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| Houses of Parliament – London, 2007 (1st solo trip) |
I am no daredevil by any means but I find such a thrill whenever I travel by myself. I have done it a number of times and researched extensively prior to each trips. A lot of people ask me why I like to travel by myself and my answer is always “Because it’s the only way I can keep my sanity.” It’s kind of an expensive way to maintain order in my head but I find traveling by myself as a self-preservation that no money can ever equate to.
Let me tell you, as fun as traveling to Europe solo may sound to most, it’s actually pretty daunting for a first timer. However, once you’ve arrived at your destination, you’ll feel like you’ve accomplished a great feat. I remember feeling all sorts of emotion when I arrived at the gray gates of London Heathrow International Airport for the first time. I was (1) relieved that I arrived in one piece, (2) I couldn’t believe that I was actually in London, (3) I couldn’t wait to get started with my trip and lastly, (4) I was terrified of being all alone in Europe for two whole weeks.
Traveling in general, is a challenge in itself but to do it solo is a whole different experience. Personally, I find that there are more pros than cons in traveling solo. I think that if you plan well enough, you might only encounter slightly problematic situations as opposed to traveling with no itinerary whatsoever. For those who know me, they know that I thrive in planning and making lists so planning my trips is one of my biggest joys.
JOYS
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| The Winged Victory of Samothrace at the Louvre in Paris |
One of the best things about traveling solo is FREEDOM. You are free to do whatever you want and go wherever you want without having to consider someone else’s opinion. You can wake up however late or early you want and come back to the hotel whenever you want. I love to eat, drink, shop for shoes and books, walk around, visit museums, and eat some more. For some people, they can only take so much museum-visits and unfortunately, I am the type of person who just can’t get enough of visiting them. I love trying different types of cuisines, weird or not, as long as it looks good (and it’s not a hamster or a warthog), hell, I’ll eat it. I would tip over if I ever hear this from a travel companion – “I really don’t feel like eating **insert a weirdly named cheese/seafood here**. Let’s just eat at McDonald’s.” Or worse “Shoes/Books again!”. Our friendship will end right there. (Kidding!)
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| The view from my room in Assisi |
I also think of traveling solo as a way to appreciate these “tiny drops of solitude and quietude” that I rarely experience whenever I am back home. The detachment that I feel is liberating. I get to reflect on what is happening with my life and get a different perspective.For instance, my 3-day trip to Assisi last winter was an eye-opener for me. The serenity and contemplative nature of the city really helped my soul. I felt like I was in a silent retreat. I would wake up, get ready, have breakfast by myself, stop by the chapel, and walk the length of Via San Francesco and Via San Paolo like I was on a pilgrimage. There was some human interaction during dinner with the other pilgrims but it was subdued and polite. This experience humbled me in so many ways that I look at my life in a completely different way now. Trips like this make me appreciate everything and everyone in my life.
Another perk of solo travel is you become more confident and meet interesting people. There is something about being by myself in a foreign country that makes me more brazen. I smile more and appear more friendly. If you are with family members, chances of meeting new people are slim to none because your attention is focused on herding your family from one tourist sight to another. Now, if you travel with friends, the bigger your group, the lesser chance you have in meeting new people. The whole “pack mentality” can be detrimental to your foreign social life. Bigger groups tend to keep to themselves, much like being with your family. However, if you’re traveling with just one other person (or two, at the most), your trip could turn into a social extravaganza 🙂
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| My travel books |
As a planner and borderline glazomaniac (a person who has glazomania – obsessive passion for list-making), I take pleasure in planning my trips. I love researching for places to see, restaurants to try, and plays to watch. The knowledge one can attain from planning trips and such is so invaluable. Not only do you get to learn more about another culture but you see another side of yourself that is refreshing.
See dining alone below. It’s a joy for me.
