Boldly Go Solo

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

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Solo travelers don’t have to dine alone

After years of solo travel, I've learned that I like the freedom and serendipity that come along with having all my time to myself. But not everyone feels that way.

A recent New York Times article describes various Web sites that help women business travelers meet up with other women in cities where they'll be working. They can find company and go out and do things they wouldn't do alone. I don't see why a vacation traveler couldn't take advantage of such sites if they appeal.

Maiden Voyage is a network for finding company for dinner in a city far from home. LadiesAway is another site for businesswomen looking for ways to contact other women in a city they're visiting.

But "ladies?" "Maidens?" What's the deal with using these labels for successful businesswomen? Really, now, aren't these just a tad outdated? By decades? Perhaps centuries? What's next? Sites called "Spinster Suppers?" or "Bachelorette Brunches?" But I digress…

There's also a site called Global-Dinner-Network, which has 2,000 registered members. If you're the type of traveler who knows you won't leave your hotel room for dinner alone, especially after dark, these seem worth looking into.

But I have to admit, I just don't see tying myself down by making dinner arrangements before I even get to a place. Then again, I don't know what it's like to be on the road for business night after night.

I travel just enough to get excited every time I land in a city that's not my own. Particularly if my company's paying my hotel and dinner bills.

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7 responses to “Solo travelers don’t have to dine alone”

  1. Albert Tibbetts Avatar
    Albert Tibbetts

    What’s up with the women only single travel advice?
    I guess men must go to Gentlemen’s clubs if they don’t want to dine alone …

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  2. Ellen Avatar
    Ellen

    Albert,
    I see a business opportunity for you here! Several of these networking Web sites were started by women sick of dining alone or of feeling lonely while traveling. Men with the same situation need to step up, eh?
    The other issue is safety. Women often feel more in danger than men do when going out alone after dark. And worry about networking with strange men on the Internet. That was one of the comments in the story. Just a sad fact of life, I guess…

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  3. Ted Avatar
    Ted

    I was going to make the same comment as Albert Tibbetts, but he beat me to it. There’s clearly a significant audience for advice and resources for female “soloists.” But there apparently isn’t a corresponding audience for men. Is that because we men just go and take trips alone whenever we feel like it– without fear, without concerns, and particularly without the need to talk about it the way women do? Or is is that very few men take vacations alone? I don’t know.
    Regarding the safety issue, I wonder if women traveling alone really are more subject to crime than their male counterparts? Have there been any valid scientific studies? I would suspect that men are just as vulnerable, even though there may be differences in the specifics of certain violent assaults. There is safety in numbers, and anyone who is alone in a strange place may be more at risk regardless of gender. That shouldn’t stop anyone from traveling alone, but it is something to keep in mind.

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  4. Ellen Avatar
    Ellen

    Ted,
    There certainly does seem to be a difference between the sexes in terms of socializing and wanting to talk about their experiences. And certainly in feelings of vulnerability when wandering city streets alone at certain times, whether or not both sexes are equally at risk.
    Question for the men out there: Would you sign up for an all-male active trip? Women: Would you sign up for an all female vacation?
    I think the responses would differ quite a bit. And that’s why there’s a market for women-only travel and networking.

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  5. Susan Avatar
    Susan

    A number of years ago Hyatt experimented with “Captain’s Tables” in some of their business hotels. Anyone dining alone was invited to join a Hyatt host at a large dining table with other solo travelers. I haven’t seen this practice for some time, which is a shame – I thought it was a great concept.

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  6. Ellen Avatar
    Ellen

    Susan,
    I agree that’s a great idea. I’ve seen “community tables” at places like Le Pain Quotidian, but I actually find those uncomfortable. I’d rather sit alone at a small table than alone at a big table full of people who came together, which seems to be what happens at those kind of places. Those tables seem to contain the spillover when tables for two or four are occupied.
    These large tables need to be designated for solo diners, or have a facilitator, to work well.

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  7. Giacomo@Hotelscombined Avatar
    Giacomo@Hotelscombined

    Travelling alone can be a real adventure if you can manage your way around the place on your own. The input in the preparation phase of your travel is obviously much larger, but the enjoyment of the travel can potentially be just as large. Many of those travelling alone do this for work purposes rather than for leisure, but the visit to another place can still be made enjoyable. Like you said, if the company that sent you to the place pays for all your expenses, then it would be a huge positive.

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