Avoid a holiday from hell

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With the vacations on in full swing, students are all set to pack their bags and head off to some adventurous locations. The lure of remote locations is felt by all teens on holiday, as evinced by what 16-year-old Rupashi Agarwal says. “I would love to go with my friends on a tour of Ladakh. The place is virgin and serene and I would like to go there to reflect and spend some quality time with my friends,” she says.
Travel surveys have time and again revealed that Goa is the favoured holiday destination among teens and Tanvi Saxena, 19, agrees no less. “It may seem cliched but I would want to holiday in Goa with my closest friends because college is soon coming to an end and we may not see each other after that. And what better place than Goa to let our hair down and enjoy the sand, surf and sun with our pals?”
The holiday locations that both teens have spoken of aren’t free of their own brand of danger. While landslides are common in the Ladakh region, Goa has been in the news lately for several unsavoury incidents involving tourists. And in such a situation, it is natural that parents would be fairly worried. Says Vasanthi Shenoy, mother of a 19-year-old, “As a parent, I am apprehensive about letting my child travel alone as there are so many uncontrolled elements related to it such as unsafe travelling, erratic flight and train schedules, the influence of bad company and a teenager’s inability to cope with a calamity in a mature way. Travelling alone may teach teens to be responsible but on the whole it is unsafe and avoidable.”
Between parental anxiety and teens’ need to spread their wings, is there a middle way? “Yes,” says psychologist Malini Iyer. “To ensure that your holiday doesn’t take any untoward turns, travel in a large group and only with friends you know very well. If possible, do have an older chaperone. Parents need to make certain that teens have a clear idea of what to do in case of health emergencies, what to do if they are separated from their friends, miss a train/bus/flight, or lose their money/documents. Teens should touch base with their parents at least twice during the day. These won’t cover every eventuality, but it’ll go a long way in making your holiday a little hassle free.”