Actually, in anticipation of my DC trying to plan a trip to Europe this summer, I went ahead and planned a family trip to Europe. Solves that dilemma.

No problem with her going on the trip, provided she can pay for it or most of it herself. I would not condone her getting a 'fake', and she will need it to enter bars overseas. The trip will not be as much fun for her at 17 when he overage friends are presumably going for a last hurrah before college girls trip with booze.

I see OPs post that this has sorted itself out, but still want to add my two cents. First, NO to the fake ID. I can't believe you'd even entertain the idea of getting your kid a fake ID. What kind of values are you teaching your kid?

Second, if kids want to travel around Europe, I say go for it, but let them fund it themselves.
I worked after school my whole junior year and then traveled around Europe in the summer (before senior year, so I was 17.) Granted, some of the time I visited relatives or stayed with friends of the family (to see people and save money), but I also stayed in youth hostels. And all of my transit and sightseeing was alone. And I bought my tickets and made my own plans. Drinking or sex would never have occurred to me. That still would have been true if I stayed home. Kids who are inclined to get in trouble can get in trouble at home too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The girls I knew who got to do this in the 90s were rich girl promiscuous sluts who had "cool moms."

Unchaperoned Europe is for after college begins and/or once they'd had some real independence. The "what's the big deal, college begins in two months" crowd can shove it. College is a controlled environment with police, residential staff, deans and peers who were filtered by admissions department.

So you're afraid your daughter will spread her legs in Europe, but the police and residential staff will somehow keep that from happening in college.

College kids maturing with other similarly immature college kids in a semi supervised environment is better than traipsing all around a foreign country unattended yes.