Boldly Go Solo

Solo travel Valentine's Day ideas include Ecuador, Moscow, Tucson

Since I didn't start musing about what might make a good solo Valentine's Day trip until yesterday, these ideas obviously will have to hold until 2012 or beyond.

Solo travelers seeking roses should book a flight to Ecuador, the rose capital of the world. One airline, I don't remember which, handed a large, perfect rose to each woman leaving the airplane. And it wasn't even February.

I've never been to Moscow. Do they celebrate Valentine's Day there? I'm thinking it's either too cold or too dark or the restaurant service is too poor to make it a great place to go out for a romantic dinner. So it would be a good place to avoid the hokey Hallmark nonsense. But it sure is a long way to go to avoid a silly "holiday."

What about a ranch? I've loved all my visits to Arizona ranches. Do cowboys do roses? Either ranch hands will pay special attention to solo female travelers or the day will be celebrated at some kind of big barbecue event with families, couples and singletons. Just like any other day. Either way, I'm guessing there won't be the red-rose twosomeness of a city slicker Valentine's Day.

Those are my rambling thoughts. Any other fun or funny ideas for a solo Valentine vacation? I can collect them for next year.

Photo: Ellen Perlman. Chocolate and candy hearts.

 

Yellowstone National Park in winter and deals for solo travelers

Winter visitors to Yellowstone National Park have the park, and the herds of native bison, practically to themselves. Apparently, it's a pretty special place to be in the next few months. 

“Winter for us means terrific cross country skiing, a sense of quiet and solitude and truly unparalleled opportunities for wildlife viewing,” said Jeff Brown, director of education for the Yellowstone Association Institute.

The bears may be hibernating, and the migratory birds off to warmer places, but otherwise the winter months are a great time to see wolves, elk and bison in their natural habitat. Without all the two-legged tourists getting in the way. Now that's adventure travel.

The non-profit institute offers private tours for small groups but also a "Lodging & Learning" program that provides guides for daily field trips, along with lodging in park hotels.

In a separate program, experts teach multi-day field seminars on wildlife, geology, history and more, a great way for solo travelers to get to hang with other people. You know, talk, laugh, discuss cougar mating habits.

Some of the courses are held at the Institute's Lamar Buffalo Ranch field campus, where you can stay in cabins for $30 a night per person. Sounds like no single supplement to me.

Barrel racing and pole bending at Kay El Bar Ranch in Arizona

This city slicker played rodeo queen once. And it wasn't on Halloween. I was at the Kay El Bar Ranch in Wickenburg, Arizona, which is home to several horse ranches.

I suited up with a neck hankerchief in the ranch's colors and tried my hand, and my horse, at barrel racing, pole bending and a relay race. It was an inter-ranch gymkhana, or dudeo, that was run like a rodeo.

We, and our ranch's horses, all loaded up in cars and trailers to get to the arena at another ranch. And get this. I won a red ribbon in the relay. (However, the credit all goes to the speedy cowboy on my team, and Stormy, my horse, who had no "slow" gear.)

Sad to say, Kay El Bar no longer does the dudeo. It was a hassle and there were safety concerns. Although the women who are at the ranch during Women's Week get to practice their barrel racing and other skills at a neighboring arena. But that doesn't provide the adrenaline of competition.

But "regular guests" still get to sort cattle. If six to eight people are up for it, the ranch can get some cattle sorting teams together. "It's a blast trying to get the horses, riders and cattle all on the same page," says Alyson Smith, the ranch's assistant manager.

Solo guests will be embraced by the ranch and its guests, she says. Even if the guests are all mean and rotten, (she didn't say this)there are always the ranch hands and owners to hang with. "We're still a good place for adventures singles," Smith says. "Everyone becomes part of the family and each person has their story to share."

Horseback riding in the Masai Mara: a trip to remember, if you can afford it

Riding horses across the Masai Mara, a large reserve park in Southwestern Kenya, is something I'd love to do. Paying $5,675 plus $875 for the single supplement is something I really don't want to do. And won't.

In this case, even if I were spared the single supplement, I wouldn't shell out close to $6,000 for an eight-day vacation. But it is fun to dream about. For those who have the bucks, Cross Country International, the company that offers it, promotes itself to single travelers:

"Many of our customers travel alone. Many of our riders are single. This is a great way to meet other people and just be yourself."

(They seem to have left off the "well-to-do" between "meet other" and "people.")

I've never been to Africa. It would be amazing to go horseback riding and visit a wild animal reserve and meet with the local Masai at Acacia Camp, a game-viewing area.

But some things simply are out of reach. For now. (Who says a bag packed with $1,000 bills couldn't fall on my head tomorrow?)

Letting trip organizers do my bidding

I'm not big on spending a week or more alone, as is obvious if you've read much of this blog. While I often love to explore museums and sights without others by my side, I can get lonely if I go for too long without connecting with someone. I happen to like the social life that comes along with a group trip even if I don't like every member.

One way to guarantee down time as well as social time is to plan an active tour and add extra days before or after the organized trip. If I get lonely in the days before, I have the trip to look forward to. After a trip, I have post-trip adrenaline to keep me going, and memories to mull over while I wander. And I'm familiar with the place by then, making solo travel even easier.

Also, I'm a little...hm...what's a nicer word than "lazy?" Once I decide on a place and an activity, it's great to let others do the planning. For instance, I chose a multi-sport trip to New Zealand's South Island with Active New Zealand.   

Continued...

Giddyap and go, Arizona horse ranch style

Jackrabbits. Roadrunners. IBM executives who dropped out of the rat race to be trail guides. I found them all at horse ranches in Arizona. My first one was at Circle Z Ranch in Patagonia near the Mexican border. After reading about it in the New York Times travel section, I was sold. I booked a flight and rented a car.

At Circle Z, I had a cottage for myself with two beds, wicker chairs and a desk, and Western magazines for my reading pleasure. Not to mention a welcoming fruit plate. I found friendly people to talk with at meals, where there was no such thing as a table for one. And mingled with them and others while saddling up and hitting the trails.

A British couple I got to know over the week taught this city girl how to shoot pistols. They lined up some bottles on a fence and I managed to break a few. All in all, I would say a ranch is a pretty comfortable place to be for someone vacationing solo.

One morning before breakfast at Circle Z, I took a walk along a dry river bed on ranch property. At some point I sensed movement in the woods. Then two horses emerged and starting walking toward me. I was frightened at first, what with no fences between us. I had remind myself that these were horses, not lions or tigers. But why were they coming at me so steadily?

Continued...