EphemeralStick
Andie of the House of Queer
That advice is just like saying "yeah, totally do that heroine man, you only live once in life!"
It is absolutely not like saying that.
Look, the thing is about traveling as a minor is that it does put anyone you end up associating with in danger of arrest. Even if it is clearly not the case and said minor doesn't mean to cause a problem, the police can stop them and if they're with a legal adult said adult can end up facing serious charges regardless of the truth of situation.
Moreover, a minors parents can call them in as a runaway and even if you haven't crossed state lines you can be charged with harboring a runaway. It is just safer for everyone if minors wait until they are legally adults so that they can't be reported as a runaway nor can anyone traveling with them get arrested for kidnapping.