Traveling by yourself?

[AuntFlo]

Since DH and I split up I am feeling travel withdrawal. We used to travel quite a bit and I miss it, but I am scared to travel alone.  I am a pretty big introvert and struggle to do things on my own, so I feel like traveling alone seems like the dumbest idea ever. 

I am worried about things like eating alone, getting lost, and just general safety. I grew up in a small town and have lived a pretty sheltered life (outside of our traveling of course) so I am probably somewhat naive on how to do things by myself.

I am thinking of London next summer, but wondered if it wouldn't be smarter to start off with NYC in the spring to get my feet wet, then maybe London in the fall. 

Any tips, anecdotes, or advice would be much appreciated.

[Deleted]

I'm a pretty adventurous person (moved to South Africa somewhat on a whim and had never been there before!) and I know that not everyone has that personality, but I'd say absolutely go for it.

I traveled in Africa alone and most recently earlier this year I drove to Montreal and spent a few days alone there. In regards to safety, plenty of women travel throughout the world alone and unless you're in a specific country that is sexist towards women, you shouldn't have a problem. Just use the usual safety precautions you'd use if you were traveling with someone else.

I think going to an English speaking country will help, but definitely don't limit yourself once you get the hang of it. I do things at home by myself all the time...restaurants, bars, events, etc and you just get used to be alone. Sometimes I'm in the mood to try to chat with strangers, other times I enjoy being myself.

I typically give my hotel information to my mom so she knows where I'll be staying and then try to whatsapp her once I arrive at my destination.

I recently went to London and it's super accessible, so I don't think you'd have a problem getting around.

[Deleted]

I get you. I don't enjoy traveling unless I have someone to share it with. Otherwise it's not fun for me. Have you thought about a singles tour? I've been looking into those so I'm with a group/can meet people, but I don't have the safety issues and stuff. But if you want to go on your own I"m sure it's fine. I mean I live on my own and reguarlar do stuff single and have ever not felt safe.

[cuddlyevil]

Maybe start small, go out to dinner alone or to a museum. Work your way up to feeling comfortable being at dinner alone.

[alleinesein]

Traveling alone sucks balls but I suck it up and do it since I have no one to travel with. I've been all over Germany, India and London on my own and aside from the evening loneliness I have managed just fine.

I'd start off with London; it is easy to navigate and there is no language barrier. An added bonus is that most of the museums are free and the weather is decent in the summer (plus the sun sets late; I've flown through LHR at the end of June and the sun was still shining bright at 930PM!).

[AuntFlo]

Thanks guys! I am really excited about London because it was somewhere that STBXH and I never got to, so there are no memories attached. I guess I will just need to spend the next 9 months preparing myself and learning to be alone.

[bg]

You can do it! Like the others said, start small and work your way up. I feel like being an introvert has helped me do things on my own because I can be out by myself and not feel like I have to interact with the people around me all the time.

[Wanderista]

I lived in London alone for years when I was younger. You will be fine visiting it alone. Beware of dodgy minicabs when going from the airport but there are so many more options for that now. Spring for the Heathrow Express or take the time to ride the tube in or carefully read reviews of companies. I say that because while I had mostly good experiences with minicabs, there were a few shysters who tried to rip me off and didn't count on my knowing London as well as I did - so that's one area where I'd be careful.

Honestly, London is a great city to be single in and I'd say it was much more fun to be single there than in my big, boring, straight-laced city here in America. Men are so flirty and approachable over there so if you want a hot fling, it is very easy to find. You can just go hang out in a pub and people will talk with you though if you are preferring to be left alone then that might make you uncomfortable. Also, when I'm dining alone, I tend to frequent places like sushi bars which are very friendly to the solo diner.

This happened more in Brussels than in London, but I traveled in Belgium alone regularly and I was hit on a lot by cute, friendly waiters, taxi drivers, men on the trains, etc. It didn't bother me. I do remember being followed around by a creepy guy when I was in Italy but I ditched him by sneaking off in a direction he didn't predict. Anyway, I wouldn't let being a solo traveler stop me, I would just exercise a bit more caution, do the things that I want to do and be open to meeting nice new people. In some ways I miss it now, actually. I made some great memories.

