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Wednesday, 3 October 2023

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Parents

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.

Preparation before leaving

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 things that you should try and ensure your child does before leaving:

check the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) Travel Advice website (link below) or call 0845 850 2829 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 with family and friends