Boldly Go Solo

How to set out solo, but not travel alone: Trips, tips and ideas for the active traveler.

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Travel blog, Boldly Go Solo, reaches milestone. Sort of.

"Friends tell me I'm brave to travel solo.
C'mon, now. Neil Armstrong was brave. Ulysses S. Grant was brave. The
guy who invented bungee jumping and decided to be the first off the
bridge was brave. Me? I just like to travel."

That's what I wrote on the very first post on this blog back in November 2007. This post is now my 200th entry on a blog I was willing to give one year of my time to see what it would bring me. Fame? Fortune? A book deal? A permanent travel partner…as in, the blog would therefore die?Sunset over Nile, from infinity pool-Ellen Perlman

None of these things have happened. But every time I thought about stopping this rather time-intensive endeavor, some kind reader would send in a nice comment about how they just landed on my blog and [fill in flattering observation here]. Each time, it provided a warm and fuzzy feeling and kept me going a few more weeks.

On the disappointing side (besides still lacking the aforementioned fame and fortune), I've gotten less participation and interaction than I'd hoped. But nevermind. People are busy. They lurk. They scan quickly. At least I can see by the numbers that people are still clicking on the site and the numbers grow, little by little, as time goes on.

I've been pleased to learn how to do things like add a slide show of travel photos, or a twitter widget that enabled me to post daily via BlackBerry from Egypt. The blog has painlessly (okay, not completely painlessly) helped me update my technology skills as I struggled to post stories with video, photos and the like.

To my loyal readers, as well as my new ones, thanks for reading. Now, tell your friends and other solo travelers about the site. I could use the clicks!

Much appreciated.

Photo: Ellen Perlman. Sunset over the Nile, from Luxor Hilton's infinity pool.

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18 responses to “Travel blog, Boldly Go Solo, reaches milestone. Sort of.”

  1. Scribetrotter Avatar
    Scribetrotter

    Ellen, don’t even consider quitting!
    I’ll link to you via my Travel Resources page at http://www.women-on-the-road.com/travel-resources.html as soon as I get home this evening.
    I can’t believe I waited till now – so don’t give up on us lurkers, but do give us a sharp nudge when we’re not pulling our reader weight! 🙂

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  2. www.bydianedaniel.com Avatar
    www.bydianedaniel.com

    And, yes, oh me of little faith. Well, El, you’ve risen to your challenge and prospered (well, perhaps not financially, but in so many other ways!). Keep it up, GF!

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  3. Edie Avatar
    Edie

    Ellen, thanks for posting about your blog on Travel Classics — I didn’t know about it. It’s great, so don’t quit (says another solo — if you don’t count my dog — traveler). I’m planning on starting a blog myself one of these days and am now looking to you for inspiration!

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  4. Danielle Avatar
    Danielle

    You can’t stop! It’s grown into such a great site over this past year–I read it nearly every morning at work 🙂

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  5. Laura Byrne Paquet Avatar
    Laura Byrne Paquet

    Great blog, Ellen–thanks for mentioning it on Travel Classics! I’m much newer to the whole blogging thing, but I know what you mean about it being time intensive yet rewarding. I’ve added your blog to my blogroll. Don’t give up–your blog is a great resource for solo travelers!

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  6. Ellen Avatar
    Ellen

    Wow, “you like me, you really like me” to quote Sally Fields. (I feel icky even making that joke.)
    But, no kidding, feedback like that will keep me going for, oh, at least another 100 posts. Or until fame or fortune hits. Whichever comes first.
    Thank you muchly Scribetrotter, Diane, Edie, Danielle and Laura for making my day, and all the others who read and have commented over time. Or those of you who think about it and plan to some day.
    Good luck to those of you who slog away at your own blogs – one of these days I need to put up a blogroll and get you on there. Just as soon as I find a bit of time…
    …and safe travels to all.
    Another post coming soon 😉
    Ellen

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  7. Laura Avatar
    Laura

    I added your blog to my reader last month and chose it just based on the name. Having started to doubt my travel plans due to a lack of travel buddy following your trip through Egypt was inspiring. I used it to help find the courage to continue with my plans and now find myself not only about to wander around Germany, a place I’ve always wanted to see, but now that I’m still going I’ll get to see my FAVORITE band perform at a music festival there! thanks for the encouragement!

