Originally Posted by
nycphotography
you are 18. you have three choices...
1) if you need your parents support, you live by their rules. the free ride isn't free.. that is it's price
2) if you dont need your parents support, just do whatever you want. no need to tell them. no need to ask them. and if asked, rather than lie, just say "i'm not going to discuss that"
3) if you need your parents support, but you really care about this, you can try to reason with them. "I'm 18, and I am going to do this" and then see if the consequences are real or just hot air.
Most likely, when you announce, "I have been riding to school for the past three weeks and I am not dead yet" there will be some histrionics and then reason will prevail.
Shoot, you are eighteen. You live in the UK. You can hitchhike all over the EU and do odd jobs, see different places .... you could pack up your bike and do a trans-continental bike tour. There will be some hardship ... and lots of adventure. You will learn that you can fend for yourself, can support yourself ... and there ladies will like that you are independent and adventuresome.
Ahaaaa .... It never occurred to me that you were a young lady, but reading through your posts, I think this might be the case. That makes the hitch-hiking a little more dangerous ... but it also opens up the number of job opportunities. Scan the classifieds in other towns and cities for childcare positions---people tend to prefer young ladies for that. Then move, get a job, save some money, and take your bike onto Eurail and set up childcare jobs ahead of you.
Spend a few months or a year doing this (stay in touch with home of course) and when you come back home in a year, your mum will feel ridiculous suggesting you can‘t ride your bike across towen when you just got back from Serbia or something.