Study abroad pre trip

I spent 2 months backpacking through Europe before I started classes at U of Manchester. Why does your wife think he will die? Is he naive? Europe is very safe, my wife and I just got back from a month over there.

I wouldn't worry at all. UKI and European youths gallivant all over solo or in small groups. Just follow common sense crime prevention techniques, number one of which is don't look like you're lost, even if you are. An Apple Watch or similar where he can get walking directions without having to pull his phone out will be helpful, too (both to keep the phone from getting snatched and to keep his hands in his gloves.)

He'll pretty much only need cash for some bathrooms on the mainland, everything else is tap to pay, so don't load him down with a bunch of Euro/GBP "just in case."

Yeah it was tongue and cheek.

I think he would have a blast.

Yall know his maturity level but will say this, if yall are comfortable with him taking a solo trip, driving or flying, to visit friends in any US city, he will be absolutely fine in Western Europe.

Coming from someone who only flew 2 round trips before I was 22 and about to graduate college, but has since traveled a lot, much of a solo...its so much easier and safer to travel abroad to 99% of the world these days with technology and information. 80% of what I printed on my home printer in the early-mid 2000s was reservations and mapquest directions, now all that is needed is a phone and backup charger.

He will be fine.

One thing we discovered on our trip this summer is ChatGTP can tell you everything about your train from the platform it is leaving from to every stop it makes along the journey.

He doesn't need big luggage, and London isn't a great jumping off point for a European backpacking trip, for obvious geographical reasons. I did two months in Europe with a large Eagle Creek backpack that looked vaguely like this: LINK

Now, if he wants to tour the UK, more power to him. But getting back and forth to London for a mainland Europe trip would be a massive time sink with no payoff whatsoever. As an example of what I did when I spent a summer semester in Lyon, France: I flew into Budapest, train to Prague, train to Vienna, train to Munich, train to Lyon. To leave: train from Lyon to Milan, train to Venice, train to Florence, train to Sorrento, train to Rome. Flew out of Rome.

Open jaw flight itineraries and student Eurail passes are his friend for this kind of trip.

If you tell us what he’s into, we can make suggestions on cities to visit or avoid. It’s obviously a big continent with tons to do, so it’s important to be reasonable about time.

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Anything History related, architecture

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So, Italy is obviously a major draw on that, but presumably, he’s going to be able to take weekend trips around the country, so I’m hesitant to include it in the pre-trip. But, it’s obviously an option.

Does he have any countries or periods in history he’s particularly fond of? Other than Rome, obviously :p

Rotterdam is full of different, contemporary architecture. The town was leveled during WWII so most all the buildings in the city are modern.

This building has a big market in it










Amsterdam has some great old buildings but also some cool new ones







We made a stop in Mons , Belgium to see their new train station

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(He was the baby until we adopted his two younger brothers)

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we adopted his two younger brothers

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I know it’s tough to apply actuarial logic to emotional situations but a 20 year-old hiking Western Europe is safer than the same age kid hiking in the American South. The distance away and it being in foreign countries makes it harder to see.

Good luck to him.