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: –Spas

  • A spa in California, the land of sunshine

    In Ojai, a charming old California town crammed with art galleries, is a spa called The Oaks. Margaret Lukens, from the San Francisco area six hours away, booked a visit for this month, having so enjoyed her first trip. Though married with grown children, she often travels solo, especially to spas. The Oaks is gracious…

  • Three trip suggestions for solo travelers, in Canada, Ireland and Italy

    The title of a story in yesterday’s Calgary (Canada) Herald was, "Solo Travel Not So Lonely After All." The writer describes three separate trips: cooking in Sicily; hiking in Ireland and going to a spa on Vancouver Island. ALL of them appealed to me. Now I just need the time off work and the money…

  • A yoga retreat in California welcomes all kinds. Single. Married. Bun in the oven.

    Recently, I sent out a request for people to send me their stories about going solo to a spa. A lot of folks who land on my site are searching for solo spa vacations. So I figure I should write about more of them. But since I’ve only been to two (here and here) destination…

  • A Spa for the masses; welcoming for solo travelers

    A lot of people go to spas for massage and relaxation. I traveled solo to Deerfield Spa in Pennsylvania a few years back for just that. But also to get motivated to shed a few pounds. Unlike the stylish, modern-looking, expensive spas, this one is pretty basic. It was also close to home, saving me…

  • Anatomy of a solo trip, day six. All done.

    Due to high waters in the nearby canyons, we do loops around the hotel instead of going out to do a breakfast hike. We end up eating near a waterfall. Since this whole trip is about healthy eating, breakfast "on the trail" consists of fruit, peanut butter, cottage cheese, fruit, whole grain tortillas, nuts, fruit…

  • Anatomy of a solo trip, day five. Pain.

    I wish it hadn't taken me slamming into a prickly pear cactus to make a great point about traveling solo, but it did. Here's the sad tale. In heavy hiking boots, on a trail marked "difficult," I tripped and pitched forward. Under normal circumstances I think I would have been able to right myself. But…

  • Anatomy of a solo trip, day four. Laughs.

    Bridget, a fellow hiker, had some of us laughing all morning, after she showed us the "Michigan mitten" at breakfast. Someone asked her where she grew up and she held up her right hand and pointed to one side of her palm. "Right here." Huh? Apparently, Michigan children learn that their state is shaped like…

  • Anatomy of a solo trip, day three. Rain.

    Yesterday’s hail dusted the mountaintops here in Tucson, changing the desert palette. By this morning it was raining. If I had been out West hiking on my own, I might have spent a lonely day in my room, or hanging around the hotel, today. Maybe I would have gone shopping or to a movie. But…

  • Anatomy of a solo trip, day two. Hail.

    Tucson in December has its surprises for an East Coast girl: A loud, heavy hail storm has left quarter-inch balls of white ice on the hotel's lawns and sidewalks. An old water tank for cattle, which are no longer allowed where we're hiking, is filled with plump, healthy goldfish. Goldfish! In the Sonoran Desert in…

  • Anatomy of a solo trip, day one. Apprehension.

    9:30 am, Houston. Having one of those "poor me" moments while rushing to make the connection to Tucson. Why was I going to all this trouble, flying to join a bunch of strangers at a spa? All alone. I think about home and it seems so cozy and inviting. Typical day one for me. Just…