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followmesky likes to fly

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TravelBarbie wrote :
Dealing with the loneliness is easy...find yourself a local man
j/k...kinda ...that actually can be a fun part of solo travel!

But seriously - there is a kind of loneliness that suddenly creeps in unexpectedly, and can be quite acute. But I have found that it actually creates that need in you to make new friends and new connections. You get over it pretty quick. But it definetly helps if you are someone who can laugh at your own jokes, and be okay with a lot of personal introspection.

I highly recommend the book called "A WOMAN ALONE: Travel Tales From Around the Globe" This book TOTALLY inspired me to take my first solo voyage...and I've been doing it ever since
Thank you all for your feed back!
Now, I know, why you're so hooked on traveling solo.. haha
Sounds like its a liberating experience.
- October 18th, 2009, 01:00 pm
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Yup, I travel solo many a times and find it to be quiet rewarding. I do also let folks know where I'll be going/at/etc...

Lots of work for researching and such but well worth it.
- October 22nd, 2009, 03:49 pm
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timeless2 is missing da beach, da water, da rum

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I have left for travel by myself many times. Conversation with fellow travelers is easy and I don't always initiate. I have met many wonderful people and had great times with men and women that I have 'picked up'. And you don't even have to sleep with them - imagine that.
- October 23rd, 2009, 05:04 am
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lululu needs to meet a guy on her own continent.

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I want to give a different opinion about Asia. I have traveled pretty extensively, and even though they are not English speaking countries, any place that gets its money from tourism is going to be filled with people speaking enough English for you to get by. Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India. I've managed to navigate my way through all of them, using English and my rusty high school French (only helped in Cambodia).

Nepal is brilliant for a single woman. There are guest houses where it is very easy to meet people, the streets are safe, the shopping is spectacular, and yo can always join a trek for part of the time, so that you have both the solo traveler and group experiences. (Interesting fact, evidently one in four single women sleeps with a Nepali trekking guide while visiting. I didn't, but the men are beautiful! )

Thailand is another fabulous place to visit. The whole sex trade thing is kind of skeevy, and it's a little disconcerting to see so many older white men with young Thai women, but if you get past that, the art and culture (and food!) are spectacular, and the people are so friendly.

Do you get lonely? Sure. I spent an entire day sobbing in a hotel room in Mumbai because I was lonely and sick and wanted my mom (I was 40 at the time) and then the next day I got up, got into a taxi and had some amazing experiences. It's worth being a little lonely sometimes for the opportunity to see the world.
- October 24th, 2009, 11:29 am
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propchick believes life's all about wandering off on tangents.

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Marlo5678 wrote :
Believe it or not New York city can be good alone if you stay in the Theatre district.
I did two solo trips to NYC, and I totally agree! People are incredibly friendly, especially when they find out you're on your own. Just writing about it brings back the best memories -- the bartender who used the "f-word" when he signed my cast; the South American diplomat who walked with me from the hotel elevator as far as the Greek restaurant where he was meeting his wife; wandering through a street fair. Really, really cool.
- October 28th, 2009, 12:19 am
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i've traveled alone, as in not solo on a group tour. i like to travel. the cost is what it is. i think the thing to do is arrange your trip so you will have the chance to meet people. volunteer vacations are cool.
- October 28th, 2009, 01:36 am
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lululu wrote :
I want to give a different opinion about Asia. I have traveled pretty extensively, and even though they are not English speaking countries, any place that gets its money from tourism is going to be filled with people speaking enough English for you to get by. Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India. I've managed to navigate my way through all of them, using English and my rusty high school French (only helped in Cambodia).

Nepal is brilliant for a single woman. There are guest houses where it is very easy to meet people, the streets are safe, the shopping is spectacular, and yo can always join a trek for part of the time, so that you have both the solo traveler and group experiences. (Interesting fact, evidently one in four single women sleeps with a Nepali trekking guide while visiting. I didn't, but the men are beautiful! )

Thailand is another fabulous place to visit. The whole sex trade thing is kind of skeevy, and it's a little disconcerting to see so many older white men with young Thai women, but if you get past that, the art and culture (and food!) are spectacular, and the people are so friendly.

Do you get lonely? Sure. I spent an entire day sobbing in a hotel room in Mumbai because I was lonely and sick and wanted my mom (I was 40 at the time) and then the next day I got up, got into a taxi and had some amazing experiences. It's worth being a little lonely sometimes for the opportunity to see the world.

Its great to hear your perspective ob Nepal! It a place I have been wanted to go, but not sure about the infrastucture for tourism...so now I am excited!!! Maybe that will be my summer solo destination! (And ps...your quote about needing to meet guy on your own continent...LOL!!! Girl I hear you on that one!!!! hahaha!! I currently have an exceptionally dreamy Turkish man, whom I met this past summer, who I wish was on this continent...sigh!!)
- November 1st, 2009, 08:43 am
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TravelBarbie wrote :
Its great to hear your perspective ob Nepal! It a place I have been wanted to go, but not sure about the infrastucture for tourism...so now I am excited!!!
Nepal is SO great! It's been a tourist destination since the 60s, so the Nepalis are really used to dealing with Westerners. The culture and sights are simply amazing--temples, medieval villages, the himalayas!

If you are in Kathmandu, it is really easy to meet people. People post notices on guest house bulletin boards looking for people to trek with, there are tons of great places to eat and drink, the shopping is to DIE for! And you can travel really inexpensively, or splash out and stay at a higher end resort. I love the Kathmandu Guest House (the Beatles stayed there). It's funky and hippie, and rooms cost anywhere between a couple of bucks and a hundred dollars depending on if you want air con and your own bathroom.

But you have to get out of Kathmandu as well, and get up into the mountains. You can fly, get a car and driver, or book a trek and walk through some of the most amazing scenery you can imagine.
- November 2nd, 2009, 11:45 am
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I agree with most of the posts here and it's great to know I'm not alone in this. I started traveling alone when I was 18. I started slowly, learning to fly alone and meet friends or family in other areas of the country. Then I started meeting friends and family in other countries/continents. I did my first totally alone trip to Miami where it's easy to walk around get the lay of the land. Eating alone was probably the hardest thing I dealt with but it's great once you realize how fun people watching can be. It may help to practice eating alone at home (I've seen that mentioned here before) I met lots of fun new people on my Miami trip and went bar hoping with some cute guys from the UK. It encouraged me to travel alone until I can find the man of my dreams to travel with.

I'm planning a few trips cross country to see the national parks and a back packing trip across Europe the following year.

Small steps to make yourself comfortable with traveling alone or not is the key. I've found that confidence will also ward off any strange looking men that may cause problems.

Enjoy! It's great to be able to do whatever you like, whenever you like!
- November 7th, 2009, 12:09 pm
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Wondering_Nomad University Assignment in - time for a short break me thinks.....

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In the last 8 years I have gotten used to travelling alone and actually quite like it now.

It always means that I am completely free to do as I please and I have visited some beautiful countries and met very nice people along the way.
- November 15th, 2009, 09:18 pm
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