Boldly Go Solo

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 don't have to dine alone

After years of solo travel, I've learned that I like the freedom and serendipity that come along with having all my time to myself. But not everyone feels that way.

A recent New York Times article describes various Web sites that help women business travelers meet up with other women in cities where they'll be working. They can find company and go out and do things they wouldn't do alone. I don't see why a vacation traveler couldn't take advantage of such sites if they appeal.

Maiden Voyage is a network for finding company for dinner in a city far from home. LadiesAway is another site for businesswomen looking for ways to contact other women in a city they're visiting.

But "ladies?" "Maidens?" What's the deal with using these labels for successful businesswomen? Really, now, aren't these just a tad outdated? By decades? Perhaps centuries? What's next? Sites called "Spinster Suppers?" or "Bachelorette Brunches?" But I digress...

There's also a site called Global-Dinner-Network, which has 2,000 registered members. If you're the type of traveler who knows you won't leave your hotel room for dinner alone, especially after dark, these seem worth looking into.

But I have to admit, I just don't see tying myself down by making dinner arrangements before I even get to a place. Then again, I don't know what it's like to be on the road for business night after night.

I travel just enough to get excited every time I land in a city that's not my own. Particularly if my company's paying my hotel and dinner bills.

Solo travelers: "The world can be your oyster" - the Boston Globe

A story in today's Boston Globe gives great common sense tips and encouraging stories on the joys of solo travel and preparation for doing so safely. Funny enough, the writer, Kari Bodnarchuk, a great adventurer (and gear head) was on my recent travel writers' trip to Egypt.

She writes:

"What surprised me once I hit the road was that I was rarely alone. Locals took me in and I met other travelers en route."

Virtually all solo travelers with an open mind and a welcoming demeanor usually express something similar to friends and family when upon return from a solo trip.

Kari closes with reasons why everyone should try solo travel at least once. It is the connections with people you meet that make travel meaningful. If you're traveling with friends or family, you are much less likely to make those connections.

Alone? It's incredible how often it happens. (see this post and this post)

As Kari puts it:

"By the time I arrived home I had forgotten the names of the mountains I had climbed and the museums and temples I had visited, but I remembered clearly each friend I had made along the way."

Photo: Solo traveler Ellen (blog author) and new friend Mauricio from Chile who met during a day trip to Segovia, Spain (see link above). His sister Paola took the photo.

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."

No single supplement?!

Whoa. Can this be true? A company called Overseas Adventure Travel, catering to travelers over 50, plans to eliminate the single supplement for all its land tours in 2009. And for many of its cruises, according to a USA Today blog entry.

But if you're not retired, be prepared to save up those vacation days. The group seems to run long trips - 13, 15, 17 days long and longer.

On another front, the company has found that the number of women traveling solo has more than tripled over the past five years. So it plans to launch a women-only line of vacations. That pretty much guarantees there won't be a lot of couples on those trips!

But I'm still marveling at the no single supplement thing. Is the travel world as we know it changing?

Updates on shorter biking tours and paying for travel in installments

A few weeks ago I wrote about shorter organized tours offered by Backroads. I heard back from Undiscovered Country Tours and learned that they too offer weekend road bike tours. All in California. They say they offer more three- and four-day biking tours in California than any other company. Easy to believe, since California is their focus.

They offer regular-size tours too. What's great is having a choice of some bike tours in the winter months. Many adventure companies are dormant in the winter. Obviously, the company can do so because the weather is nice in parts of California year round.

In 2009 there's at least one tour and as many as four per month in February, March, April, September, October and November. (None in January. December, to be announced.)

Last week I wrote about "vacation layaway" - paying for a trip in installments. I learned of another company, Adventurous Wench, that offers to help travelers out by splitting your trip cost into monthly payments. (Sorry guys, this particular company offers women-only trips.)

I found out about this via their monthly newsletter. You can sign up for it at their site. Plus, they offer specials each month. The company also says it's offering more affordable domestic trips this year. Of course, "more affordable" is in the eye of the vacationer, so you'll have to assess whether it's affordable for you.

Photos: Apples. Washington, D.C. farmers' market. We're solidly into fall now. Where are you traveling this winter?

Vacation layaway. Reserve a spot on a cruise or a tour, then pay in dribs and drabs.

Speaking...again...of grim financial news...

If money's tight, or you don't feel comfortable dropping a lot of cash right now, how about paying for your next vacation in increments?

Were you ever the type to put money into a Christmas savings account (do they still have those?) or buy clothes on layaway? Now you can do it with vacations.

At least with the two travel companies that came up with the idea. You reserve the vacation you want with Gate 1 Travel or Gutsy Women Travel, (see my previous post on Gutsy Women) a year or more in advance, with a small down payment. Then you pay in bits, whatever amount you want, up to 45 days before the tour departs. That's when full payment is due. It's more like four months in advance if you reserved a cruise rather than a land tour.

Meanwhile, you get to lock in the price and the date you want. Of course, you're up the creek if something happens to the company between now and then...unless there's something in the fine print that says otherwise. Be sure to read carefully.

I've never been the type to plan that far in advance. But I have friends I know would jump on this type of offer. So here it is, for all you plan-way-in-advance solo travelers.

For the rest of you, tell me what you think. Gimmick? Or great idea?

Active vacations for the not quite as active solo traveler

Over 50 but and energetic and rarin' to go? I found this blog post today that lists the "top" five trips for 50+ travelers. Who decides what's tops? You can decide whether it's just a sales pitch. But what I like about the groups they chose is that they're either active or educational.

The problem is, I don't view 50 as "old," or an indication that someone has slowed down. Nevermind. If you feel you ARE in that category - not old, but desiring a slower pace, perhaps - these are worth looking into.

The tour companies are Eldertreks, Walking the World ("for those who are 50 or better"), 50plus Expeditions, Senior Women's Travel by SWTTours and Smithsonian Journeys.

Short trips in the United States

USA Today yesterday wrote about "10 quick, affordable U.S. vacations for women." From hiking and kayaking in the Blue Ridge Mountains to five days of golfing in coastal California. See if there's anything you like.

Girl's Night Out, stretched to a weekend, or a week, or more

Many tour operators offer women-only trips. One major advantage that I can see for solo travelers is you're definitely not going to be the only single person with a bunch of couples, no matter what. 

I have never been on a woman-only vacation. Except, of course, when I've arranged to go away with my own friends. As a solo traveler, my first choice would be a mixed group. But when I read the "why's" on some of these websites, I can understand what the attraction is.

Men sometimes like to go away with "the guys." For that guy bonding thing. This is the female version, says the Adventurous Wench website. Another thing. Since women tend to be supportive, rather than competitive, they will feel less pressure to keep up with the head of the pack on any kind of active vacation. And something else I never thought of - for married women who want to get away without their husbands from time to time, this can be a comfortable option. Both for the husband and the wife.