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Why are people so afraid to travel alone? The concept seems to send fear into people. I travel everywhere alone and people always ask me "how do you do it, I could never do that" or worse "why do you do that, doesn't sound like fun"
Frankly I love traveling alone, I love being able to plan out everything to my liking, and not waiting on anyone. The only thing that I don't enjoy too much is dining alone, especially if I want to try a fancier place..altough I am trying to overcome this as well. Another drawback is that there isn't a second person to watch my luggage incase I need to do something quick, i.e. restroom break or holding place in a line etc. but I've been able to manage.
How many of you travel alone frequently? Do you experience any challenges doing it alone?
I LOVE to travel alone, and do it all the time! I also get those reactions you get. Mostly it's women who give me that reaction, and from what I can tell it's usually based on the fact that they don't feel safe traveling alone or they can't be away from their spouse/bf. I have had many women tell me that it's different for women traveling alone, because they can't feel as safe or free to go explore as men do. I've known women who buck that trend, but most women seem to feel that way.
Then the types who can't imagine not being with a spouse, boyfriend, or even a friend. To each his own. I think if someone is a TRUE travel junky, like me, it doesn't matter. Traveling with someone or alone both have their pros and cons. I love both. But I need those solo trips; it's great to do whatever you want at all times, which you can only do with nobody else there.
A bad part about traveling alone is what would seem obvious - you are kind of limited when it comes to things like clubbing or eating out alone. Not that you can't do it, but you don't feel as good about spending the time and money to do it when you're alone.
The worst thing about traveling alone, though, is that you have nobody with which to reminisce. Pictures only go so far, but the best way to reminisce is to connect with that person with whom you traveled and talk about the great times you had on the trip. You help each other briefly re-live the trip for a while, better than photos or video alone would.
Just remember that for every con about traveling alone there is a pro. Yes, you have nobody to watch your bags when you go to the bathroom, but then again you only have to ever worry about your own bags. Yes, eating in a fancy restaurant is less appealing, but eating at those cheap little joints or having that cuisine you really want, and eating absolutely whenever you want, is possible.
What I do now is I try to do both...
When I do my yearly Vegas trip, I invite friends who might want to go. I then try to tack on a day or two before and/or after their trip. That way I get to share experiences with friends but then get some time to myself (preferably at the end of the trip). When I've done trips with friends where we were there together the whole time, I try to find a way to give the other person/people and myself a night or some other time to spend alone, and that usually works. People usually want their alone time. Kind of like the "Alone Day" Clark Griswold/Chevy Chase told his family to take in Vegas Vacation.
But traveling alone is an excellent opportunity which people should take advantage of.
I travel alone. I don't mind breakfast or lunch alone, but don't like dinner out alone, even with a good book. I would much prefer to travel with a person, or depending where, a group. Seperate rooms though are a must, unless it's a significate other. Buds, get your own room.
The only thing I don't think I'd do alone is take a cruise.
Alone you meet people you probably wouldn't if you had a mate. That's a good thing.
BCJ, I do like your idea of going early, or staying later.
The only thing that I don't enjoy too much is dining alone, especially if I want to try a fancier place..altough I am trying to overcome this as well. Another drawback is that there isn't a second person to watch my luggage incase I need to do something quick, i.e. restroom break or holding place in a line etc. but I've been able to manage.
I like both. It's almost as if I *need* both.
I traveled alone a bit when young--it was empowering. Now I am a 50-something married lady and work with little kids every day, so traveling alone can be a nice, self-indulgent break for me.
I can't afford to go wherever I want whenever I want.
But it saves money to go solo, and sometimes I find some good deals--so off I go. In recent years, I went alone to see my kid in France and to a wedding near San Francisco. For both trips, I did some time alone. For the SFO trip, I spent about 4 days in the heart of the city, all by myself, doing whatever I wanted. It was SO FUN.
The drawbacks you mention are the only ones I've had, though even that isn't that bad at all. I just take my backpack into the bathroom stall with me.
And dining alone, well, at least I'm not doing dishes!
It seems that often I'll strike up a conversation with someone, and that's great. However, I don't want to *inflict* myself on anyone, so I try to be circumspect and just enjoy the fellowship if it occurs, and the solitude if it doesn't.
That is actually one of the benefits of going solo: Sometimes travel can be a shared experience--just not 24 hours a day. As Chielgirl says, you meet great people.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by k374
Why are people so afraid to travel alone? The concept seems to send fear into people. I travel everywhere alone and people always ask me "how do you do it, I could never do that" or worse "why do you do that, doesn't sound like fun"
Frankly I love traveling alone, I love being able to plan out everything to my liking, and not waiting on anyone. The only thing that I don't enjoy too much is dining alone, especially if I want to try a fancier place..altough I am trying to overcome this as well. Another drawback is that there isn't a second person to watch my luggage incase I need to do something quick, i.e. restroom break or holding place in a line etc. but I've been able to manage.