[Serenity9]

I recently took a solo trip to California. I drove up the Pacific Coast Highway from SD to SF over 10 days, and it was wonderful! I have been wanting to get into photography, so I took my nice camera with me, and actually, it helped me feel more comfortable being alone when I stopped to see the sights. If I was messing with camera settings and moving around to get good camera angles on things, I felt and looked like I had a purpose there, and wasn't just lingering by myself. I took a lot of walks and did some shopping, even if I didn't intend to buy much.

When I ate dinner, I always went to a place that serves food at the bar and sat there. A lot of solo people sit there, and pretty often there were friendly people to have conversation with over dinner. And the bartender will often chat with you if you're by yourself. I also brought a book with me to meals so that if I was feeling kind of alone and didn't want to just stare at the wall, I could pull out a book and read.

[MauMau]

I love solo travel. I haven't gone anywhere completely out of my comfort zone yet. Usually I drive down and back the same day and do walking tours in a city I used to live in. Explore some new places in the state I am in. I've eaten dinner out on my own. Went to baseball games by myself.

But I have no hesitation about heading to new places on my own. I would love a solo trip to Europe.
I am introverted. Have anxieties and suffering a bit of PTSD from the abuse of my ex. So naturally I wouldn't be a go get em type of person. But as an introvert I love being alone too.

I think if you have traveled abroad before you shouldn't have any trouble navigating London on your own. And something I have learned in the last year about how people perceive those who travel alone. They think it's awesome. When people ask me questions while I'm out on my own. They are alway so curious about what I'm doing. Think it's cool that I have the independence to do things. I always eat at a table when I do dinner. I call it a date with myself. The waiter/waitress are always more chatty towards me when I'm eating out by myself.

One of the big things I'll be doing when I have a stable full time job is planning a trip to Europe. I have two people I want to meet with. But I'll definitely be doing some solo adventuring too.

[bl]

Wanderista I have been tossing around the idea of going to London alone next year to see The Cursed Child and spend 3-4 extra days there, but wasn't sure about being alone. You really just sold me, easy to get around, friendly to solo people, and cute guys I might be able to have fun with, that sounds perfect!!

[Wanderista]

bl Sure, that sounds great. Feel free to ask if you need any advice, though I haven't been back in a few years. I kind of went there so much that I am trying to see some other parts of the world now lol. But yeah, it's pretty easy to be there on your own. I'd just be careful about your bag (like in any huge city) and yeah, getting into the city is easy but you'll want to have a plan for it. There are different ways to get around depending on where you are going.

Minicabs (unofficial cabs that charge you a fixed price and haul you with all your luggage to your doorstep) are fine as long as they are honest and quote you an upfront price. I had one case where a guy lied to me and tried to double the price on me, even threatening to drive me back to the airport if I didn't pay him his bs. (I didn't pay what he wanted but I still got a bit ripped off and it would have been worse if I didn't know what the going rate was supposed to be).

Also, yeah, it is very fun to be single in London, we'll just put it that way.

[glitzyglow]

Thanks for posting this question AuntFlo. I've been thinking of where to go next year and was nervous about the idea of being alone, but this thread helps.

pantsoffdanceoff, did you travel with a company when you went to Italy?

Wanderista, you have pushed London up on my list!

[pantsoffdanceoff]

Nov 2, 2015 17:12:26 GMT -5 glitzyglow said:

Thanks for posting this question AuntFlo. I've been thinking of where to go next year and was nervous about the idea of being alone, but this thread helps.

pantsoffdanceoff, did you travel with a company when you went to Italy?

Wanderista, you have pushed London up on my list!

Yes, I traveled with Contiki Tours and I would recommend them again and again! They aren't cheap but the amount of stuff you get (activities, meals, etc) is completely worth it.

[winecat]

I went to NYC by myself about a year and a half ago. It was fantastic! I stayed at an Airbnb place in Brooklyn. I needed cheap so I rented a room in an occupied apartment. The resident is a single woman who owns a restaurant in Manhattan. She was super nice and I felt safe staying there. I can probably dig up the info on her place if you want. I liked staying there because I was traveling alone but had a local person for advise if needed. She wasn't around but a little in the mornings.

