Teen travel to Romania
May 30, 2015 4:13 AM Subscribe
We're sending our teenager to Romania for a week, need advice!
Our 14 year-old daughter has an opportunity to go to Romania with her boyfriend's family (they're originally from there) for a week. Our main concern is, while she would travel over there with them, she would fly back by herself since they are staying for three weeks. (The first week is for touring and vacation; the rest of the time they will be visiting family. She will be going for the their first week only.) Neither of us travel much and have never been to Europe. Heck, I've only flown a handful of times myself, and only for small trips.
What advice do you all have for preparing her? Here's the areas we know of that need assistance: passport (her's is five years old), phone (she has an unlocked iPhone 6 running on Straight Talk/AT&T), medical insurance, unaccompanied minor programs, money (cash/traveler's checks/credit card?), travel, language, sights/sounds/cuisine. Thanks for the help!
Our 14 year-old daughter has an opportunity to go to Romania with her boyfriend's family (they're originally from there) for a week. Our main concern is, while she would travel over there with them, she would fly back by herself since they are staying for three weeks. (The first week is for touring and vacation; the rest of the time they will be visiting family. She will be going for the their first week only.) Neither of us travel much and have never been to Europe. Heck, I've only flown a handful of times myself, and only for small trips.
What advice do you all have for preparing her? Here's the areas we know of that need assistance: passport (her's is five years old), phone (she has an unlocked iPhone 6 running on Straight Talk/AT&T), medical insurance, unaccompanied minor programs, money (cash/traveler's checks/credit card?), travel, language, sights/sounds/cuisine. Thanks for the help!
Passport: the age of the passport is not important, however the expiry date is. I presume that it is valid for the length of the trip.
Visa: It doesn't appear US citizens (which I assume you are) require visas for visits to Romania less than 90 days (obvious, you will want to check this personally however).
Phone: You will want to make sure Roaming is enabled on her phone. Having said that, if she will be with people who are resident in Romania, it is fairly straightforward to get a local pay-as-you-go SIM card here (which may be cheaper, particularly if she wants to use data).
Medical Insurance: I presume this will be covered by the Travel insurance that I presume you are going to get (having said that, I am not familiar with the US healthcare system, so maybe things work differently there).
Unaccompanied minor programs: I am not very familiar with these, however it appears that some airlines require children under a certain age (15?) to pay extra for the unaccompanied minor program if they are travelling alone. You will need to speak to the airline about this.
Money: General info on accessing money in Romania. Do 14 year olds have debit cards (that allows withdrawal from ATMs) in the US? If so, this would be the best option, since ATMs are widespread and tend to have the best exchange rates (in my experience). Depending on your bank, I would assume a credit card is out of the question due to her age, however you might want to look into getting a prepaid debit card.
Language: English is widely spoken in Romania, particularly in big cities and tourist locations. In terms of picking up some useful phrases, if your daughter has any familiarity with latin-based languages (spanish, italian etc.) she will probably find basic Romanian fairly easy to pick up. Having said that, it sounds like she will be travelling with Romanians, so this won't be much of an issue.
General travel tips: Romania is one of the safest countries in Europe so there is not much to worry about on that score (although usual observations about pick pockets apply). Taxis are incredibly cheap (as long as you are careful to pick ones that have the tariff printed on the side of the car). Train travel is painfully slow. Travelling long distances by car can also be a lot slower than you might be used to.
Sights/sounds/cuisine: I would recommend just allowing your daughter to be guided by her hosts. They are probably just as (if not more) knowledgable as a guide book. Food is as wide and varied as you want it to be (Romanian cuisine is a little heavy on the meat side, but pretty much all types of world cuisine are catered for; having said that, if your daughter is a vegetarian, she may find things tough going, particularly outside of the big cities).
posted by oclipa at 5:28 AM on May 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Visa: It doesn't appear US citizens (which I assume you are) require visas for visits to Romania less than 90 days (obvious, you will want to check this personally however).
Phone: You will want to make sure Roaming is enabled on her phone. Having said that, if she will be with people who are resident in Romania, it is fairly straightforward to get a local pay-as-you-go SIM card here (which may be cheaper, particularly if she wants to use data).
Medical Insurance: I presume this will be covered by the Travel insurance that I presume you are going to get (having said that, I am not familiar with the US healthcare system, so maybe things work differently there).
Unaccompanied minor programs: I am not very familiar with these, however it appears that some airlines require children under a certain age (15?) to pay extra for the unaccompanied minor program if they are travelling alone. You will need to speak to the airline about this.
