Solo Teen travel is something that most parents will have to deal with at some point. In this day and age of spread out families, international job opportunities, and easy long distance travel, solo teen travel is becoming more common. The question becomes this: How do you know when they’re ready to travel on their own?
Maybe your teen has taken the bus around town or the train to an Aunt or Uncle’s Home a few cities away. They have most definitely done a bit of family travel with you their parents. But as for flying on their own, well that’s a whole other ballgame. I mean airports alone are terrifying even to many adults. So what’s the right call and when?
Solo Teen Travel – When is the Right Time to Travel Without You
There is no set way to decide if your teen is ready to take a trip on his or her own. However, there are some general rules of thumb that can help you figure out if they meet your personal criteria for them to head off into the wide open world without you there.
Responsibility
How is your teen doing on the responsibility front? Do they get their homework done on time? Can they keep track of everything? Are they able to manage some of their own money without being absent minded or overly distracted? Did they earn some of their own money with an after school job in order to get the chance to travel? How are they doing at their after school job? No problems at school? All of these questions are important because they show you the level of responsibility your teen is able to handle.
Behaviour
Is your child a good kid? Do they stay out of trouble? Can you trust them to make good decisions? Do they stay cool under pressure? These are all important things to consider. Good behaviour and the ability to remain calm are two things that will serve your child well throughout life and during solo teen travel.
[tweetthis]Is your teen ready to travel alone? How will you know? #travel[/tweetthis]
Common Sense
This one is a bit of an X-factor, but it’s important nonetheless. Common sense is more subjective of course, but there are a few things to be considered. Does your child understand that giving out personal information or information about their itinerary to strangers during the course of a conversation is a bad thing? Do they have an adequate amount of caution concerning travel and the things that could potentially happen during travel?
Emotional Stability
Is your child emotionally stable enough for teen travel? That probably sounds like I’m asking if your teen is going to have a breakdown mid-trip, and in a way, I guess I am. Honestly, I know some adults who would never leave their town unless they were forced. If there are adults with a ton of life experience who have severe anxiety when they travel, then it’s not a long leap to consider if your teen can handle the stress.
Solo teen travel is a tough thing. They’ll be away from their parents, they’ll be making their way through the great big world, and they’ll be doing it alone. They will be traversing airports, boarding, planes, and luggage pickup by themselves. It’s a big deal, so know if your teen is emotionally ready for it a big question to consider.
Teen Travel – It’s no Small Thing
Solo teen travel is a big deal. It’s their first foray out into the world with no backup. They will be responsible for traversing the airport, security, boarding, the flight, disembarking, luggage pickup, and all of the other hundreds of tiny things that happen in between all of those things. It is absolutely vital that you are sure they’re ready for it.
Of course it’s all subjective, but the above tips should give you a bit of a road map to decide if solo teen travel is something in your son or daughter’s immediate future or if they might need a little more time and scaffolding.