Boldly Go Solo

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

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Category: -Europe

  • Paradores for solo travelers in Andalusia, Galicia and other Spanish cities

    I'd heard about paradores, but had never been clear how they'd fit into the solo traveler's world. So after hearing from Holly Maguire of escapio, I offer the following Q & A.  (Below: Parador de Siguenza) What exactly is a parador?   Traditionally, a parador would be a place to stop off for the night on…

  • Is London safe for solo travelers?

    "Is London an extremely dangerous place to travel alone?" This was the question posed by a "young woman traveling alone" on a site called English Travel Deals. If you'd been in the room with me you might have seen my eyes roll. And a smile appear. What kind of question is that? If you go…

  • Solo travelers can live like locals in cities around the world

    Fellow travel writer Laura Byrne Paquet ended up in Amsterdam's Red Light District doing…well…not what you think. Paquet and her husband, tourists from Canada, had arranged a special meeting. No, not for what you think! They had arranged to have dinner with a local couple. A company called Like-a-Local arranges for visitors to have dinner…

  • Spain wins the World Cup and I wish I’d been there!

    Spain has won the world soccer championship and I have faces of Spaniards in my mind rejoicing. Not from the television. Not because I was in South Africa (I wasn't) But from a week I spent in Spain teaching English to Spaniards, in a little town several hours from Madrid. Which I did on my…

  • Happy Fourth of July to you too Denmark

    It was during a hitchhiking trip from the Netherlands to Norway that I learned that Denmark celebrates an American Fourth of July. Well, in its own Danish way. And has done since 1912. In fact, it's the largest Fourth of July celebration outside of the United States. The celebration is held in Rebild Bakker, a…

  • More mangling the language in English and other tongues

    "Don't worry," my new Spanish language partner explained when we arranged to meet for the first time for an exchange of English and Spanish lessons and he wanted to let me know how prompt he is. "I am sharp with the time." I laugh, but I'm sure I've cracked up many a Spaniard and South…

  • Rick Steves outlines the joys of solo European travel

    Rick Steves, well-known travel guru, has written a piece on the pleasures of solo travel in Europe and you should read it if you remain dubious about solo travel. I have written many similar posts over the years. This time, I point you to the travel master, in case his words carry more credence. He…

  • Alone with Gaudi in Barcelona, solo traveler finds love. Of architecture, that is.

    Architecture buffs might consider traveling alone through Barcelona. Fellow travel writer Barbara Wysocki found that she needed time to soak up all that the famed Catalan architect Gaudi had to offer. So it was nice not to have to convince anyone else to come along. And she didn't have to. She was in Spain by…

  • Online chat about solo travelers not wanting to pay single supplements

    I landed on this chat about a traveler wanting to find a place to ski that offers rooms for one without a single supplement. The comments range from "Singles are losers to be exploited" to "unfortunately the economies of being a hotelier make it difficult to achieve what you want" to "I travel on my…

  • Introverts can travel solo but differently than extroverts

    I enjoyed this story from worldhum on introverted travelers. It showed me how the other half of solo travelers explore the world. The introverts, that is. Clearly without gabbing with a lot with strangers: "I am terrible at striking up conversations with strangers and I am happy exploring a strange city alone." The writer doesn't seek…