Boldly Go Solo

Solo travel tips and insights

 

While I gear up to write about my recent trip to Italy - Emilia Romagna specifically - I offer a roundup of solo travel stories by others. 

 

• From an Australian website called "Starts at 60," a solo female traveller's (spelled the British way) checklist for traveling alone. The story addresses issues such as best destinations for solo travelers, cost, safety and where to stay. 
• From a Malaysian newspaper, "5 things you learn when traveling solo." All of the five "things" ring true, but two you may not always think about are: your perspective is changed forever; and you can be anyone you want to be. Powerful concepts.
• From a woman thrilled about her solo trip to Italy who "loved every freaking minute of it." As she put it, "I did some super nerdy/gluttonous/luxurious/stupid things that only I could judge." (Remind me to tell you about the time I forgot my passport and lost a day on the way to Europe. Imagine if I'd caused someone ELSE to lose a day due to my knuckleheadedness. Hm is that a word?)
• And finally, at least for this post, a story on the "big mistakes" a woman made while traveling solo. They're not what you might think. The writer talks about taking too much stuff (no one's going to notice you're wearing the same things all the time) and not allowing enough time (when planning your connections and travel).

Like this kind of post? I get solo travel alerts all the time, so from time to time, I'll pass along some of the most interesting and fun to read. Stop me when you've had enough.

Photo: Ellen Perlman. Fall in Massachusetts

Best way to visit the British countryside and practice English

With the Olympics over, I'll have to get my British fix elsewhere - in the short term by watching my new (to me) favorite television show: Doc Martin.

I had fun watching segments on England that NBC aired during the Olympics. One was on the words used by the British that are different from those we use in the U.S.

For example, what is the "English" word for: 

• A flashlight?
• The drugstore?
• A bandaid? 
• A nap?
• A bathing suit?

(answers below)

The Titanic and the S.S Nomadic - White Star Line ships

Had enough Titanic stories yet? Can I sneak just one more itty bitty one past you?

I was in Belfast a few years ago where I learned about the city's ship-building prowess and the fact that the RMS Titanic, and its sister ship the RMS Olympic, were built there for the White Star Line.

The best part of the tour on a gray day was a visit to the S.S. Nomadic, the last remaining White Star Line ship. The Nomadic was a tender used to ferry passengers from Cherbourg, France, to the passenger ships that were too large to dock in the harbor.

And it brought the passengers at Cherbourg to the Titanic for its last, fateful trip. 

The haunting part of the visit to the Nomadic was the exhibit inside.

It contained dishes, place settings, bedding and other items that the company had provided to its ships, including the Titanic. 

Singles tours to Ecuador, Ireland, Italy and Peru

I now throw out the idea of "singles" travel for those who might be interested in joining a tour composed solely of people traveling alone, who are presumably not married.

I have not gone with the group Singles Travel Service, but I'm on the email list and they recently sent me a newsletter on some of their future trips.

Such as: Ecuador, a multisport and multicultural adventure; the Inca Trail in Peru,including Machu Picchu, of course; Ireland's Cities - including Dublin and Galway; and an Italy Cultural tour, that includes Rome, Florence and Venice.

50 gorgeous bridge photographs to set solo travelers daydreaming

Take a look at these 50 utterly fantastic photos of bridges around the world. 

At first, I didn't think of this as something to write about on a solo travel blog. But scanning (or should I say "spanning") the photos stirred up so many memories of my travels.

I thought maybe it would do the same for you, even if you haven't been across or in view of any of these particular bridges. For instance, seeing the bridge in Venice - one of so many you cross as you walk the quiet, carless streets - reminds me how special a place that city is.

If you've never gone because you haven't had someone to travel with...not a good excuse. You could wander for hours on your own marveling at the uniqueness of the place and stopping for pizza, gelato, cappuccino (what's not to like about eating in Italy?!) Bring a camera and a book and take your sweet time exploring any which way you'd like. 

I didn't see too many other bridges I'd actually visited represented on the 50 Fantastic Bridge Photographs post. But as my mind wandered, I remembered Chain Bridge in Budapest. I got to visit that one because I had gone to Club Med alone, met someone I became friendly with and a couple of years later she moved to the city for work and invited me to visit.

