Boldly Go Solo

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

recent posts

about

  • Travel writers offer 10 tips for better photos and solo travelers can benefit from the advice

    One of the best tips a solo traveler can learn about photography is number nine on a list of 10 tips released by the Society of American Travel Writers Tuesday: "Put local people in your photos."Armenian Family at hookah bar, Cairo-Ellen Perlman

    SATW says to do it because it gives your photos a sense of size and scale. I say to do it because it breaks down that wall between visitor and local and gives you an excuse to talk to people.

    Yes, it takes a smattering of courage to approach strangers and ask permission to "make a picture" as professional photographers say. ("Shoot" is so violent…!!)

    But with a digital camera, it takes little more than showing your photo to your subject to elicit a smile. And make them feel like they got something out of obliging you.

    Felucca captain-Ellen Perlman Children all over the world these days, it seems, know that their faces appear in the back of that little box that just flashed and will pull on you to see themselves. The smiles that appear from these encounters will include your own.

    For instance, I saw a photogenic family at a shisha bar in Cairo. The father was smoking from a hookah while the wife and three children sat around the table with tea and other drinks. I thought they were Egyptian. It turns out they were tourists like me. From Armenia. Still worth a photo.

    Despite not being able to speak English they tried to talk to me. The toddler could speak little of either of our languages. His mother worked on getting him to look at me. It was exhilarating having our little interchange and showing the children their animated faces between each shot. They leaned in close to see and then posed some more.

    Same thing happened at the Sphinx, where I got smiles all around from a young family after I showed them photos of themselves.

    Family at Sphinx The other tip that could be helpful to solo travelers is the one about getting up early, before the harsh light of day flattens the light. When a place isn't yet packed with tourists, both you and the locals will be less irritated by the madding crowds. 

    Simply sitting beside someone on a bench or at the edge of a fountain might lead to conversation. If nothing else, it's a beautiful time to be out. Good for reflection and a little peaceful interlude before the rush of trying to see and do and get somewhere. 

    As for the rest of the photo tips, well, they might not pertain to solo travel, but they're certainly useful for making better pictures.

    Photos: Ellen Perlman. An Armenian family; a felucca captain on the Nile; an Egyptian family visiting the Sphinx.

    All seemed to delight in seeing photos of themselves. (I think that silly head garb on the man on the right in the last photo is something he bought for cheap to keep the sun off him. Lots of vendors were trying to sell those to me. A square of cheap cloth with a ring you pop on your head to hold it down.)

  • It’s not too early to plan for the 2009 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

    SpecialShapes Hundreds of colorful balloons ascend into the sky in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the annual autumn balloon fiesta, leaving visitors craning their necks, snapping photo after photo. Though Egypt was the first place I ascended in a balloon, as I wrote in my last post, it wasn't the first time I'd been nose-to-basket with one of these inflatable giants.

    I went solo on a hiking and biking trip in New Mexico with The World Outdoors one year and it happened to fall during the two-week balloon fiesta. I'd heard about the fiesta during yet another solo trip–that one rafting in Utah–and had always dreamed of going one day.

    So after biking in and around Taos, Santa Fe and other beautiful places in New Mexico, I headed for Albuquerque.

    The sky was a dark, deep blue in the wee hours of the morning when I set out for the day's events. I nearly crashed my rental car trying to catch a glimpse of the balloon glow in the distance, created by inflated balloons on the ground, the burners lighting them from the inside.Glowdeo

    I realized I needed to keep my eyes on the road and wait until I reached the field of balloons to gawk. What a sight. When I arrived and parked, the sun was coming up. Dozens of balloons were already lifting into the sky, while scores of others lay flat out on the ground, their owners getting ready to inflate them.

    These were not just your typical teardrop-shaped flyers. There were balloons shaped like a shoe, a house, a pig. Nothing makes you feel more like a kid than being surrounded by these huge, magical toy-like floating objects. I felt awed. And small. In a good way.

