Boldly Go Solo
How to set out solo, but not travel alone: Trips, tips and ideas for the active traveler.
Category: -United States
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A few weeks ago I wrote about shorter organized tours offered by Backroads. I heard back from Undiscovered Country Tours and learned that they too offer weekend road bike tours. All in California. They say they offer more three- and four-day biking tours in California than any other company. Easy to believe, since California is…
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Can you say "shoulder season?" Summer's over. The holidays aren't here yet. Deals abound. I know a lot of people are skittish about spending on "luxuries" such as travel, what with the financial meltdown around the world and all. Understood. But if you're up for traveling, you can pay for a trip without totally depleting…
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Traveling alone in Chicago? You literally can order a "friend." Pick up the phone and call Chicago Greeter and you'll be reserving a local resident to show you around town for a few hours. For free. The Chicago Office of Tourism matches visitors with residents knowledgeable about their city. They'll take you along the famous…
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Visiting Washington, D.C., solo and looking for company and entertainment? How about swing dancing on a Saturday night at a beautifully restored dance venue called the Spanish ballroom? A poker game? Nightclub parties? Embassy affairs? Mountain hikes? A bike ride? A haunted tour of Washington National Cathedral? These are the types of things available to…
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Backroads, an active travel company, has come out with an idea whose time has come…but whose price is high: Short getaways. As in, three- and four-day trips. Biking in the San Juan Islands. Hiking and biking in Bryce and Zion national parks. Biking part of the Natchez Trace, a route from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville,…
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I’m standing high on a mountain in California on a hot summer day, my hiking boots planted at the top edge of a large patch of snow. One of the last remaining from the winter. I take in the scenery. The snow-kissed Sierra Nevada Mountains. The stoic evergreen trees. A verdant mountain meadow below. Then,…
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I wish it were me going to a wedding somewhere outside Budapest. Yeah, okay, that sounds strange. But I recently met Hayden, a Servas member who lets visitors from other countries stay at his house in Washington, D.C. The relationships he forms turn into wedding invitations and vacation stays in places that might not be…
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You don’t often get to barter labor for lodgings. Those "I Love Lucy" episodes where you have to wash dishes if you don’t have enough money to pay for dinner? Seldom happens. But at the historic Chalfonte Hotel in Cape May, New Jersey, you really can stay free. And get your meals free. In exchange…
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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…
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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…
Boldly Go Solo 