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  8. Ellen Avatar
    Ellen

    Laura,
    I can’t guarantee anything, but I imagine you’re going to have a great time.
    For one, you’re going to Germany for a purpose – your band is playing at a music festival. So you have a mission. And it’s a place you’ve always wanted to see. You’ll likely talk to people at that concert/show. You’ll be someplace you’re excited to go.
    You’ll have no one pulling you in any direction you don’t want to go. You’ll have the freedom to walk, eat, look at whatever you want whenever you want. You will connect with new interesting people if you’re lucky. It sounds glorious to me.
    The only rough spot I usually experience is BEFORE I get someplace and have trouble imagining how it will all work out. As soon as I arrive, the excitement fills me. “Here I am in [fill in location here]!!!!”
    There might have been some lonely moments, some mistakes. But no worse than during the trips I’ve been with someone else. I’m often better off because I don’t feel tied down and I don’t make decisions based as a courtesy to someone else.
    So Laura, go forth and, as a friend has been quoting to me lately from a popular song, in reference to taking travel risks, “I hope you dance.” Choose the exciting option, not the safe, mundane one.
    And let us know how it went!
    Ellen

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  9. Gray Avatar
    Gray

    Ellen,
    The question is: Do you enjoy blogging? Life is short, and outside of work for pay, we should not do anything that sucks up huge amounts of time that we don’t enjoy. That said, I really, really, hope you enjoy it, because I’d be heartbroken if you stopped blogging. I’m not a daily visitor, but every couple of weeks I come in here like it’s an all-you-can-read buffet and catch up on all the recent posts since my last visit. I love your writing style and I live vicariously through your travels! You’ve been on my blogroll for almost as long as I’ve had a blog, and I wouldn’t have added you if I didn’t love your blog and want to share it with others. There aren’t a lot of us out here beating the drum for solo travel consistently, Ellen, and so you really provide a voice for a lot of people. Not to put any pressure on you or anything. 😉 Happy 200th anniversary, and here’s to (at least) 200 more!
    Gray

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  10. Ellen Avatar
    Ellen

    Gray,
    Thank you so much! (You couldn’t find a 200th anniversary card in the stores to send me?? 😉 )
    I DO enjoy blogging. I DO get a kick out of sharing my passion for solo travel via this blog.
    Sometimes it’s tough to keep up the twice a week pace I set for myself but if I don’t impose deadlines, things will slide. It was glorious blogging while I was in Egypt because there was so much to observe and share.
    Since I’m not on the road all the time, I have to get creative, draw on past experiences and experiences of others. Having you and others make yourself known today has energized me a lot.
    Sometimes over the past year it has felt like I was just writing for my mom and a few good friends! (which was okay too, because I got to tell them them a lot of my stories.)
    But I am gung ho about solo travel. So how could I give up the space to “talk” about it? Besides, Gray, I cave under pressure. 😉
    Ellen

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  11. Gray Avatar
    Gray

    Yes! I’ve never gotten anyone to cave before.
    I totally hear you on the pace of blogging. I’m in the same boat. Some weeks it’s harder than others to come up with topics to write about or find time to write them. Are you coming to the Travel Blog Exchange in Chicago this summer? That’s one of the topics. I’m really hoping I can go to that, because I would love to hear how other bloggers handle it.
    Gray

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  12. Ellen Avatar
    Ellen

    Gray,
    I’m your “first” eh? 😉
    I need to go back to the Travel Blog Exchange site and check out that meeting – another thing that falls by the wayside is keeping up with that great site. I’m definitely interested.
    Ellen

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  13. Dominique Avatar
    Dominique

    Congrats on your milestone!
    I find the two-story-a-week pace a touch difficult at time, but I’ve managed through 7 months and closing in on 100 posts 🙂
    Just signed up for BlogHer and TBEX in Chicago. I’ve been to writing conferences before, but this will be my first blogging-oriented conference. Not entirely sure what to expect, but I’m hoping to come home revved up and ready to take my blog to “the next level”

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  14. Ellen Avatar
    Ellen

    Dominique,
    Excellent! Keep up the good work. I’m curious about BlogHer. Not quite sure what to make of it. Let me know how it goes.
    And maybe I’ll see you in Chicago?
    Ellen

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  15. Clay Avatar
    Clay

    Congratulations, Ellen! 200 posts is a great achievement!

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  16. Ellen Avatar
    Ellen

    Thanks Clay. (Of course, thousands of new readers would really top it off!) Keep reading, everyone… 😉
    Ellen

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  17. MJ Avatar
    MJ

    Please continue posting! I always check here before I plan any of my travels. It’s also very encouraging to see online journalism like this trying to make it in hard times in the print world.

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  18. Ellen Avatar
    Ellen

    Thanks MJ! My readers are the best. I feel really encouraged by all of you. I’m so glad people are getting something out of this, and I’m not, as they say, just whistling in the wind.
    Ellen

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