    I bought a breakfast burrito, one of my all-time favorite Southwestern meals, at one of the many food stands. And then I wandered for a long time. I watched as balloons were filled with gas while still tethered to the ground. And watched as they were unclasped from their stakes and allowed to lift gently into the cerulean sky.

    BalloonFiesta2 There were balloons everywhere, seemingly for miles, resembling the patterns created by bubbles blown from a wand dipped in soapy liquid. They scattered in the wind, some getting smaller and farther away, while new ones ascended and made their mark.

    I didn't feel the need for companionship as I wandered this way and that. I stopped at a t-shirt stand to buy the best depiction of balloons on cotton. I admired that year's official balloon fiesta poster, and viewed those from previous years.

    And when I'd had my fill, I took my leave exactly when I wanted. Ah, the freedom of solo travel. 

    –This year, the Alburquerque International Balloon Fiesta will be held from October 3 – 11. With 600 balloons participating, it is billed as the "largest ballooning event on earth."

  • Ballooning over the Valley of the Kings in Egypt and other exotic hot air adventures

    Balloon in haze-Ellen Perlman The balloon lifted off the ground at dawn, the peaceful silence interrupted intermittently by a blast of noise and a wave of heat from the gas jets filling the huge tear drop above us. We were headed for the Valley of the Kings.

    We didn't get there. We had signed up for a balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings, where tombs of the pharoahs and other nobles are buried. But on the day of our adventure, the wind had other ideas. And none of the best-laid plans of ours were going to change that. Balloons in Egypt-Ellen Perlman 

    It was a glorious experience nonetheless. We glided over the monumental and the ordinary. Over the Temple of Hatshepsut and over little villages. Other balloons rose and floated along with us. We soared over little domed mosques and cemeteries that looked like archaeological digs.

    I was reminded of this after coming across an MSNBC article from last June on the "coolest, most exotic" balloon adventures.

    Occasionally in the past, I'd been tempted to try ballooning. I had read about excursions in nearby Virginia, but never felt motivated to spend the money. At the International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I was awed by the array of balloons in the air at sunrise. But that was thrilling enough. The sights were available from the ground.

    From our balloon-Ellen Perlman In Egypt, however, it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. And, being in a group provided ease–just sign up on a sheet of paper–and a bit of peer pressure. (What if everyone ended up talking about their fantastic adventure and I hadn't gone?) 

    Having done ballooning for the first time over amazing, unique sights, I realize the view is as important as the ballooning itself. If I were to do it again, it wouldn't be for the floating, which was lovely, but for a chance to see something I couldn't see any other way. Or, something that was worth seeing from every angle. 

    For instance, Serendipity Adventures, mentioned in the MSNBC piece, takes you over an area where monkeys, sloths and toucans cavort. Or perch. The area can't be accessed on foot so ballooning is the ticket in.

    Buddy Bombard's Europe puts guests up at chateaus and afternoon balloon rides take them over castles and vineyards.

    (more…)

  • Mount Washington Valley, New Hampshire, is on sale for solo travelers and others

    North Conway


    It's not often that a whole region goes on sale but welcome to the recession economy. Businesses     throughout the Mt. Washington Valley in New Hampshire are cutting their rates through the end of this month.

    For instance, the White Mountain Hotel and Resort is offering a third night during a mid-week stay for $20.09. As in, the year 2009. Get it?

    Old Saco Inn tops that. Stay any two mid-week nights and get the third night fee. Includes a full fireside breakfast (fantastic idea), "bottomless cookie jar," free beverage and snacks and tickets to a garden show in May if you're able to stick around. Or return.

    Here's the nice thing about the Mt. Washington Valley, where I have cross-country skied for three out of the past four winters, on the many trails maintained by the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation: It's difficult to find a chain store.

    I won't say they don't exist. But the character of North Conway, where I stayed, and its surroundings, stems from the plethora of unique shops. A penny candy shop. Clothing stores that don't sell the same things you see everywhere. Locally owned restaurants serving Italian, Indian, Thai, Chinese and other other cuisines, and American food too. Great breakfast places. (Remember where maple syrup comes from? Ayup. New England.)

