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Solo Travel - where would/have you gone?

VegasBella

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I am thinking of taking a solo trip but I'm not sure where to go. It would be to just relax.

Where would you go on a solo trip?
Or if that's a regular thing for you, where do you like to go and why?
 

VacationForever

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I take solo trips to visit friends and family. If it is pure solo trip where I am not going somewhere to see someone, it will be a cruise with a good cruise line and not one catered to families, i.e. kids. The cruise ship itself is a destination, with good food, entertainment if one wants to participate in, and everything is taken care of by the crew. If there are ports and shore excursions that are interesting, it is also easy to join as an outing.
 

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I have taken a few solo trips. The beach is my favorite solo destination. I must have an oceanfront room so I can sit on the balcony, relax and just enjoy the view of the sand and water.. That is my nirvana! Plus, there are always good places to eat great seafood.


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Free2Roam

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I have taken a few solo trips. The beach is my favorite solo destination. I must have an oceanfront room so I can sit on the balcony, relax and just enjoy the view of the sand and water.. That is my nirvana! Plus, there are always good places to eat great seafood.


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Agree with all this! If flying solo, it's always the beach with an oceanfront balcony for me.
 

Passepartout

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Cruises and organized tours are expensive for a solo traveler as they are priced as 'double occupancy' per person. Some of them will double you up with a same sex room mate for no charge to beat the single supplement. Overseas Adventure Travel is one such. www.oattravel.com but those are more active that 'relaxing'. Another possibility is www.roadscholar.com they are marginally educational travel experiences and have deep experience with solo travelers.
Washington DC with all it's free museums and great sights to see could work as a solo. One drawback with solo travel is the eating alone bugaboo. Eating out alone, for me at least, is an uncomfortable experience. I did it in my work environment for too many years. Fast food and getting over with as quickly as practible was how I dealt with it. That's OK for a few days but hardly a pleasant and relaxing solution.

Good Luck & Have Fun

Jim
 
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klpca

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Cruises and organized tours are expensive for a solo traveler as they are priced as 'double occupancy' per person. Some of them will double you up with a same sex room mate for no charge to beat the single supplement. Overseas Adventure Travel is one such. www.oattravel.com but those are more active that 'relaxing'. Another possibility is www.roadscholar.com they are marginally educational travel experiences and have deep experience with solo travelers.
Washington DC with all it's free museums and great sights to see could work as a solo. One drawback with solo travel is the eating alone bugaboo. Eating out alone, for me at least, is an uncomfortable experience. I did it in my work environment for too many years. Fast food and getting over with as quickly as practible was how I dealt with it. That's OK for a few days but hardly a pleasant and relaxing solution.I

Good Luck & Have Fun

Jim
I agree about eating solo but when I have to, I try to sit in the bar of a restaurant. If I want to, I can chat with the bartender or the people around me, but it doesn't feel quite as weird as eating at a table in the middle of a restaurant. Nowadays with phones and tablets, I see more people eating solo and reading while they eat and I have done that in casual restaurants and it didn't bother me.

I'm interested to see what everyone says. I'm not a solo traveler and probably won't ever be (I'd pester one of my friends to join me before I went by myself because it's that terrifying to me!) but I have heard of people having a great time on solo trips. I would probably consider a trip to a city since a lot of city activities (especially in tourist destinations) have tours, or activities that can be enjoyed solo - museums, shopping, parks, or just people watching.
 

buzglyd

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I tend to go solo to places where I have specific interests that might bore other people. I just returned from Italy where I toured the Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Ducati factory followed by a MotoGP race. That is my second solo Italy trip. I've also gone solo to Italy, London and Athens previously for historical sightseeing.

So, if you have an interest in something that your travel friends might not, go there!
 

linsj

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I end up doing a lot of solo travel since I have miles, hotel points, a timeshare, and gift cards, making the trip cheap for me. It's hard to coordinate schedules with friends who can afford to go with me. I've been all over the US by myself and in other countries as add-on days to mission teaching trips. The big plus of going solo is the freedom to not be on a schedule, to do what I want when I want--total self-indulgence and restoration. A book and I enjoy eating in restaurants.

