Which of these UK solo trips sounds best?

[DiogoJ42]

Just a casual reminder that it's OK to completely cut your DNA doners out of your life as soon as you eventually leave home. Best thing I ever did. On a good day, I can sometimes pass for a functional member of society!

 

[Matt N]

Jesus wept Matt, this has suddenly taken a dark turn! Phone trackers? This sounds like a George Orwell novel! I don't even track my 13 and 15 year olds when they're out, and I actually have a 100% parental right to do so because both are my property (which I regularly remind them) until they are 18.

I get the worry and parental concern. I don't think about anything else when my babies are out. I live in the grotty seaside town you just mentioned. I was practically running down the platform like a mother during the countryside evacuations of the second world war when I put my little man on the train to town to meet up with his mates. Worried sick and text him every hour. But I have to let go a bit for his own good.

The Spoons you mentioned was probably the Dragon? I'm a local and they'd turn round and stare at me if I walked in there. I can't imagine they would have done that in the Cabot, although I haven't been in either for years. Tell Mr and Mrs N that a weird middle aged local from the internet told you to get yourself some grub from The Summerhouse in Worle on your way back to the M5 next time. Great food in there and no dodgy staring.

I should state that the tracking is far less sinister than I may have made it sound! They just use the stock Find my iPhone functionality available on all Apple devices, my sister and I know full well that they use it and they have never tried to hide this from us, and as I said, it works both ways; I could track both of my parents in the exact same way if I ever had the inclination!

I don’t know which Wetherspoon’s it was, as it was 13 years ago, but I do vaguely remember that it was down a back alley somewhere… I don’t see us being back in Weston-super-Mare any time soon, but thank you for the recommendation anyway!

Just a casual reminder that it's OK to completely cut your DNA doners out of your life as soon as you eventually leave home. Best thing I ever did. On a good day, I can sometimes pass for a functional member of society!

I could never cut my parents out of my life because I love them dearly. I know many people don’t like their parents or don’t get on with their parents, but I love my mum and dad very much and I would never want to not have them in my life or do anything to upset them or cause them undue stress. My parents have given me so much over the years, and I can’t begin to imagine my life without them in it.

I know some might think I’m giving my mum and dad excessive input into my solo trip ideas for someone of my age, but I talk to them about these things because I love them, value their opinion and would never want to cause them undue stress or worry. I also find it helpful to talk to them because they’re often a voice of reason for me and offer up insights I hadn’t thought of, which gives me a better idea of whether I actually want to do something.

 

[DiogoJ42]

I suggest you look up "Stockholm Syndrome".
And not the song by Muse.

 

[rob666]

because both are my property (which I regularly remind them) until they are 18.

Neither are your property, you own no individual apart from yourself.
You are responsible for them, and their education, health and welfare...completely different.
I know this with a quarter century of work experience in social services.
Slavery was abolished some time ago.

 

[Bowser]

I should state that the tracking is far less sinister than I may have made it sound! They just use the stock Find my iPhone functionality available on all Apple devices, my sister and I know full well that they use it and they have never tried to hide this from us, and as I said, it works both ways; I could track both of my parents in the exact same way if I ever had the inclination!

I don’t know which Wetherspoon’s it was, as it was 13 years ago, but I do vaguely remember that it was down a back alley somewhere… I don’t see us being back in Weston-super-Mare any time soon, but thank you for the recommendation anyway!

I could never cut my parents out of my life because I love them dearly. I know many people don’t like their parents or don’t get on with their parents, but I love my mum and dad very much and I would never want to not have them in my life or do anything to upset them or cause them undue stress. My parents have given me so much over the years, and I can’t begin to imagine my life without them in it.

I know some might think I’m giving my mum and dad excessive input into my solo trip ideas for someone of my age, but I talk to them about these things because I love them, value their opinion and would never want to cause them undue stress or worry. I also find it helpful to talk to them because they’re often a voice of reason for me and offer up insights I hadn’t thought of, which gives me a better idea of whether I actually want to do something.

Have there been any incidents in the past that have caused your parents to be concerned about you making trips alone? Or are they being pre-emptively cautious?

Sorry to pry again but i suppose as a parent of a child with autism i might have some insight into your parents protective perspective (the Find My Phone usage is very familiar for example though equally my situation is very different). You clearly are verbose and savvy enough to make detailed plans for various scenarios so i'm wondering what their underlying concern is.

I think it's great you love and value their opinions, they obviously feel the same about you so hopefully together you can figure out a compromise to help expand your theme park experiences!

 

[Matt.GC]

Neither are your property, you own no individual apart from yourself.
You are responsible for them, and their education, health and welfare...completely different.
I know this with a quarter century of work experience in social services.
Slavery was abolished some time ago.

