Daughter wants high school graduation trip to Europe. However..

[hobokenbeachbum]

I have never been out of the country. Unfortunately I lost my job a few months ago so money is an issue. European cruises are VERY expensive. I looked at backpacking through Europe and that is not inexpensive plus it is a little scary after reading travel restrictions and not knowing anything about the area etc. I thought a cruise would be safer and we would get to see different areas, even though it would be short times at each port. We have been to the caribbean and she loved it but just wants something different. I looked at NCL cruise to Greece - 7 days and it also stops at Turkey.  Any advice and suggestions would be helpful and appreciated. Thank you.

[zqvol]

10 minutes ago, hobokenbeachbum said:

I have never been out of the country. Unfortunately I lost my job a few months ago so money is an issue. European cruises are VERY expensive. I looked at backpacking through Europe and that is not inexpensive plus it is a little scary after reading travel restrictions and not knowing anything about the area etc. I thought a cruise would be safer and we would get to see different areas, even though it would be short times at each port. We have been to the caribbean and she loved it but just wants something different. I looked at NCL cruise to Greece - 7 days and it also stops at Turkey.  Any advice and suggestions would be helpful and appreciated. Thank you.

 

Maybe it is time to say not this year, and make the trip one for college graduation.

[Cruiser_1977]

@hobokenbeachbum I think it's lovely that you'd like to do this for your daughter. I agree with the previous posters, if money is tight and you're out of work maybe it's time to have a conversation with your kiddo about priorities. Whether she is heading into college or the workforce, now is a great time to teach money management. 

[navybankerteacher]

Aside from the economics, a cruise is not the best way to see much of anything in Europe. Consider a week in one city: Rome, Barcelona, Amsterdam, London come to mind.

 

Has she plans for next year - possibly college - which could be better realized if she worked rather than travelled?  Put briefly:  one of the best things you can teach you daughter is how to say no to herself.

[sanger727]

Traveling to Europe is not cheap. Don't forget the cost of the flights on top of the cruise. Agree with the other responses that while your daughter may be disappointed, this is a good teaching moment for her. When I was in high school a school trip went to france and italy. While my parents could afford it, they used it as a teaching moment and told me that if I could come up with half the money they would split the cost with me (and yes, we did do that, I sold candy at school and had a good bit of allowance money saved up- I must have been under 16 at the time because it was before I was able to get a job). I would actually say that in the long run, that money management/savings lesson was worth more to me than the trip. 

Edited February 18, 2020 by sanger727

[BlueRiband]

If money is tight give her a rain check for another time when your finances have improved.  This is a teachable moment for you as a parent of an adult child. 

 

There are a lot more expenses then just the cruise fare.  Passports and visas.  Flights to the embarkation port.  Transfers between the airport and the pier.  Overnight hotel between arrival and boarding the ship.  Meals off the ship.  You have no financial reserves should you encounter an unexpected expense like an injury, illness, missing the ship while ashore or worse, being the victim of a crime while ashore.  

 

Penny-pinching an out-of-the-country trip in your circumstances is a very, very risky move. 

[ducklite]

If your daughter is mature enough to be going off on a European vacation, she should also be mature enough to understand that it's not economically viable this year.

 

That said, if you really want to do this, consider cheap flights on Norwegian/TAP/Aer Lingus/FinnAir to a less expensive country.  Portugal, Spain (outside of major cities), Poland, Northern Ireland, and parts of Germany all fit the bill.  For major cities, Barcelona, Rome, Berlin, Lisbon, Belfast, and Warsaw are all reasonable or even cheap.  Use AirBnB and rent a flat, and eat most of your meals there.  

Don't forget to budget for travel insurance (an absolute MUST) and even things like getting to/from the airport and other surface transportation.

Edited February 18, 2020 by ducklite

[ducklite]

40 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Aside from the economics, a cruise is not the best way to see much of anything in Europe. Consider a week in one city: Rome, Barcelona, Amsterdam, London come to mind.

 

Has she plans for next year - possibly college - which could be better realized if she worked rather than travelled?  Put briefly:  one of the best things you can teach you daughter is how to say no to herself.

London and Amsterdam are expensive. 

[Lois R]

Hi, none of us know your family but I am guessing she knows you lost your job.....only you know her maturity but

I would speak with her about all of it, the job, finances, etc.....and I agree with the others....doesn't sound like the

best time for a European vacation.

[That sinking feeling]

Not sure what your budget is but all cruises come at a cost. 

 

Why not take her to the uk but not london. London is stupidly expensive. It is not all its cracked up to be.

 

Have a small tour round the uk. Trains are cheap if  booked in advance and most places have hotels at sensible prices and you get to see the best of the uk and not the bits that's alleged to be the best - the fume ridden london.

[leaveitallbehind]

IMO a trip to Europe for high school graduation seems a bit over the top to begin with, but that would clearly be your choice.  But if you have lost your job and money is tight, it would seem to me that any such plans could be deferred until a better time.  Certainly she would understand that......right?  

[navybankerteacher]

3 hours ago, ducklite said:

London and Amsterdam are expensive. 