Money: General info on accessing money in Romania. Do 14 year olds have debit cards (that allows withdrawal from ATMs) in the US? If so, this would be the best option, since ATMs are widespread and tend to have the best exchange rates (in my experience). Depending on your bank, I would assume a credit card is out of the question due to her age, however you might want to look into getting a prepaid debit card.
Language: English is widely spoken in Romania, particularly in big cities and tourist locations. In terms of picking up some useful phrases, if your daughter has any familiarity with latin-based languages (spanish, italian etc.) she will probably find basic Romanian fairly easy to pick up. Having said that, it sounds like she will be travelling with Romanians, so this won't be much of an issue.
General travel tips: Romania is one of the safest countries in Europe so there is not much to worry about on that score (although usual observations about pick pockets apply). Taxis are incredibly cheap (as long as you are careful to pick ones that have the tariff printed on the side of the car). Train travel is painfully slow. Travelling long distances by car can also be a lot slower than you might be used to.
Sights/sounds/cuisine: I would recommend just allowing your daughter to be guided by her hosts. They are probably just as (if not more) knowledgable as a guide book. Food is as wide and varied as you want it to be (Romanian cuisine is a little heavy on the meat side, but pretty much all types of world cuisine are catered for; having said that, if your daughter is a vegetarian, she may find things tough going, particularly outside of the big cities).
posted by oclipa at 5:28 AM on May 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
Unless she falls under the unaccompanied minor rule for her airlines, spend time going over what she should do if her flight is delayed, or canceled, or if she is bumped.
Also, unless you already live in a big city, go over big city guidelines - keeping possessions near, holding on to her purse securely, being aware of her surroundings, how to get out of talking to overly friendly strangers, etc.
And finally, make a color copy of her passport and have her keep it with her, separate from her original, and make sure you have a copy too, just in case hers gets lost or stolen.
posted by umwhat at 6:35 AM on May 30, 2015
Also, unless you already live in a big city, go over big city guidelines - keeping possessions near, holding on to her purse securely, being aware of her surroundings, how to get out of talking to overly friendly strangers, etc.
And finally, make a color copy of her passport and have her keep it with her, separate from her original, and make sure you have a copy too, just in case hers gets lost or stolen.
posted by umwhat at 6:35 AM on May 30, 2015
As a minor traveling internationally without her parents, she'll probably need a signed and notarized statement from both of you that she is traveling to Romania, under the supervision of the adults she'll be traveling with, from date x to date y, and then returning home unaccompanied, with your full knowledge and permission, so there are no troubles with international child abduction protocols.
posted by strangely stunted trees at 7:08 AM on May 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by strangely stunted trees at 7:08 AM on May 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
I was in Romania for a few days last year and I suggest that you arrange for her to get Romanian currency (the lai?) by checking the exchange rate and giving her boyfriends parents some dollars in return for them giving her lai when they get out her cash. Nowhere took Euros and I hadn't told my bank I was traveling so didn't want my card eaten by the machine.
Also, I went in June and it was BOILING HOT! I can't imagine what July and August where like... but bear that in mind.
Food was great, but I couldn't understand the menus at all... I am sure her boyfriend's parents can help with that, but if she has food allergies etc. you might want to research that ahead of time to find out what the food components are called in Romanian and write it down on a card.
When we were driving there wasn't toilet paper in the roadside bathrooms, I would stick a packet of travel kleenex in my handbag next time.
Finally, the amenities were fine, but a lot of things just looked old and soviet. She might find that overwhelming to start out.
posted by catspajammies at 8:24 AM on May 30, 2015
Also, I went in June and it was BOILING HOT! I can't imagine what July and August where like... but bear that in mind.
Food was great, but I couldn't understand the menus at all... I am sure her boyfriend's parents can help with that, but if she has food allergies etc. you might want to research that ahead of time to find out what the food components are called in Romanian and write it down on a card.
When we were driving there wasn't toilet paper in the roadside bathrooms, I would stick a packet of travel kleenex in my handbag next time.
Finally, the amenities were fine, but a lot of things just looked old and soviet. She might find that overwhelming to start out.
posted by catspajammies at 8:24 AM on May 30, 2015
A small but possibly important detail: She should pack a plentiful supply of her preferred menstrual supplies. Travel could mess with her cycle and I can think of few things worse than having to shop for supplies in a foreign country with her boyfriend and his parents.
posted by shiny blue object at 9:46 AM on May 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by shiny blue object at 9:46 AM on May 30, 2015 [3 favorites]
I am an English person living in Bucharest, so can't comment on things particular to travelling from the US, however here are some tips I can think of:
Anti-travel sickness pills for the plane journey might be a good idea, unless you are absolutely certain she doesn't get sick on planes.
