Enjoying solo travel and solo dining doesn't make me odd does it?

[candyisdandybutliquorisquicker]

Had a conversation with colleagues today that left me wondering if I'm odd 😂

We were talking about vacation plans and the subject got round to general attitudes to travel. I have three kids and my husband and I prioritize trips/holidays over many things. I love the fact that my kids have seen a bit of the world. That said, we also appreciate opportunities for solo travel. I'm an expat and recently came back alone to the UK for a week, and my husband is going to Italy soon for an event. Kids are old enough that one parent can handle them just fine. To add perspective, in addition to these two solo trips, the kids will have had 3 family holidays/short breaks this year too.

When I mentioned this, every colleague bar one not only said that there was nothing about solo travel that appealed to them, but said that they wouldn't even dine out solo in a "sit-down" restaurant. I've done solo dining too many times to even count, in various circumstances, and was pretty shocked that I was such an outlier! These are all middle/upper-middle class so finances aren't playing a role here, I don't think.

What say you, MN hive? Is solo travel the domain of the weird, friendless and/or misanthropic? Or do my colleagues have a limited outlook on the wonder of solo adventures?

YANBU - Solo travel/dining is one of the great pleasures
YABU - It's odd and you're odd 😉

Thanks again. I was pondering this last night and talked to my husband about it. We concluded that everyone else is odd, not us 😂

I go to places other people wouldn't. This year was meant to be Iran. I'm
gutted it didn't come off.

Solo travel / dining are great - I've done them both lots.

It is astonishing some of the comments you get, always from women - I once went on some work thing which meant staying somewhere overnight (this was in the UK) and some woman said "I'm not like you - I couldn't go and stay in a hotel ON MY OWN". Said with a sort of sneer, like she was rather shocked by my unnatural lack of femininity. Women are often socialized to think that they can't or shouldn't do anything alone, can't cope without a man to protect them, couldn't be happy without a man. Ignore and enjoy!

I'm recently divorced with not much of a social circle. I'm very shy too. But I went to Athens in May and LOVED it. No arguing over directions, no fighting over where to eat, no whinging about how much I was spending on souvenirs. The FREEDOM. The infinite choices I could make for myself. It was bliss.

Also, when dining alone I attracted the attention of other lone diners and conversations were struck. I met a lovely woman from the Netherlands who was a marine biologist and had travelled all over, usually by container ship 😂. She had some great stories.

I plan to do more travelling either by myself or with my teenage daughter tagging along. But mostly alone. I think it's definitely got its advantages.

Gosh you're so lucky that you CAN dine alone - if I try to do anything alone I get 60 million pr|¢ks almost demanding I do it with them!
And no I'm not trying to be "up myself", I'm being honest. I promise that my neighbour is hit on even more than me!

Brilliant and congratulations on your new found freedom, enjoy!

Spot on