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: -United States

  • Solo female travelers shouldn’t let safety concerns put the world off limits

    I've often been terrified before traveling to foreign countries outside of the "safety" of Europe. I planned a trip to Ecuador and worried for weeks before going. Someone told me about a woman he'd met in Brazil who'd been harassed in Ecuador. I read about pickpockets and thieves and how careful women had to be…

  • 10 tips for avoiding the single supplement

    http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#username=xa-4b4b889e59d6e0ed In preparation for being interviewed on the BBC World's travel program, called "fast:track," I asked experts if they knew of tour operators that waived or markedly lowered the single supplement. (Who knew the BBC piece was going to involve a boy blowup doll?!) Many respondents told me about companies they knew or, or represented,…

  • Six tips for a great solo ski vacation

    Although my friend Elaine is skiing in Park City, Utah, alone, she's making friends right and left. Okay, they're friends for five minutes, but what's the difference? She's being entertained, being social and not feeling lonely.  "I have five-minute relationships with people on the chair lift," she says. "Then it's, 'Have a nice life.' "…

  • Travel’s better the first time around and solo travel brings you a lot of firsts

    Last year around this time I wrote about holiday markets around the world. The post was prompted by a visit to Washington, D.C.'s holiday market. The other day, I went back to the D.C. market. I have to admit, the second time was not as exciting. That's the thing about travel for me. I always…

  • Happy Thanksgiving, safe travels and enjoy that turkey and pumpkin pie!

    I have to admit, this is the one time of year I'm thrilled not to be on the road. Or on the airplane. Or on the train. Many people use the holiday to travel somewhere but I always spend it with family (except the one year I was a student in England and I didn't…

  • Shopping solo in Tlaquepaque and Tonala in Mexico

    Today I went with a group of travel writers to Tlaquepaque and Tonalá, two artisan villages in Jalisco, Mexico (the state that Guadalajara is in). I find I have to separate myself from people to shop the way I want to. If fellow travelers want to chat or show me things they like, time flies too quickly…

  • Local foods in Guadalajara’s Corona Market in the city center

    Yesterday, I said Guadalajara, Mexico, isn't a particularly pretty city. That said, many cities around the world have their rundown sections and unattractive blocks. A friend here at the school says it's really beautiful when you get a little above the city and see it as a whole. More important, Guadalajara is alive and busy. I love…

  • Guadalajara food and sights

    I don't even know where to begin. So much happens in a day let alone two. My mind races but I´ll never be able to spill all those thoughts.  Today's try: – Animals available for sale at the San Juan de Dios market downtown include parakeets, parrots, pigeons, chicks, guinea pigs (at least they don´t eat them…

  • No more solo-only trips with Backroads but not to worry

    Backroads, an "active travel company," is ending its singles and solos trips next year. The owners found that more of their solo travelers ended up on regular trips than on solo ones. There weren't getting enough people to make the singles and solo trips fun. After doing some of Backroads solo trips years back, I…

  • The Nation’s Triathlon lets a solo traveler experience the city like a local

    I biked to the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., early this morning so I could see the swimmers in the Nation's Triathlon. Having just done a (shorter) triathlon, I was curious to see how racers would get into the water and where the course was.  What a crazy scene. 4,700 participants. Waves of swimmers starting…