Topic: grand parent & grand child holiday (different surnames)

[zigzig]

Our grand daughters' paternal grand father took our eldest grand daughter on holiday after she sat her exams. They shared the same surname.

Now the younger one is about to sit her exams, I am her maternal grandmother and I want to give her the same sort of holiday her sister had. To go away with me. (yes she does want to come away with me)

She will be 16 BUT we do not have the same surname. (my eldest grand daughter had the same surname as her paternal grandfather)

I want to know if any one has had any problems.

Granted if nothing untoward happens, there will be no problems BUT we all know that there could be..

I like it better if all problems are covered or solved before the event, so any advice or experiences would be welcome.

I mean the sort of things that if we had known then, we would have done differently.

I do intend to get GOOD rather than Cheap travel insurance.


Advice from those who have had experience of problems is particularly welcome rather that remarks like 'we have done it for years' from people who have never had to make an insurance claim. I would appreciate.

[Kea]

When you buy the tickets make sure that her ticket has the correct surname on it as in her passport.

I had this problem with my children who have a different surname the travel agent put the wrong surname on their tickets despite being told it was different and I had to pay to have the ticket changed.

[Digeroo]

We have had two holidays abroad when we claimed on insurance and both times had no problems claiming.

One my husband was attacked and one my daughter fell down the stairs at a railway station.   

We actually found most people very helpful including police and hospitals etc.  I do not think that the problems were any worse than similar incidents would have been in the UK.  Dealing with hospitals in a foreign language is not easy.   But we just kept smiling.

I did have a bit of a problem getting a taxi with my best school french at 7am in the morning since it had been a long time before and I had been rather dire at that subject.

I almost had a very nasty accident in Egypt when the driver closed the door of a bus and trapped my leg, luckily I was wearing sturdy shoes with a steel plate in them.  Though there were a pain going through security since I always had to take to take them off.

I would not let the thought of these sorts of things spoil your trip. 

I took my daughter to Spain after her GCSEs and it was a great trip.

I have several bits of advice.  Carry spare undies in your hand luggage in case you suitcase does not arrive.  Take food in case of delay at airport (I always carry diet meal bars they are better than nothing), do not go through passport control until your flight is announced.  Get your granddaughter to do a lot of the planning so she cannot complain when things are not to her liking, and give her control of the budget so she does not beg for extra funds and realises there is a finite cost to the trip.  Keep you money/valuables hidden.   Gen up on rules at airport such as liquids etc if you have not been abroad recently.

Where are you going?

[artichoke]

Even though she is as old as 16, have a note from her parents allowing you to take her out of the country, just in case. I was challenged when taking my grandson out of Germany (different surname, different nationality). His parents had said goodby and gone. I asked immigration to page them so that they could hurry back and confirm that I had their permission, but he shrugged and let us through after all.

I was also challenged when bringing the French son of friends into UK - he was 12. It is awkward to have to explain and argue in public, and a short parental note would have helped.

I also had to pay £50 to have an umlaut added to my adult daughter's married name because it did not match her passport exactly! Fortunately I noticed the discrepancy a fortnight before we flew to Singapore  - I was then told she would not be allowed to board the plane if I did not get it changed!

Have a lovely time!

[ripley]

Hi

My parents traveled abroad with my daughter- different surname. At security they were spoken to at the desk separately and the reply of "I,m going on holiday with Grandma and Grandpa " was enough!

I think this is becoming the norm and would,t let it be a worry. But then if your like me I would just find something else to worry about!  ;)

[electric landlady]

I don't have any direct experience of this, but these days, so many people's kids have different surnames to them - because they are not married to the children's father, or because they are but just have different surnames...I can't believe it causes massive problems, as long as the names on the tickets match up with the names on the passports.

Also, in lots of countries the convention is not to take your husband's name, so the authorities are used to family members having different last names.

So, you're probably OK! Have a good holiday!  8) 8)

[zigzig]

Thanks for the replies. As yet I have not got a clue where to take her.  Not exactly true. I know where NOT to take her.

We are very experienced globe trotters as a couple (hubby and I that is)

I intend to go on an 'all inclusive'  package since, these usually prove to be much more sociable. Plus the holiday company has got a degree of responsibility of care not there on a self designed holiday.

Spain is probably top of my list, I am not sure how far she will fly but the Caribbean would be my personal preference.

Whist I wont describe her as wayward. I have an idea that she will want to take a tipple or two during the stay.

When my own kids went away with us at the awkward teenage stage, we would take time to ask the bar owners and staff to mix them their cocktails and make them look alcoholic whilst holding back on the booze. It always worked well.  Bar staff know how to do that sort of thing.

We only had a problem once in one resort. I think it was the young bar man who, thought it would be fun to let one of our kids get drunk. When she wobbled a little and said to me that she was 'perservicktly' sober, I noticed he and his friend were having a laugh. The owner found it as amusing as I did and took appropriate action.

Of course that was 20+ years ago and I am well out of practise at how to out smart the present day teenager. Mobile phones and all so I am a little bit scared of this holiday. Looking forward to it too of course BUT I want to stay in control.