How do you go on a vacation alone?

In My Humble Opinion
21

Since my wife died some years ago I’ve,with 2 exceptions, always gone on holiday alone.

I’m a fairly outgoing sort of bloke, I’ll talk to and make friends with most anyone and have never had problems finding someone in a similar situation as myself to pal up with it.

I’ve made friends with families from the USA,Germany,Belgium and Holland and some of those people have invited me to go stay with them, in the case of the USA I took up the offer and had a great time in Rhode Island.

It’s really all a matter of how you approach it, you’re on holiday so whatever happens just enjoy yourself, meet people, be nice and you’ll find that generally people will be nice back.

As an aside, my last holiday in Guernsey last year with a ‘pal’ was an unmitigated disaster.

In small doses he’s ok, to spend a few weeks with he’s a pain in the arse

22

Some places or more apt for singles. Like San Francisco or New York City or DC. Plenty of museums and attractions you can do alone. I used to go to NYC by myself a lot and there are always tours you can go on. The only issue I had was asking people to take my picture by an object. But now with digital cameras and self timers even that isn’t an issue

23

I am always surprised at threads like this that wonder about “eating alone at a restaurant” or “going alone to a movie” or in your case, “going on vacation alone”…it really depends on the person.

Some people, like myself, have never found it a problem. I take a book or magazine when eating alone and enjoy it very much. See a film by myself? Big deal - I don’t want to talk to anyone while I see the film anyway - and afterward, I can always find someone who has seen the film to discuss it a day or two later.

I went to Europe on my own when I was 22 and had a great time! Hung out with some people, but had no trouble going off on my own when we had different ideas of where to go and what to do. Met lots of people, but also had time to myself without having to explain anything to anyone.

Currently, my SO and I have been together for over 28 years and we do everything together - but sometimes he will go off and do something I am not particularly interested in doing and I do the same.

In other words, if you are happy and content living alone, why shouldn’t you be happy and content traveling, or doing anything else? Travel is a great adventure - with or without someone tagging along. Go! Enjoy! Write back!

24

I went to San Diego several times on my own and enjoyed it very much. I took the train, then used the trolley or cabs or walking to get around.
I don’t mind going out to eat or to movies by myself either.

25

I’ve done a couple of motorcycle trips by myself.

Both times I had a loose agenda to follow with people to visit along the way, but the focus of the vacation was the journey.

Next summer I’m planning another motorcycle trip. But intentionally, there will be no route planned or itinerary.

What I want to do instead is photograph abandoned and rustic farm buildings spotted from the road. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a number of years.

So no route planned, no specific destination at the end of the day. I’ll travel anywhere from 200 to 500 miles per day, grabbing a hotel room where ever I happen to decide to stop for the evening. I’ll plan on returning home after about 10 days.

Depending on where I am and what I feel like, I may spend the evening touring town or editing pictures or maybe maintaining a blog. If I find people to talk to along the way, fine. If not that’s ok too.

The one thing I won’t do is do any of the trip with anyone else. Too much organization and compromise required. When I want to stop for whatever reason, I don’t want someone else’s expectations or agenda to consider. I’ve done motorcycle trips with others before, and I don’t mind doing it, but there’s much more thinking and organizing that goes along with planning for more than just me.

26

Oshkosh. I’m surrounded by people with the same hobby.

27

I’m always interested in very out-there subjects. Usually, I do vacation alone. I prefer it that way, since I’m single. :smiley:

My dream vacation is Oak Island, just because I think it would be really cool to talk to the locals about the history of The Money Pit.

Now who in their right mind would really want to join me on THAT expedition?

28

I’ve never understood why people do this. Is it to prove that you were actually there? On our recent trip to France, I took 3,317 pictures, and maybe 20 are of my partner. And they are just of him, not something famous that he’s standing in front of.

29

I went by myself to Barcelona and Mallorca… Awesome trip. Plan ahead, stay in hostels. It was awesome to chart your own adventures each day…

Similar, I’ve been “alone” to Brasil twice. I say “alone” because I’ve spent time with my friends who live there, but one time I went to other cities, stayed in hostels, and only stayed at my friend’s as a “home base”, and in the other I just walked around the city while my hostess worked.

