# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/141 "2015-03-26T13:07:01Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Just for that comment I dare you to donate to [Shot@Life](https://secure.globalproblems-globalsolutions.org/site/SPageNavigator/SAL_Donate.html). > > No air conditioned bunnies or once in a lifetime trips for fourteen year olds. Just the real chance to help a kid truly in need and move a step closer to removing measles from the planet. > > I’ll match it up to $20. Deal? > > 😉 Based on the other poster’s comments I’ve got a bad feeling that your kid has autism. If so, my sincere apologies for the comment. Just random bad luck/foot in the mouth disease here, nothing malicious here. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/142 "2015-03-26T13:22:01Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Based on the other poster’s comments I’ve got a bad feeling that your kid has autism. > > If so, my sincere apologies for the comment. Just random bad luck/foot in the mouth disease here, nothing malicious here. I have two kids. Neither has autism. FYI, rubella vaccination (the r in the MMR vaccine) actually helps [prevent](http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/11/340) autism. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/143 "2015-03-26T13:25:13Z")
> [@Moonlitherial](#): > > My parents (divorced from each other and living in different places) both did that while I was in basic training. Luckily they picked me up at the airport! That’s it. You found the answer. Mistee needs to have her daughter enlist in the Navy. She’ll get free travel all over the world. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/144 "2015-03-26T13:36:26Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Based on the other poster’s comments I’ve got a bad feeling that your kid has autism. > > If so, my sincere apologies for the comment. Just random bad luck/foot in the mouth disease here, nothing malicious here. The other poster was referring, I think, to the fact that LavenderBlue, along with Kolga, [wrote a book about vaccines](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=662222). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/145 "2015-03-26T14:25:23Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > That’s it. You found the answer. > > Mistee needs to have her daughter enlist in the Navy. She’ll get free travel all over the world. That’s what I did, and was lucky enough to spend seven _years_ in Europe as a result. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/146 "2015-03-26T15:42:21Z")
> [@Octarine](#): > > On the one hand: yeah, obviously the begging thread is even more ridiculous than the typical internet panhandling. On the other hand: to all the people in this thread who are proud of never having left the US? The world’s a pretty cool place. Just sayin’. > [@Guinastasia](#): > > Who the hell here said that? I think he/she/it means me. To which I say, the US is a pretty cool place too and I haven’t seen hardly any of it but am doing so as I can save the money. ---
**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 26, 2015, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/147 "2015-03-26T16:40:08Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > Say. That’s a mighty nice handbasket you have there. Where’re you headed? Apparently Thailand with my Groupons. I have one for 5 baht off a “handbasket job”. Apparently it has a hole and is suspended from the ceiling and can spin and they put the … well anyways thanks for reminding me. ---
**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 26, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/148 "2015-03-26T16:45:40Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > [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] This is the last time I take [pitting advice from splatterpunk](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18100593&postcount=17). And the AIDS thing? It was wishing it was a skinny cactus [on a diet suppressor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayds) so it wouldn’t hurt as much. See? It was a compassionate pitting but silly me I misspelled the name of the candy. ETA: AIDS cactus is an awesome punk band name ---
**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 26, 2015, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/149 "2015-03-26T16:47:27Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Spelling has never been my strong point. Are you [del]begging[/del] raising funds for spelling lessons? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/150 "2015-03-26T16:53:10Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > My daughter has been to Europe twice - and is fifteen. She MIGHT go to Columbia this summer for a friend’s quinceanera. She goes to NYC tomorrow with school. Last Summer was an EF tour like this one. They are great opportunities. > > My son’s been to Europe once, he passed on last Summer’s trip for baseball. He leaves on Saturday for a baseball training camp in Florida over Spring break. > > My kids haven’t paid for these trips - my husband and I have. We value these opportunities. But frankly, keeping my own kids in opportunities and college funds plus funding my own retirement - plus the “donations” we make in buying candy bars and cookie dough for our friends’ kids’ once in a lifetime opportunity is challenging enough without funding an internet stranger’s kid. I know right. My life is super awesome like yours and what with my yacht payments and the Tesla I’m saving up for there is no way in fucking hell that I could afford to drop $5 or $10 on some stupid kid I don’t know. > [@Guinastasia](#): > > Oh, and when people DID ignore it the first time around – she bumped it. I know right. With how super illegal it is to bump a thread, even just once, on this message board I’m surprised she hasn’t been shot by the internet police. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/151 "2015-03-26T17:22:38Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > I know right. My life is super awesome like yours and what with my yacht payments and the Tesla I’m saving up for there is no way in fucking hell that I could afford to drop $5 or $10 on some stupid kid I don’t know. > > … > > I know right. With how super illegal it is to bump a thread, even just once, on this message board I’m surprised she hasn’t been shot by the internet police. It’s possible you might be a little more upset about this than the situation warrants. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/152 "2015-03-26T18:52:41Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > I’m surprised she hasn’t been shot by the internet police. This must be an American board. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/153 "2015-03-26T19:13:48Z")
I’m feeling embiggened. If I set up a GoFundMe to finish my degree, can I count on y’all? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/154 "2015-03-26T20:08:19Z")
Shouldn’t you set up a GoFundMe to get embiggened? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/155 "2015-03-26T20:35:40Z")
Or you could just check your the spam filter the next time you check your e-mail. There’s probably some type of special offer for embiggening. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/156 "2015-03-26T20:46:10Z")
Okay, I looked at the details of this if-this-is-Tuesday-it-must-be-Belgium tour, and I noticed that one of the fabulous things Emily gets to see is the Arc de Triomphe. Except, you don’t need a tour guide to see the Arc de Triomphe. It’s just sitting there in the middle of downtown Paris. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe anyone can walk up to it and go in. Sheesh. It’s like people who come to L.A. and say “I want to see the Hollywood sign!” Well, there it is. Look all you like. ---
**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 26, 2015, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/157 "2015-03-26T20:52:42Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > I’m feeling embiggened. If I set up a GoFundMe to finish my degree, can I count on y’all? :rolleyes: > [@Kimballkid](#): > > Shouldn’t you set up a GoFundMe to get embiggened? > > 😃 I thought that was what the Thailand trip was for. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/158 "2015-03-26T20:56:24Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > Okay, I looked at the details of this if-this-is-Tuesday-it-must-be-Belgium tour, and I noticed that one of the fabulous things Emily gets to see is the Arc de Triomphe. Except, you don’t need a tour guide to see the Arc de Triomphe. It’s just sitting there in the middle of downtown Paris. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe anyone can walk up to it and go in. Sheesh. It’s like people who come to L.A. and say “I want to see the Hollywood sign!” Well, there it is. Look all you like. I’ve taken the Gray Line tours in the US before. What the tour guide will do, if they’re any good, is explain the history and significance of the thing you’re looking at. So if this is the Arc de Triomphe, who had it built and why? Who was the architect? What was it modeled on? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/159 "2015-03-26T21:19:12Z")
I hear that sort of information is also available from books. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939/160 "2015-03-26T21:37:51Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I’ve taken the Gray Line tours in the US before. What the tour guide will do, if they’re any good, is explain the history and significance of the thing you’re looking at. So if this is the Arc de Triomphe, who had it built and why? Who was the architect? What was it modeled on? Sure, but how engaging is that for a 14/15 year old? I grant you some 14/15 year olds might find that fascinating, but I think it’s far more likely they’ll be bored shitless. Far better to do something (for the London days for example) like setting them loose in the Science Museum or the Natural History Museum where there’s loads of really great interactive stuff for kids, for FREE. Then there’s heaps of really good guided historical walks, they could have a picnic in St. James’s Park, the London Eye, and on and on and on. It’s this lack of imagination in the itinerary that would stop me paying to send my kids on this trip, let alone anyone else’s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-four-thousand-dollar-trip-to-europe-for-a-fourteen-year-old/715939.md?page=9)