Holidays for solo travelers from the Mail in Great Britain

Here's a fun read on solo travel from the Mail Online, a British Web site. The writer rounds up "the best" (that's subjective, though, isn't it?) "holidays for solo travellers." That is, the "best vacations for solo travelers" in American English (just taking the mickey, that is, kidding the British friend who gave me the heads up on this article).

Not all of the trips will make sense for Americans because they're based on British pounds and are geared to travelers starting in England. Nevermind. The article is a good basis for ideas and a reaffirmation that going solo can work out well for all types of travelers, including those who leave spouse and children behind.

Besides, how often do you hear about people vacationing in the Isles of Scilly, off the Southwestern tip of Great Britain, or hiking the Atlas Mountains in Morocco? It's a fun cultural experience for Americans and other non-Brits just to read the article.

I also like sharing articles like these so I can have other people say what I've been saying all along: that things often work out great when you take the risk of traveling solo.

In the article, a 29-year-old court reporter went snowboarding on her own in the Canadian Rockies because she was "fresh out of a relationship" and had no desire to go on a singles tour. " I thought it would be all couples, but there were only a few. It was really good fun and very bonding."

A 46-year-old divorcee who went to a health sanctuary in Thailand: "At the end of my stay there were six of us eating together – a German headhunter, New York museum curator, Italian lawyer, Greek fund manager and a lecturer."

I bet she stays in touch with at least one or two of these new-found friends.

Photo: Ellen Perlman. Thai buddha.

Comments

[Ted]

I find it interesting that (as far as I can tell) everyone quoted in the article is a woman. I would perhaps expect that in Britain, where solo travel seems to be more accepted than in the United States, the gender balance for such an article would be more even. But apparently it isn't.

Of course, most of the holidays themselves could be enjoyed by men as well as women (I don't know about British men, but I rather doubt many many American men would be inclined to treat themselves to "pampering" at a spa). But the article carries the somewhat distressing implication that solo travel is only for women, even in Britain.