    And good news for solo travelers: the Mount Washington Valley Velo Club,
    a biking club, welcomes visiting cyclists. Hard to say whether any
    rides will be scheduled this early (it's cold up north!) but there's an
    organizational meeting April 16 to make some of those decisions.

    Back to the valley on sale…

    For the rest of this month, one restaurant is serving ribeye steak for $1 a pound and another is serving, ahem, a meal for two is $35. What about us solo travelers, folks? Does that mean a meal for one is $17.50? Hard to say.

    Local stores also are offering discounts on various goods. It's worth checking the website to see what appeals to you.

    Full disclosure: I was in NH with friends. But if I were to go alone, as a first-time visitor, I know what I'd be doing. I'd be on that main street flitting into every shop and taking my time, going in and out as I pleased.

    I'd sit by a roaring fire as often as possible. And I'd be at a different breakfast place every morning, testing pancake and French toast variations. As we all know, breakfast alone doesn't cause nearly the apprehension that going out to dinner does.

    Photo: North Conway Train Station. Starting point for scenic train rides.

  • Tonging for oysters, making moonshine or painting watercolors may appeal to solo travelers in Canada

    Four Canadian provinces are offering unusual and interesting activities that might draw goal-oriented solo travelers. 

    You can "Live Like an Islander," on Prince Edward Island, learning to tong oysters, make moonshine (legally), be a lobsterman or try harness racing. There are dozens of island experiences such as these. Most, if not all, involve meeting up with a guide or other guests, lessening any potential feelings of isolation that traveling solo might kick up. Back Roads Folk Art

    In New Brunswick's cultural capital, Fredericton, you can choose from classes in painting, photography, fiction writing, jewelry making, pottery and quilting. And then explore the riverfront city on your own. Or, perhaps, with people you meet in a class.

    If you want to explore Newfoundland and Labrador for a week, an outfitter offers a seven-night iceberg-tracking trip.  

    Many travel destinations have classes and day adventures that provide a way to find companionship, as I wrote here. It's just a matter of finding them.

    Photo: Back Roads Folk Art. Prince Edward Island

  • Couchsurfing makes an appearance in “US Now,” a documentary on the newest uses of the Internet

    "US Now," a soon-to-be-released documentary film out of the United Kingdom, is all about the new ways people are working together and sharing their lives through the Internet.

    I was surprised and intrigued to see an extensive section about an American who tries couchsurfing. We follow our solo traveler as he finds his way to a London flat and knocks on the door. The host welcomes him inside. A scene shows them eating dinner together and talking.Rick's living room, Amsterdam-Ellen Perlman

    It was useful to me for showing the reality of couchsurfing. I have to admit, I felt uncomfortable watching the two guys meet and get to know each other that first night. I was feeling awkward and I wasn't even there.

    Couchsurfing is not like hosteling or staying at a bed and breakfast. You are there by the good graces of your hosts and you may or may not have alone time while you are at their houses. You need to be ready to interact with and share your hosts' lives.

    And if it's truly a couch you're staying on, as opposed to a spare room, you may have no door to shut to be alone. Which is the point of couchsurfing. It's about "making connections between travelers and the local communities they visit," according to the web site. It's about your host being your conduit to that community.

    If you want anonymity and freedom to roam as you please at any hour, or you're on a tight schedule, it might not be for you. That's the sensation I got from this one little episode. Of course, it's not a statistically significant sample…

    On the upside, the American did seem to become an insider in London. In one scene, he's drinking with three other guys at an outdoor table. Yes, some of it could have been contrived because of the filming.

    Still, it felt like a good view into the possibilities and realities of a couchsurfing experience.

