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 traveler tips on dealing with illness and whether to join a group trip

Here's a round up of some good articles on solo travel:

The Los Angeles Times offers travel advice to a 49-year-old man concerned about getting sick while traveling out of the country? Soothingly, "sudden death while traveling is not statistically likely." Well, I guess I can finally stop fretting about keeling over then.
IMG_0013-Bird of paradise, Guadalajara-Ellen Perlman

But just in case, you can leave a note for the maid on what to do with your body, writes Catherine Hamm, the paper's travel editor. Funny.

As for fear of getting sick, she suggests some useful things, tips she got from calling around in the medical community. For one, register with the State Department before you leave the country. Also, keep a list of the generic names of medications you take in case you need to replace any. Yes, different countries call medicines different things.

I also like her pros and cons on traveling alone vs. joining a group. When on a group trip, there will always be one "ultra-annoying" person. (True) On the other hand, you'll never be alone. As for solo travel, there's some tension in having to keep your wits about you at all times. (Not necessarily) But then again, you make all the choices.

A travel review piece on the faxtravel.com site provides great information on how to choose the best group tour. It says to pick small group tours and local tour operators.


Look for companies that offer flexibility, including opting out of some activities, or adding on others. Choose tours that give you some free time or free days. Trips that try to pack in too much can be exhausting. (I have experienced these types of trips and totally agree.) Also look carefully for hidden costs. The post gives examples of what those would be.

A Forbes post talks about the up side of dining alone. When Jared Blank first started traveling alone, his solo sojourns to the dinner table felt odd, "like I was missing a limb." A tad dramatic, perhaps? But then, he writes, those meals felt liberating. And he began to resent it when fellow business travelers cut into his time alone by joining him at his table.

Photo: Ellen Perlman. Bird of paradise, Guadalajara, Mexico

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6 responses to “Solo traveler tips on dealing with illness and whether to join a group trip”

  1. Jocelyne Marchand Avatar
    Jocelyne Marchand

    I have just returned from a solo trip to Spain. I was there for two months. I would travel any other way. You have more opportunities to meet ‘locals’ when you are alone. As for getting sick, I spent almost three days in bed with some kind of flu, my immersion heater saved me . . was able to make tea, soup etc. to keep myself hydrated. The space between the window and outside shutter was my refrigerator . . .

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  2. Ellen Avatar
    Ellen

    Jocelyne,
    Very resourceful! I’m glad you weren’t sick for too terribly long. It can be frustrating to be ill while traveling simply because your time away is limited and illness robs from it, and from all the things you had planned to do. But…stuff happens.
    E

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  3. Lorraine Avatar
    Lorraine

    I am a solo traveler and my husband’s greatest fear is that I will have some kind of serious injury or illness while I am traveling abroad. My response to that is, “…it could happen here just as easily as it could there.” The important thing is to have good insurance coverage. Having travel medical insurance is really important and something I would not go without.
    I agree with the importance of having a list of any daily medications. I am an emergency nurse working in a resort community where we see many international patients. Those that have a written list or their prescriptions bottles make diagnosis and treatment so much easier.

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  4. Ellen Avatar
    Ellen

    Lorraine,
    I love just hearing the words, “I am a solo traveler and my husband…”
    Most people have an image of a solo traveler as someone single and pathetic who can’t get anyone to travel with him or her. Not true.
    As for the importance of daily medications – I experienced that first hand. I had the “American” name for a medicine that a Dutch doctor was unfamiliar with and it was in my lost luggage (that’s TWO big mistakes). The doctor had to prescribe me something else based on my description of what I needed. Who knows what I actually got? Won’t do that again…

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  5. Lorraine Avatar
    Lorraine

    Generic names are definitely easier to search but there have been times I was able to find the brand name of an international drug by searching on the internet. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of always having a list of prescribed medications whenever you go the doctor, ER, urgent care, etc. Ok, enough of that soapbox!!

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  6. Ellen Avatar
    Ellen

    Lorraine,
    This presumes access to the Internet when you need it. It’s probably pretty prevalent in doctors offices and hotels these days but who knows where you will be when you need the information?
    It would be best to have those on hand, in your suitcase, ready to go.
    When it happened to me about eight years ago, it wasn’t as easy. The doctor couldn’t seem to find what we were looking for online. Not sure why.

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