A TV celebrity’s 15-year-old son went traveling in Europe without an adult. Cue the outrage

(CNN) — In late August, UK television personality Kirstie Allsopp found herself in an unexpected media storm after a series of her social media posts describing her 15-year-old son’s trip through Europe went viral.

“My little boy has returned from 3 weeks inter-railing,” Allsopp wrote on X, referring to a popular European train pass called Interrail. She explained that her son, Oscar, and his 16-year-old friend traveled to major cities including Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Barcelona and Madrid.

Allsopp closed the thread by stating “if we’re afraid our children will also be afraid, if we let go, they will fly,” and tagging @freerangekids, the handle of Lenore Shenazy, a US-based writer and proponent of free-range parenting.

The original post on X now has two million views, and while many commenters staunchly defended Allsopp, who co-hosts the UK real-estate reality show “Location, Location, Location,” others expressed disapproval about her decision. The controversy made headlines in the British press and, according to Allsopp, even caught the attention of UK social services.

The hoopla has mostly since quieted down, but the incident has also sparked ongoing conversations about the main underlying question: What age is too young to travel without adult supervision?

‘Empowering travelers’

According to travel insiders and safety experts, an exact number is impossible to pin down, since it depends on a wide range of factors, from the maturity and experience of the traveler in question to a country or state’s laws about minimum ages to the safety of the destination.

“I know 50-year-olds who are feckless and couldn’t be trusted to go to another country, so I don’t think it’s an age [issue],” Carolyn Pearson, CEO of Maiden Voyage, a firm that specializes in helping business travelers stay safe while traveling, told CNN Travel. “I think it’s a maturity and an outlook which determines whether or not somebody is fit to travel. It’s down to the individual and the caregivers that a mature decision is made on the suitability of the person and the suitability of the place that they’re traveling to.”

Pearson said the controversy surrounding Allsopp was the subject of “quite animated” household debate with her partner (until, she said, he learned that Oscar’s trip wasn’t illegal, leading him to agree with Pearson that it was “a non-story”). But as the founder of a company that teaches people how to travel safely, Pearson also understands that safety is a main concern for parents considering whether to let their children travel without them.

“It’s a subject that’s really close to my heart, because my raison d’être is to have anybody travel anywhere that they want to, albeit, we do it in a way to make them feel safe and be safe,” Pearson said. “I’m all about empowering travelers, and I think also the life skills that someone’s going to learn in three weeks traveling by themselves is probably going to be more than what they’re going to learn for three years in school.”

Traveling via train as a minor

From a legal perspective, Oscar’s European adventure did not appear to violate any laws. He and his 16-year-old friend traveled to several European Union countries with Interrail, a type of train pass that enables passengers to take advantage of the bloc’s open borders (a Eurail pass, meanwhile, is available for travelers residing outside the EU).

Interrailing and Eurailing, as this mode of train transit is often known, are popular among young people aiming to visit many European destinations before starting college. In fact, there’s a Youth Pass offering a discount for travelers between 12 and 27 years old.

In an email to CNN, an Interrail spokesperson confirmed that minors can purchase Interrail and Eurail passes. They also emphasized that travelers should always check the Conditions of Use beforehand regarding specific requirements “of the exit and destination country,” noting that it is “the sole responsibility of the traveller or their legal representative to verify which rules and restrictions apply and ensure they are followed.”

Mark Smith, an expert on train travel who runs the site The Man in Seat 61, also points out that “in many cases there aren’t any formal rules” around age limits for train passengers, though the sector has become more controlled than in decades past, especially as some airlines have paired with train operators for ticketing options.

“Historically, trains were just ‘there’ like roads and pavements, and it was up to you where you sent your kids at what age, not the transport provider,” Smith explained. “That has changed a bit towards the ‘rules for everything’ ecosystem that the airlines have brought us, but generally you’ll only find such age limits on airline-style services such as Eurostar, or possibly in a train operator’s small print that may or may not be enforced in any way in practice.”

Meanwhile, an official European Union website for travel regulations is notably ambiguous, stating that some countries may require a consent letter for minors but also that “there are no EU rules on this matter.”

As Channel Tunnel train operator Eurostar states on its website, children aged 12-15 years are allowed to travel to certain Eurostar destinations, but they must have a completed consent form and only travel on trains departing between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. local time. There are additional requirements for French residents, and passengers under 16 are not allowed to travel unaccompanied by an adult on direct trains to or from the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, US train operator Amtrak specifies on its website that children aged 13, 14, and 15 are allowed to travel as unaccompanied minors. However, an adult must be present for departure an hour beforehand and sign a consent form. Station personnel also interview the minor in question “to determine if the child is capable of traveling alone.”

What are the rules at hostels and hotels?

Most hostels – the accommodation of choice for many cash-strapped younger travelers looking to stretch their budgets as much as possible – have some guardrails in place around unaccompanied minors.

An employee from Hostelling International, the world’s largest youth hostel network, confirmed to CNN Travel via email that minors under 18 years of age need a completed consent form from a legal guardian to stay at properties within its 60 member associations. That said, there’s no minimum age for guests: “HI hostels welcome everyone, without any discrimination. As long as you are curious and want to experience the world you will find a safe place away from home,” HI states on its FAQ page.

However, as the employee also noted, different member hostels may have their own rules about age requirements. The Netherlands-based Stayokay hostels, for example, require a minimum age of 16 years for travelers unaccompanied by an adult at their 21 locations. In addition, travelers aged 16 or 17 must stay in a private, not shared, room, a Stayokay employee told CNN Travel via email.

On the hotel front, many major chains have a minimum age of 18 or 21 years for guests, which is often listed in a brand’s FAQ page, along with other requirements.