In July & August it will be hot. Sunscreen is now actually available here but most Romanians don't use it, so it would be good for her to bring some & be aware that she will have to be responsible for remembering to use it on herself. Mosquito repellent is useful if she will be anywhere near water.
Public toilets are generally clean, but can be rather spartan, so bringing quite a few pocket packs of tissues would be a good idea. Having a pocket pack of antibacterial hand wipes in her bag can also be nice to have.
Definitely don't bring travellers checks, or large quantities of cash. ATMs are now plentiful, so the best solution would be for her to bring a debit card (with chip & pin) and just take cash out as needed. As in many countries there are pickpockets, so a purse that closes securely and can be carried with fastenings in her view is a good idea. However Romania is generally low crime & safe to walk around. Americans & foreigners in general are regarded as being rich, so if she buys things at market stalls she may be given a special 'foreigner price'. I would not advise her to take a taxi alone, without her hosts, because she may well be hugely overcharged. Taxi drivers also often don't know their cities very well, so one has to explain to them how to get to your destination.
Almost everyone under the age of 35 can speak at least some English & people like western foreigners here. She will charm shop keepers & people in general if she learns how to say please, thank you, good day etc.
One possible thing to be aware of - Romania does not have an ethnically diverse population at all, so if your daughter is black or Asian in appearance she may well attract attention & not be viewed very favorably in some places.
The food here is delicious, and generally made from fresh, seasonal produce. Vegetarianism is unusual here, but you didn't mention it, so I assume she is not.
Make sure you get an EU travel adapter for her phone. There's no point bringing things like hairdryers or straighteners because the voltage is different.
Make sure her phone / SIM is enabled for both roaming & international calling, so that she can call you if necessary, particularly in the case of any hold up or problem while travelling home. Also make sure that you add the international code to your phone number in the contact list on her phone.
Romania is a very beautiful country, with great food & friendly, hospitable people so she should have a great time.
posted by cantthinkofagoodname at 11:30 AM on May 30, 2015
Anti-travel sickness pills for the plane journey might be a good idea, unless you are absolutely certain she doesn't get sick on planes.
In July & August it will be hot. Sunscreen is now actually available here but most Romanians don't use it, so it would be good for her to bring some & be aware that she will have to be responsible for remembering to use it on herself. Mosquito repellent is useful if she will be anywhere near water.
Public toilets are generally clean, but can be rather spartan, so bringing quite a few pocket packs of tissues would be a good idea. Having a pocket pack of antibacterial hand wipes in her bag can also be nice to have.
Definitely don't bring travellers checks, or large quantities of cash. ATMs are now plentiful, so the best solution would be for her to bring a debit card (with chip & pin) and just take cash out as needed. As in many countries there are pickpockets, so a purse that closes securely and can be carried with fastenings in her view is a good idea. However Romania is generally low crime & safe to walk around. Americans & foreigners in general are regarded as being rich, so if she buys things at market stalls she may be given a special 'foreigner price'. I would not advise her to take a taxi alone, without her hosts, because she may well be hugely overcharged. Taxi drivers also often don't know their cities very well, so one has to explain to them how to get to your destination.
Almost everyone under the age of 35 can speak at least some English & people like western foreigners here. She will charm shop keepers & people in general if she learns how to say please, thank you, good day etc.
One possible thing to be aware of - Romania does not have an ethnically diverse population at all, so if your daughter is black or Asian in appearance she may well attract attention & not be viewed very favorably in some places.
The food here is delicious, and generally made from fresh, seasonal produce. Vegetarianism is unusual here, but you didn't mention it, so I assume she is not.
Make sure you get an EU travel adapter for her phone. There's no point bringing things like hairdryers or straighteners because the voltage is different.
Make sure her phone / SIM is enabled for both roaming & international calling, so that she can call you if necessary, particularly in the case of any hold up or problem while travelling home. Also make sure that you add the international code to your phone number in the contact list on her phone.
Romania is a very beautiful country, with great food & friendly, hospitable people so she should have a great time.
posted by cantthinkofagoodname at 11:30 AM on May 30, 2015
passport (her's is five years old)
Then the passport may be expired. A US passport for a minor child under 16 is valid for five years. (I just got a new passport for my son is older than your daughter was five years ago) EU regulations also require that the passport be valid for three months after the scheduled date of departure from the EU state. Please confirm that her passport will permit her to travel.
posted by Tanizaki at 5:01 PM on May 30, 2015
Then the passport may be expired. A US passport for a minor child under 16 is valid for five years. (I just got a new passport for my son is older than your daughter was five years ago) EU regulations also require that the passport be valid for three months after the scheduled date of departure from the EU state. Please confirm that her passport will permit her to travel.
posted by Tanizaki at 5:01 PM on May 30, 2015
A small but possibly important detail: She should pack a plentiful supply of her preferred menstrual supplies. Travel could mess with her cycle and I can think of few things worse than having to shop for supplies in a foreign country with her boyfriend and his parents.
