Boldly Go Solo

When I traveled solo to Madrid in June, I tried to save money on lodging, but didn’t want to go lower than a three-star hotel. I figured that would be a decent place to stay for three nights. But I was taken aback by what I found after turning the key in the lock.

The tiny room offered barely enough space to walk alongside the bed. The roll-down window shade was in the up position and wouldn’t come down. The window itself faced an alley. The bathroom light flickered and needed to be changed. Whoops. My bad.

Who could know all this from looking at the Internet booking site? Worse, I’d paid $130 a night for this "low-rent" option, due to the lousy exchange rate for American dollars.

Yet, something else very important was also missing: Guilt.

Continued…

I
hadn’t subjected anyone else to my not-so-great choice so I didn’t feel bad. No explanations necessary. No rolled eyes or tsk-tsks over my pick. No complaints. No teasing. No silent censure. (Any of these behaviors ring a bell? Have you ever been subjected to them or committed them?)

After several nights in my Madrid hotel, I felt safe and happy to be there. My home away from home was located close to a hopping part of town, within walking distance from some of the world’s finest art museums. And, a train stop was steps away.

I wasn’t at the hotel much, but when I needed a little breathing room, I relaxed on a couch in the lobby to write postcards or read my guidebooks. I was upset when I found out that I couldn’t get a room there a week later, upon my return from a language program in the countryside.

Of course, I felt disappointed at first that I wasn’t
living larger. But when it comes to travel, that’s a minor thing for me. Not so much for some of the people I’ve traveled with over the years. Good thing I didn’t bring ’em, eh?

Photo: Ellen Perlman. Street performer and amused friend off Plaza del Sol, Madrid, Spain.