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What Do You Do When Your Daughter Wants to Backpack the World Without You?

Our children grow up eventually and they want to do all sorts of things we don't want them to do however we remember being their age and we remember what we did and we have a hard time saying NO.

There comes a time, whether in their late teens or early twenties when sons and daughters alike want to go out and discover the world. This sometimes comes as a shock and a great stage of fear ensues; we find ourselves wishing we were still taking them to Disney to meet Donald Duck.

However they want to backpack across Europe or go to an Ashram in India or join Doctors without Border in Africa. They've given up on Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse too.

So you wonder, instead of them being on their own, possibly sleeping in dirty, unsafe hotels, hitchhiking, hooking up with strangers, hanging out in clubs known to be frequented by men who drop date drugs into drinks and lowly criminals who steal passports and cell phones - Is there an alternative?

Yes there is and it's called Guided Group Travel. Many of our Ideal Travel partners are exceptional companies that employ what we like to call our "Guru Travel Guides" (GTG) who have extensive experience in travel abroad and working with young adults. Their large selection of tours allow for the participants to enjoy free time on their own with check-in points and in a specific area of each city. For the most part however the group enjoys their travels together moving by bus, train, plane and always under the watchful eye of the GTG.

This also gives them the opportunity to come with or without friends and to meet all sorts of people from various parts of North America and elsewhere. It is said (or at least I say) that you form tighter bonds and friendships with people you travel with for an extended period of time than you do in a complete year at home with people you meet at school or work. That's because group travel in inclusive in nature and the good times and laughter are contagious. An environment is created that is conducive to sharing and caring without judgement.

And to put us parents at ease, we know that there will be a full time guide with them 24/7 who knows all the local clubs, restaurants, sights and cultural practices (as in leave your tank top and shorty shorts at home). There won't be any hitchhiking, rather there will be a dedicated driver and an air conditioned bus. They will gain an appreciation and understanding for the local culture including the music, food, art, history and return home having experienced all that each country has to offer.

Okay so now you have to convince your daughter (let's just go with the mother daughter thing for now because let's face it - it's completely relevant in terms of the worry of a mother having her daughter take off with some friends to globe trot with all those local boys out there just waiting to greet them with open arms) that it would be best if she went on an arranged tour (many of which we can arrange for you through our trusted and experienced partners). Of course even if you convince your daughter that this is the best way to go, friends are so influential at this age that you really have to get the buy in of the other parents and in-turn their daughters.

So if you would like to organize an dinner party or a Wine and Cheese and invite as many families as you can ( your daughters circle of friends), we can send one of our GTG to run a fun and informative information session. One part can be just with the parents addressing their concerns and the other part can be just with the participants who will be more comfortable asking certain questions when you are in another room.

Our GTG can then share their experiences from the road, good and bad and the latest fad (that rhymed - I did it on purpose). They can talk about the fact that just because you are in a group, it does not mean you will not meet the locals and thus people outside of that group. They can check out photos on our GTGs Ipad and they get psyched for the great nightlife.

There will also be plenty of stories of past tour participants and ones that are planning on joining future groups (including some very attractive guys from Jersey (as in Shore).

You may be surprised how quickly they change their minds about travelling with a group instead. It's a win - win situation - you both get what you want and the rest, well...it's Travel (get it instead of saying there rest is history?)

Voyages Groupe Ideal - Ideal Travel