to think solo train travel is not a big deal for most adults?

Can I ask why? If you are a confident person, what is it that you find so difficult?

@FeelinTwentySixPointTwo yep me too..I could happily do all those things and have done. I love a long solo journey. It's not boring, it's comparative peace. The OP ultimately asked is most adults could do a solo journey a d I think the answer is yes. Not all, but most. As I said way upthread, it's a basic every day things, so if it DOES induce huge anxiety or is not even an option I would say there is something badly wrong and would want to address it if possible.

Agreed. I have done all of these things without a second thought. Needs must when single in your thirties. Even now old habits die hard and I prefer doing things like cinema and concerts alone, can’t be bothered with making small talk in the interval. And I am a sociable person!

And only an infinitesimally tiny (therefore statistically irrelevant) percentage of the population would have such a reaction.

I find that really interesting I wouldn't be able to do any of these things due to mental illness. But I'm surprised others without additional needs would happily go on holiday or a festival by themselves. I didn't realise the gap was so big on how much harder life is with additional needs

I hope you all feel the same about going on a plane by yourself. Going out to a restaurant by yourself. Going on holiday by yourself. Going to the cinema/ concert/ festival by yourself

Honestly - yes. Doing any and all of these things by myself is completely normal and doesn't faze me at all.
Barring any additional needs, I would find it very weird for a grown adult to find doing these things on their own challenging.

No, it's not just about being nervous. A five hour journey is boring and your friend thought she would have some company until you unilaterally changed the arrangements.

Just say you don't understand anxiety and you don't like people with it instead of calling them names

An adult should be able to take a train. However, if she thought you were going together, it's a bit unfair to change those plans without telling her.
I remember asking who wanted to meet up for a drink before a party, with the aim of not having to arrive alone at the party, only to have the friend who agreed to a pre-drink turn up on her bike meaning I had to take the tram on my own and arrive alone anyway. I was not happy.

What's nerve-racking about a train? I think driving is far more stressful!

But anyway, even if the friend is a bit wet, the OP is unfair for changing her plans at the last minute. I am not anxious about trains but I would prefer to do a 5 hour journey with a friend as it would be more interesting.

Not if sitting in that train seat makes you anxious and puts you in high alert that's exhausting

All the people who think the friend is a wet wipe and pathetic for not wanting to travel 5 hrs on a train by herself and cant understand why others wouldn't. I hope you all feel the same about going on a plane by yourself. Going out to a restaurant by yourself. Going on holiday by yourself. Going to the cinema/ concert/ festival by yourself.

It doesn’t matter how different people are- staying alert enough to drive for 5 hours, and performing all the physical movements and mental judgments that involves, is more tiring than sitting in a train seat. To suggest anything different is absolute nonsense.

What people with anxiety

No, it hasn’t cost the friend more. The friend had a perfectly valid ticket to travel by herself. What has cost her more is her decision to buy a new ticket so she could have company.

I'm a confident person, i dont have any mental health issues, but i absolutely would not do a train journey alone! i can only just bare it with a friend. The thought of doing it alone makes me feel physically sick, i would also have bought new tickets.

But i'll drive any car, van or lorry anywhere in the country or abroad, alone. Trains though? Nope.

no, you think sitting on a train is simple by comparison
Other people (including people on this thread) have said they find driving easy and public transport much harder/stressful etc.
People are different, and find different things hard/easy.

why?

Someone who drives far distances for work might think a 5 hour drive is absolutely nothing and anyone who needs to split it is ridiculous - just like OP thinks travelling alone by train is not a big deal but her friend disagrees.

agreeing to split the petrol and going back on it would cost OP more
but agreeing to take the train at a certain time and then changing that time has cost the friend more.

Same thing.

Sharing driving requires 2 people to be in one place at the same time. Travelling to a station by train does not.

Because some people find driving tiring / boring / hard to follow a satnav etc whereas sitting on a train is simple by comparison. Personally I find both completely fine and enjoyable but I do think driving generally is less so just because I can't dick about on MN or read.

Well, driving for 2.5 hours is tiring. Driving for 5 hours is twice as tiring.

Driving alone costs twice as much as splitting petrol with a friend.

Sitting on a train for 5 hours is no more tiring that sitting with a friend. Arguably it’s more relaxing as you can sleep more and don’t get tired out by chatting. The ticket cost does not change.

Total wet wipe. People like her drive me insane.

Why? Serious question because I wouldn’t see it as different at all.

She didn’t change them at the last minute to avoid travelling with her friend, she changed them because she had work to do.

I travel by train a lot I am very confident with it. Others are not so I would have checked with the person. But I do loads of stuff alone other people think is weird - go to the cinema , see plays, eat in restaurants walk around unfamiliar cities, go shopping. Some people really aren't confident without other people - I've learnt and always check .