Age issues while traveling
 

Hello everyone!

I am currently 20 years old and I've finished college 2 years early and I've been working in my industry for awhile now. So I'm looking to take a break and travel on a vacation alone.

Currently I'll be leaving out of the NYC area.

I'm interested in going on a cruise, but feel I wouldn't be able to participate in most of the activities on the ship because I'm not 21. And on top of that, I've read that I can't even go alone under 21

So because of the lack of activities that I could do, and at the same time I don't think I can even get on the ship alone, I started looking into flights.

Puerto Rico came to the top of my list price wise/ things that would interest me (beach, temperature haha won't go any further)

But the problem with Puerto Rico is that I can't rent a hotel alone under 21.

Does anyone have any tips/ideas on what I can do to remedy these issues? Or am I going to have to look into different locations/wait till I'm 21?

Thanks!

Age issues while traveling
 

I'm not familiar with the rules related to age. Why don't you choose a different island that isn't US controlled? The rest if the world is satisfied with an 18 year old requirement. I thought that applied to cruise shops too since they sail in international waters and are registered to foreign countries.

Yeah I thought I would be able to participate in the ship's activities too, but apparently almost all cruises (that I saw) out of the USA don't allow people under 21 to drink without parental consent (even in international water and such) But even if I could participate onboard, I can't get on alone without being 21 :/

I suppose I can choose a different island though, the only reason I picked Puerto Rico was because it had some solid deals compared to the other islands.

Thanks for the reply!

19-21 were probably the most fun years for me traveling. I did a lot of hostels in Europe and a few in Asia and South America. Looking back, I wouldn't trade the backpacker hostels for 5 star hotels (Especially because I almost always traveled by myself) Now at the ripe old age of 26, I still frequent hostels around the world when I travel alone, but am usually at the older end of the age spectrum. I've never ran into issues sharing space and rooms with people, and met a ton of great folks along the way. If you stay away from chains, you can check into a lot of hotels at 18, just have to search a little. As far as hostels, I've never found one with an age restriction over 18. Have fun!

Cruises are boring and for old people who don't have a sense of adventure; who can't imagine leaving the old US of A. They are "safe" travel where you don't ever have to get out of your comfort zone.

If you finished college two years early, you are smart; your travel should reflect your intellect. Go off the beaten track.

Travel should be about the experience for the traveler and not the perception it creates in others. The OP should go with his or her interests, and not worry about whether the destination makes him or her look "smart."

OP, are you just looking for a warm beach location or something else? Mexico might be the answer.

My suggestion is to get a passport and fly east. Spain or Greece come to mind as I bet you could find some descent fares out of NYC during the winter months. You will not have problems with find places to stay or with drinking.

Yeah for the most part all I'd really want is a nice relaxing time away from it all! And I did see similar prices flight wise to Cancun, any suggestions about something like that?

Well I was looking for more of a relaxing trip than an adventure at this point. I would probably look for more of an adventure type trip when my college friends go on Spring break, so for right now I definitely want to just relax! Good advice in general though, thanks!

Ok so you're saying to look for a privately run hotel? Good idea, I'll check into that. As for the hostels, I've had some good experiences staying in them on a few trips, but this trip is about splurging and relaxing, I do plan on going on other trips and staying hostels though!

I'd wait on the cruise until you're 21+ To the full advantage of the activities. You could try to go to the Mexican Caribbean, Central America, Colombia, Argentina or Uruguay if you want a beach destination.

As others have suggested, Europe could work great (and it has a plethora of varied destinations that could sit you).

Best of luck. You're in a great position -worst case scenario, you wait a year longer, save more and blow it all when you go!

Check out Costa Rica, Very laid back and lots of fun.

Age issues while traveling
 

By a cheap round the world ticket and knock off a few continents.

Anywhere in Europe you'll be fine.

Canada's drinking age is 18 or 19 depending on the province, so you're good to go there as well. Not many warm beaches to be had there obviously, but for a 20 year old looking to have fun, it doesn't get much better than Montreal....winter or summer. One of the most fun weekends I had in my 20s was in Quebec City during Carnival.

Well that's the thing, how warm is Spain/Greece this time of year? I'm looking for a nice warm getaway trip, ya know?

Thanks (hopefully I won't have to wait a year, I'll lose my mind if I'm stuck here for that long)!

I'll look into it, thanks!

I definitely loved it when I went last year! I'm thinking about heading up there again some time soon! :D

Age issues while traveling
 

Cozumel! Warm, not too family oriented, easy to get to (fly directly, or fly to Cancun, take the bus then the ferry, I've done it both ways either is fine), exotic enough without making you sick of everything curry in a week (oh wait that was me, and not in Mexico, never mind), and even if there was an age limit for something I can't see anyone on the island caring! If you dive or want to dive even better! You can get certified while there.

Curaçao is also awesome, a little more upscale. Both islands have tourists, but in Cozumel's case they mostly come on cruise ships so it doesn't feel like Disneyworld, there aren't a gazillion hotels and few chains, and after about 5pm it's downright magical! Curaçao has oil refining, so a lot of the beachfront is undeveloped as tourism isn't the only revenue stream.

If your heart is set on a cruise, I'd suggest sailing over to cruisecritic.com; there are exceptions to being 21 to cruise. And those people know cruising like nobody's business.

I've checked into many, many hotels while under 21.

Why not Hawaii? You can fly to a place like Kauai and spend a few days hiking then fly to HNL to party. I've been there when I was younger than 21 and never had any problem checking into a hotel or even ordering alcohol.

I sympathize with OP's frustration. Though I am much older now I do remember being denied hotel rooms, rental cars, job opportunities, etc. at that age.

In my late teens and early 20s I did a lot of road trips with my own car. It required approval from absolutely nobody for me to hop in and drive wherever I pleased. I crashed with friends and relatives a lot to save money and because spending time with people was always part of the plan. Also, friends and relatives tend not to have 21+ policies about their guestrooms and couches. Though most hotels I've seen are only 18+; I believe 21+ occurs primarily in resort areas (esp. Spring Break destinations) in the US.

Yep. Normally if you see a 21+ age restriction it's usually because one too many people in the 18-20 age group did something stupid (typically involving damage to property or people) and so the entire age group gets punished. So the best bet is to look for places off the beaten path for the normal 18-20 year old in the US, avoid popular spring break spots, etc.

I do not remember the last time I had to show an id at a hotel in the US/Canada. Usually they only ask for my credit card... Unless the OP looks like a 14yo, I doubt they will ask for his id.

I've seen a lot of hotels in the US require the person checking in to be 21+ and do ask for ID. Hostels don't seem to have that age requirement.

I'm in agreement that destination outside of the US would be the OP's best bet unless they can find some 18+ hotels in PR, especially if the OP plans to drink on vacation.

Cruise ships based on the US, regardless of where they're flagged, generally require one to be 21+ or married. The ship's country of registration has more to do with legal requirements surrounding the ship's operation.

I too used to travel a fair bit on my own between 17-21 and stayed at a wide range of low to high end hotels, and never got hassled on account of age. I get the impression that the age restriction thing is probably more of a handy excuse if they get a bad feeling about you... if you look mature and responsible and unlikely to cause a ruckus, I doubt they'd turn down your money. Even better if you have a credit card.

As noted by some of the other posters, this may not apply to popular young-person destinations (e.g. Daytona Beach at spring break) where some places may rigidly enforce age minimums.

EDIT: Given that it has been over a decade since I was 21, I defer to Tide_from_PAE who says they apparently do ID now. That's a surprise to me... no one ever cared when I showed up at the Fairmont when I was 17.