I know. But don't tell them that

 

[DiogoJ42]

I assume he meant the phones are his property.

 

[RicketyCricket]

Don't be put off by "chavvy" places - they can be the most fun. There are plenty of rough parts in this country but in general you'll only find trouble if you look for it. And most people are friendly and welcoming.

I was bombing around dumps like Brixton and Hayes on my BMX with no brakes or helmet when I was a teenager in the mid 00s. Best days of my life.

I'm not a parent though, so what do I know. Everyone's situation is different. They'll probably relax a bit once you're driving independently and before you know it you'll have a lot more freedom.

 

[LivOctober]

My parents were super worried about me travelling on my own at 20 - even though I was away at university, I'd mention I was planning a solo trip to a "big city" London or Manchester and they'd act like I'd decided to go to Mars! The only way it really got better was going on trips they weren't too worried about, having those be a success (or even better, having it "go wrong" but being able to deal with it) and then gradually going further. I've got quite a few friends with autism (with protective parents) and the same strategy of small steps into bigger stuff seemed to work well for everyone involved.

I personally think it's quite a good idea to do a trip to somewhere your parents aren't super worried about before you try out going further afield, especially if you're worried about worrying them. Alternatively, could you do these trips with someone else who isn't your parents (friend or relative?), plan the whole thing yourself - then you're still handling all the responsibility but your parents don't have to worry about you being on your own.

 

[Poisson]

I met a group of internet weirdoes when I was 15....

12 years later I am still here. Didn't even die slightly.

 

[Matt.GC]

I assume he meant the phones are his property.

Errm.... yes, yes, let's go with that.

 

[Matt N]

I spoke to my parents again this evening.

It turns out that they grew far less concerned about the idea of me staying away alone as soon as the idea of the long, complex train journey to Southend, a place that they had concerns about, came off the table. They thought that my new plan of a Legoland/Thorpe Park overnighter sounded much more practical and less nerve-wracking for them.

When I asked about their specific concerns with my original plan, they said that they were mainly concerned because Southend is an extremely long way away and they didn’t necessarily trust that I’d be safe in Southend on my own. They also thought that it sounded complex and impractical for a first solo trip away. In summary, it appears that their main concerns centred around the specific trip I was proposing.

I discussed my new plan to do Legoland/Thorpe Park with them, and they seemed far more on board with the idea. They liked that Legoland and Thorpe Park were “proper theme parks” rather than “a Brean Sands style place” and they also liked that they could get to Windsor in less than 2 hours by car in the event of any kind of emergency; Legoland is a simple, 1h 50m journey up the M4 and Thorpe is no more than 2 hours. By comparison, Southend is a 3 hour+ lap around the M25 and almost 200 miles away.

They said that they would be “nervous”, but admitted that it would be “a very good thing for [me] to do”.

They said that they would be happy to help me pack a minimal backpack of overnight supplies before I go, and they reckoned I could easily fit everything into 1 backpack rather than needing to take multiple.

As such, I decided, with my parents’ blessing, to take the plunge and book an overnight trip to Legoland Windsor and Thorpe Park. I’m officially off to Legoland Windsor on Sunday 9th June and Thorpe Park on Monday 10th June! I’ve booked the Premier Inn in Staines-upon-Thames for the Sunday night, and I’ve also booked all three different train journeys (Bristol Parkway-Windsor & Eton Central, Windsor & Eton Riverside-Staines, Staines-Bristol Parkway). All in all, I managed to get the combined cost of two park tickets, a hotel stay, all required train tickets, and a continental breakfast in the hotel to £153, which I was not at all displeased with, personally! That does exclude bus costs and some of the food costs (most notably an evening meal on the Sunday and food in Thorpe Park on Monday), but if I play my cards right, I think I could do the whole lot for under £200, or at very least not much over. For an overnight train trip with two Merlin park days, I don’t think that’s bad at all, personally!

I know that Sunday/Monday may seem like an odd choice, but it was by far the cheapest night of the week to go; the hotel in Staines was £100 cheaper on Sunday/Monday night than on any other night of the week, and the morning train from Bristol was also a lot cheaper on Sunday.

I undeniably have some pangs of nervousness, but I’m also excited to be trying something new and pushing my solo travel boundaries after a somewhat disappointing year in that regard in 2023. I’m also excited to be getting a +3 across two days; Minifigure Speedway will be a fun and satisfying +2, and I can’t wait to finally get on Hyperia after 2.5 years of buildup! I can’t believe it’s less than 2 months until I’ll be riding Hyperia for the first time…

 

[Poisson]

1 small rucksack is easily big enough. Phone charger, wash kit and a change of clothes. Done. No need to make it complex.

 

[Bowser]

Glad the plan came together, hope it goes well!

 

[pluk]

When you get to London post your phone to Southend and watch them lose their minds.