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ages???
Sun, 10/24/2004 - 23:40
i’m planning a trip for may/june 2005 with a 23, 22, 18 and 17 year old, my concern is that the 17 year old might be to young to experience much of the night life anywhere, is this true?
As long as they don’t look too young you should be alright.
I’d get a fake I.D, doormen are dumb (and european) so a fake drivers should do the trick
Europeans trust each other…
Maybe she´s a little too young for visiting pubs in sweden like http://www.drivrutin… but denmark and germany allows younger visitors.
I was 18 when I went this summer, and my older brother kept telling me I looked like I was 12… yet I never once got asked for an ID when I was going out drinking, to coffeeshops, or anything of the sort.
where would you get a fake id?
You DON’T get a fake ID, because over here passports and EU ID cards are taken very seriously, and tampering with them is a criminal offence that could land you in prison for a few years.
I don’t know how the ID thing works in America but do NOT attempt to fake anything over here, it will not be dismissed with an "Ah, kids trying to get into clubs" and you could face serious charges.
how are the attiutudes in london clubs. what are the age restrictions or are there any in the clubs and pubs there. how about drinking ages. is there a system just that they trust you enough to let you in and let you drink or do they ask for ids ato let you in. in ny friday night are often times 18 and opver drinking is trictly 21 and over and saturdyas and mots of the time all clubs and bars are 21 nad over to get in, they always id unless they know you or you are in some of the underground or less respected places. in other words you cant really go out with your id
I agree with the previous poster do not attempt to use a fake id because it will be treated more seriously than the us.In the uk the legal age to drink is 18.However in pubs I have never seen anyone get carded and it’s pretty much dependant on how old you look and how you act.Also i dont think drivers licenes in the uk even have your age on it?I know untill just a few years ago they didnt even have your picture on it!I noticed that a few clubs in london now require you to be 21 to enter the club.I’m not sure how strictly that is enforced since i’m more of a pub fan…
-howie
turok46368@aol.com
London, Leeds, Manchester
It depends where you’re going in Europe…
In most of mainland Europe – France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium – the drinking age is only 16, so this kid won’t have any problems at all going to bars or pubs there. Clubs in those places tend to be 18, and they do ID people sometimes. I suspect if the 17-year-old is with three other people who have ID, they’ll let them in, but you could consider getting them a fake ID anyway – contrary to what other people have said, I found that in France they really didn’t care about fake IDs. They usually accepted them, and even if they didn’t, they just gave them back and said no. As long as you don’t have a fake French Citizen card, you’d be fine.
In England (and Portugal, Demark and Poland), the drinking age is 18, and they do ID people. But again, in any bar or pub, the 17-year-old can just come in and sit down while one of you buys the drinks and they’ll be fine. Clubs might be a little more difficult – in some places it’ll be 50-50 whether they get in or not, but it depends on how old they look. Plus, if they’re with lots of other people who have ID, they’d probably be alright anyway.
Have fun!
PS. Drivers Licences in Britain have both pictures and birthdates on them, and have done for many years.
I’d say that you wouldn’t have a problem in most places. When I lived in Germany, we were let into bars when we were 15…and when I traveled to Italy at 16, my friend and I didn’t have any problems. My brother backpacked around Europe at 17 and was fine.
I think it depends on the type of places you’re trying to get into. In some of the high class clubs in London, Madrid, etc, the bouncers might be more picky, but usually if you are dressed up (no sneakers, sandles, etc) you can get in.
I think everyone will enjoy the night life. It’s a blast! Have fun!
ok… i have a question!!!! I am leaving for Rome in the morning, nuh, and I have my school ID that states my birthday and age but I am not allowed to take my passport around with me because one, im scared Ill lose it, and my mom is freaked out about it as well. I am a student in Germany and I will go to Italy with a family from which I live with, whom by the way hate clubs. Do you think Ill be given a hard time for showing my school ID instead of my passport. I dont have a problem in germany and in England I was able to talk with the security about it but i cant speak Italian. HELP!
Some italians speak english, I believe… at least where a lot of tourists go….. I guess….. No, seriously, you’ll even find some americans, canadians, aussies or kiwis working at hostels and clubs. In fact, only few times did I meet bartenders who were not foreigners, curious…..
Even so, I would never leave my passport. I usually wore a money belt, there I put my passport to avoid dropping it, misplacing it or having it stolen at the hostel. Now, I know you are staying with family, but I’d take it in case something happens to me or I get into serious trouble.
msTexas:
Should have probably had a seperate post for your question. Kinda got lost in here but anyway… I am 22 now, travelled alone at 19 to Europe. My mom said the same thing. People do steal passports and try to do business with them but honestly you’re better off with it. TAKE IT WHEREVER YOU GO! A friend of mine left hers in a hotel room and it was stolen. Big mess to get her travel authorization and back home. Make sure you have something that you can put it in and have it on you at all times. It’s your responsibility.
P.S. Don’t let people know you have it on you and don’t go showing and looking at each other’s passports in public or pubs. I have another story about that but I won’t go into that.
Good advice, Gabyrig.
Oh, don’t put your passport in your purse or daypack, carry a moneybelt. Purses can be snatched, backpacks misplaced even for 10 seconds. I met a girl who got really wasted and took a 10 minute nap on the beach using her daypack as a pillow. Next thing you know, it was gone, credit card, debit card, passport, everything stolen, stranded in Barcelona for who knows how long.
London is a good place to drink, most bars do not have bouncers but the only rubbish thing is their lisencing laws! bars close at 11pm which is pretty unacceptable and they only use 25ml measures for hard spirits instead of the normal 35ml European measures. Clubs stay open to all hours but they are hard to get into if underage and dare i say it, badly dressed!