Hawaii is my favorite place to go. I love the slower pace, ocean, and beach--and an oceanview lanai.
 

bnoble

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I've done a bunch. Several times to Disney. I also enjoy hiking, so National Parks work well. I was in RMNP this past summer, will be in GSMNP very late Fall/early Winter, and Yellowstone late next Spring. I've often added on some time to a work trip, most recently an extra four days in Stockholm this past summer.
 

elaine

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some of the NCL ships, such as Epic, have some cool solo/studio cabins. They also have a studio-only bar/meeting area/lounge where people can group together to eat, etc. I read about it-no personal experience, but liked the Epic just fine.
I've done sorta solo at WDW resorts, spending time at the resort for the day/evening while DH was at conferences. I love hanging out at the pool, spa, renting a bike, chatting with the bartenders, etc. When I had an annual pass, I'd go into Epcot and power walk around the World, then a slow crawl again for food/drinks.
Also did San Fran weekend solo 2X. Day trip via ferry to Saulsalito and then wine tasting bus tour-chatted with 3 ladies from Scotland.
 
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vacationhopeful

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I am single .... if I did not travel solo, I would be considered a house-bound, old maid.

I have travel with all my nieces and nephews .... when they were 12-17 years old. All were great timeshare trips. And some were 'reward' trips as in the "you went to school FINALLY" trip. Or the "you lived after being on a ventilator due to the flu" trip to Ft Lauderdale. Or the "15yo niece who was HS graduate but had no life experiences" (Key West on NYE cured that innocence and she is a PhD theapist and I am her favorite aunt ... that is how she introduced me to her groom 2 days before their wedding).

My NYE niece (aka Key West trip) ... she is a PhD clinical head-shrinker. The truant nephew is now in college driving my old Ford Focus. The "flu nephew" went to college 800 miles from home and now works as an Mechincal Engineer for Navy.

I was treated to an Alaskan cruise (my roommate was the truant nephew) with my other siblings ... but they ONLY would agree to go, IF I went. It was his parents' 25th Wedding Anniversity Cruise. My one niece could NOT believe that the boy with me, was 'that' nephew ... quote "but he acted normal!". And I replyed, "He always acts like this around me." I did not say to her that his mother knew he could act normal .... but only due to many summer reports from our NJ relatives who saw him during his summer vacation stays with me, our shared holiday dinners at her home and the pictures from our Disney World trip.

No, I do NOT spoil my youngest nephew ... I shared experiences wtih him. The WDW trip had lots of my stories during the first year WDW opened. As a sophmore college student attending college 50 miles away, it was "see a local movie" or "go to WDW" with the cost about the same. This was due to MANY classmates participated in the LIVE Opening Parade on the "Wonderful World of Disney" TV show ... they got 'paid' with free all E-tickets .. which they sold on campus for $5.

And the circle of life ... my father drove down to Florida to bring me home from college (as I would NOT be going back for my Junior year). He dragged my youngest sister (now demon child's mother) out of the house to be his navagator/companion for the 2,000 mile round trip. My sister was begging and crying NOT to go (wanted her perfect attendence award) til he got to the end of the driveway and annouced they were going to Disney World!. Her next words were. "Give Me the MAP!". She was the first child in her class to go to WDW ... and I was totally hungover from polishing off the last bottles of the liquor in my dorm room before our "family" WDW experience.
 

sun starved Gayle

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Some river cruises waive the supplement solo fee on certain cruises. If I wanted to just go and relax, Hawaii might be my choice. Just to sit and look at the ocean and read in the sun sounds very nice!

My youngest daughter is just finishing up 8 months of round the world solo travel. She won a University of Washington Bonderman Travel Fellowship for $23,000 and the requirements were 8 months of continuous solo travel going to at least 6 countries on 3 different continents. She got pretty lonely at times, but learned a lot about herself. She is really looking forward to coming home, and I am really looking forward to having her home!
 

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I am recently back from a trip to the wilderness. The road trip portion was solo, I think about 10 hours, including breaks. Visited a friend that bought land and is building a camp. It was glorious. the Mongolian yurt was gorgeous and I liked waking up in the middle of the night and seeing stars and moonlight through the clear top. The small area of cleared land would be completely bathed in moonlight. So pretty. so quiet. I didn't mind having to pee in the middle of the night since I got such a moonshow.

I probably would not have travelled right now at all, and would not have imagined going to where there is nothing, but it sure was therapeutic for me, and I think she benefitted from having another soul around. mostly she built stuff while I made art - she wanted pops of color, signs of life, some decoration. I told people that I was heading for adult camp and that is what it was. peaceful. quiet.