Solo skiing in Davos and St. Moritz in Switzerland and elsewhere in Europe

If you're a solo traveler and ski fanatic, you might want to follow Gabriella Le Breton's winter adventure. Le Breton is the subject of a series of articles in Britain's The Telegraph, called "Single for the Season" about a single woman who is visiting 20 ski resorts this winter.

In mid-January, Le Breton was in Klosters, Switzerland, solo skiing her way at the "preferred ski destination of Prince Charles."

In late January, in report a on Le Breton's solo skiing I found on a blog called Travel Blog Land she was at Courchevel, a ski resort in the French Alps.

I've never skied in Europe. It's such a romantic notion, though. I imagine skiing into huts mid-mountain for hot soup or buttered rum. And skiing right into town at the end of the day, perhaps directly to the back door of my chalet?

I base my fantasies on one spring visit to Zermatt, Switzerland, where these things seemed possible, although I wasn't skiing there. I was staying at the Zermatt youth hostel (I was definitely a youth then) and several fellow hostelers had skis stored against a wall near the door. A few bucks a night for a room near the Matterhorn? Not a bad deal, whether you're skiing or not. 

Gifts for a solo traveler from a German Christmas market and the Smithsonian Institution

Today I got one of those great gifts that a traveler's gotta love. Unusual, one-of-a-kind, retro. On the other end of the continuum from the snazzy travel gadgets and apps available these days. Which are also nice. But this gift was unique.

It came wrapped in a map, In this case, a map of Germany with tourism information on the inside. Double-sided travel wrapping paper! And tied with string? Hardly. Tied with neon green shoelaces with the word "travel" repeated throughout. They'll be on my sneakers as soon as I finish this post.

The book, "Where on Earth: A Geografunny Guide to the Globe" was promoted in the 90's by the Smithsonian Institution, where my gift giver works. It has entries such as, "The Silk Road is not a street made of cloth. It doesn't have 'Dry-clean Only' written on it. It isn't even really a road. There are no signs saying, 'Silk Road, Next 3 Exits.' "

Single supplement waived on cruise lines in 2011

'Tis the season to go cruising. And, I'm seeing a lot of offers from companies waiving the single supplement.

What astounds me is how much people have been willing to pay to travel solo on a cruise. Avalon Waterways' announcement about waiving the single supplement on some 2011 cruises in Europe says that you can save up to $5,396.

Yikes. If that's the savings, how much is the cruise? Not only am I not going solo, I'm not going at all unless somebody treats me to it! Then again, some of the cruises are 23 days long so the price may not be outrageous for what you get.

But clearly the clientele is wealthy and retired. Either that or these cruisers saved vacation days and money to take the trip of a lifetime.

But there are other, less expensive, cruising choices. USA Today says that MSC Cruises is reducing the cost for solo travelers as much as 30 percent on 7-night Caribbean voyages.

9 outdoor ice skating rinks for the solo traveler, with bonus rinks slipped in

The cold weather is starting to settle in here in the Northern hemisphere.

Instead of settling into your sofa, how about slipping out for some ice skating in the great outdoors? At scenic ice rinks around the world?

The globalgrasshopper writes about 10 of the world's best outdoor ice rinks, (However, the one in Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, is no longer open.)

Ice skating is a perfect way for solo travelers to people watch and get some exercise at the same time.

Rinks with magnificent backdrops can be found in front of the town hall in Vienna; beneath the Eiffel Tower in Paris; within sight of the stunning El Capitan and Half Dome in Yosemite National Park in the U.S. and elsewhere.

I'd like to add two others, only because I've personally tested them. Skip the skating at the expensive and packed ice rink at New York City's Rockefeller Center and head straight to the skating rink in Central Park.

You get views of the city but also feel the spaciousness of the park around you.

And then there's the National Gallery of Art's Sculpture Garden ice rink in Washington, D.C. Open already. Skate to the music while gazing at the terrific sculptures, by Roy Lichtenstein and others.

10 reasons to visit Iceland and why it's perfectly fine going alone

Bootsnall, a great travel site, recently published a post on 10 reasons to visit Iceland now. The photos are gorgeous and I agree with all their reasons. Except maybe #10. I'll get to that in a moment.   

I've been to Iceland twice (as I've written here before), once in the winter and once in the summer. Many friends have been there over and over. One for business. He loves it. Another couple because it's so close. And they love it.