    Photo: Ellen Perlman. A couch in Amsterdam

  • Five high-adrenaline adventures for daring solo travelers

    After writing about adventure travel ideas for men, a reader checked in with suggestions for VERY adventurous travelers. From what I can tell, most blog readers don't check back to the blog for comments (since many of you get it through RSS and email notification of new posts) so I thought I'd alert you to the adventure suggestions from Tom, the e-mailer.

    These are not trips so much as activities to build a vacation around.

    They are:

    1. Tandem HALO jumping–High Altitude, Low Open–parachute jumping. Which basically means you're free falling for a looonnnggg time. Love this caveat on the site: HALO jumping

    "Skydiving is inherently risky. You could die. You will be required
    to sign a release of liability. That said, the guy strapped to you throughout
    your HALO tandem jump has no desire to die young. He’s an expert jumper
    who will be using the best possible equipment and taking all steps humanly
    possible to make your adventure as safe as it can be."


    2. Then there's El Caminito del Rey, or the King's Little Pathway, a walkway along the steep walls of a narrow gorge in Malaga, Spain.

    3. Next up, shooting the rapids on the Gauley River in West Virginia.Uppergauley

    "Your heart
    will pound with great anticipation as you witness the release of raging
    whitewater shooting from 3 colossal tubes. You will navigate through
    five Class V+ rapids. Insignificant, Pillow Rock, Lost Paddle, Iron
    Ring, and Sweets Falls (a 12' waterfall). Previous rafting experience
    is recommended and good physical condition is highly recommended."

    4. How about the "Tough Guy" challenge, open to both sexes. It took place in February this year. Start training now for next year.

    "Billed as "the safest most dangerous
    taste of physical and mental endurance pain in the world", the Tough
    Guy Challenge took place yesterday, February 1st, on South Perton Farm,
    near Wolverhampton, England. Thousands of challengers (men and women)
    started the endurance race, with hundreds dropping out along the way
    due to exhaustion or injury – broken bones, dislocations, and over 600
    cases of hypothermia. Even the overall winner, James Appleton, was
    treated briefly for hypothermia. The course takes racers through 21
    obstacles – through mud, freezing water, across ropes and burning
    terrain."


    5. And finally, bungee jumping into an active volcano Whaaa?? Volcano bungee jumping

    "How about bungee jumping from the skid of a helicopter into the gaping
    maw of a bubbling active volcano? No. We're not kidding and yes this is
    for real! Our Stunts division set up this jump for MTV a while back.
    We loved the jump so much, we knew we had to bring it to the small
    percentage of the public who, like us, has that something special in
    their genes.    "


    I release myself from any and all responsibility for what happens if you choose to engage in these activities! But have a blast. Well, not a blast in the dangerous sense…well, you know what I mean.


  • Adventure trip ideas for men traveling solo?

    Silver Dollar Bar, Wort Hotel
    The large majority of single-sex adventure trips are geared towards women, a fact that gets under the skin of some male readers. Recently, I've begun receiving e-mail info from a company that promotes adventure trips by breaking them into categories such as "deal of the week," "family adventures," "women only" and, interestingly, "men's interest." Not "men only," but men's "interest."

    I hoped, finally, I could point men toward trips geared specifically for them. Sad to say, the promotions are more a marketing conceit than anything else.

    For instance, one listing promotes Bar Harbor, Maine, as "Adventure Central." So why is that "men's interest?" The release says, "Outfitters and vendors in the town of 4,820 year round residents offer
    sea kayaking instruction, mountain bike touring, a mountain climbing
    school, sailing adventures, birding expeditions, even motorcycle trips
    spanning the park."

    I, too, like the sound of kayaking, biking, mountain climbing and sailing. Is it the motorcycle trips that make it "men's interest?" Hm.

    One promotion that made me smile, though, was the suggestion that men go to 4UR Ranch in Creede, Colorado. The ranch has seven miles of private stream that will "stun even the most devout fly fishing enthusiasts." 

