Ladies, would you travel solo?

Back to the question: Would I travel alone? That's the ONLY way I travel. Hop in my vehicle and take off to Baja, Mexico and several times up the Alcan into Alaska. (which I can't stay away from) Take off to Arizona or California. Go the backroads and see the REAL country. Singing all the way! Yes, I'm a fool!
Hahaha! Once I told my "boyfriend" at the time, I was going next week to Alaska. He said,"Oh, Please take me with you. Please, please , please!" I told him,"No. Sorry ,i'm going alone." "Oh please,please,please!" Finally,I gave in and said, "O.K., Be here at 5:00 A.M.on Tuesday. That's when i'm leaving." he showed up as I was packing the vehicle. "Just one thing!" he said. "I need you to give me $5000."
"What?" I was confused. "Why would I do THAT?"
He said," because if I flirt with a waitress or something you might leave me stranded thousands of miles away!"
"No, I wouldn't do that, but you're not coming along. I AM going to leave you stranded right here!"
Life is to be lived as an adventure! if you want to go somewhere, why not just GO? Why do you need another person? Adventure! Explore! Test your mettle! Find out what you're made of! Sit alone in an old diner at midnight and watch the rain on the window as you listen to the Sons of the Pioneers playing in the background. Stand on a mountain top, look out over the land and say "This is the West!" Sneak in the door of a 100 year old bar and SMELL the cigars, the Whiskey, the smoke saturated wooden boards, not to drink, but to soak up the HISTORY of the place. Emerse yourself in LIFE!
This reminds me of a another story. I was living in Ohio and going to college. Saturday morning came and I had no plans for the weekend, so I thought maybe I would head up to the Falls (Niagara Falls) and see what's shaking. As I crossed into Pennsylvania, there was a sign along the road, (I seldom drove the interstates) that read, "Stop in Hometown and see the world's oldest bartender." (This is not the Hometown, PA near Philly. It's an unincorporated little burg) On the way, I wondered how will I know what bar to go to. Once I got to Hometown, it was easy to figure out. I think there were maybe a half dozen homes, one old (really old) gas station and a bar. I go inside and I sat down and this man, who looked to be about 45 walked over to me and asked what did I want. I told him that I saw a sign that said to stop and see the world's oldest bartender. So, where is he? He yelled, "Hey, Grampa, can you come here? We have another tourist. He finally makes his way out of the back room and says to me, "What the Hell do you want?" I was taken aback by this old, old man, so I said anything on draft and how old are you? He says, "102." I asked him if he could prove it. He slowly reaches behind his back, (I thought he was going for a gun, so I was ready to run) and he pulled out his wallet. You know this old man actually had a VALID driver's license. I darn near fell off the bar stool.
 

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I’ve travelled throughout Canada and the United States as well as tropical islands by myself on a plane. I’ve travelled throughout Canada and the United States by way of car / motorcycle also. Most times I was by myself. My first two vehicles were motorcycles.

The reasons why I don’t travel by plane now are due to the fact that I was kidnapped for a long period of time and unbelievable things were done to me so now I have ptsd fairly bad. Being in an enclosed place that close to people I can no longer do.

I’m not afraid of anything except for crowds of people being too close to me.

I’m a loner so prefer to be alone. It has nothing to do with how much I love my family. I’d turn myself inside out for any of them. My family frowned upon shows of affection. That’s just the way they were.



Lol... no.
Keesha: Sorry to hear your story. Hope you are doing well or at least better.
 
International travel by myself was how I finally answered my question - Who am I, when I am all alone, without a role to play? I highly recommend it for younger people, even if it is just a long weekend on the other side of town.
OK, so let me ask you this: I am a Senior male and I want to travel from Pennsylvania to let's say, Africa by myself. Would I enjoy it being alone? I can't imagine that I would. I think having someone along to share the experience would make a good trip even better, but without a partner in tow, I would think it may be a bit less exciting.
 
