Boldly Go Solo

Ripley's Believe It or Not on solo travel. Walk the Amazon anyone?

Some solo travel is a tad more difficult than I'd care to do. For instance, a British ex-Army officer is in the midst of walking the length of the Amazon River in South America.

That's, um, 4,000 miles. As the crocodile swims. But longer, really, since the river widens in many places and Ed Stafford can't always take the shortest route. By February, Stafford had passed the halfway point. 

He's accompanied by a guide named Cho, so though he started out solo in April 2008, he now has someone along on the trip.

When I set out solo, I usually go to some cushy place with all the amenities. And often meet up with a guide, too. Stafford, on the other hand, has had to deal with venomous snakes, flooding, electric eels, piranhas and jaguars.

Solo skiers and hikers can find camaraderie via Maine Huts and Trails

My friend Diane and her husband Wessel recently visited Flagstaff Lake Hut, one of the huts that is part of Maine Huts & Trails. As a cross country skier, I was intrigued by her account of the two of them walking into the woods with all their cross country ski gear for a little winter getaway.

I want to do this! Though it will have to wait until next year at least.

I first heard about hut-to-hut hiking and skiing in Norway, where they have a good system of backwoods huts. I didn't know they also have them in Maine.

It seems to me like a really cool thing to do, hiking or skiing to a destination, rather than just taking a random hike or skiing for an hour then returning home. I like the idea of pushing toward a goal. It's why I also like week-long bike trips.

The huts I saw in Norway were quite spare. Diane says the hut they stayed at in Maine was more like a lodge, (although the photos on the site don't convey that.) Diane does say the bedrooms are quite spare. All the more reason not to hang out in them but to join others in the common room.

17-plus ways to meet people when traveling solo and other solo travel tips

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Today's post is a roundup of solo-related pieces I found on the Web in the past few days.

First, in a continuation of travel deals from my last post, there are two cruise lines that are waiving the single supplements on certain voyages. 

Avalon Waterways has some European river cruises available with no single supplement. And Norwegian Cruise Line has introduced what it's calling Norwegian Epic Studios, "contemporary staterooms priced for the solo traveler." Cruises still are pretty pricey for my taste, but hopefully my cruising readers can take advantage of these deals.

For more info NCL's solo cruises and others, see this story in Cruise Critic.

The rest of these posts offer reasons for traveling solo and good places to do so.

The Travel Channel has a nice post on solo travel on the topic, saying that "few experiences offer the inspiration for self-growth and discovery as does the act of hitting the road solo." Despite the the apprehension one might feel before setting off.

For one, local women in countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, are quick to approach single female travelers with offers of hospitality, the writer found. Such as a a meal at their homes. Something that is less likely to happen if you travel with others. The post offers thoughts for traveling in India, Morocco, Iceland and Vietnam.