Solo And Single Travel Guide - Travel information for the Solo And Single traveler

People who have never traveled alone often describe their first solo trip as an almost religious experience. To take in new surroundings unfiltered by the prejudices, taste, or preferences of a traveling companion can be heady stuff. You can indulge yourself fully: sleep as much or as little as you like. Rest when you want, pour it on when you're feeling ambitious. Impulse decisions are the catalyst of kismet and happy accidents; traveling alone lets you indulge your whims.

Another benefit of solo travel is that your mistakes are your own, and your triumphs all the more exciting. There's no worrying that your insistence on trekking all the way across town to a museum that was closed ruined your partner's day; it's your own day to salvage or chalk up to a learning experience.

And you tend to be able to change plans on a dime (or a franc, or a lira, or a peso, or a … you get the picture). Your best laid plans not working out? There's no extended consultation, no worrying whether your companion really wants to do what you want to do.

Also, you can do exactly what you want to do. Always wanted to try sailboarding? Sign up for a class and go for it; there's no one sitting on the beach bored while you have the time of your life. Have no desire to see Niagara Falls? Just drive right by.

Choosing the Time for Your Trip
If you're looking to meet as many new people and see as many new sights as your sensation-starved mind can handle, you might want to travel during warm season. Unless, of course, you're taking off on a cross-country skiing trek, or going ice-fishing. Otherwise, you'll find people more likely to be out and about, and to be more sociable, and you can pack lighter and get around more easily when it's warm. If you are feeling a little lonely? Head out to a crowded street café and dive right in with the local color. Or, indulge your natural need for solitude and spend some time alone.

When traveling, it's sometimes beneficial to go against habit or our own nature. If you're a person who always wants company, try spending some time alone, let your mind wander without constant input from a companion, stay quiet. On the other hand, if you're a private, solitary person, force yourself to sidle up to a crowded bar on a Saturday afternoon and see what happens.

Talking to Other Folks
Solo travelers find that strangers are far more likely to strike up a conversation, and are more inclined to dispense with the small talk and discuss weightier issues than the usual small talk, such as the weather. (Then again, some folks break the ice with weather talk -- pun intended.)

Safety is First
Perhaps the foremost concern of the solo or single traveler is safety. Without a companion to watch your back, you are more vulnerable to criminals and scam artists, as well as simple health worries. "There is safety in numbers," as the saying goes; for the solo traveler, this isn't always an option.

- Know how long it takes, and how much it costs, to get from the airport to your hotel or to the city center. Solo travelers are more likely to be "taken for a ride;" before you leave, ask the taxi driver how much it will cost. If it is considerably different from what you know to be true, take a different cab.

- Find out if hotels at your destination are open late, so you don't end up sleeping in your car or worse.

- Be your own best counsel; if it doesn't feel right, don't do it.

- Carry good identification, in more than one place.

- Keep to open and public places.

- Exude confidence.

- Avoid appearing like a tourist. Ditch the Disney T-shirts, skip the Bermuda shorts.

- Don't draw attention to yourself by wearing flashy clothes or jewelry.

- Lie a little. Not only can you invent your own persona or history, but little white lies can make your life easier. When asking directions, don't let on that you are alone: "Can you direct me to the museum? I have to meet a friend."

- Some travel experts recommend that you carry mace or pepper spray in case of an emergency. But if you're flying to your destination, be warned: As Independent Traveler host Colleen discovered the hard way, it may very well be confiscated by airport security.

Trust Everyone and No One
One of the reasons to travel alone is to meet new people; it's also where you are most vulnerable. It's okay to hang out, travel, and share with new friends, but you might not want to ask them to hold your money. Scam artists can often be the most charming companions you'll find; you want to be open-minded, but keep your guard up enough to ensure your safety.

Tips for Getting Around
Take the trains! This is especially true in Europe, where trains are almost as good for meeting folks as they are for getting around.

Know where you're going
Check your maps and transportation schedules before leaving your hotel/hostel/sleeping bag/train/rental car/tourist office. A solo traveler pouring over maps can be a mark for unsavory types.

Tips for Dining
Eating alone isn't so bad. Many solo travelers (and frequent business travelers) are terrified of eating alone, worried that they appear like some worn-out Willy Loman of the road. There's even a name for it: solomangarephobia. Nonetheless, the following tips can help you overcome what for many travelers is the most unpleasant aspect of going it alone.

Marya Charles Alexander's "Solo Dining.com, the newsletter devoted to taking the bite out of eating alone," and her report, "100+ Top US Solo Dining Savvy Restaurants," are superb resources for tips on solo dining. (Order the restaurant report from: SoloDining.com, PO Box 1025; South Pasadena, CA 91031. Call: (800) 299-1079; fax: (323) 257-0049; or e-mail: sales@solodining.com.)

- Chat with the service people. Turns out that waiters and waitresses are some of the best local color you'll find.

- Most Zagat guides include a section on "Singles Dining;" you might not be out to meet a new beau, but this should offer some options nonetheless.

- Café and outdoor dining is often attractive to single travelers; sitting alone with a book in a café isn't as unusual as a table for one at a fancy restaurant.

- Choose a counter seat, or a seat at the bar.

- Go to a restaurant that has booths, which offer more privacy.

- Bring reading materials. If you start to feel uneasy sitting alone and staring down at your food, you can crack open a book, write letters or in a journal, or read a magazine. One hint: the more high-minded your pursuit appears, the more likely folks are either to ignore you, or to become intrigued and maybe say hello.

- Use room service. If you don't want to endure yet another meal alone, use room service. It's often no more expensive than local restaurants.

- Eat well. Just because you're alone and on the run doesn't mean you shouldn't take time for sit-down meals, a leisurely cup of coffee, or a decadent dessert.

Staying in touch
Internet kiosks can be found from Toledo to Thailand; a free email account is all you need to stay in touch. If you're more ambitious, visit our Computers and Travel section for tips on taking your CPU's on the road.

Travel Insurance
When traveling alone, posting bail, running errands, dealing with problems can be a little tougher than when you have some help. Read the Travel Insurance feature for help on deciding what type of travel insurance you need, if any at all. A list of reputable companies is included.

When You've Just About Had It
The constant sensory input and vigilance of traveling alone can wear you down. If you feel your attention or your body flagging, don't be afraid to back off your ambitious itinerary, slow the pace, and kick back for a bit.

When traveling abroad, seek out an "American bar" - locals will often know where these are - and hang out and speak your native tongue with some fellow ex-pats and travelers. When traveling stateside or in familiar locales, a hot shower and a night in front of the boob tube in a nice hotel room can often give you enough of a reprieve to send you out eagerly the next morning.

Web Sites & More Information
Travel Alone And Love It
Great site by solo travel expert Sharon Wingler with tons of helpful travel tips, and an overview of her book, "Travel Alone & Love It: A Flight Attendant's Guide to Solo Travel"

Travel Chums
Web site which allows you to search for fellow solo travelers who want to travel to the same destinations you do, and connect with them.

Women Traveling Together
"To bring women together who want to travel and make new friends, in a comfortable, small group environment while eliminating the penalties of solo travel."