no adults involved. It wouldn't be due to trust issues with my D but rather, headed off to a faraway foreign city with whatever issues could arise. Is the 17 y/o friend a female as well? Does the friend have experience and contacts there? There must be some other circumstances if a 17 y/o has the resources to invite an 18 y/o friend to Europe all expenses paid.</p>
<p>To me it would depend on whether they have travel experience and maturity. On a recent trip in Europe my mom and I ran into a lot of recent American HS grads on their own going a bit too wild.</p>
<p>My 18 year old daughter and a group of friends are in the midst of a fabulous 3 week trek in Europe on their own. They started in Paris and have been to Munich, Vienna, Venice and are headed back to Germany to come home soon. They have Eurorail passes and we worked together to research and book hostels in several cities. She and her friends saved their money all year and spent numerous hours researching and planning for this trip. We set her up with a blog and she has posted entries in it almost daily to keep us informed of their adventures. So far it has been a trip of their lifetime. They are doing just fine with all the logistics and seeing and experiencing Europe in a way they could never do by being led around by their parents. We figured, we are going to be sending her off to college in a few months where she will be on her own, so she might as well start figuring things out now. She has traveled internationally a couple of times before with us, and with an organized group, but this is her first time on her own. In response to the OP, I say let her go. It will be a fabulous adventure.</p>
<p>If these are on the whole mature and savvy girls, let D go. Many teens travel on their own to far more remote and difficult places than Paris. To ease your fears, have her contact you during her trip. You could also do a bit of googling on the city and advise her where it wouldn't be wise to be walking at night. But odds are, that's something she'd pick up on once she got there, and the city in general is safe and very manegable even by novices. Personally, I think the biggest danger she'd be facing is massive damage to her credit card. Yikes, it's an expensive city these days. But glorious as well, and definitely worth exploring.</p>
<p>Man, if my son was offered that deal, we would take it in a heartbeat! As for girls, lots of girls from our high school (coastal town where no one locks the doors, etc.) go to europe alone every year, have a great time, and arrive home safely! Let her go.</p>
<p>Sounds like a fantastic opportunity! IMO, what it comes down to is the personality of your daughter and her friend. Agree with katliamom: "If these are on the whole mature and savvy girls, let D go."</p>
<p>My sister and I (19 and 22) were recently by ourselves in Paris. I had previously been and been fine on my own; she would've had a much tougher time going solo or with a like-minded friend. I'm naturally a more cautious, practical, and inconspicuous person, which is what it boiled down to. The two of us together ended up being a perfect combination...she knew how to get me to lighten up and let the very, very friendly Italian boys guide us through the Louvre, and I knew how to quickly and graciously part ways outside of the museum...and so on throughout the city! Alone, I would've just escaped them immediately, and on her own, she would have followed them around all night never sure of how to politely excuse herself. In lieu of travel experience, it just came down to our personalities. </p>
<p>There are plenty of precautions you and your daughter can take to set her up for a smooth trip. Make sure she has a photocopy of her passport. Make sure you know her credit/debit card number, and if possible, check the spending online a few times through the week. Advise her to keep emergency cash in the hotel safe. Make sure she understands that pick-pocketing is a reality, but an avoidable one, and knows to stay vigilant. Consider putting her on a global phone plan for the month of her trip...my US phone is $0.99/minute from abroad, and $0.50/text, but rates are all normal for the callers/senders. Download Skype (Skype</a> official website – free download and free calls and internet calls) onto your computer so that you can call her at the hotel in the evenings for a longer chat ($0.02/minute from Skype to French landline, I do believe, but whatever it is, it's cheap). Have her buy a travel guide beforehand so that she knows where she's heading (Lonely Planet makes a student-friendly, purse-sized Paris cityguide that includes maps). If she has friends who've traveled solo, suggest that she ask them for tips. A few conversations with travelers and a read through Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door put me in a good mindset safety-wise, and I never felt threatened in Paris. I also made it through just fine as a non-French speaker...non-issue.</p>
<p>IMO, it comes down to the girls. If they're level-headed, responsible kids, it doesn't strike me as an inappropriate or especially risky trip.</p>
<p>I'll add to the chorus of yes votes. My daughter spent a week in Paris when she was 16, staying with a former high school friend who was 18 and had her own apartment. It was the spring of all the student riots over proposed changes in employment laws, so we did warn her to steer clear of any big noisy crowds. We live in Germany, so it was an easy three-hour train ride away. The Paris metro is very easy to negotiate, and there are plenty of street food options if the girls want to economize on some of their meals. I hope your daughter can go--like many others, I love Paris.</p>
<p>I agree with the posters who say if you think she's mature enough, don't pass it up.</p>
<p>There's are tour services in Paris that will meet you at your hotel, familiarize you with your immediate neighborhood, and give you a little insider info. It's a basic orientation for newcomers. They'll also rent phones if needed. I haven't used them, but I was awful tempted for my last Paris trip. One such company is called "Context Travel." It seems like an added benefit is that after this orientation, the girls would actually "know" someone in Paris, should something come up that they couldn't deal with.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the input. Lots of helpful info. They want an answer soon. I feel I don't have enough time to digest this and I don't know enough details, like where they would be staying, etc. My dd has traveled to England, Alaska, Bermuda, numerous cruises, but never to non-Englishing speaking Europe. </p>
<p>If I say no, then friend will ask another classmate and will know my dd wasn't allowed to go. I'm definately feeling the pressure. I knew I could count on my cc friends!</p>
<p>Friend's dad is 40 something and recently retired with new wife and 2 babies and 1 entering college so.......guess money is not a problem.</p>
<p>I'm going to Paris in a couple of weeks with my daughter. If they're going that soon, I can be hired to keep an eye on them, ha ha.</p>
<p>I've been to Paris many many times and it's pretty safe. But that said, I'd probably be pretty hesitant to let my daughter go that far away without a parent or older responsible adult. Do you know anyone who lives there, or do you have any business/social/church connections there with whom the kids could check in? It's always great to at least have someone they could call on in the city in the event they run into any trouble. I agree with the others here, it really depends on your daughter's maturity level and responsibility, travel experience, etc., as well as that of her friend. </p>
<p>I'd only do what you can be totally comfortable with, though, regardless of what other people let their kids do and regardless of how upset your daughter might be with your decision. If you do let her go, be sure to make copies of her passport, and check your medical insurance to be sure it will cover her overseas.</p>