Had I not gone to hs reunion in July, I would never have known what she is doing, but this is going to be a regular road trip for me. I am very interested in what she is building, and I am committed to be the camp cook when her first bookings start showing up. I will probably eventually try to build my own whack log cabin there just because I can.

Meanwhile, my normal get away solo would be either mountains or beach. I don't have to have hot weather for beach, I am happy walking up and down the coast line in anything but heavy rain. Something about the ocean really "grounds" me, I always return refreshed and reinvigorated, motivated to knock my challenges out.

One trip that was solo was in the Keys. I was at Marathon Hammocks (BG property) and thoroughly enjoyed the hammocks. I took a book and would end up napping. It turned out that every hammock had that effect on me. Worth a return trip to see if they still work like that on me!
 

geist1223

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I will never travel solo as long as Patti is alive. Our 3 weeks apart while she was helping kids and Grandkids move into their new house in Chicago was horrible on both of us. If Patti dies first and I am still able to travel I will probably return to our favorite places and just walk around and dream about and talk to Patti each day. I will also take a couple test tubes of her ashes and spread them at each place. If that makes me weird so be it. She means so much to me.

I can understand the draw to the Ocean. I can sit for hours and listen to waves crashing on sand or rocks.
 

Panina

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I will suggest Marco Island, relaxing, great beaches and good choice of food. I have often seen and met solo travelers there plus at the pool, bar areas everyone is friendly whether you are with someone or solo. Chances are if you go and post on tug there will be another tugger or two on Marco Island the same week and you can meet.
 

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If I had to go solo, definitely Disney, maybe find a cruise line that has solo cabins.

I would not mind a beach vacation but it would have to be here in the US. Just feel safer....but that is me. Might consider Italy too. Other than that, doubt I would go solo anywhere else.

Hopefully there is no need to go solo....but I could definitely go solo to Disney. I tease my hubby all the time that when he goes hunting for a few days, I will go to Disney :). Has not happened yet.
 

Panina

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If I had to go solo, definitely Disney, maybe find a cruise line that has solo cabins.

I would not mind a beach vacation but it would have to be here in the US. Just feel safer....but that is me. Might consider Italy too. Other than that, doubt I would go solo anywhere else.

Hopefully there is no need to go solo....but I could definitely go solo to Disney. I tease my hubby all the time that when he goes hunting for a few days, I will go to Disney :). Has not happened yet.
I like the Disney idea too. My other half and I like different things in Disney and we often split up. I have met solo travelers many times but never have seen them in the fine dining restaurants where I do go alone.
 

bnoble

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I try to hit at least one Signature meal per solo trip, though sometimes that's at the bar in CA Grill. And as often as not they are in-park venues (Tiffins and Brown Derby have both been on my more-than-once list).
 

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I like the Disney idea too. My other half and I like different things in Disney and we often split up. I have met solo travelers many times but never have seen them in the fine dining restaurants where I do go alone.

The dining alone is a bit tough at first.

One year my daughter, her friend and I went to Disney. They more or less did their thing 95% of the time. It took a few tries for me to get a seat alone.........but I did it. (Not fine dining - but I guess I would if I had to/no choice).
 

VacationForever

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We met a retired solo cruiser from Canada and he was a university professor and a minister. He cruises a couple of times a year and always solo. He eats alone in the suite restaurant and sometimes gets invited to join others, like we did with him a couple of times. He is very sociable but dining alone has never bothered, at least that was what he said.
 

northwoodsgal

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My sister (in her 40's) just returned from a solo trip. She went to Virginia and rented a place on the beach. However, she also found a few Groupons and went kayaking and rafting as a group with other people, so it didn't feel like the trip was done totally solo.
 

CalGalTraveler

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It seems that Tradewinds Cruises would be ideal because they are social and I've heard they allow single occupancy.
 

Big Matt

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I would go to a big city with lots to see and do (New York, Boston, Chicago). I'd consider a singles cruise or tour.
 

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The dining alone aspect has always puzzled me. I don't understand the issue, but it clearly bothers others. I have eaten alone most of my life and frankly find it easier than attempting conversation as food is being consumed. Did most people have every meal with others growing up and into adulthood?
 

WinniWoman

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For me it would be Vermont. I would rent a cottage on Lake Champlain. It's my favorite place in the world.
 
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