Originally Posted by
Chris_W
Go back in time 30 years, and people used to do this kind of thing all the time, and no, the world was not a safer place back then (even though in in many people's idealized memories it seems to them that it was). Also, I think people in Europe would be far less concerned about people of that age doing such a thing today than would North Americans. So, I hope you're able to do this without too many people throwing too many obstacles in your way. You'll probably learn more from this one trip than you will in a year of high school. It's great that you're researching this first, and you should try to follow any reasonable advice that is given, but in the end you may just have to GO FOR IT! Don't worry too much, and figure things out as you go along. That is the best advice that I can give.
Not entirely true. When I was 17, a buddy of mine (who was 18) and I hopped on our bikes and rode 65 miles to a campsite, as part of our planned 3-day outing. When the campsite found out I was under 18, they called my house, and verified that I had permission, but only let us stay for that night. We changed plans, and rode home the following day. This was in 1976.