There’s going to be a point in time when your child comes up to you and asks if they can travel somewhere on their own. This will freak you out no matter how old they are. Being a parent means being worried 24/7 about your child’s safety, and the prospect of having them in another city, or even country, on their own, is certainly a scary thought to think about. However, if they’re old enough, it might be okay to let them do it. So how old is old enough?
Depends On The Trip
It really does depending on the context of the trip. If this is a trip where they just want to travel solo, then it should be out of the question until they’re old enough to move out of the house. College years, we’d say—and even then, it would be ideal if they were traveling with someone else.
However, if they’re traveling with a program, or if they have a family to stay with that you know and trust, then you can allow them to do it around the age of 15 or 16. Just make sure that you hire a special airport aide to escort your child all the way through the airport until the flight, just to make sure they have everything under control. This applies as well for when your child arrives to their destination. Assuming there’s an adult person you trust picking them up and caring for them throughout the entirety of their stay, mid-teens is an okay age to let them do it.