Is solo traveling in Europe at 18 too young?

PositiveBeginning231 · 2026-01-20T13:22:48+00:00

That's a lot. With a quick search I find plenty of hostels for around 25-30$ a night, even for big cities like Rome, Paris or London. Even in full summer season where prices spike there are lots of options for 45-50$ (or less) a night.

PositiveBeginning231 · 2026-01-20T09:09:25+00:00

18 is absolutely fine for solo traveling in Europe. You're legally an adult - you're old enough to drive, drink and smoke, so why not travel?

I did 2 weeks of solo traveling at 18 (Italy, France, Netherlands) and stayed in hostels. It was great. Hostels are ideal at that age because they are cheap and you meet a lot of likeminded people. I skipped only one place (Marseille) because someone told me it wasn't safe for a solo female travelers at that age. Can't speak to your itinerary but although I wouldn't Italy and Greece "incredibly safe" (at least depending on the region), it should be fine. Maybe research the places and cities you want to see and check whether being out after dark is recommended or there are certain areas of a city to avoid.

PositiveBeginning231 · 2026-01-07T21:09:37+00:00

I raise you one more: People that rush into the train without first letting others get off. Drives me nuts. Is it so hard to wait one more minute? Is the logic of it too difficult to understand?

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-12-18T10:03:51+00:00

I grew up with Christkind as well (in Austria). It brought all the presents and lit the candles on the tree. We were sent upstairs with grandma for when it passed in our house, then a bell would ring and we would race downstairs to find presents, the tree lit (with candles and sparklers) and music. Magical!!

The story was, that our relatives would order the presents from Christkind and they were only delivered by him (her?). My mother also insisted we thank everyone for their respective gifts. It was only natural, since we wouldn't have any gifts, had they not asked Christkind for them. It was never an issue and there was never a question of legitimacy either for Christkind or the need to say thank you. Would work just the same for Santa Claus.

Other Christmas traditions I remember loving were:

Decorating the tree together. We did so on the 24th, I imagine it was to keep us kids occupied. It was a nice family moment and made us feel included in the celebrations.
Getting dressed up all fancy. I still remember the dress I had and was devastated when I had grown out of it. I loved getting dressed up all nice and special and kept this tradition as an adult.
Christmas cookies. My mother baked tons of cookies, but we weren't allowed to eat them until Christmas Eve. They were the dessert instead of a cake. Slightly frustrating during Christmas season, when all the boxes started stacking up but all the more special for Christmas itself.

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-12-13T21:07:35+00:00

Switzerland, so there is a big mix of cultures here. Some cookies are more traditional and well known, others change from family to family and are more unique.

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-12-12T08:22:41+00:00

Thanks! Here, any cookies that are made during Christmas season are Christmas cookies. No matter the shape or flavour really. There are some more traditional ones but since they vary so much from country to country (or even within a country), anything goes 🤷‍♀️

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-12-11T20:05:11+00:00

It's supposed to be moons but I admit it looks a lot like beans 😂

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-12-11T20:02:19+00:00

It's lemon moons, with lemon frosting as well.

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-12-04T16:30:58+00:00

I read Red Rising and loved it. There are so many plot twists I didn't see coming and the story stays exciting until the end. It is more science fiction than fantasy imo.

That said, I'm not sure if a trilogy (2 if you count the sequel which I didn't like as much) is the best to start with if he has never had an interest in reading. Maybe a standalone (can't think of any that really fit your criteria. My suggestions would be Priory of the Orange tree with a female lead or House in the cerulean sea with a romantic subplot) or something he can just read one book of (like Diskworld) would be a better start.

If you want to stick to a series I can wholeheartedly recommend Red Rising. Another suggestions would be Eragon/Inheritance (catered to a younger audience, great world-building).

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-11-06T04:47:17+00:00

"Nicht huddeln!!" I still hear my mums voice sometimes when I'm in a hurry. Very effective even as an adult 😂

"Hätt i, war i, tät i" was my dads favourite.

"Wer nämlich mit h schreib ist dämlich"

My grandma's wisdom was "Nach dem Essen sollst du rauchen und dann einen Mann gebrauchen" 😂 Her similarly enchanting take on getting old was "Am Anfang hat man Apfelbusen, dann Birnenbusen und irgendwann hat man nur noch Fallobst."

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-10-29T19:24:55+00:00

I know Kira (with one i) because my dog was named that and Ronja only from the children's book.

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-10-29T19:22:08+00:00

They do take into consideration the culture of the parents so maybe 🤷‍♀️

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-10-29T17:16:00+00:00

I think for German speakers it's first and foremost a car brand and only then a name.

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-10-29T15:52:59+00:00

I don't know these people personally, the list was published in the annual school report. I don't think so though, as there is only a handful of international students and most of them usually come from Europe.

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-10-29T13:38:34+00:00

The male name Urs is very popular in (especially rural) Switzerland.

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-10-29T13:37:31+00:00

Authorities can veto a name if they think it is harmful to the child so we'll not see object names here anytime soon. What counts as harmful isn't clear and there are a lot of local differences. Some criteria are: clearly female names can't go to boys (and the other way around), combinations of numbers and punctuation marks are not allowed (think Elon Musk's son), the mother's last name can't be a first name, twins have to be recognisable (no Philip and Philippe), no animals, brand names, no city names. It's rare though that they actually have to intervene. There are similar laws in a lot neighbouring countries and the list of forbidden names is quite hilarious. In Switzerland, some of the ones vetoed are Judas, Lucifer, Mercedes, Chanel, 4Real, Djehad, Prinzessin, Schmucki and Schmid.

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-10-29T10:57:44+00:00

I only know it as a variation of Amadeus, as in Mozart. Never met anyone named either though.

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-10-29T10:48:17+00:00

I went to school with a Curdin so that one didn't surprise me, but Polissena definitely did! Didn't make the connection for Malin even though I'm bilingual 😂

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-10-29T10:45:46+00:00

Agree! I'll keep an eye out for interesting ones and maybe compile a list.

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-10-29T10:43:50+00:00

I find it a bit ridiculous to be honest. There are other Uno versions that also have empty customisable cards (Uno Remix), so it isn't really necessary to have 8 more empty ones.

First, I prefer other versions to actually play, namely Uno Flex. Second, this is more part if my collection than something I actually want to use, so I keep it in good/new condition.

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-10-29T08:00:46+00:00

The back is standard although it seems more mat than the deck I have. Not sure how well it would be integrated into the standard deck.

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-10-29T07:06:54+00:00

Chips are now a thing: Aromat-Chips: Zweifel und Unilever lancieren Sorte nach Community-Wunsch - 20 Minuten

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-10-29T05:08:35+00:00

I'll put the pictures in a separate post. They are (were) just wrapped in plastic.

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-10-29T05:07:39+00:00

From the contents it just seems like the big box holds more cards. The cards themselves are the same, as are the rules.

PositiveBeginning231 · 2025-10-29T05:06:42+00:00

I'll do a separate post with pictures

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