Awesome… I like it. Similarly, I’ve been to NYC because I have friends there, and I stayed there. So I visited them…

I’ve been to a convention by myself, 3 years ago… Didn’t know anybody when I got there, ended up rooming with another student… Good times, awesome rest… Saw the Grand Canyon from the window of the airplane. :wink:

Now, how can it be hard to imagine all of those experiences are in any way, shape, or form similar to staying at home, posting at the Dope?

30

Keep in mind, when traveling alone, that most buses and trains have seating that comes in pairs.

That means you, will inadvertently find yourself seated beside another lone traveler. Conversation will ensue, you may find yourself sharing a cab to a hostel/hotel the other has heard of, and so it goes.

Whenever I have traveled alone this is always how it begins. Check into the same hotel, go out together to get a bite to eat. It’s how people are and it’s universal, just relax and enjoy it.

It’s like all adventurous travel, the first step is a little scary but, once past it, you can’t imagine why you ever hesitated.

31

+1. Look for scenic twisty backroads instead of interstate highways. Visit parks with scenic overlooks.

For a smile, visit www.roadsideamerica.com and visit all of the listed oddities along the way.

My last couple of big trips (one to Utah in '07, and one to New Hampshire a couple of weeks ago) there was a group event at the destination, but my travel to/from was solo. Enjoy the scenery, stop when/where you want, visit parks and take short hikes, or longer ones, if you prefer that. Read the historical markers at highway rest areas and in city parks.

You can do much the same in a car. If camping isn’t your thing, most national parks have hotels clustered just outside their entrances, and some (e.g. Grand Canyon, Yosemite) have hotels within their borders.

Bring your camera, and if you’re not a hard-core shutterbug, pick up an UltraPod; this is a great little tripod that packs up tiny, but lets you set the camera on oddly shaped objects, or strap it to a branch/signpost for a better-height perspective. Perfect for motorcycle travel, great for hiking/backpacking too.

32

I, too, don’t understand the question. Before I took up with Pepper Mill I generally went on vacations alone. And going somewhere else and experiencing new thoings is nothing like staying home. How can you even compare them?

I’ve

gone on a cross-country month-long bus tour

Visited London

Visited Seattle and Hiked Mt. Rainier

Gone to Arches National Park

And Zion

And Grand Tetons

And Dinosaur National Park

And gone to various skiing spots.
…among other things. Not like staying home alone at all. Met fascinating people and didn’t live like a recluse while on the road.

33

Ooh, ooh, pick meeeeeee! ! ! :wink: Actually, my theory is it was an early attempt to engineer a freshwater spring from seawater. . .

But I also prefer to vacation alone. It’ll be about 18 years before I get to again, but that’s also OK - in the meantime there’s a lot I want to show the Celtling.

She’s fairly adaptable, like me. The trouble is she has a tendency to sleep soundly while I get us there, and be raring to go just when I’m ready to pass out.

My Family can’t travel without at least a 4-star hotel rating. Me, if there’s a clean spot to sleep in,a nd a clean place to shower, I’m fine.

34

I’ll echo the sentiments of other solo vacationers here. A seriously compatible traveling partner is hard to find. Putting up with each other for long streches on the road can lead to some heated discussions and really detract from your hard-won time away from work.

On my last trip, I took a 50 mile detour to see the Nutcracker Museum in Leavenworth, WA. When I got there, it turned out a major bicycle ride was finising up in town. The place was a zoo; blocked streets, bumper to bumper traffic, no parking to be found. I bailed on the museum and headed out of town without even stopping. That decision might not have gone over too well if someone else had been along for the ride.

35

To the OP: If you enjoy your own company you can do anything by yourself. I don’t really see the need to latch on to someone else to travel with you.

I am doing a solo trip to Barcelona in a week, got any advice for that city?