But there are gray areas, too: Hyatt, for example, states that “generally, the minimum age to reserve a guestroom at Hyatt is 21 years old. However, this age may vary by hotel,” and encourages guests to check ahead of time regarding policies. A person who meets the minimum age requirement also must be present at check-in and is required to be a registered guest.

Hilton, meanwhile, has no standard policy but recommends on its help page that guests check with individual properties. Similarly, IHG Hotels and Resorts does not specify a minimum age but recommends guests to check with individual properties.

‘Extremely beneficial’

Proponents of allowing eager young travelers to explore the world at ages that might raise a few eyebrows say the benefits can outweigh the risks.

Cole Robinson, a documentary filmmaker based in Manchester, describes his first solo trip – to Barcelona at age 16 – as an “immensely pivotal decision in my life,” which inspired him to pursue a career that would allow him to travel the world.

After convincing his parents he was responsible and ready, Robinson was off. As soon as he settled into his hostel in the city’s Eixample district and began getting to know his fellow travelers, Robinson’s passion for travel was ignited.

“Just sitting in that communal area in the hostel and chatting to people from all over and having conversations that I found so interesting, hearing other people’s perspectives and about the way they live their lives, I think it’s still with me,” Robinson says.

Robinson continued traveling, first with friends to more European countries and then trekking around South America solo. “That was my goal from ages 17 to 19 – go to as many places as possible,” he said. Robinson began making videos from his travels, which eventually led to him founding a video production company, Filmit UK.

“Travel, it throws up so many difficult situations, and there’s so much unpredictability,” Robinson said. “I think especially for a young person to navigate those challenges and do so well, it’s extremely beneficial to their development.”

Lured down a dark alley

On the flip side, some experts contend that just because a teenager is legally allowed to travel without adult supervision doesn’t mean they should.

“I think age 18 is a good guideline for a long trip without adult supervision,” said Jenny Rankin, a California-based educational researcher and author, via email. “I can imagine dropping this to age 17 for a responsible youth like [Allsopp’s son] Oscar, but I feel 15 is too young for an extended teen-only trip.”

According to Rankin, a big part of the challenge boils down to still-developing brain function in teenagers. A region called the prefrontal cortex, which affects impulse control, emotional regulation, and decision-making, “lags behind other brain functions during teen years and is still trying to catch up,” Rankin explained – which can be especially problematic in unfamiliar environments and situations.

“Even a 15- or 16-year-old boy who makes great decisions in non-emotional areas, like solving algebraic problems, is prone to sudden, unexpectedly poor judgments when influenced by emotion or impulse, like whether to follow an attractive teen down a dark alley or run across train tracks when trying to catch a ride,” Rankin said.

Cultural differences, too, play a major role. “In the US it is commonly accepted that European teens are more independent and embraced into adult culture earlier, like French teens commonly drinking wine at family dinners,” Rankin said. Beyond a younger legal drinking age – 18 years for most European countries, as opposed to 21 in the US – mass transit in Europe and many Asian countries is far more robust, which makes transportation much more convenient and safer.

For Jonathan Alder, founder of award-winning agency Jonathan’s Travels, an especially poignant moment highlighting those cultural differences happened during a trip to Japan with clients in September 2023.

On the country’s famously efficient train system, the group noticed a dapperly dressed young boy – “somewhere between four and six years old,” Alder guessed – apparently heading to school by himself. Alder’s group was initially concerned – “until we realized he was totally fine,” Alder said. “No one on the train was blinking twice.”

Such a sight might be alarming for US-based travelers not accustomed to seeing young children given such freedoms – Japan, after all, is home to a reality show called “Old Enough!” in which toddlers run errands solo. And despite the initial shock, these scenarios can offer takeaways for parents of future travelers, says Alder, who has planned many trips for unaccompanied minors throughout his career as a travel advisor.

“It’s all about the individual kid,” he said. “It takes a moment to get out of your own culture and get what this is, and also be able to trust your kids enough and raise them in a way that they can do this.”

How young travelers can stay safe

For parents or guardians who are nervously anticipating their teenagers’ first trips sans adults, a few steps can help make the experience as smooth and safe as possible.

Michelle Couch-Friedman, founder and CEO of Consumer Rescue, a consumer advocacy nonprofit, recommends avoiding using third-party sites to book airline tickets, which can make cancellations, delays and other disruptions far more challenging for young travelers to navigate. Booking directly ensures that “the entire trip is connected and the carrier will be required to reroute your child if any leg of the trip is canceled or delayed,” she said.

Couch-Friedman also strongly encourages travelers to check airlines’ policies on unaccompanied minors ahead of time to avoid stressful situations. ​​“I’ve had some pretty awful cases that involved parents who believed their child was old enough to fly internationally alone, but failed to check that all airlines on the child’s itinerary agreed,” she said.

Pearson, the safety expert, highly recommends all travelers – but especially young women and travelers who identify as LGBTQ – take a self-defense course or workshop prior to their trip. Pearson also cautioned against travelers sharing photos or information on social media of their current or upcoming locations, noting that it’s safer to post after they’ve left a destination.

Finally, Pearson advises travelers to be “really tuned into their intuition. If something doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not right.”

No matter where green globetrotters are headed, a consent letter from parents or legal guardians also is essential – even better if it’s notarized – along with a valid passport and other forms of official identification. And don’t forget good travel insurance, which is even more critical for novice travelers. “Travel insurance companies have a vested interest in mitigating their customers’ problems,” Couch-Friedman explained. “So that will be an additional level of protection your child will have for his or her first solo adventure.”

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