Young people on holiday alone  

Thousands of teenagers go on holiday without their parents every year and they have a great — and perfectly safe — time.
While there may be further arrangements that you or your child will want to consider to ensure their safety, set out below are some of the key issues that you may want to think about.

Preparation before leaving

The top 10 summary of things that you should try and ensure your child does before leaving are:

* check the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) Travel Advice website (link below) or call 0870 606 0290 and make sure your child knows the address of the nearest British Embassy or Consulate in case of emergency
* get travel insurance and check that the cover is appropriate
* get a good guidebook to ensure they get to know their destination and find out about local laws and customs
* ensure they have a valid passport and necessary visas
* check what vaccinations are needed at least six weeks before going
* make sure the travel agent being used is an ABTA member and, if flying, make sure the holiday package is ATOL protected
* make copies of their passport, insurance policy plus 24-hour emergency number, and ticket details — and ensure that copies are left with family and friends
* take enough money for the trip and some back-up funds eg travellers cheques, sterling or US dollars
* leave a copy of the itinerary and a way of contacting them — such as email — with family and friends