Boldly Go Solo

Solo travel - day tour strategy

Short tours can do wonders for alleviating loneliness when you're vacationing alone. If, after flying to your dream destination, you start to feel lonely, you can join a group activity for a day or two and have real live conversations. Something beyond, "Does this bus go to Sintra?"

I recently went on an "urban foraging" walk in downtown Victoria, British Columbia. (My cousin asked if that meant dumpster diving!)  My tour guide Kathy and I tasted our way through a tea shop, a French cafe, a BBQ place called Pig, a chocolate store and more, talking the whole way along.

Usually she won't go out unless she has a minimum number of people, but it was early in the season and she made an exception this time, me being a travel writer and all.

Short tours can do wonders for alleviating loneliness when you're vacationing alone. If, after flying to your dream destination, you start to feel lonely, you can join a group activity for a day or two and have real live conversations. Something beyond, "Does this bus go to Sintra?"

I recently went on an "urban foraging" walk in downtown Victoria, British Columbia. (My cousin asked if that meant dumpster diving!)  My tour guide Kathy and I tasted our way through a tea shop, a French cafe, a BBQ place called Pig, a chocolate store and more, talking the whole way along.

Usually she won't go out unless she has a minimum number of people, but it was early in the season and she made an exception this time, me being a travel writer and all.

Tips on getting cheaper flights, packing, what to do on the road, and more

I've read a lot of great travel tips over the years. And I've probably forgotten just as many. So I always like reading stories on how to be a better traveler.

I've learned through experience to bring an empty water bottle to fill after going through security. That saves paying exorbitant prices to buy and throw out yet another plastic container.

For years, I've taken along photocopies of my passport in case I lost the real one. Having the passport information is supposed to speed up the replacement process.  

Recently, I was intrigued by an item about an inflatable footrest for airplane travel. Seems like a godsend. I'm always looking for someplace to put my feet when I'm trying to sleep on an overnight flight. 

On a site called Bookmundi, the post "The Ultimate Travel Hacks and Tips" provided many useful tips.  

For instance, have you ever noticed that the more you return to an airline site to check fares for a particular flight, the higher the prices seem to go?  You're not imagining things. Bookmundi suggests using "incognito mode" to browse. Who knew there was such a thing?

The section on airport hacks gave me several new ideas. Like downloading an app called Flight Board so you know your connecting flight's gate without ever having to stop at an airport departure board. Or sticking a "fragile" sticker on luggage to get your bags treated with care - and possibly taken off the plane first.

Bookmundi also offers useful tips for being on the road. Such as downloading offline maps. Or making sure to have the apps best for traveling internationally.

I learned that one in Italy a few years ago when I discovered WhatsApp was the only thing on my phone that worked in the rural village where I ended up. Having it was a lifesaver. I could have wandered around that place for days before being able to get in touch with the friends who were waiting for me.

Check out all the tips on the site to find some you might not have thought of. Google Goggles anyone?

(Tip 10 under the "On-the-road Travel Hacks and Tips") 

Solo travel hits the big time

You know the solo travel world has come into its own when The Washington Post does an entire travel section on it. 

One article offers eight tips ensuring a "trip of ease."

Some obvious tips include using common sense when it comes to safety and talking to locals. One you don't hear as often is the recommendation to travel places where the dollar is strong. Agreed.

It's always fun to go somewhere you can live like royalty for very little money, but it's that much more important when you're not sharing expenses. 

 Meeting a tiny Irish tourist, Inishmoor Island, Ireland

In another of the articles, the writer calls solo travel the "All About Me" trip. "More myselves and Is are venturing out into the world alone," she writes. Good for them!

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

Solo travel tips from writers and experts

Nearly every day, I find solo travel stories from around the world. Here are just three of the dozens I've collected. More to come.

Activities good for solo travelers:

From Peter Greenberg, a story on how to find friends when traveling solo. Some of these I've mentioned about before - such as staying at upscale hostels or B&B's or going to a dude ranch - but he offers some interesting new ones. 