    Fishing reminded me of "Defending the Caveman," a hilarious show about differences between the sexes. One riff is about how men don't bond by talking, as women do, but that fishing might bring them together. Says the "caveman" in his monologue:

    "Men don't bond through conversation. Oh, we'll have one. We just don't bond that way. You know how men bond? It's just a lot of 'hanging out.' That's why men invent things like fishing.

    "What is fishing? It's the barest excuse of an activity. It's the smallest goal you can possibly have. You've got a string in the water–something could happen.

    "But–you gotta have that. You can't say to another guy, 'Hey Chuck. Wanna just go sit together by a lake?' Of course Chuck wouldn't want to go! You say, 'Come on, we'll go fishin.' And then, you can sit together all day long."

    What's even funnier about the email promotion of the fishing retreat for men is that in another email, the same ranch is promoted as a "women's only fly fishing retreat" during one special week.

    (more…)

  • Utah: Home to some of the best national parks in the country

    Utah has some of the best national parks in the country. And I mean, spectacular. When I saw this article, it struck me all over again how cool a place the Beehive state is for fantastic scenery and action adventure.Thorshammerwclouds, Bryce Canyon, Ray Mathis

    I have visited four out of the five top parks (at least as designated by the writer) by going solo on adventure trips. One was with Holiday Expeditions, the other with Backroads. And I would highly recommend both companies.

    One of my first set-out-solo trips was mountain biking and whitewater rafting on the Green and Colorado rivers with Holiday Expeditions.

    On the Holiday Expeditions trip our group of five went mountain biking in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and then joined a larger group to raft through Canyonlands. So peaceful and mellow drifting through the canyons, bathing in the river, relaxing by the shore. No electronics whatsoever. Clocks and watches unnecessary. Just drift and eat and soak in the colorful rock formations and hike the smooth chasms where the river has cut through to form a winding path.

    The fab five from the biking portion formed such a tight bond that when the trip ended, four of us who didn't have immediate flights home drove our three cars by caravan to Moab, Utah and stayed overnight.

    The next day we explored Arches National Park together before we had to fly home to our respective corners of the country: Washington, New York and California. For years, my favorite t-shirt was "Go with the Flow," purchased at the company's store.

    (more…)

  • Driving cross country solo. Or with dog

    Tucson Mountains-Ellen Perlman
    Most people think of a cross-country journey as a road trip with friends, a once-in-a-lifetime rite of passage. But a D.C. writer has done it all by her lonesome. Twice. (Hm, since her dog was co-pilot, does that make it a buddy trip?)

    And it sounds as though she would consider doing it again. I liked her story.  She writes:

    "There are much faster and less expensive ways to get the the left coast, and frankly, covering 350 to 750 miles as a solo driver every day is a lot of work. But the payoff was so rich and treasure-filled the first time that I was drawn to make the journey again in December."

    Her 10 lessons for doing such a journey well include tips such as studying maps in advance and choosing some must-see sights to visit: renting a car if the one you own is "not as loyal as your dog;" amusing yourself with music, podcasts and road games such as tracking license plates or counting the number of RV's you spot; and wandering off your set route from time to time, or changing your route altogether, if something compelling comes up.

    The writer, Melanie D.G. Kaplan, scheduled stops to see friends, and made new ones on the road. A dog seems to be a nice ice breaker, so it might be worth renting one of those too, if you don't have one.

    I don't foresee a cross-country road trip in my future. (For one, I'm too prone to napping while in a car and that's not a useful trait in a solo driver.)

    But I do relish driving on my own sometimes. Often the trip has been from Washington, D.C. to New York.

    I like being able to stop wherever I want, for as long as I want. And buying all the junk food I'm in the mood for without sheepishly looking at a travel companion. Especially one who might tsk, tsk. And veering off randomly, whether to shop at an outlet mall or feast at a New Jersey diner. (Hm, food seems to be a theme here.)

    Lately, I've been thinking about driving from D.C. to Charleston, South Carolina, for a meeting I'm planning to go to in a few months. We'll see…

    Photo: Ellen Perlman. Tucson