Solo travel- is it that odd?

[WanderLust893]

I’ve always loved travelling and would have loved to go backpacking in my younger years but didn’t have the confidence. I’m now in my fourties and married with kids in older primary/younger high school. My husband enjoys fairly adventurous, independent family holidays but says he finds city breaks abroad stressful with all the travel etc. I am an introvert and although I could probably persuade a friend to go I don’t relish the idea of spending an extended period of time with someone other than immediate family. I’m considering going away by myself for a couple of budget long weekends- off peak, staying in basic accommodation. I particularly fancy Eastern Europe.
I mentioned this to a friend and she said it’s a very strange thing to do. She said if her or her husband suggested this the other would assume they were cheating or up to something else dodgy. I know it’s quite unusual but is it really that strange? My husband would have no particular desire to come and it would mean not having to rope in family to look after the kids. I would obviously take all necessary safety precautions as a solo female.

There's a facebook group. Solos in the Sun. I have heard.

Not unusual at all. I've been away 20+ times alone, the most for a month. Its fantastic.

I’m going to Canada on my own this year. In April for 3 weeks. Your friend is weird, solo travel is a wonderful thing, lots of people love it.

I've done loads of solo travel abroad into my 50s. It's amazing and your friend is totally blinkered with her view.

It's pretty normal nowadays.

Go for it!!

Life is short, do what makes you happy whether it's strange or not!

I travelled solo a fair bit and love it!

I’ve done this (despite being married 😁) and I found it great during the day b but not great in the evening, feeling very conspicuous on my own in a restaurant at night, even during the day I was fine with it

not sure what that was about

so dining out alone I do not like. So it sort of worked for me, and sort of did not 😁

I love dining in my own during the day but slightly less so in the evening so I make the evenings shorter than I normally would and the days longer.

I so want to do this and never have. Dp is an amazing travel buddy - we are very holiday compatible, but he is restricted in the leave he can take so I’m considering a trip without him.

someone at work went alone on a trip to Spain from our local airport and spent the week eating tapas, drinking wine and reading on a beach and we were all so envious that loads of people have since done the same.

It can be more expensive ( no one to
split hotels, taxi’s etc) with. So I do think it’s a bit of a privilege.

I have always done it and now I’m in my 50’s I love it. The idea that travel is more fun/ easier when shared is completely offset by the fact that it’s normally whoever you are travelling with that annoys you.

Twice people expressed surprise that he "let" me go, which was a tad infuriating.

Ha! I got that too @LayaM ! The 'letting' me go made me feel offended on both our parts. Never mind the fact that it was my DH that actively encouraged me to go!

Same here. So I used to make lunch my main meal, and I stayed in hostels where there was company in the evenings. I found people of all ages were much more likely to approach me or chat in hostels, but even if they didn't, just having people around was good.
I'd read the reviews and choose one that people referred to as friendly or sociable.

But of course in some remote places that wasn't an option, so a guesthouse where no-one spoke English was not so great. So I just read a lot.

Solo travel is actually a bit of a game-changer. It's a completely different experience to travelling with your partner or friends or family. Just that feeling of waking up every day knowing that you can do exactly what you feel like, when you like it. I went away by myself a few months ago and did spontaneous 20km hikes, or took a bus to a random village just because I liked the look of a restaurant, or "wasted" an entire day in my apartment reading on the sunny terrace because I couldn't be arsed to leave.

I used to be intimidated by the idea of eating alone but it's second nature to me now.

I didn't do solo travel when I was young because I didn't have the money (at least, not enough money to actually enjoy it without worrying). DP and I holiday both together and solo - there are times of year where annual leave is very convenient for me but not him, and vice versa.

I do a lot of solo travel. I like walking and I like islands, so I mostly go to islands and walk. It’s liberating to be on one’s own.

I travel to India alone a lot. And - guess what? Every time I go there, I see loads of other women travelling there alone too. So, no, it isn’t “unusual as hell”. I know two older women just in my village who have been there on their own because they were dying to visit the country and their dull husbands really didn’t want to go.

Wroclaw and Sarajevo are actually the main contenders where to go first. Great to hear such good reviews.

This is exactly what I don’t want to happen, and at my age you do begin to realise if you don’t want that to happen you have to act now.

Wow, well, you're obviously all just far more adventurous and exciting than me...well done you. On second thoughts I was being silly. Of course it's not unusual at ALL, married people obviously routinely leave their spouses at home to holiday for three weeks alone. Silly me 🙃

The budget is somewhat limited but I am mainly thinking of spreading the budget so there’s the opportunity for more trips.

I'm thinking of going to Sarajevo this year, or Belgrade. Warsaw is really interesting but Krakow is more beautiful. There are loads of direct trains between the two though so you could fly into one and out the other and explore both

I have done it a bit too and really enjoy it. The only thing I find a bit difficult is evening meal, as while I am happy to sit in a restaurant or café reading a book during the day, I always feel a bit odd on my own at night! My DH also does some solo travel. And we do a family holiday or two as well. That is the less relaxing one!

Yep this is how I've approached it too. But sometimes I do miss having an evening meal out.
I think it probably depends on weather too. I have done some winter city breaks and somehow sitting inside a restaurant on my own in the eve feels weird in a way that sitting out in a pavement café in the summer would not.

Oh I also do travel just with one DC sometimes as well.

It is a privilege though as can be more expensive - mostly just accommodation.

Tend to have a few holidays a year but not mega long ones, a few days or long weekend and quite a lot of northern Europe by train.

I still go for dinner and a walk but it’s shorter than if I was with someone else. Then I read and got up early in the morning. Egypt was good because there was a light show set to music each evening with little tents to sit and watch so I did that a couple of times for an hour. I also booked an evening excursion and a couple of excursions that were really long so a quick bite to eat was all I fancied.

I’ve done it lots, as has DH. And we travel in various combinations with one or both adult DDs. I love solo travel! Never felt weird at all.

She thinks having a long weekend to yourself is "strange"? Poor woman.

If you want a recommendation, Lake Ohrid in Macedonia is beautiful. And I have a friend who raves about Croatia. Come back and tell us all what a great time you had - and make sure you tell your strange friend.

I’m doing 3 nights in my own this year. I’m quite looking forward to doing exactly what I want and not having to please anyone else. I’m a single parent and my oldest is now old enough that I am happy to leave them both at home alone for a few days. Planning lots of long haul trips when the youngest is out of school and I don’t need to worry about taking time for them in the holidays.