Would you let a 14 year old travel alone?

carole.uk

my opinion only but i would say no!! as a mother, grandmother and I have worked with teenagers for over 20 years. I don't think it is worth the risk she is still a child!! if even if she acts mature. You really can't tell who works or loiters around these places the direct staff might be fully experienced but you don't know about the cleaners cooks etc ... I would really wait till she is older
I would also question why does she want to go so far away from home alone? there could be lots of reasons
I don't think it is just your fear that is stopping you but a natural thing to want to totally protect our children and as I said she is still a child and you are the adult and thats why we have to make decisions for them sometimes

purple12

I know this probably isn't a great help but I travelled to the US on my own when I was 13 - met by family friends the other end. I remember being quite resentful being taken with the much smaller unaccompanied children and feeling quite grown-up - but it was a good thing because my luggage ended up getting lost in transit and they were very helpful about getting things sorted out for me. Also was taken from parent to guardian the other end - no chance to wander off with anyone else and the entertainment on the flight was more than enough to keep me entertained

It was the most amazing holiday and experience which I still value massively.

carole.uk

I am not questioning the flight where i think she will be totally safe , It's about the camp it's self and her been so far away from home if something did happen. I am sure you have talked to her about all the dangers that could happen and put stratagies in place to deal with them. when she is older she has all the time in the world to travel and have amazing experiences, the decision has to be yours

gingin_2

Well, I was an flight attendant and un-mins were always treated very carefully, we would take children as young as 6. Check the airline's policy on unaccompanied minors but they were always met from the aircraft, paperwork handed over and escorted through arrivals. I'm not sure whether 14 is too old to be an un-min but you might be able to request special assistance.

I can remember as a child, my rather sophisticated 14 year old friend who lived in another country visiting us and coming through arrivals with a red face and a big badge saying "my name is Sophie, I am an unaccompanied minor. Please look after me". I thought is was hilarious - she didn't.

Can you pop over there for a visit mid way? We were looking at flights to Toronto/Montreal in august and they were under £400 pp.

Tojo_Ralph

QueenOfTheDesert wrote: »

They take children from 12-18 flying in as unaccompanied minors from all over the world and act as if it's perfectly ok but I have some misgivings.

Speaking solely about the flight from departure to arrival, you really have nothing to worry about.

Speaking in general terms as all airlines are different, having paid an additional fee for the privilege, a child travelling as an unaccompanied minor is in effect human kiddy cargo that is collected from its owner, tagged, placed with other unaccompanied minors on the flight, checked regularly during the flight, escorted to and from a lounge if transiting, escorted through arrivals/immigration on arrival and delivered to the nominated person at the other end.

dmg24

carole.uk wrote: »

I am not questioning the flight where i think she will be totally safe , It's about the camp it's self and her been so far away from home if something did happen. I am sure you have talked to her about all the dangers that could happen and put stratagies in place to deal with them. when she is older she has all the time in the world to travel and have amazing experiences, the decision has to be yours

How do these risks differ any more than a child going to a camp/ shopping centre/ school in the UK?

The old 'it's so far away' argument doesn't really wash anymore. Should an emergency occur (and I doubt very much that it would), then assuming you live relatively close to one of the main airports you could be in Canada by the end of the day. It would not be cheap, but if it was that urgent cost would not come into it.

OP, assuming you have checked that the camp is legitimate and it is affordable, I would let your daughter go. I spent the summer holidays in the US when I was thirteen (albeit with the family of a friend) and it was the trip of a lifetime. I know it is a worry, but she would probably be safer at the camp than doing what many children will do at home during their holidays!

carole.uk

they differ because the child is so far away from home with no one even close if something went wrong .
If other friends were going or family lived close I would feel a bit better
Like i said at the end of the day the decision has to be the parents

PolishBigSpender

carole.uk wrote: »

my opinion only but i would say no!! as a mother, grandmother and I have worked with teenagers for over 20 years.

Do you read the Daily Mail or The Sun?

I don't think it is worth the risk she is still a child!! if even if she acts mature.

So...why aren't Canadian children being abused? The distance from Vancouver to Toronto isn't much less than the distance from Toronto to London - and yet Canadian children will still be attending these camps without problems.

Your eally can't tell who works or loiters around these places the direct staff might be fully experienced but you don't know about the cleaners cooks etc ... I would really wait till she is older

You're being ridiculous. These are camps run in a rich, Western country. Canada isn't going to have lesser standards than in the UK! If anything - Canada is even worse than the UK when it comes to paranoia. And anyway, what is likely to happen to a 14 year old?

I would also question why does she want to go so far away from home alone? there could be lots of reasons

I'd hate to have you as a mother - perhaps she simply wants to do something absolutely incredible? Plenty of children from far away countries go to camps in the UK - a friend of mine once worked on a camp with Georgian children - all of whom were travelling unaccompanied. Indeed, travelling long distances for camps is nothing abnormal at all.

Of course, THE !!!!!PHILE will pick a camp in a Western country, run to Western standards to abuse children, won't they? right...

I don't think it is just your fear that is stopping you but a natural thing to want to totally protect our children and as I said she is still a child and you are the adult and thats why we have to make decisions for them sometimes

Please, spare the lecture.

You're a shining example of just why British children are so desperately unhappy.

Carole, did you refuse to let your children go to the shop alone? After all, you just can't be sure about the people working there...!

Tojo_Ralph

carole.uk wrote: »

they differ because the child is so far away from home with no one even close if something went wrong .
If other friends were going or family lived close I would feel a bit better
Like i said at the end of the day the decision has to be the parents

The decision is of course the parents, but your objection is based solely on your needs and not the childs.

PolishBigSpender

Tojo_Ralph wrote: »

The decision is of course the parents, but your objection is based solely on your needs and not the childs.

Which is the entire problem with the "child protection" culture in the UK.

No-one seems to have actually asked the kids if they want their childhood ruined in order to keep them "safe".