My college kid has traipsed around Europe several times now. But DC has a 4 year ROTC scholarship, which comes with outstanding credit card and travel awards benefits. DC has made the most of it. DC is in Europe at least once or twice a year on breaks - most if it paid through all the card benefits that came with the scholarship.

DC got a paid internship in the UK during college, that was her overseas experience. Other DC went with us on a family European vacation..

Not common is our circles

OP. We bought the plane ticket there--kid is paying for everything else on his own from summer job earnings: secondary plane tickets, foods, lodging, train tickets, etc.

My DD did a 3 week backpacking trip with a friend last summer after graduating. They both worked all school year to have enough money to do it, planned it out themselves. Parents paid for the round trip flights as their graduation gift, kids otherwise fully funded it. Both spent the rest of the summer working too.

Discovered during the trip that they thought you booked hostels by nights instead of arrival day / departure day so there were a few nights they had to scramble to find a place to sleep. They got a Euro-rail pass and crammed quite a lot into their three weeks! Was a great experience.

Definitely not rich.

My son did a semester abroad in college so he used the money from his summer jobs and traveled fairly frequently on the weekends. The tuition, room/board was the same for me that semester and airfare was included. I don’t know anyone whose kids have done this after HS graduation. Most are working summer jobs.

I did with my mother on a 14 day 10 country package tour. Quite a stretch for her. I was 17.

I did this but with money I saved up myself and with two European friends.

I could see my DD going once she is old enough but she would need to save the money to largely fund the trip herself. She has been away to trekking camp, flown solo domestically and abroad, has been raised in and is comfortable navigating cities, and we have family friends in various European countries so I would not be overly worried and would let her do it if she wanted to.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did it and my DH did it but we couldnt' get our DC to do it. Despite our best efforts incl hosting european HS students and forming relationships with them with this idea in mind - still no go. Absolute home bodies.

No we're not rich and being rich is not a requirement to go to europe and stay in hostels.

I posted that my kid isn’t doing it and neither is anyone we know. DH and I did too, but in the 90s and a summer near the end of college after saving up. Those few years looking back made us seem a lot older than 18 and just graduating HS. Backpacking and youth hostels.

You are right - I mis-remembered or misread. Sorry OP. We went after college graduation. I did go with a group in high school that was supervised. A few years older does make a big difference imho. The world is different - in some ways safer with phones and general public safety services and awareness but on the other hand kidnapping enterprises such as pig butchering/scamming are far, far more sophisticated. I'm not sure I'd be wild doubt a kid not familiar with the area or without local contacts going too far afield unless they could afford to stay and travel in very safe accommodations.

A lot of the kids from my kids' school do this after graduation. Mine is already planning his trip with a group of friends. We are also from Europe and he has been there to visit family, so is familiar with taking the train etc. And no, we are not rich, but taking the train in Europe and staying in hostels is cheaper than traveling in the US. He is working to have enough money for this trip.

How common is it that you ruin websites by TROLLING?

Anonymous wrote:Those of you whose kids are "working to have money for college" --are your kids contributing money to the cost of college tuition?

Mine isn’t, we’re quite fortunate to have tuition covered by our 529.

But she’s working to have money for entertainment, Starbucks, etc.

Anonymous wrote:Those of you whose kids are "working to have money for college" --are your kids contributing money to the cost of college tuition?

No, it's our job as parents to support thru college. As long as he stays within bound, we will continue to support

Anonymous wrote:Those of you whose kids are "working to have money for college" --are your kids contributing money to the cost of college tuition?

Mine will be paying for his books and spending money. He offered to pay $2k per year towards tuition which will help since it goes up a few thousand per year.