How many of you travel alone frequently? Do you experience any challenges doing it alone?
As a single female, I have found that it is easier to travel alone than to wait for the right timing when my friends can join me. I've travelled across country to Orlando as my dream vacation was to visit Disneyworld. I also travelled by myself to Victoria, Canada and Seattle. You just have to be aware of your surroundings but it is nice to be able to plan your own itinerary.
Why are people so afraid to travel alone? The concept seems to send fear into people. I travel everywhere alone and people always ask me "how do you do it, I could never do that" or worse "why do you do that, doesn't sound like fun"
Frankly I love traveling alone, I love being able to plan out everything to my liking, and not waiting on anyone. The only thing that I don't enjoy too much is dining alone, especially if I want to try a fancier place..altough I am trying to overcome this as well. Another drawback is that there isn't a second person to watch my luggage incase I need to do something quick, i.e. restroom break or holding place in a line etc. but I've been able to manage.
How many of you travel alone frequently? Do you experience any challenges doing it alone?
My man is career military, so I'm alone a lot. Yes, I travel by myself. I love it -- the only thing I like better is traveling with my fiance.
Just one (of what I'm sure will be many more to come from me) quick thought about the positives of traveling alone...
When it comes to food, traveling solo pays off big time. Perhaps not in the way you might be thinking.... Here are some of the ways that dining when traveling alone pays off:
- Eat whatever you want - You don't have someone there who "doesn't feel like" steak, burgers, tacos, fish or whatever else you want at that moment. You don't compromise one bit.
- Eat wherever you want - You don't have to deal with someone saying "Oh I don't like buffets" or "Oh that place is a dive!" or "Oh I don't do fast food." or any other silly thing. You want fine dining? Go for it. You want to eat at that hole-in-the-wall burger joint? Do it. You want to hit that awesome dive of a taco stand in a not-so-savory neighborhood? It's all yours. You want to eat at that special place you saw on Food or Travel channel which looked so amazing, or has a great history, or for whatever reason? You, alone, make the decision.
- Eat whenever you want - Let's say it's 2:00 PM and you're still just not hungry despite having skipped lunch... No problem, just skip it! No need to interrupt your fun when there's nobody there who is "starving" and needs to break up the action to kill an hour finding and eating food. And the opposite is true... It's 4:00 PM, and even though you had lunch 3 hours ago, you're hungry again. Maybe it's the smell from a nearby food vendor or restaurant; whatever the reason, if you want that early dinner, go for it! Nobody to stop you. You can even have an early dinner now and a late dinner later if you want. Eat once for the day or eat 5 times during the day, whenever you want - nobody there to give you grief.
This has all come in handy for me. Many times I've been hitting up that awesome taco stand at 3 in the afternoon or 10 at night when I think, "Wow, if I were out here with [so-and-so], that person would have interfered with this and I'd be missing out on some of the best food of the trip." Many times I've been with one or more other people and have had to feel hungry for hours so as not to interrupt the activities of the day for the others, or have had to interrupt my own activities to wait for someone else to eat when I didn't want to. And many times I've been with people who insisted on going out for a 2 hour, $60 steak dinner when I really just wanted a $6, 15-minute meal from In-N-Out or something else quick and easy and cheap. And other times I've been roped into eating in the crappy, cheap McDonald's instead of having the nice, 2-hour dinner...
I find that when I travel alone, a lot of my eating is determined by circumstances. Part of exploring/discovering a place is not passing up eateries you may run across, even if you've had lunch or dinner already. When alone, there is nothing to stop these experiences, but with others there is often a compromise or some sort of interference which makes you miss out on the good stuff.
I'll never forget the time I was in San Francisco and while I had a good restaurant in mind that was recommended by some locals (one that was on the water), my co-workers insisted we eat at a chain seafood restaurant near touristy Fisherman's wharf with no view whatsoever. Or the time we were in Albuquerque where the specialty is New Mexican cuisine that you can't get anywhere else, but our little group decided (against my imploring them otherwise) to go to an Olive Garden for crappy Italian food that I could have had at home (and never, ever do eat at home) instead of going to Los Cuatos del Norte, a well-known restaurant for New Mexico cuisine. Or how one co-worker on that same trip insisted on Burger King for lunch instead of Tommy's burgers which is local and serves an incredible New Mexico treat, the green chili burger.
My best trips, food-wise, are with certain friends who listen to me and they are never disappointed. My favorites quickly become their favorites because they are open to trying new things.
But when alone is when I find those gems, because I have no restrictions.
Just ONE reason why traveling alone is awesome.
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