For example, certain hotels that have wine hours every night, or cocktail parties for single parents on Mondays (Mondays?!). One even has a "yappy hour" if you're traveling with your dog.  

Traveling solo Down Under:

From an Australian writer out of Melbourne, a story on "Why we prefer to travel alone." She shares thoughts and stories from several solo travelers.  

Delayed flight remedy: tweet the airline

A decade ago or so, I remember feeling so clever when, after my flight was canceled, I called the airline to find me another flight, while I stood in a long customer service line at the airport.

Within a few minutes, I was rebooked to my destination and I stepped out of line. It had barely budged.

Twitter has upped the ante. A Washington Post story today describes how a woman got great service from United Airlines by tweeting her troubles about a delay due to mechanical problem.

United responded to several of her tweets and she was rebooked much faster than others who tried calling the airlines or using its app. 

The story, "How tweet it is," offers a list of tweeting tips.

United's Twitter page says, "We like hearing from you. Tweet us any time." And, according to the Post piece, people do and United has folks assigned to respond. 

Note to self: Make sure you're following all the airlines you ever plan to use. 

Note to followers: You should too.

@boldlygosolo

12 tips for solo travelers

Recently, my good friend and fellow travel writer Clark Norton asked if I would share some tips for women traveling solo because he was going to be interviewed on the topic. 

I realize I haven't blogged on solo travel tips lately. And, hey, I was flattered that Clark, who is an expert in baby boomer travel, called my pointers "valuable." So I thought I would share here what I shared with his audience. 

* Travel light so you can easily handle everything you brought.  

With only a small bag or two, you won’t struggle to get your luggage onto a train car, up a flight of stairs or into an overhead rack or compartment. Or need someone to watch your luggage while you go the restroom.  (No one will know you’re wearing the same clothes over and over. You’re traveling alone!)

Solo travelers on solo travel

A round-up of solo travel news

Lately I've enjoyed reading posts from solo travelers on the reasons they travel solo.

From a blog called the Simply Luxurious life, two thoughtful posts on solo travel.

Why Not...Travel Alone?: When traveling alone "be reminded of what stirs your passions" and "boost your confidence" and "realize the difference between alone and loneliness." I like the quote the writer found: “The first rule of travel is that you should always go with someone you love, which is why I travel alone.” – Andrew O’Hagan 

Why Not...Part Deux offers some tips on dining alone and getting a seat at a New York theater. And there are cautions about safety. For instance, travelers should dress to fit in and consider springing for a taxi from the airport or train station at night rather than walk around a strange place alone, in the dark. 

Is solo travel becoming trendy?

The number of women traveling alone is increasing, according to Small Luxury Hotels of the World, a hotel booking site. Between 2010 and 2011, bookings by women traveling solo increased 53 percent in this company's core markets, which include Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Russia, the UK and the USA.

Kayaking with manatees in Sarasota, Florida, and through the mangrove tunnels

I highly recommend kayaking with manatees next time you're in Florida. Even if you don't see manatees. (After all, they're not on call for interested visitors.)

But there they were last week, paddling around Sarasota Bay during mating season. Cruisin'.

Even if I'd had a camera out, it would have been tough to get photos. They don't surface much. Only a bit of their heads rise out of the water when they come up for air.

But there's plenty more to see out there.

Back to (language) school

This is the second year that fall has come around and my thoughts have turned to...Guadalajara. 

The foods, the family I lived with there for a few days and the Guadalajara sights.

The San Juan de Dios Market. (I just recently finished the vanilla I brought home from there, which reminded me of my trip every time I baked with it.) The Corona Market in Guadalajara's city center. And much more. My nice teacher at the IMAC Spanish language school in downtown Guadalajara. 

I was in a class with about five others, who ranged in age from teens to probably 60's. I loved the fact that la maestra couldn't revert to English to explain things (she didn't speak it well) and that I was able to follow along in Spanish pretty well.