# A four thousand dollar trip to Europe for a fourteen year old? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 25, 2015, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939 "2015-03-25T14:11:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/61 "2015-03-25T19:27:01Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > See a seven year-old, knock.it down to 25% Dude, not cool. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/62 "2015-03-25T19:27:53Z")
\*The trip: June 6- June 22 Fly out of Des Moines to Munich, Germany spend two and a half days in Germany with visits to Frauenkirche, Neues Rathaus, Hofbrauhaus, Olympic Stadium, Residenz, Marienplatz, and Dachau. Next they will travel to Venice; while they are there the students will tour St. Mark’s Square, Grand Canal, visit Doge’s Palace and view a glass blowing demonstration. After Venice, Emily will travel to Rome where there are so many things to do – including taking a guided tour of Vatican City, visiting the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum. The students will take a self-guided walking tour that will lead them by Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and the Spanish Steps. As a group, they will make the decision when they are in Rome to either take a cooking class or use that time to explore on their own (in small groups). From Rome they will move on to Florence via Assisi. Once in Florence, the group will see the Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio, Chiesa di Santa Croce, the Gates of Paradise, and finally they will visit the Duomo. While in Florence, Emily and her group will be watching a leather making demonstration. Once their visit in Florence is complete, they will travel to the Lucerne region where they will visit Lion Monument and Chapel Bridge. Additionally, they will ride the Pilatus cog railway to the top of Mount Pilatus. They will then travel to Burgundy and tour Dijon. Paris is the next stop on this amazing adventure. While in Paris, Emily will visit Notre Dame Cathedral. In other tours she will see Ile de la Cite, Conciergerie, Palace de la Concorde, Champs- Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, Les Invalides, and the Eiffel Tower. The final destination of this trip is London. Sites that will be visited in London are The Strand, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Convent Garden, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Piccadilly Circus, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Westminster Abbey. Emily will have the opportunity to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.\* She’s 14. I’m willing to bet that a 14 year old has no interest in seeing and doing this stuff…I’m sure the real attraction is going to be hanging out with her friends, enjoying the lack of parental supervision and getting up to all kinds of stuff that her parents would disapprove of. A trip like this is wasted on someone that’s 14. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/63 "2015-03-25T19:31:40Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > I don’t have a problem with it. I don’t feel any pressure to give, and to think travel is a valuable experience if you can make it happen. > > My high school graduation present was a set of tickets to Europe. I financed most of the rest from savings. I had a good (and surprisingly wholesome) time backpacking around, and it definitely built my confidence and independence. It really bothers me that you would even attempt to conflate these two situations and make it seem like we’re somehow against people going to Europe. Your situation is how it should be: someone gifted you the tickets, you paid for the rest, you had a great time. Also you were 17 or 18 or 19 (high school graduation). This kid is 14 and her mom is expecting strangers to finance the trip. It’s not even in the same ballpark! ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/64 "2015-03-25T19:31:46Z")
I am a little disturbed that the moderators have decided to open up the SDMB to posts linking to these type of gofundme solicitations. I can forsee that in a very short time there will be a separate thread category just for them. Oh, and by the way, I will be posting a link to a gofundme so I can raise funds to go to that nice restaurant that just opened, and another one because I saw this pair of shoes that are just to die for!, and one for that BMW I’ve been eyeing, oh and one for my cruise vacation, and to be honest there is some plastic surgery I’ve been thinking about, etc. etc. etc. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/65 "2015-03-25T19:42:32Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > It really bothers me that you would even attempt to conflate these two situations and make it seem like we’re somehow against people going to Europe. Your situation is how it should be: someone gifted you the tickets, you paid for the rest, you had a great time. Also you were 17 or 18 or 19 (high school graduation). > > This kid is 14 and her mom is expecting strangers to finance the trip. > > It’s not even in the same ballpark! I don’t mean to conflate the two situations-- taking about my trip was an afterthought. I just don’t mind her asking. I doubt it will work, but if begging strangers online doesn’t bother her, it doesn’t bother me. I’m not going to contribute-- it’s an absurd thing to ask. But if she wants to try it, go for it. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/66 "2015-03-25T19:46:53Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > I don’t mean to conflate the two situations-- taking about my trip was an afterthought. > > I just don’t mind her asking. I doubt it will work, but if begging strangers online doesn’t bother her, it doesn’t bother me. I’m not going to contribute-- it’s an absurd thing to ask. But if she wants to try it, go for it. I think it’s really cool that you went, btw. Like I said earlier, I had an opportunity to study abroad for a semester and my parents wouldn’t allow me because my teacher was male. :rolleyes: Considering where I was when I actually got molested, it is the height of irony, isn’t it. (That would be at home.) ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/67 "2015-03-25T19:47:49Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Considering where I was when I actually got molested, it is the height of irony, isn’t it. (That would be at home.) Thanks for telling us all more about your molestation in this thread where it totally fits into the conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/68 "2015-03-25T19:50:46Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > Thanks for telling us all more about your molestation in this thread where it totally fits into the conversation. Yeah, sorry, I didn’t mean to bring it up like that. Was just feeling cranky. Feel free to report me and maybe the mods can remove it or something. ---
