Boldly Go Solo

Virtually every traveler can tell a story about the trip gone bad because of problems with a travel partner. My friend Lauren was in her mid-20’s when she invited a "security blanket" friend. Just anyone, so long as she didn’t have to travel around Spain on her own.

"X" was a good guy. Just not a good travel companion. They toured Madrid, Grenada, Cordova, Toledo and Seville, struggling to make it work. But their travel personalities just didn’t match. He wanted to see art. She wanted to go to street festivals. He could study a cathedral window for hours. She was bored after a short while. He wanted to spend money to eat well. She was fine with bread and cheese.

"Why wasn’t I braver," she wonders. "I would have had a better time by myself." Lauren had done all the planning and organizing for the trip. She ended up doing all the driving in Spain as well. "I would have been perfect on my own."