<p>S1 and a couple buddies want to take a 1 or 2 week summer road trip to visit various baseball parks. (Maybe 1000 miles each way) They said they would sleep in the van, but I'd almost feel better if we got them a hotel room. They are 18 so I don't know if that would work. They are good kids and usually don't have much free time because of HS sports. So far they have not drank (that I know of). </p>
<p>Thoughts? </p>
<p>I drove from Minnesota to Montana with my girlfriends when I was 18 in a total junker of a car with no cell phones. Yes I survived, but we did some pretty stupid stuff.</p>
<p>I’m with you that they should get hotels, but if you trust him-let him do it. I’m sure your parents were worried that you would do stupid stuff when you road trip-and you did. He will probably do stupid stuff, but nothing that he can’t recover from. </p>
<p>Plus, in the age of cell phones, it’s not like you would have no way to contact him if necessary…it seems like a no brainer “yes” to me</p>
<p>Can you talk them into making reservations at hostels along the way if they are available?
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You can rest easier if they have a spot to sleep safely, and they are doing something different, not like they were staying at a Holiday Inn like with Mom and Dad.</p>
<p>I vote for cheap hotels. S did a post-hs-grad road trip, a big part of the “fun” was staying in cheap motels. One boy’s parents had made the reservations using their credit card, but they had called all of the motels in advance to be sure the boys could stay there, and they sent along a notarized letter authorizing the boys to use the credit card. The boys all gave some money toward the known costs to the credit-card parents before they left, and paid the balance when they got back.</p>
<p>The boys were actually looking forward to the excitement of staying in “shady” motels. The thrill wore off when they actually got to the first motel. S called H and said, “There’s dead bugs in the windowsill.” H replied, “Well, that’s better than live bugs!” It was a learning experience, but the boys had a great time (5 day trip, New England to Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio, to Hersheypark, and back to New England).</p>
<p>I would not approve this trip if they were going to sleep in the van. Too dangerous.</p>
<p>If there are good hostels in the USA, that’s an even better option. S had a great college experience in hostels in Europe. Not sure if they’re the same in the US, though.</p>
<p>Hotels can sometimes be difficult for that age. Some require at least one 21+ per reservation. But other than that issue, I’d say let him go for it. Now, if it was my daughter…</p>
<p>Even though I joke that I could sleep in my car and be fine with it, I would never trust going all over the country to places I do not know and sleeping in a van. It’s just way too risky. </p>
<p>Another option could be camping. If they could find some kind of decent campgrounds along the way that might be safer than sleeping in a van.</p>
<p>it’s odd when thinking about how protective i am of my kids – wanting to make sure all the bases are covered kind of thing – and then to think about what i did, even at sixteen. hitch hiking the length of Hwy 1, motorcycle trips, and a couple other fun adventures in my 63 volkswagon. some alone, some with friends. were my parents worried? i guess so, but when they were that age their adventures were even greater, and with less reliable means of transportation. so when S1 decided to take a trip i stayed out his way. he managed everything. . .took buses, connected with friends, took more buses, hiked on the appalachian trail for a week, and then back. i think the sense of adventure is what they crave. getting into and out of situations on their own is a tremendous confidence builder. we were allowed to do it, why not them?</p>
<p>There are great hostels in the US, just not many… My son did a Texas to LA to Seattle road trip at 19, staying in hostels all the way, except for the nights that overlapped with family</p>
<p>At age 18 (though one year of college under her belt), my D drove with two girlfriends from HS 6000 miles from Vermont to Alaska. They had an itinerary ahead of time. They booked some motels and camped out on other nights. My D called me as they arrived at each destination each day. Cellphones don’t work on the Alcan Highway but she called when reaching her motel that night. I survived!</p>
<p>Looking back, I’m shocked all of my friends and I survived our college years. There were few anti drunk driving messages back than and the police in our college area clearly chose to look the other way. If your kid is 18 and normal, he drinks at least sometimes.</p>
<p>All we can do is remind them of our bottom line rules and hope we instilled good sense.</p>
<p>My daughter and six of her friends (males and females) are taking a trip to the mountains a little after graduation. They will be staying in her boyfriend’s family’s cabin (but his grandparents will be in the cabin right next to it, so there is some supervision). Yes I had some reservations but I am sending her away to college two months later and she will be able to do what she wants without permission and many times without my knowledge. I am trusting that I raised her to make reasonable decisions, even though I know some dumb ones will be made, but that is how we learn. </p>
<p>Letting go is hard, but we have to do it sometime.</p>
<p>Last summer, s and a few friends went camping for 4 nights in the boundary waters on a canoe trip. For some ridiculous reason they left their phones in the car for safe keeping. And it wasn’t until this braintrust of a group were paddling down a river that they realized if something happened they’d have no way to contact anyone. It was definitely strange and I was definitely holding my breath. But that they checked in immediately upon arriving back to the car on the day they were to return, kept me from going to panic mode.</p>
<p>I say let them go but make sure they take a cell phone and a charger. :)</p>
<p>Where can you sleep in the van - rest areas? I see that truckers now pull off to the side of entrance/exit ramps overnight (midwest anyway) but I haven’t seen a car do that. Just wondering.</p>
<p>In some towns/counties you cannot just pull over the side of the road/parking lots to sleep.
Local sheriffs may question and ask the guys to move along.
Out of state license plates will be a red flag for local law officers.
Strict legal age drinking laws.
Since none of them are 21, absolutely NO liquor/beer in any part of the car/possession.
That goes double for any drugs.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the comments, ideas and general thoughts. Before S headed out for bball practice this morning we approached the subject with Dad. I am actually okay (sort of) with this adventure and my H’s first reaction was “no way”. We will have to work on him </p>
<p>There are 8 million things that could go wrong, but I believe the kids would have some wonderful (and interesting) adventures and make lifetime memories.</p>
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