I stayed for 2 weeks in Târgu-Mureș in 2004 in an AEGEE summer university program and back then you could find acceptable sanitary supplies in your average small supermarket, so I assume she'll be OK.
FWIW, I could withdraw from my Mastercard debit card with no trouble, too. And Romanian can look a lot like Spanish or italian up to the point where it throws a Slavic/ Hungarian/ etc curveball at you, so I'd recommend to carry a phrasebook.
One possible thing to be aware of - Romania does not have an ethnically diverse population at all
Romanians can be amazingly racist against Roma people. I'm Spanish and I've never heard to my face some of the things gadje Romanians would say about Roma. Other than them, there are ethnic minorities of Hungarians and Saxons, for example, but they don't stand out so much.
posted by sukeban at 4:27 AM on May 31, 2015
I stayed for 2 weeks in Târgu-Mureș in 2004 in an AEGEE summer university program and back then you could find acceptable sanitary supplies in your average small supermarket, so I assume she'll be OK.
FWIW, I could withdraw from my Mastercard debit card with no trouble, too. And Romanian can look a lot like Spanish or italian up to the point where it throws a Slavic/ Hungarian/ etc curveball at you, so I'd recommend to carry a phrasebook.
One possible thing to be aware of - Romania does not have an ethnically diverse population at all
Romanians can be amazingly racist against Roma people. I'm Spanish and I've never heard to my face some of the things gadje Romanians would say about Roma. Other than them, there are ethnic minorities of Hungarians and Saxons, for example, but they don't stand out so much.
posted by sukeban at 4:27 AM on May 31, 2015
There are already some nice tips on travel, safety, and language here, so let me offer some notes on eating and shopping.
Mititei also known as mici (pronounced "meech") is great. It's a national dish about as ubiquitous there as burgers in the US. They're little skinless sausages (mostly pork) seasoned with savory and typically served with bread and mustard and a side of fries. They're wonderful.
Gogoasa ("go-GWAH-shuh") are yummy. They're a bit like jelly donuts.
Papanasi ("pah-pah-NOSH") are another pastry filled with good stuff, often served hot and loaded up with yum on a plate as a dessert.
Street food and fast food are generally pretty accessible in Romania in general and while the dishes there are different, they're all mostly very friendly to American palates. I would mention though that pizza in Romania is almost uniformly underwhelming. If your daughter has a habit of going to that as a safety food, she should probably know that, for instance, Romanians use very little sauce and put ketchup on their slices instead, which is just awful. For reference, my mother-in-law considers Little Caesar's a wonder and a delight.
Romanian ice cream is also uniformly terrible.
Probably the only national dish that would upset and traumatize an American teen would be ciorba de burta, or tripe soup. And maybe blood sausage.
In general though, as long as she eats meat, she can try basically anything offered to her over there and expect that it will most likely be good and at worst be like something she didnt care for at a potluck dinner.
She should go over well-outfitted with her favorite personal care products. They probably won't have the brands of things she likes and in some cases items are inexplicably expensive. (For instance, saline solution for contact lenses can run as much as $15-25 for a small bottle.)
Although internationally recognized name brand clothes are wildly, jaw-droppingly expensive in Romania, regionally produced goods can be wonderfully low-priced so she may want to save some room for bringing home fun finds. Souvenirs at the tourist attractions will frequently also be a fraction of what might be expected, so she will have a blast bringing home gifts for family and friends. Souvenirs bought in the quieter spots between major destinations will be cheapest of all and will often reflect local traditions.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:22 AM on May 31, 2015
Mititei also known as mici (pronounced "meech") is great. It's a national dish about as ubiquitous there as burgers in the US. They're little skinless sausages (mostly pork) seasoned with savory and typically served with bread and mustard and a side of fries. They're wonderful.
Gogoasa ("go-GWAH-shuh") are yummy. They're a bit like jelly donuts.
Papanasi ("pah-pah-NOSH") are another pastry filled with good stuff, often served hot and loaded up with yum on a plate as a dessert.
Street food and fast food are generally pretty accessible in Romania in general and while the dishes there are different, they're all mostly very friendly to American palates. I would mention though that pizza in Romania is almost uniformly underwhelming. If your daughter has a habit of going to that as a safety food, she should probably know that, for instance, Romanians use very little sauce and put ketchup on their slices instead, which is just awful. For reference, my mother-in-law considers Little Caesar's a wonder and a delight.
