My son is going to London in June 2010 as the first leg of a round the world trip. He is modelling here in OZ and needs to check some agencies in Europe and USA as well as have his first experience outside of Australasia. He is 21 and going alone. As much as he needs to set appointments with agencies he would also like to get a taste of the continent. Any suggestions on an itinerary for Paris/Milan/Rome and also being able to check out the likes of Florence and some of the French coast line........(he is not particularly keen on architecture or art, more the lifestyle) he will probably only have 2 weeks in total before heading to the states.
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Considering his age and lack of foreign experience I would strongly suggest that he limits its trips to few places, i.e the towns where he has/ will have appointments.
Being in a totally different environment will be enough of a shock without having to run the gauntlet of a train trip and a new hotel every day or so.
Based on my experience--been there, done that-- one learn much more about a country by staying in one town for at least 4-5 days than by seeing 3 towns in 5 days.
As it is London, Paris, Milan (the centre of the fashion world) would take the whole 2 weeks, including travelling from one to the other, and yet one would barely have time to become familiar with these places.
Don%26#39;t forget that he needs to finds in advance exactly where an appointment will take place by doing a dry run from his hotel to that place the day before or the morning of the same day. Each appointment will take time, leaving less time for sightseeing.
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Thanks, I am guessing that doing something like a contiki tour say London to Rome, while it may give him a glimpse of the country it may not give him the time to get to the appointments he needs to..........
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Contiki tours, like all tours, are not flexible at all (ca.contiki.com/tours/136-london-paris-rome) I couldn%26#39;t find one that included Milan..and the 2 weeks ones covering 4 or 5 countries of Western Europe are a nightmare in my opinion..
A colleague did several European tours (not Contiki) as he and his mom were terrified by the idea of doing it on their own.. he barely remember where they went, only that they rode buses for most of the day every day and only had minutes to take a photo at many spots. No time at all to find out how the locals live..
You and your son will need to do a lot more internet research, besides asking a travel agency for help.. Appointments should be pre-booked well in advance of course. No point showing up unexpected and having to give one %26#39;s portfolio to a busy secretary that has no decision-making power..and has seen thousands of good looking hopefuls.
The appointments schedule will dictate the whole itinerary.. how to travel between towns is the next hurdle (trains or cheap flights?) and finally there are accomodations..hostels in some places, cheap hotels in others, perhaps one %26quot;splurge%26quot; in a semi-fancy place by the end.
I went to Finland at 21 (from the South of France), as part of a (whole summer long)student exchange program and it was a challenge at first as I couldn%26#39;t read or speak Suomalainen (Finnish) and my spoken English was very basic.
I did have the prior experience of studying away from my family, in a part of France where the French spoken there wasn%26#39;t quite the same as the one we spoke back home, so being alone in a strange place wasn%26#39;t a huge shock.
Another reason why %26quot;a town a day%26quot; might be a hardship for your son.. it is nice to be in the same room for several days and to go to the same cafe and restaurant everyday.
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Thanks again, your advice is pretty much confirming my thoughts. All agency appointments will be set way before his trip, they will have digitals to decide if they are interested in meeting and although his look is good for Europe his height could pose a problem, his comp cards are 6%26#39;3%26quot; however reality is closer to 6%26#39;4-6%26#39;5%26quot;, so while he can get away with it here and possibly the States, Europe could be a completely different story...........It sounds as though you have had modelling experience also?
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noniv, Thank you so very much for the compliment... you made my day, my whole week..I will walking on clouds..
A model??? I was the family ugly duckling, with more pimples as a teen than all the boys in our long street..mind you I was always at the top of the class and did have friends.
My younger brother was the cute one, who blossomed into a truly good looking young man. Unfortunately he was extremely bothered by all the unwanted attention he got from all sorts of people and didn%26#39;t have a happy time in his teens and 20s..
After 40 everything evened out.. we both became pleasantly plain...
One thing I am is a rather organized person that use common sense and logic to solve issues.
My parents often joked that many people dream to run away with a circus to become a lion tamer or a trapeze artist..while if I did run away, it would be to make the schedules, routines and payroll of the circus..
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LOL! That is gold, friends and top of the class is a pretty neat combo.
Fortunately my boy handles the attention with ease and thankfully in the mean time he has a very real family to keep him well grounded.
Actually it is though he was born for this kind of gig. Takes it in his stride, is extremely comfortable in his skin without being full of himself, makes him all the more desirable in the industry.
Yes age is definitely an equaliser when it comes to the looks department.......he may as well milk it while he can. In the mean time he does have a regular job and is completing a business degree.
Any hoo back to the travel stuff, he also wants to go to Ibiza.........I think he will be flying with easyjet and backpacking, he can make his appointments in Milan/Rome and just enjoy himself. I really think because of his height that he will be more of a chance in USA anyway.
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