It depends - if you are careful, both can be done on the cheap.

[VennDiagram]

3 hours ago, CruisingAlong4Now said:

Tons of cheap non-stop flights, plenty of curry and sandwich shops for food; most museums are free; TKTS booth has greatly reduced price tickets for many shows; no need to stay in central London with cheap ubiquitous bus/Tube transportation.  

 

Friends travel when they can get cheap accommodation at university/college residences.  I think they paid less than $100 Cdn per night their last trip to London.  Near a Tesco (?) so they could grab ready made meals for cheap, too. 

[hobokenbeachbum]

Thank you very much for your advice. I appreciate it.

[martincath]

Given how UK currency tanked back at the beginning of the Brexit extravaganza and still hasn't recovered relative to USD, this might indeed be an ideal time for a UK-based trip on land, rather than a cruise. London is always going to be pricey compared to other places in the country - but I agree cheap accommodation is findable, especially in summer when many colleges & unis rent out their dorms, and frankly supermarkets seem to have become even cheaper since I left 20 years ago so self-catering can definitely be done on the cheap - but since an 18 year old can legally drink the beer budget would need to be very generous for a London trip if boozing is going to happen in pubs 😉

 

All the museums being free for many years in the UK makes for a very budget-friendly trip if DD is a history fan; a short-term membership of English Heritage, National Trust, or Historic Scotland get you into many castles, historic homes etc. for a ridiculously low price per visit; hiking and outdoor exploration where the scariest animals are cows; many and varied festivals of music/comedy in summer; theater-going is also an absolute bargain in the UK compared to US or Canada - for non 'broadway' style shows anyway. 

 

There are fairly low-budget flights to Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh available and a rail network that (while falling apart at the seams on commuter services) has ludicrously cheap fares for offpeak travel even without railcards, youth tickets etc. And of course aside from jokes about terrible accents and the hilarity that always ensues if an American tries to buy a pair of 'khaki pants' in the UK, no real language concerns when it comes to booking stuff, ordering meals, asking directions or getting medical help (Paracetamol rather than Acetaminophen is the only common medication name difference); even weights & measures are miles, feet & inches, pounds & ounces (though watch out for 20 ounce pints rather than 16).

 

[hobokenbeachbum]

Thank you very much for all of this great information. I appreciate you taking the time to reply. 

[CoolNickname]

8 hours ago, hobokenbeachbum said:

I have never been out of the country. Unfortunately I lost my job a few months ago so money is an issue. European cruises are VERY expensive. I looked at backpacking through Europe and that is not inexpensive plus it is a little scary after reading travel restrictions and not knowing anything about the area etc. I thought a cruise would be safer and we would get to see different areas, even though it would be short times at each port. We have been to the caribbean and she loved it but just wants something different. I looked at NCL cruise to Greece - 7 days and it also stops at Turkey.  Any advice and suggestions would be helpful and appreciated. Thank you.

 

I have some experience with this since both my kids went to Europe after graduation. However both had been to Europe with me and without me but with a school group. Europe via a land journey can be much cheaper than a European cruise in my experience. 

 

Is she going to college? If so perhaps she could make her first trip through her school or even do a semester abroad after you have the job situation sorted. One of my daughters went to Fringe festival to perform with her college theater group. 

 

My other daughter went on her own with friends. I had them present their itinerary a couple of times, first starting with just a list of cities they wished to visit, and later on with things like the name and phone number of the hostel or hotel they would be staying at. I also researched the cities so I could help with recommendations. I started with Wikitravel for each city, and then used various travel websites to research further.

 

The kids rode trains to get between cities which we booked in advance online. Most of the time train journeys in Europe are less expensive if booked farther in advance. We also booked their hotels and hostels ahead. Sometimes a hotel is as cheap or cheaper than a hostel for a group depending on what you want for location. Hostels are generally cheaper in the inner city but sometimes if you go out a ways thanks to good public transport it is just as easy and cheaper to book a hotel. 

[Aquahound]

11 hours ago, hobokenbeachbum said:

 Unfortunately I lost my job a few months ago so money is an issue. 

 

Nothing more needs to be said.  You answered your own question.  Daughter needs to know a European cruise is unreasonable.  

[clo]

22 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

Nothing more needs to be said.  You answered your own question.  Daughter needs to know a European cruise is unreasonable.  

Absolutely. 

[zauberflote]

I haven't read most of the responses, but an idea immediately occurred to me if she is planning to go on her own. She's a digital native; she may easily be able to find a group of like-minded students to travel with. Perhaps gap year European kids, or local foreign-exchange students from her school or another. Perhaps there is scholarship $$ that includes working in Europe-- a great way to actually make some new friends in your new country!
We were lucky-- our son only wanted to go skydiving... but those 15-20 minutes he was aloft, and the 5 or so coming down with an instructor buddy-riding him through loop-the-loops Oh My the most harrowing moments of his scary-enough high school career.


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[Host Kat]

OP has posted twice to thank all for the advice and then again for the information & the taking of time for replies. And so this thread is locked.

 

Edited February 19, 2020 by Host Kat
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