Romanian ice cream is also uniformly terrible.
Probably the only national dish that would upset and traumatize an American teen would be ciorba de burta, or tripe soup. And maybe blood sausage.
In general though, as long as she eats meat, she can try basically anything offered to her over there and expect that it will most likely be good and at worst be like something she didnt care for at a potluck dinner.
She should go over well-outfitted with her favorite personal care products. They probably won't have the brands of things she likes and in some cases items are inexplicably expensive. (For instance, saline solution for contact lenses can run as much as $15-25 for a small bottle.)
Although internationally recognized name brand clothes are wildly, jaw-droppingly expensive in Romania, regionally produced goods can be wonderfully low-priced so she may want to save some room for bringing home fun finds. Souvenirs at the tourist attractions will frequently also be a fraction of what might be expected, so she will have a blast bringing home gifts for family and friends. Souvenirs bought in the quieter spots between major destinations will be cheapest of all and will often reflect local traditions.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:22 AM on May 31, 2015
Best answer: Travel info for Romania.
General travel info:
- Print out hardcopies of everything, twice. Put it in her carry on and checked luggage. Itinerary, phone numbers, where she's staying, copy of passports, phone numbers to cancel credit cards if lost. Make sure you also have a copy. Do not rely on internet access for anything logistical, it's just too much of an unknown.
- Look into how much international rates on her phone are going to be. If they are exorbitant, make sure she knows, and that she should avoid using the internet. Roaming should be turned off, except when she's actually using the internet, for example. If the rates are terrible, look into getting her a romanian sim (No idea if it's any good, but they do exist) ahead of time, or arrange with the boyfriend's family to get one. I haven't been to Romania, but I've bought sims in many countries. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes in takes hours.
- The City2go app is great and works without internet access. Download any appropriate maps of where she'll be, so she can't get lost.
- Send her with a small amount of medications that you normally stock at home. Also constipation and diarrhea medications. She's not travelling alone, but it can be hard to know what the equivalent is in other countries, and it saves a trip to the shop.
- A credit/debit card with chip and pin attached to one of your accounts is probably the easiest way to do money, assuming you trust her. I would also look into getting a small amount of currency for when she first lands, though she's with friends, so this isn't imperitive if it turns out to be tricky.
- Pack light. She'll probably have to manage her luggage by herself at some point, so make sure she can carry it all at once by herself.
- Get a neck pillow, eye mask and (if short) a blow up foot stool for the plane.
posted by kjs4 at 11:57 PM on May 31, 2015
General travel info:
- Print out hardcopies of everything, twice. Put it in her carry on and checked luggage. Itinerary, phone numbers, where she's staying, copy of passports, phone numbers to cancel credit cards if lost. Make sure you also have a copy. Do not rely on internet access for anything logistical, it's just too much of an unknown.
- Look into how much international rates on her phone are going to be. If they are exorbitant, make sure she knows, and that she should avoid using the internet. Roaming should be turned off, except when she's actually using the internet, for example. If the rates are terrible, look into getting her a romanian sim (No idea if it's any good, but they do exist) ahead of time, or arrange with the boyfriend's family to get one. I haven't been to Romania, but I've bought sims in many countries. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes in takes hours.
- The City2go app is great and works without internet access. Download any appropriate maps of where she'll be, so she can't get lost.
- Send her with a small amount of medications that you normally stock at home. Also constipation and diarrhea medications. She's not travelling alone, but it can be hard to know what the equivalent is in other countries, and it saves a trip to the shop.
- A credit/debit card with chip and pin attached to one of your accounts is probably the easiest way to do money, assuming you trust her. I would also look into getting a small amount of currency for when she first lands, though she's with friends, so this isn't imperitive if it turns out to be tricky.
- Pack light. She'll probably have to manage her luggage by herself at some point, so make sure she can carry it all at once by herself.
- Get a neck pillow, eye mask and (if short) a blow up foot stool for the plane.
posted by kjs4 at 11:57 PM on May 31, 2015
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And no to travelers checks; they've been superseded by bank cards. Be sure to notify your bank (actually they'll prob tell you to call Visa direct) that she will be traveling there.
Isn't her passport still valid? Check the expiry date, maybe it's diff for kids under a certain age but mine is good for 10 years. (Sorry, on my mobile)
Get the Lonely Planet guide for that country from the library. It will give you a quick rundown on history, background info, regional interests, etc.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:26 AM on May 30, 2015 [1 favorite]