PERILS
Having all that freedom while traveling is all well and good but loneliness can creep in the most inopportune moment sometimes (I said “sometimes”). Just as when you are enjoying a nice lunch at Boxwood Cafe or dinner at J. Sheekey, you wanted to share that moment with someone who wasn’t there. It happened to me a few times and it sucked for a moment then I got over it. Why and how? Because I am on vacation and must (and will) make the most out of it. However, to combat the loneliness, I write. I always bring a notebook with me wherever I go and use it as my sounding board. My notebook becomes my confidante. I talk crap in it. I describe everything that I see and eat to it. It catalogs everything that I do in my trips so when I get back, I can refer to my notes as to what worked and didn’t. It’s a helpful and therapeutic tool.
One gripe that I have about solo traveling is the expense. It is more expensive when you travel by yourself. Your room is more expensive if you’re staying at a B&B as opposed to sharing a room with another person. I stayed at Hotel Meridiana in London and paid $50 per night but if I had someone with me, we both would have paid just $40 each. Same deal with food. I would always have leftovers but with someone, you can share your food and split the bill two ways. I have considered staying at a hostel but I couldn’t do it. I just can’t sleep in a room with 3 other strangers. PERIOD.
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| Grand Place in Brussels |
This is probably one of the biggest perils for solo travelers: DINING ALONE. Personally, I don’t mind eating by myself. But I know a lot of friends who won’t dine alone because it makes them feel like a friendless loser. People, it’s not the end of the world if you find yourself eating solo at Wolseley surrounded by couples and Sienna Miller with her new boyfriend! Request to sit by the bar or if they have an open kitchen so you can watch the action behind the line. You can bring a book or better yet, take out your travel book and plan your next destination. Remember the notebook I mentioned earlier? This would also be the best time to use it. Loads of people, tourists or not, dine alone all the freakin’ time. Another thing, from my experience, restaurants usually pay more attention to me when I am by myself. Don’t worry, if you finish your meal by yourself, people won’t think you’re a heifer. Like what this Belgian restaurant manager happily told me when I was in Brussels in 2007, “Here’s another pint of white ale, on the house, for your beautiful appetite.” So there, take the leap and dine alone.
Taking pictures when you’re traveling solo can be a bitch. Those self-portraits can be awkward and cheesy. I don’t know about you but I hate asking strangers to take photos of me. I have this fear of them running away with my camera after taking my photo. Thanks to my iPhone 4, it is so much easier now to take pictures of myself. It doesn’t quite capture the intended but it does its job nonetheless.
IN-BETWEEN
Here are a few things that I want to impart to you when you decide to travel solo:
– Meeting new people is always exciting but you have to remember that you are still in a foreign country and you have to stay vigilant. Be aware of your surroundings. It doesn’t matter where you go, you will encounter people who will try to con you. This is the ugly truth.
– Make sure that you keep updated with the goings-on in the country or city that you will be visiting. Political unrests and volcanic eruptions (my planned trip to Spain last spring was cancelled because the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland erupted) will put a dent on your holiday.
– Don’t carry too much cash with you. Buy a travel money belt from Edward Luggage or Victorinox. It has enough space for credit cards and extra cash. You strap this on your person and it’s unnoticeable underneath your shirt.
– Always make 3 sets of copies of your passport, driver’s license, travel itinerary (airline and train tickets) and credit cards. Leave one set in your luggage, one set with someone you trust back home and one set in the hotel safe deposit box.
– Always check your health insurance if it will cover you should something happens to you during your holiday. Purchase a travel insurance from a reputable source if your health insurance will not cover you.
– If you’re going to another country, say France or Italy, learn a few basic phrases in their native language. It’s polite and will get you a long way at the market.
– Try not to open your travel guide in the middle of Spanish Steps or any other tourist-infested spots like the Eiffel Tower or Colloseum. There are so many con artists lurking about and walking around with your travel guide and map will make you vulnerable to these ruffians. What I usually do is focus on a general area each day and write down the places I want to see on a piece of paper (preferably in geographical order) and a map (I usually get a small metro map at the metro station). This is when my notebook becomes very handy (by the way, Moleskin makes great notebooks). Not only do I become more familiarized with the area but also my purse is a few pounds lighter.
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| Zaanse Schans in Zandam, NL |
– Don’t forget your can-do attitude and have fun!
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| Spamalot – my first West End Play |
Happy travels!