Trips/travelling alone

[bullygirl979]

Why not? (says the girl who has never done it)

Here is my thought: If you want to go, don't mind going alone and would probably regret NOT going, why not go?

I would do it if there was somewhere I wanted to go. I would pack my ipod and books just in case I needed a distraction.

[stephbfan]

I went to the US alone with no family or friends.

I think its a great opportunity to come out of your shell and meet new friends and hopefully learn a little about a new language. Where are you thinking of going?

[baa1981]

I agree with everyone else. Go for it! I did a long weekend trip to Ft. Lauderdale in Sept. It was a lot of fun. I honestly didn't think much about it - I had some extra days off work and found a cheap ticket and decided to go. So many people were like I could never do that. Or I can't believe you did that by yourself.

[Deleted]

I've never taken a solo trip other than several times for work (but I don't fully count that, as a good portion of my time is scheduled for me). But, I finally booked a 4 night trip to NYC for the first week in November. I kept putting it off, and finally I decided I should just do it now or I might never do it.

Usually when I travel with others, I am the "planner." Especially with XH - he knew every trip we went on, our days would have an agenda (he was fine with this). But I decided this time, I am going to just have a list of a few "must-sees" and spend the rest of my time exploring different neighborhoods in the city.

I would consider going abroad alone if my budget supported it, but currently it does not.

It's a little scary to me - not scary in that I think something bad will happen, but I do feel nervous that I might get lonely. But I'm also the type of person who doesn't mind chatting up random strangers in restaurants and such, so I think in the end I'll be ok.

[stephbfan]

Oct 25, 2012 13:06:46 GMT -5 @blessed said:

Oct 25, 2012 12:01:21 GMT -5 stephbfan said:

I went to the US alone with no family or friends.

I think its a great opportunity to come out of your shell and meet new friends and hopefully learn a little about a new language. Where are you thinking of going?

I live in Cape Town, so at some point I want to drive along the Garden Route and maybe take another solo trip.

I do a lot of stuff around Cape Town by myself as well.

I'm usually not nervous or too concerned about safety, but thinking about driving 8 hours on the Garden Route alone is why I think I'm questioning myself. I have no smart phone here, so I'll just have to rely on good ol' fashioned maps if I get lost, but I don't think it's a complicated route.

I had to Google this to know what you were talking about and it looks soooo beautiful! Take me with you!!
You definitely need to go and have fun.

[jade28]

I am actually comfortable traveling alone and touring places by myself. Sometimes I prefer it because I get to see and do what I want to do. I have not traveled abroad alone but have traveled all over the U.S. It's mostly work trips but I tack on extra days for myself. I definitely, totally recommend it!!! You can totally gain confidence from touring a new places alone and figuring it out on your own. You can splurge on yourself. Plan your own itinerary. Not have to worry about anyone else. It will be great!

I've done Chicago several times by myself. LOVE that city. I just do whatever I want to do. I hit up a city beach, did some shopping, walked the whole city and bought yummy food. I even took a totally unfamiliar train system to get to Chicago. It was awesome.

I've done Little Rock alone. I hung out at a local, quaint bookstore. Did some museums and went to an outdoor market.

Gosh now I want to plan to trip somewhere alone. Maybe NYC?

[Deleted]

Oct 25, 2012 13:19:48 GMT -5 jade28 said:

I am actually comfortable traveling alone and touring places by myself. Sometimes I prefer it because I get to see and do what I want to do. I have not traveled abroad alone but have traveled all over the U.S. It's mostly work trips but I tack on extra days for myself. I definitely, totally recommend it!!! You can totally gain confidence from touring a new places alone and figuring it out on your own. You can splurge on yourself. Plan your own itinerary. Not have to worry about anyone else. It will be great!

I've done Chicago several times by myself. LOVE that city. I just do whatever I want to do. I hit up a city beach, did some shopping, walked the whole city and bought yummy food. I even took a totally unfamiliar train system to get to Chicago. It was awesome.

I've done Little Rock alone. I hung out at a local, quaint bookstore. Did some museums and went to an outdoor market.

Gosh now I want to plan to trip somewhere alone. Maybe NYC?

That's where I am going solo in November! I will let you know how it goes.

[Deleted]

I traveled alone a lot when I was studying abroad in Australia. Sometimes it was lonely, sometimes it was great to meet a lot of people. I stayed at a lot of hostels with other backpackers. I'm glad for the experience though!

[GilliC]

Aside from moving to Paris alone for a summer in college, and traveling alone for work, my first solo vacation was last year. I realized that without my XH, the trip to Antarctica I wanted to take was suddenly half the price, because the company didn't charge a single supplement if you were willing to split a room with a fellow traveler.

I figured it would be a good transition into solo holidays, because I would be on my own in Buenos Aires for a few days en route, and then I'd have a few days alone in Ushuaia before joining the group. After that, I would be with a large group of around 100 people, so if I was feeling lonely by that point, I would have plenty of opportunities to make new friends.

There were a few times in Ushuaia (mostly at meals) when I felt a bit lonely, but there were also some times when it was great to be on my own. Hiking through Tierra del Fuego by myself was so quiet and peaceful, and I could stop and take photos or enjoy the view whenever I wanted.

Once I joined the group, I met plenty of other solo travelers (because of the company's great solo traveler pricing), and we had a wonderful time! Many of us still keep in touch.

I think that quiet, romantic destinations can be tough, so cities with lots of people and sights, or destinations with lots of activities are more fun to do solo.

PS - I ran into these on a travel blog recently:
How to Overcome Loneliness When Traveling Solo
How to Make Friends When Traveling Solo

[jade28]

I want to do a solo hiking trip - Does anyone have suggestions for that??

[dakotadangerdog]

I've never gone on full vacations by myself, I travel alone to meet up with friends at my destination. Love it. I hate dealing with other people at airports. I have my own little airport routines and I don't like when people mess with that!! haha