Is 14 too young to send a girl alone from Florida to France?

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Eclipsepearl

Please go but have your parents sign you up at an Unaccompanied Minor.

I'm an ex-Flight Attendant and I've had many Unaccompanied Minors (UM's) on my flights. There is an extra fee for this service and as a Flight Attendant, I had passengers as old as 16 flying as "UM's". Most were the children of divorced parents flying between the two. Courts require they fly this way since they are not under the control of either parent so I did see a lot of teens doing this. I also saw older UM's flying with younger siblings. On their own, it was probably unnecessary but it's easier to make all of the UM's together.

The advantage of being a UM is that the ground agents will escort you through security to the gate. This means that you wont have to look for where you're going and you only have to follow them. Once on the aircraft, the Flight Attendants will know that you're flying without an adult and will keep an eye out for you.

Once the plane lands, you'll be given instructions but usually you have to wait till the other passengers get off and then they will hand you over to a ground agent who will help you change gates in Philly and Brussels and in Nice, they will then help you collect your luggage and bring you directly to whomever is meeting you. You must have someone from the program come and meet you!

Again, you wont have to look for your bags yourself. Put bright ribbons or anything distinctive on yours' so you can see them from a distance. It will also help the ground agent to pick them out too. You'll only have to say "the one with the blue ribbon" and not have to describe the bags in details (they all look alike anyway).

In Brussels and Nice, you wont have to do anything with your bags (unless landing in the States, read more later) and they'll take you directly over to your next flight. All airline personel have to speak English so there wont be any language difficulties.

Don't think it's treating you as a baby. Airports can look a little crazy and will all the security points, your parents can't take you to the gate themselves, like they did with me when I was little and flew alone. You will simply be following someone in a uniform around and yes, they stay with you on layovers. Often they have a special waiting room.

Please note that they will take your passport and ticket. This is normal. They will fill out your paperwork for you on the airplane and you will have to go through customs and immigration as soon as you land in the States. Usually, UM's get to go through the quick line with the agent.

Please cooperate with all the airline staff and follow their instructions. Trust me, UM's are taken very seriously by the airlines and these employees will get in big trouble if they lose you! You might be doing this with a group of other kids.

If you don't understand anything, be quick to let them know. Repeat back to them what you thought you heard (this is helpful) rather than just saying that you don't understand. Remember that Americans are used to accents and will appreciate any efforts made in English.

If the person meeting you in the U.S. is late, they will stay with you until they arrive. Make sure that person has all flight information (connecting flights) and ask them to check the internet or call the airlines to be sure of the time to be there.

Bring some snacks and whatever to pass the time. Recharge any electronical gadgets before leaving and/or bring extra batteries. Get a European converter for your recharger and bring it with you so you can recharge anything in Brussels. Bring some books and magazines since the selection in English is limited outside the States (especially for young people). Consider ordering a special meal if you're a fussy eater or have other dietary concerns.

For the record, I would not hesitate to send my own children as "UM"s. It reliable and means you will have an easier time, especially in the airports themselves.

Nice is great in the spring. It's already warm down there (my husband is in southern France for business right now). I was a foreign student in France myself so I hope you have a really good time and if I managed to convince my over-paranoid mother to go, you can too!

haleysname

i'm 23, and there is no way i'd fly alone. plus, why would you want to go on vacation alone? i'm a nervous ninny, though.

being in a foreign country by yourself just seems like a bad idea.

soccerknocker199

If the program is real and you have traveled by yourself before or have flown alot then no i dont think it is a problem but if you have never flown before or alone then no because if you get lost and your alone it is going to be hard to help you. but i do belive it is up to your parents.

will u be in France by urself? If so, then yes that is to young! U can't even check into a hotel by urself! If you are visiting family or friends then I dont see a major problem.

Princesspea

Absolutely fine. But then again I am from NZ and i have found that NZers and Australians tend to be a bit more used to having to travel for holidays so therefore don't see it as quite the big drama when younger people also have to travel to get somewhere.

I would suggest that you download maps of each airport. As long as you can read you won't have a problem getting around those airports but the maps may help your mother feel better.

John

I don't think that it would be good to connect through Belguim unless you speak FLUENT French/Flemish/Possibly German. And you'll also be really rushed with connections.

However, if you could alter the itinerary (possibly Jacksonville - New York - Nice) on Air France so you wouldn't have to connect in a foreign country, I think that it would be okay.

SoCal

If you'd be alone in France, yes. If you were going to meet someone, then that could be ok...

Thomas T

Different airlines have different policies for "unaccompanied minors" so you and your mom should check with each carrier to confirm what each can do to help and what the limit of their liability is. Usually most airlines are OK with 14 year olds traveling alone. But why all the flight changes? Even if it's a bit of a drive from Jacksonville, can't you book a flight from Orlando or Miami that goes non-stop to Paris with a connection to Nice? With your current itinerary, will you be able to check your luggage all the way through? The last thing you'd want to do is collect your bags in Philadephia and recheck them to Brussels and then go through security all over again. Also you and your mom should talk about contingency plans if there are flight delays or cancellations en route. That may be a low probablity but it does happen. The airlines or a good travel agent should be able to help with other questions you may have. Bon voyage et bonne vacances!

The Pink Airplane

I think it is a bit too young. That's a long day (actually, 2 days) of traveling, and if you accidentally doze off in one of your connecting airports or if a health problem or other emergency should arise, I think it'd be better if you had someone with you to help.

Alan S

ITS A BAD IDEA !! there could be a child pretator that could try to rape you and that would be kinda bad

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