Body & Soul0 min ago
How old?
I want to go on holiday without my parents but I am unsure what age you have to be? I am currently 16 soon to be 17.
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(Multi-part post):
This is a difficult question to answer. It involves UK law, foreign law and the terms & conditions imposed by individual travel companies, airlines and hotels.
Let's start by keeping it simple: If you simply book a room at a bed & breakfast in Blackpool, you'll obviously have no problems travelling by train to get there and, unless you arrive with a dozen drunken friends, it's extremely unlikely that the hotel will be in the least bit bothered that you're not yet legally an adult. (The chances are that they might not even notice). The only possible problem might be that they could insist upon full payment upon arrival (rather than departure) since you can't legally enter into a contract committing yourself to make payment at the end of your stay. Which leads me onto the first problem with overseas travel (which is probably what your question is referring to) . . . .
This is a difficult question to answer. It involves UK law, foreign law and the terms & conditions imposed by individual travel companies, airlines and hotels.
Let's start by keeping it simple: If you simply book a room at a bed & breakfast in Blackpool, you'll obviously have no problems travelling by train to get there and, unless you arrive with a dozen drunken friends, it's extremely unlikely that the hotel will be in the least bit bothered that you're not yet legally an adult. (The chances are that they might not even notice). The only possible problem might be that they could insist upon full payment upon arrival (rather than departure) since you can't legally enter into a contract committing yourself to make payment at the end of your stay. Which leads me onto the first problem with overseas travel (which is probably what your question is referring to) . . . .
Because you're not yet 18 you can't enter into any form of legal contract and that's exactly what a holiday booking is - a contract. It's primarily for this reason that all of the major holiday companies (e.g.Thompson) refuse to take bookings for unaccompanied persons under the age of 18 (even if the booking form is signed by an adult). There are also other reasons why travel companies refuse bookings from juveniles. These are to do with the laws of the countries to which they operate, which leads me to . . .
Legal problems: You shouldn't have any problem leaving the UK but a few countries might refuse you entry. Within the European Union, the only one I know of that is almost certain to refuse you entry is Portugal. (Unaccompanied under-18's can only enter Portugal if they can prove that an adult will be taking responsibility for them during their stay).
This, of course, assumes that you've managed to find a way to leave the UK in the first place. As I've already indicated, almost all travel firms will refuse to accept the booking, which means that you're going to have to make separate flight and hotel arrangements. This leads me to ....
Airlines: At last some good news! Different airlines have different policies but many (probably most) will be happy to let you travel. Ryanair, for example, refuse to carry unaccompanied passengers under 14 years of age and impose rules regarding the carriage of 14 & 15-year-olds but, at 16, you get your liberty. So, at last we've got you out of the country! ( . . . as long as you weren't planning to travel to Portugal of course!).
So you arrive at your destination. What's next? Obviously it's the transfer to your hotel. Here, at least, you shouldn't have any problems. Whether you're travelling by bus, train or taxi, there shouldn't be any problems with transport to get you to your hotel (but see my note below about costs). Which leads me to . . . .
So you arrive at your destination. What's next? Obviously it's the transfer to your hotel. Here, at least, you shouldn't have any problems. Whether you're travelling by bus, train or taxi, there shouldn't be any problems with transport to get you to your hotel (but see my note below about costs). Which leads me to . . . .
Accommodation: Because the package operators won't take your booking, you're going to have to book your accommodation independently. This isn't normally a problem because most budget airlines (e.g. Ryanair and Easyjet) have links to suitable accommodation. (An off-topic, but important, note here: If you're combining budget airline deals with the accommodation they offer, make sure that you research the transfer details. You don't want to arrive at your destination airport only to find that your accommodation can only be reached by a �100 taxi ride!). The only problem might be if you arrive at a hotel and they refuse you admission because of your age. (Many hotels ask to see your passport when you arrive, so you won't be able to lie). While I think that this is extremely unlikely, it has to be considered. So what should you do? OK, heres my plan of action:
1. Check out the budget airlines' websites to find some cheap flights. (Check the small print to make sure that they'll let you travel. I know Ryanair will but I've not checked the other operators). Don't book yet!
2. Now check the hotel links from the airline's website and find something which looks suitable. Don't book yet!
3. Check the transport available between the airport and your favoured hotel. (A hint here: If you put the name of the destination airport into a search engine, you should be able to find the website of the airport. This will almost certainly have information about transport links). Don't book yet!
4. Phone the hotel to check that they'll be happy to provide you with accommodation. Get the name of the person you speak to and write it down. (This is just in case the worst happens and they deny the agreement when you arrive).
5. Assuming everything's now in place, check that the flights and hotels are still available at the price you were originally quoted.
6. Book the flights.
7. Book the hotel.
8. If there's a pre-bookable transfer, book this as well.
9. Look forward to your holiday!
Phew! That was a long-winded answer! What it all comes down to is this:
If you don't feel confident about booking the various elements of your holiday independently, then you'll have to wait until you're 18 before you can book a package deal.
If, however, you're happy to put your own holiday together, then there's no reason why you can't travel in the near future.
Hoping this helps,
Chris
2. Now check the hotel links from the airline's website and find something which looks suitable. Don't book yet!
3. Check the transport available between the airport and your favoured hotel. (A hint here: If you put the name of the destination airport into a search engine, you should be able to find the website of the airport. This will almost certainly have information about transport links). Don't book yet!
4. Phone the hotel to check that they'll be happy to provide you with accommodation. Get the name of the person you speak to and write it down. (This is just in case the worst happens and they deny the agreement when you arrive).
5. Assuming everything's now in place, check that the flights and hotels are still available at the price you were originally quoted.
6. Book the flights.
7. Book the hotel.
8. If there's a pre-bookable transfer, book this as well.
9. Look forward to your holiday!
Phew! That was a long-winded answer! What it all comes down to is this:
If you don't feel confident about booking the various elements of your holiday independently, then you'll have to wait until you're 18 before you can book a package deal.
If, however, you're happy to put your own holiday together, then there's no reason why you can't travel in the near future.
Hoping this helps,
Chris
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