OK, so let me ask you this: I am a Senior male and I want to travel from Pennsylvania to let's say, Africa by myself. Would I enjoy it being alone? I can't imagine that I would. I think having someone along to share the experience would make a good trip even better, but without a partner in tow, I would think it may be a bit less exciting.
For me, I needed to 'find myself' by spending time alone and not having to live up to anyone else's expectations - without the constraints inherent in various relationship roles. Perhaps, the best explanation that I can give is that I wanted to be 'free to be me' - a journey of self-discovery. I tended to try and conform to others expectations to make them love me, to keep them happy, or to keep the peace. (Not a healthy way to be - always being what others wanted me to be.)

I did share experiences with many different people along the way and benefitted from these interactions. In this way, I discovered that I could be independent, adventurous, even fun-loving! I just wish that I had done it sooner in life.

Two years ago, my grand-daughter asked me about the happiest stage of my life - and I answered "now." I am content with myself and I like myself. I am in a 'comfortable place.'

To address your question, there is nothing wrong with traveling with a friend or mate. Go. Enjoy Africa. Take bilingual dictionaries!
 
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For me, I needed to 'find myself' by spending time alone and not having to live up to anyone else's expectations - without the constraints inherent in various relationship roles. Perhaps, the best explanation that I can give is that I wanted to be 'free to be me' - a journey of self-discovery. I tended to try and conform to others expectations to make them love me, to keep them happy, or to keep the peace. (Not a healthy way to be - always being what others wanted me to be.)

I did share experiences with many different people along the way and benefitted from these interactions. In this way, I discovered that I could be independent, adventurous, even fun-loving! I just wish that I had done it sooner in life.

Two years ago, my grand-daughter asked me about the happiest stage of my life - and I answered "now." I am content with myself and I like myself. I am in a 'comfortable place.'

To address your question, there is nothing wrong with traveling with a friend or mate. Go. Enjoy Africa. Take bilingual dictionaries!
I have a Swahili interpreter already chosen, if I continue to plan this trip. I am not one that enjoys being alone on such trips. Short trips to "just get away from it all" works fine, but I need someone along to share the thrill of the new adventure. It's what invigorates me to stay empowered and to continue the journey, if any of that makes sense to you.

Last summer, we were to take a trip to Italy and then Greece. It took me almost ten years to talk my wife into taking this trip with me. My Grandfather was born and raised in a small Greek village, which I have the address of, including his home. It was my intent to visit it and maybe discover some cousins that I never knew existed. It's because of my Grandfather that my family has thrived in the manner that it has. I owe him that much. We had to cancel the trip due to my sister becoming ill will Sepsis and nearly dying. We were going to try again this summer, but now my wife is again balking at the suggestion. My sister has now been diagnosed with having Leukemia and has just started showing signs of also having colon cancer, but she has to have a test done called CT Colonography Diagnostics. So, depending on the outcome of the test, I may have to stay close to home anyway. IOW, right now, my life is in a bit of disarray. And, of course, as my luck would have it, the hospitals arent even scheduling any procedures at this time. So, who knows when that will happen.

But, thanks for giving me your viewpoints. I appreciate your input.
 
COVID-19 has impacted almost everything for just about everyone. In the case of travel, my international trips planned for this year have been shelved with the distant hope that I can go next year. I reconnected with an old friend earlier this year. He and i dated for a while, from 2010 -2013, but we both wanted something different out of the relationship (he wanted marriage, I didn't). We parted ways, lost contact, I retired from full-time work and then moved 1200 miles away.

A few months back we reconnected and it's been great. Strictly friends, nothing else. The one thing he and I were good at was traveling. We went many places together. It was always fun. So we planned a trip for the summer of 2021, one that I probably wouldn't do on my own even though I am fine with most solo travel. I hope we'll be able to go.
 
I don't even enjoy flying or traveling alone right now. Besides the COVID ordeal, now we have to worry about a city we are traveling to being burned because a bunch of radical numb-nuts can't control their anger.

Oh, God, please give me strength. Amen!
Hahahaha! How do I click HAHAHA and LOVE and WOW and REPLY at the same time?
 
