Good morning

I am writing this hoping that some of you may be able to help me put my mind at ease!

My son, who will be just 16, is travelling solo to Madrid just after he has finished his GCSE exams. He’s not worried about it, and seems pretty prepared, knowing what he wants to see and do.

However, his mother is concerned that he should know what to do should the worst happen Where should he go/who should he contact if he was, for instance, mugged and left incapacitated? Presuming that no-one comes to his aid, or even if they do!

He will have duplicate copies of all documents etc and I will also have copies that I can e-mail.

I am more concerned about his physical and practical safety. If something happens, it happens, but to know what procedure to follow would greatly put my mind at rest.

Thanks- from a cool calm and collected mum (until departure date arrives).

Jo

Hi!

Spain is not a hostile country. This may seem obvious, but let me explain it:

If I had a problem anywhere in Spain, I will ask for help to anyone at hand, and I am sure I will be helped by someone no matter how bad my situation is.

If he gets lost, ask people how to get where he wants. Up to 20% of spaniards speak english (or at least understand it), specially in urban and tourist areas. And if they don't understand they will manage to communicate by signs.

If he gets stealed, robbed, pickpocketed or injured go to police. Policemen will get involved even personally to solve his problems. They will give him advice and will tell him who to contact (embassy, consulate, official spanish administrations,...) to solve his problems. Policemen will never (very unlikely) try to cheat him, nor they are corrupt (this may seem obvious too, but in eastern european countries the last people to ask are policemen...).

Hotel clerks are a valuable source for information and help. They deal with tourists (national and foregin) every day, they are used to be asked for information and will do whatever possible to help a client.

And finally: UK embassy in Madrid and consulates in other cities and towns are also the best places to ask for help. In summer we have an english colony of thousands, so UK consulates are very used to deal with all kinds of situations (you will be surprised to know how many of your countrymen are helped by english consulates for breaking a law in tourist areas ).

Anyway, if he has any problem while in Madrid I can also help him or you to know what to do.

Fernando

I take students on trips to Europe. Let me share a few of my experiences with you:

One of my students who was about 15 at the time got very sick while at the Prado. She felt dizzy and started to vomit. The doctor at the Prado came to her aid immediately, and before long I had a group of mothers standing around offering suggestions. When the girl went outside to get some air, another set of mothers gathered to offer to get water or ice or fan her.

Another student, who reminded most everyone of Pigpen from Charlie Brown, walked out of some museum with euro bills falling out of her pockets. Some older women started picking up the bills, and then called out to her and followed her down the street to return her money! When I thanked them, they laughed and told me that kids just have to be looked after.

Still another student wrote a traveler's check for $20, but got change back for $10. She didn't realize that she had been short changed until she was counting up her spending money at the end of the day. On a whim, we called the Hard Rock Cafe (where she had cashed the check) and asked them if they remembered the incident and if there was anything we could do. They said that the waitress had made a note of it when she checked out at the end of the day because she knew the customer was a young girl and she didn't want to do anything to hurt a child!

You are not likely to find a nicer bunch of people on this earth than you will find in Spain!

Hi Jo --

If it helps to put you and Jess at ease, you know that your son can always call "chico" and I. I think I emailed our contact info to Jes already!

We´re here if he needs help!!

Tell him to have fun!

xoxo me

Hi, Jo-Anne.

Since I appreciate you and your nice husband personally, you can count on me to help in any problem they may have while in Spain. You can contact me at my email (see profile), and I'll give you my mobile phone no..



An embrace.

Yep! Jo, let me know if you want my mobile number (maybe you have it already?). I can help your son if he needs it, no prob!

Hi Jo

Im sure your fears will disappear when he gets home safely and tells you all of his adventures.Im sure Jes is on hand to advise him of potential problems he may encounter!

I recently returned from a trip with my 15 year old daughter and may as well have stayed at home(regarding safety issues)
They are our children i know.However,they have a much wider knowledge than we had at their age.

Having said that,i can appreciate your concern as a parent.
Try not to worry and let him enjoy all the world has to offer
Is he alone,surely not....

Wowowowow!

Thanks everyone. Your replies were just what I needed. I hope you didn't think I was being paranoid, just that as a parent you feel a huge overwhelming tug at the heart to think that your own little boy (sorry Ruben ) is venturing out alone. He's perfectly capable, and I'm proud that he wants to go.

Fernando, your information was invaluable, and although it may look obvious to those reading it, it was reassuring to see in black and white that you believe people in general would be helpful and that it would also be appropriate to approach a policeman or even the people running the hostal where he is staying.

La Maestra, those anecdotes are heartwarming and reinforce the feelings I already have about the people of Madrid that I have met, and yet to meet. Thanks.

Chica - yes I think I already have your mobile number and your kind offer of help from you and the cheeky Chico. I'll e-mail you to double check we've got it correctly.

Pim - and you too, I think I have your mobile number which I'll double check. I seem to remember it worked last time. I'll e-mail you.

And the one and only Ignacio! Thanks! Although I'm not too sure what help singing 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' in the heart of the city at 3am would be . Seriously, I'll e-mail you too for your number.

Lastly spike1 - you're right. He'll be fine. I'm sure there'll be aspects of his trip I'll never find out about (he's got to have some privacy lol), but I'm looking foward to him telling me all about it when he comes home.

So, thanks everyone, you are wonderful and I really appreciate you all taking the time to do this and be so generous as to offer your contact numbers and help should it be needed. Ruben has read all your replies and I could see he was moved too.

Just be warned however, he is determined to do this alone and will only contact someone if he's in dire need. So don't worry if you don't hear from him ... THAT'S MY JOB!

You're welcome

Fernando

Lastly...

Story of my life ...

He`ll be fine,my family are normally all with their nan on sunday.Im left either working or sorting veg garden...