**Author:** ![Fallen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@Fallen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fallen)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/69 "2015-03-25T19:50:59Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > Thanks for telling us all more about your molestation in this thread where it totally fits into the conversation. Er, wino, it was a (small-font) aside and fits into her observations about a trip on which she (?) might have gone when she was a teen, and the reason why she didn’t. Don’t see such a nitpick as worthwhile or appropriate, but if it makes you feel better about who-knows-what, g’ head. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/70 "2015-03-25T20:00:25Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > I don’t have a problem with it. I don’t feel any pressure to give, and to think travel is a valuable experience if you can make it happen. > > My high school graduation present was a set of tickets to Europe. I financed most of the rest from savings. I had a good (and surprisingly wholesome) time backpacking around, and it definitely built my confidence and independence. That’s the thing with moxy. If you do it right, it definitely can work out for you. And if it doesn’t, at least everyone knows you aren’t afraid to market yourself. Moxy is a positive character trait. The week-long trip I took to Europe when I was in high school wasn’t that big of a thing in the grand scheme. But all these years later, I still think about something we did or saw and I realize it was kind of a cool adventure I had, for a little girl from SW Atlanta. I think the thing a person needs to be mindful of is blowing one’s wad right out of the gate. If I donate to a 14-year-old’s vacation, I don’t want her hitting me up a few years later to help her buy a new car or college tuition. Or spring break trip to Cacun. Or her Hawaii honeymoon. Especially if there are a bunch of other teenagers who are trying to hit me up for money…and the only time this 14-year-old ever talks to me is when she’s thanking me for the gifts I’ve given her. There’s a fine line between moxy and unabashed begging. So it is wise to tread carefully. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/71 "2015-03-25T20:02:39Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > I don’t have a problem with it. I don’t feel any pressure to give, and to think travel is a valuable experience if you can make it happen. That’s all fine, but I don’t know what valuable experience they’ll get from the London part of the itinerary. The Strand, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Convent [sic] Garden, Piccadilly Circus. Really? That’s basically a road, three fucking roundabouts and a glorified shopping precinct with an opera house on one side. It’s like they planned it using the UK Monopoly board and a cheesy postcard someone sent them. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/72 "2015-03-25T20:03:45Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > I did a school trip to Europe when I was sixteen… After I had mowed lawns and did odd jobs all year to pay for it. If $1500 is doable for a teenager in 1986, $4000 should be in 2014. May be even easier in 2015. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/73 "2015-03-25T20:09:15Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Manual transmissions are pointless. Using one is like navigating a ship with a sextant. Maybe learning the theory is useful, but actually doing it in practice is a waste of time. > > Come at me bro. They are useful–_for having fun while driving_. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/74 "2015-03-25T20:13:16Z")
> [@markdash](#): > > They are useful–_for having fun while driving_. Try rush hour driving. Maybe L.A. or the SF Bay Area. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/75 "2015-03-25T20:16:32Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > Dude, not cool. Especially as you are not using the 2-for-1 Groupon ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/76 "2015-03-25T20:26:25Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I have no interest in visiting Europe. I’ve turned down four opportunities in the past ten years. If I’m going on vacation it’s a Caribbean beach, drinking, and smoking locally sourced ganja. 🆒 I’m even more jingoistic than that as I have no desire to travel outside the US. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/77 "2015-03-25T20:43:52Z")
While I wholly endorse the sentiment, this Pitting loses points for not being titled Pay MissTee For Me. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/78 "2015-03-25T20:45:53Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > [QUOTE=billfish678] > My vacation plans this summer possibly involve seeing a 14 year old in Thailand. And its half the price! > > Please send money! See a seven year-old, knock.it down to 25% [/QUOTE] > [@Penfeather](#): > > Dude, not cool. > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Especially as you are not using the 2-for-1 Groupon Say. That’s a mighty nice handbasket you have there. Where’re you headed? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/79 "2015-03-25T20:50:42Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I taxi the family around all of NoCo every freaking day so the OP can go ahead and fuck herself in the ass with a cactus - a cactus with AIDS. [Moderating] Telling other posters to fuck themselves is a violation of the Pit’s language rule. And doing it with an AIDS cactus is arguably wishing death on another poster. At any rate, please don’t do this again. No warning issued. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/80 "2015-03-25T20:56:43Z")
I was unemployed for 3+ years and I was being foreclosed on, and I never asked here or anywhere else for money. Is it too late? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939.md?page=5)