Teen to The Gambia with friend?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends on how much you trust the parents/how much their parenting philosophy is like yours. I've taken my teens to West Africa (but not Gambia per se) and found it safe and fine (biggest problem is stomach issues from the water). I would keep a close rein on them, though-- US kids stick out and are targets anywhere they look like tourists. I wouldn't let them wander free around the city. But as long as parents assured me they would be chaperoning closely, I wouldn't say it was any different from a friend's parent taking them to Italy or Germany.

West Africa is no different than Germany.
That's a good one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: The reason I would be wary is that god forbid anything happens to your daughter, with COVID, medevac isn't available in many countries due to COVID border restrictions.

How do you know medevac isn't available there? Also OP's DD is vaccinated (I assume) so the chances of a Covid-related issue are low.

Do you know that Medevac IS available in the Gambia? Due to COVID, in many countries where Medevac was formerly readily available (for a price), it's been suspended due to issues with border restrictions due to COVID. I would certainly check on that before sending my child. And I wasn't referring to COVID per se. If your child breaks a leg or has some other travel related health emergency, the capacity of the local hospital may be limited, and that's when ability to Medevac becomes important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op I've been to several countries in Africa, including traveling all over Kenya where I went as a young teen without my parents. Also South Africa, Cape Town and Durban.

I would not under any circumstances send my child to Gambia nor would I venture there as an adult, with or without the fortunes of kings.

Would you like to explain why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe how parochial the answers are here. The friend’s parents are almost certainly cosmopolitan types - World Bank, foreign service, etc. They likely have very protected lives in The Gambia, tons of relatives, connections, etc. They are not going to let their teenage girls become sex trafficking victims, lol. This is an amazing opportunity for OP to experience an African country as the guest of a likely well-connected family. An irreplaceable opportunity.

Lol if the OP’s kid’s friend’s parents’ are from a connected family, OP’s kid isn’t going to experience how people actually live there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd need to have some serious talks with the best friends parents and do a ton of research. What is the situation with race? Where would DD be sleeping? Who else would be sleeping there? Is there fighting? Is there war? Does she need vaccines to go? What would she do? Would there be a language barrier?

Please do a google search before you ask some of these questions, lest you sound ignorant. I mean language barrier? English is the official language, unlike in the US which has no official language.

[Anonymous]

100% I'd let her go. How can my daughter meet this family?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op I've been to several countries in Africa, including traveling all over Kenya where I went as a young teen without my parents. Also South Africa, Cape Town and Durban.

I would not under any circumstances send my child to Gambia nor would I venture there as an adult, with or without the fortunes of kings.

Would you like to explain why?

Well in S. Africa I had a bodyguard / driver who had to drive fast to keep me away from hostage takers and I wasn't permitted (by him) to walk alone in the street. I had to exit a building and get right in his car and speed off. Kidnapping of western visitors was rife and this was only a couple of years ago.

Really you need to keep up with international news more if you're unaware of these situations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op I've been to several countries in Africa, including traveling all over Kenya where I went as a young teen without my parents. Also South Africa, Cape Town and Durban.

I would not under any circumstances send my child to Gambia nor would I venture there as an adult, with or without the fortunes of kings.

Would you like to explain why?

Well in S. Africa I had a bodyguard / driver who had to drive fast to keep me away from hostage takers and I wasn't permitted (by him) to walk alone in the street. I had to exit a building and get right in his car and speed off. Kidnapping of western visitors was rife and this was only a couple of years ago.

Really you need to keep up with international news more if you're unaware of these situations.

Well you were in South Africa, not Gambia!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends on how much you trust the parents/how much their parenting philosophy is like yours. I've taken my teens to West Africa (but not Gambia per se) and found it safe and fine (biggest problem is stomach issues from the water). I would keep a close rein on them, though-- US kids stick out and are targets anywhere they look like tourists. I wouldn't let them wander free around the city. But as long as parents assured me they would be chaperoning closely, I wouldn't say it was any different from a friend's parent taking them to Italy or Germany.

West Africa is no different than Germany.
That's a good one.

African parents from an educated background are a lot less permissive than western parents.
Depending on the girl’s parents and your own observations, I would definitely trust my kid with them and the they were going to Gambia or Germany might not really be a criteria in my decision.

[Anonymous]

Ask your ped or doc for a travel med referral for vaccination requirements. Do not ignore the recommendations.
You will also want to send her with a letter for immigration indicating that her friend’s parents are acting in loco parentis. State has info on verbiage.

Plus one to medevac insurance.

Make sure she has a thin money & passport holder that cannot be seen under her clothes. There are pickpockets at those fabric markets. Baskets, meh, if you can find something small, great. The fabrics are more interesting.

Drink bottled water. Brush your teeth with bottled water.

[Anonymous]

Forgot to say, bring bug spray for mosquitos and take those anti-malarials. I never wore shorts there either BTW. I’m a woman and I felt more comfortable in dark linen, nothing form-fitting. Long skirts and loose-fitting tops that covered me to the elbows were the order of the day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd need to have some serious talks with the best friends parents and do a ton of research. What is the situation with race? Where would DD be sleeping? Who else would be sleeping there? Is there fighting? Is there war? Does she need vaccines to go? What would she do? Would there be a language barrier?

Wtf?

Don’t play dumb, it matters in situations like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe how parochial the answers are here. The friend’s parents are almost certainly cosmopolitan types - World Bank, foreign service, etc. They likely have very protected lives in The Gambia, tons of relatives, connections, etc. They are not going to let their teenage girls become sex trafficking victims, lol. This is an amazing opportunity for OP to experience an African country as the guest of a likely well-connected family. An irreplaceable opportunity.

Lol if the OP’s kid’s friend’s parents’ are from a connected family, OP’s kid isn’t going to experience how people actually live there.

How do you think Africans actually live? It’s a continent with 50+ countries and each includes cities, suburbs, and rural areas. Even within The Gambia people are living many different types of life styles based on income, religion, and personal choices. You probably think the only authentic lifestyle involves something you saw on Jungle Cruise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No I would not. They would not exercise the appropriate level of care or supervision. Not because they are bad parents or bad people but due to differing cultural expectations. Get to know the parents. Talk to the parents extensively about what it is like when they visit, what they do, who they see, how things are. You will figure out what I mean pretty quickly.

This is a strange statement. Why on earth would you make an assumption that their culture wouldn't call for appropriate care? Every West African parent I know is more restrictive/cautious than every American parent I know. Kids don't go on sleepovers with friends, have early curfews, only go out in groups, no dating in early HS, etc. Of course, I have no idea if this applies to these particular parents, but how strange it is for you to make the assumption that because they are from the gambia, they would not exercize supervision???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is it called The Gambia and not Gambia? Puzzled

Why is it called the United States instead of just United States? Puzzled.