Short answer: you can't go with them, and you shouldn't try to. What you can do is spend a couple of hours before they leave making sure the basics are covered, so that if something does go wrong — a stolen bag, a missed connection, a bad night in a hostel — they have what they need to sort it out themselves.

Before they go

Get the documents sorted together. Photograph passport, ID, insurance, and any prescriptions, and save copies somewhere other than their phone — email them to yourself as well. If their phone is lost or stolen, this is what saves the trip.

Insurance is not optional. Proper travel insurance with medical cover is the one thing that's genuinely difficult to fix retroactively if something happens. Check it covers the specific countries and activities on the itinerary.

Register with the relevant travel registration service if their itinerary includes anything higher-risk, or if they're on a long trip. It takes a few minutes and means their government can reach them in an emergency.

Sort out money before they need it. A card that works abroad without heavy fees, a small amount of backup cash split across bags rather than one wallet, and — if you're able to — a way to send emergency funds quickly if needed.

Build a simple check-in rhythm

Constant location tracking tends to create friction and teaches them to hide rather than communicate. A simple daily or every-other-day check-in text works better: "safe, in Prague, heading to Vienna tomorrow" takes ten seconds to send and tells you everything you actually need to know.

Agree explicitly, before they leave, that they can call you for anything — a bad situation, a bailout, emergency cash — without a lecture attached. Teenagers and young adults often delay asking for help because they're worried about the reaction. Removing that worry in advance is one of the most effective safety measures available to you, and it costs nothing.

A family code word or phrase is worth setting up too: something they can text if they're in a situation they want out of but can't say so openly — "can you send me the wifi password" or similar, prearranged to mean "call me, I need an excuse to leave."

The practical basics that actually matter

  • Station lockers over dragging a full pack around — sightseeing with all your valuables on your back all day is when things go missing.
  • Hostels with good recent reviews, lockers, and 24-hour reception — not just the cheapest option.
  • Splitting cash and cards across more than one bag, so a single theft isn't a total loss.
  • A rough plan shared with you each time they change city — not a minute-by-minute itinerary, just enough that you'd know where to start looking.
  • Basic awareness habits: walking with purpose, not flashing a phone or wallet in crowded stations, being wary of overly helpful strangers at train platforms — the sort of thing that sounds obvious until you're tired, jet-lagged, and standing in an unfamiliar station at 11pm.

On the anxiety itself

Worth naming directly: the anxiety here comes mostly from not being there yourself, more than from the actual level of risk. Interrailing is, statistically and practically, a safe way for young people to travel, and the overwhelming majority of trips go by without incident. The preparation above is about closing the small, ordinary gaps — a lost passport, a dead phone, a missed train — not about a rare worst case. Over-preparing for catastrophe usually just transfers your anxiety onto them. A calm, practical conversation about the ordinary stuff does more good than a long list of warnings.