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I can't travel much at all anymore, no planes or boats and limited distance by car with gentle elevation changes however, if I could, I would only travel solo if I couldn't find someone of the same interest. I prefer having a traveling partner, but if the trip is all about what they want to do, then I would go solo. Nothing worse than having a destination planned and on the way they have to stop at everything that looks interesting. The best trip (vacation) I had was with a friend of similar interest and we had no plans and each took turns saying what turn or direction was next. We also took turns on where to stop, eat, etc. We covered 4 states all on back roads and had a blast. We met so many nice people. We stopped at any mom and pop looking second-hand store. We got behind a roundup in Montana and the cowboy said he would help us through. I said no, we were not in a hurry and I was an old cowgirl originally from Colorado and had also lived in Montana. When an opening came I still wanted to chat and my friend was getting antsy. She asked if he had a ring on his finger. I said can't tell he is wearing gloves. We got through the herd and hours later ended up stranded behind about two bands of sheep on the Blackfoot reservation. It was impossible to get through and they had about a mile to go, so I started chatting with a lady on foot and it ended up she was a sister to a guy that I worked on construction with in Southern Oregon. That was 20 years ago and so glad I had a fun friend to travel with.
 
If you would have asked the 20 year old me if I would ever travel solo, the answer would have been an emphatic NO.

Forty-three years later and after many miles of solo travel for work, I have a different outlook. Now that I am inching closer to full retirement (I still do some contract work for my former employer but that is slowing down), my desire for leisure travel has replaced work travel.

I've got a few trips planned this year, all with family and/or friends but one that will be just me and I'll be going international. All of my prior trips to Europe have been work-related and I was always on someone else's schedule. So this time will be different. It's not for a few months but I've already spent a lot of time researching places, buying some travel-friendly (i.e. wrinkle-free) clothes and imaging what the sites, sounds and foods will be like.

So this one is for the ladies. Would you travel solo? Or, if you have, would you do it again?
I enjoy traveling solo and have done it for much of my career. Now that I am married I travel ho.e through paris or Italy and my husband meets me there.
 
Strangely enough, whenever I travel solo, I make friends very easily with men in foreign lands. They are courtly and seem to know you are unfamiliar with their customs and surroundings. They will talk forever about their country and their families and their history. Women are far more conservative.
 
I’ll play the devil’s advocate this time around. Traveling for anyone can be dangerous. Not knowing your surroundings or not having what we in the aviation business call having “situational awareness “ is most essential. Predators can spot a tourist a mile away and you are the prey.

I would encourage you you to read the story of Nancy Ludwig. And, I’m still upset with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway and Amy Bradley. I mean, if someone can go missing on a cruise ship, how does that happen and no one knows anything about it. On a cruise ship, really??
Yes those are cautionary tales until you look into them. Nancy was a flight attendant killed in a hotel room. Natalee was partying on Aruba, and they do not know what happened to Amy.
There are hundreds of thousands of passengers that cruise every year, and all come back safely with few exceptions.
 
Yes those are cautionary tales until you look into them. Nancy was a flight attendant killed in a hotel room. Natalee was partying on Aruba, and they do not know what happened to Amy.
There are hundreds of thousands of passengers that cruise every year, and all come back safely with few exceptions.
I remember the Natalee Holloway's story. So sad. A young girl gone off alone with 3 predators. She was supposed to be with friends. Friends? Why didn't one of them stop her from getting in that car, even if it meant alerting one of the chaperones? There is no good reason why she shouldn't still be here with us. This is what friends do. We look out for one another. I guess all of that goes out the window when a little booze is added to the mix. Thankfully, Van der Sloot got his.
 
One of my best friends, who is 14 years younger than me, still flies for United. Before COVID, he was flying 5 days per week. Now, he only flies two days, except the last week of the month he flies three days. This wouldn’t be such a big deal, except he flies International routes. A lot of those flight have been cancelled.

I never liked or enjoyed flying alone. I think a lot of that came from flying for 33 years and always having someone in the cockpit with me. It really was more comfortable.
 


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