I Holiday Alone AMA

[MilkFuckingRules]

I'm not a scary cat lady... (yet)

Phoebe - because I think it would be very romantic 😍

Are there any special websites that cater for solo holidays without having to pay extortionate single supplements? I’ve travelled for work frequently single so it’s all been paid for but I’ll soon be looking at single holidays. I’m off on holidays in September but I ended up paying almost the same as a double occupancy

spoiler alert @idonthaveatattoo

insist they’d love this I don’t know.

Some people like solitude, others enjoy some solitude as a change from everyday life, others find they interact more with their surroundings when alone and still others have different reasons.

Shock announcement people are not all the same

@PhoebeFriends

I holidayed in Iceland this summer and last, with my teenage son. This time I hired a car and we stayed in hostels, whereas last year we stayed in Reykjavik. I love Iceland, my plan is to go back on my own in the next couple of years and complete my circuit of the ring road and visit some of the more isolated areas. I think it would be great place to visit solo.

Like the OP, I love travelling and holidaying on my own. So far, no one had said that it's sad, but a good people, always women, have said that they would love to be able to do that!

A good few people, although I'm sure they were all good people!

Hi op, holidaying alone sounds great, I would love to. I just wondered if you're self conscious going into restaurants and bars alone?

MyAuntyBadger - mmm that is a grey area and probably one of things people ask most.

Restaurants - cafes as such, or casual restaurants for breakfast or lunch yes no problem, I just take a magazine so I have somewhere to put my eyes. I do it all the time holiday or not. Would I sit at a romantic candlelit table for one watching the sunset? No. I have my limits lol!

Bars - on a London day trip last year I grabbed a table outside a fancy little place and ordered a glass of wine as I was shopping my arse off and just wanted to sit down and have a little fag break for 20 minutes! But would I get dressed up in the evening and piss it up on my own? Absolutely not. I always try to book a hotel room with a balcony so if I wanted an evening drink I'd just chill on there in peace. I don't have an issue with having a drink in my own company (though I know many people do!) but I would feel a twat having a 'night out' on my own.

Kittyvoncatsworth - no idea to be honest. I book with Travel Republic as they are pretty cheap but I think the downside is you have to pay a larger deposit at time of booking. I go when the kids are back at school though so it's cheaper anyway.

I traveled alone because I was Nannying in America and didn’t know many ppl and I wanted to see more f the country. Best thing I ever did, I did a tour of California and Nevada. Met loads of awesome ppl.

I love travellling solo. I’ve been all over Asia and Europe. Planning a trip to South America next year.

I love airports, flying, exploring, eating out all on my own. Fab!

I’m 60 and have travelled alone for quite a few years now. I do travel with my children and my family as well but i dong let going skins prevent me from going anywhere. I’ve had some fabulous trips.

Would I sit at a romantic candlelit table for one watching the sunset? No. I have my limits lol!

It’s my experience that restauranteurs go out of their way to accommodate a sole diner. They seem to take pride in making it a lovely experience.

Ooh i love travelling alone! I do a long weekend every year (at least) although my last jaunt to the Highlands for a few days I took baby DS as I was still on mat leave, it was fab! Usually i do a weekend cycling somewhere and then do activities DH dislikes such as caving, gorge scrambling etc. YANBU OP!

my family as well but i dong let going skins prevent me from going anywhere. I’ve had some fabulous trips.

This should be ‘I don’t let going alone prevent me from going anywhere’

Furthest from home alone I’ve been is Alaska and China. Places I’ve been alone this year - Lebanon, Kenya, Switzerland, Italy and later on in the year its Zanzibar and Ceylon.

Hi, OP. Do you just get off the plane, hire a car and do your own thing, ie rent a flat or a gite? Or do you go to hotels or on escorted tours, cruises etc?

If the former, how easy/difficult was it?

The former is my kind of holiday, but I don't know if I would have the confidence to do it on my own! Maybe it's easier than I think it is, but the mere thought of having to find my way out of an airport in a strange country and an in unfamiliar vehicle with the gear stick on the "wrong" side and then navigate to an unfamiliar destination would bring me out in a cold sweat!

Love travelling on my own or with my dogs if appropriate. Went to Amsterdam a couple of months ago and walked 52 miles around the beautiful city over the weekend. Been all over France and Mexico and the US as well, it's brilliant to rely on your own judgement, decisions and drunk woeful choices as well, I think it used to be called carefree

This is something I really want to do. I've stayed extra nights alone after hen dos abroad due to my northern flights v southern friends and was fine so think I'd try a few days. I live alone so happy in my own company

@80sMum

I hope the OP doesn't mind me sharing my own experiences on her thread.

A few times I've hired a car, while travelling with my DS who's still too young to drive, and can't yet reliably read a map, so as good as being on my own. Car hire companies will give you instructions on how to find them - most recently was last month in Iceland when we got a shuttle bus to the car hire office. Both were clearly sign-posted. I'd asked for a Toyota as I've had that make of car before and reckoned it would be easier than a make I was totally unfamiliar with. Every time I've hired a car I've checked out the route on google maps in advance so I've got a good idea of where I'm going and how long the journey will be. I've always arrived and picked up the car in daylight, but I think if my flight got in at night, I'd stay close to the airport overnight, then pick up the car in the morning rather than try driving in the dark.

My tip for driving on the other side of the road is to forget about right and left, and just remember that you, the driver, should always been next to the centre line.

If I've not hired a car, then I've usually booked a shuttle bus to my hotel or close to it, or got public transport. Airport websites usually provide information on transport options to and from the airport, which let you plan ahead. If I'm going to be using public transport, then I book accommodation which is close to transport links.

@80'smum

What with so much information being available on google there really is no need to be heading off on holiday not knowing a thing about arriving in your holiday destination. You could even have written things down in order to give you a bit more peace of mind.

Driving in a strange place? Hire an automatic in order to make it easier on you and yes, just always make sure you're next to the central line. Oh and you can always look up traffic regulations for the country your going to online also. There really is nothing you can't google the answer to before you go.

80s - no I've never rented a car, I've always booked the flight, hotel and transfer before travelling. I'm one for walking and exploring so a car wouldn't be that useful for me xx

I think the two main things that put me off are single supplements, ive been quoted £700 for a week in Spain. No thanks. And, how do you put sunscreen on your back on your own? I would do it in a hearbeat otherwise.

I would do it in a hearbeat otherwise.

Buy the spray on type and ask a nearby female to spray it on your back.

I don't have questions for you but want to say, "Well Done". You know what is right for you and do it! I dream of holidaying alone, love my own company.

Id never ask a stranger to rub my tan in.

Id never ask a stranger to rub my tan in.

You don’t rub in a spray sunscreen.