[Deleted]

Nov 2, 2015 18:31:28 GMT -5 pantsoffdanceoff said:

Nov 2, 2015 17:12:26 GMT -5 glitzyglow said:

Thanks for posting this question AuntFlo. I've been thinking of where to go next year and was nervous about the idea of being alone, but this thread helps.

pantsoffdanceoff, did you travel with a company when you went to Italy?

Wanderista, you have pushed London up on my list!

Yes, I traveled with Contiki Tours and I would recommend them again and again! They aren't cheap but the amount of stuff you get (activities, meals, etc) is completely worth it.

I second this! I did a tour with them 2 years ago and it was the best experience of my life. I was a solo traveler, but so were most people on the tour so we bonded quickly and I was never really alone after the tour started.

[mrsukyankee]

I'm a lurker (who knows MauMau - so she can vouch for my wonderfulness & realness). I live in London and would be happy to help out in any way you want, from suggestions of inexpensive cabs to places to eat/drink/visit. I don't work full time so I'd even be happy to give you a random tour of stuff that isn't typical for tourists or to be your go to person if you need help with anything.

And my first solo trip abroad was to London - it was easy to deal with and fun.  It's one reason I ended up here.

[stephreloaded]

I love travelling solo. I actually went on a business trip to London back in march. I stayed longer so I could get to know the city on my own and I loved it. I'm not sure that you need to be an extrovert to travel on your own and enjoy it.

[Deleted]

I'm with you, I miss the travel.

I recently took my first solo trip and started very small...a driving trip to the closest beach town for 4 nights with my dog.

I kept to myself during the day but made myself eat at restaurants at night - sit at the bar, wine, dinner. It was so easy to meet and talk with people, I loved it! I would do that again but I'm still very leery about solo international travel.

[jigsy]

Nov 2, 2015 19:35:20 GMT -5 mp said:

Nov 2, 2015 13:42:16 GMT -5 bl said:

Wanderista I have been tossing around the idea of going to London alone next year to see The Cursed Child and spend 3-4 extra days there, but wasn't sure about being alone. You really just sold me, easy to get around, friendly to solo people, and cute guys I might be able to have fun with, that sounds perfect!!

jigsy bought tickets - you might be there at the same time.
e.

I'll be there the first part of September. Figured I would tale advantage of labor day. After purchasing tickets, I realized I'll probably be there September 1st...which is also going to be Albus Severus first trip on the hogwarts express #nerdalert

[bl]

Nov 3, 2015 18:54:28 GMT -5 jigsy said:

Nov 2, 2015 19:35:20 GMT -5 mp said:

jigsy bought tickets - you might be there at the same time.
e.

I'll be there the first part of September. Figured I would tale advantage of labor day. After purchasing tickets, I realized I'll probably be there September 1st...which is also going to be Albus Severus first trip on the hogwarts express #nerdalert

I am totally jealous, that is the time frame I wanted because my bday is on the 2nd and wanted to be there for it, but tickets were already sold out for that week in September.

[GilliC]

I'm really late to this, but I thought I'd throw in a slightly different perspective...

I started off HUGE. And it was awesome.

Travel is one of my passions, and I was so sad to no longer have a built-in travel companion. For my first solo trip, I decided that I would do a group trip, so that I would have some people to talk to and hang out with if I wanted. Antarctica was at the top of my travel wishlist, and it is $$$$ to make the trip. However, some of the expedition companies don't charge extra for solo travelers if they're willing to split a room. So the trip would only cost half as much as if XH and I had both gone! I ended up sharing a cabin with an awesome girl my age from Perth, and there were quite a few solo travelers with us, so we bonded and formed a great group.

The trip was incredible, and I had a fantastic time! What better way to launch the next chapter in my life than with one of my dream trips?!

(I traveled with GAdventures, which is kind of like Contiki but tends to have a slightly older crowd on most of their trips - mid-20s to 30s. A lot of the people I met on our trip had traveled solo with them all over the world and had great things to say.)