36

I’m leaving later today on a “single vacation”, I vacation alone several times a year. I prefer it because you get to do EXACTLY what you want to, this trip it’s:

Drive from Houston, Texas to Bemidji, Minnesota and attend the Ojibwe Forests rally (a rally-car race). Drive to Davenport, Iowa to go to the Antique Motorcycle Club of America rally.

Unclviny

37

That was 5 (!!!) years ago… Graduation and 21st year present. :wink:

Walk around… My hostel was in the gothic part of the city, close to the metro. It was also within walking distance to Rambla, the aquarium, the piers, and Museu Picasso. Also, I think I walked to some other places… Like the music palace, and some of the Gaudí buildings. Go to Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell… I love Joan Miró, so of course I went to his museum. I also went to the Museu de arte de catalunya… And my year (2004) was the Dalí year, so they had a number of exhibitions going around.

But mainly, just walk around. It may be just me, but I loooooove walking around, mixing with the locals, enjoying the scenery… Just walking around the open street without a care in the world, and sure of myself.

I think I really enjoyed Parc Guell, Gaudí in general, and Miró.

38

Maybe its something they enjoy, like, oh I dont know, say going on a trip to France and then feeling the need to post about it around 874 times on a message board when you get home, just in case there is one person in the entire history of the SDMB that was unaware of your amazing journey…

39

I just got back from a weekend vacation taken by myself. I’d been putting in the hours at work and last Monday knew that the upcoming weekend was going to be work-free. So I arranged to have Friday off with my boss, and when I got that secured I knew I didn’t want to just sit around the house for an extra day. I wanted to get away from it all.

So I started looking at last minute deals. I like to scuba dive so I figured I might head to Sarasota, Florida, but arranging a dive trip plus having a 24 hour delay after diving before flying would mean I’d basically only get in a couple dives made it not worth it.

Then I started about thinking about places I wanted to see. Devils Tower, Wyoming sprang to mind. (Yes, it was because of That Movie. :wink: ) I’ve wanted to go there since I was nine. So I punched that in to Google maps and looked to see where I’d have to fly into, which turned out to be Rapid City, SD.

Some more quick googling and and I saw there was all kinds of things to see and do around Rapid City if you’re into the national park scene. It became a case of too much to do, not enough time. That little voice in my head was telling me it was a waste to go that far for so little time. But then I figured why the hell not? I’ve been on trips where I planned a week and was ready to leave by day 4.

I did some more google-mapping and plugged a bunch of attractions into my Garmin, which I planned to take with me. I would basically have all day Sat and half of Sunday to make my itinerary work, and again thanks to Google Maps I planned it all out. I found a weekender package on Priceline, DFW to Rapid City + hotel for $356. (!) Alamo had a weekend rental rate, unlimited miles for $20 a day. I booked it that night, and flew out 4 days later.

This weekend I logged 600+ miles. On Saturday, I hit the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site 90 miles east of Rapid, took a leisurely drive along the Badlands Scenic Route on the way back, drove through the Black Hills all before 4pm before heading out to Devils Tower. I spent 3-4 hours there until sundown where I got to do 2 of the 3 hikes available.

The next day, I drive around Custer state park and toured Wind Cave as well as visiting Crazy Horse Memorial and Mt. Rushmore. It was a fantastic weekend. I got to see some of the best sites in the US without spending a ton of money or time and the fact of the matter is I would not have been able to do this if I did not go alone.

Two things I took away from this experience:

  1. I stuck with my original goal of seeing Devils Tower. Anything else I reasoned would be a bonus. I didn’t let myself get hung up on it being wasted time if I didn’t stop and spend a day in each location. Sure, I would have liked to have spent time hiking the Badlands or the Black Hills, but the drive was fantastic and I had a wonderful, relaxing time listening to music and seeing the sites and still had plenty of time to see what I really wanted to see, and that gave me a nice feeling of accomplishment.

  2. There is no way I could have done this with anyone else tagging along. It was super short notice for one, but really having gone on trips with close friends you have to coordinate travel plans but most importantly you have to agree on what you want to see and do. Had I gone with friends, we might have spent the entire time at one location, wasting time deciding to see this or that, trying to figure out where to eat, shopping for gifts… I was able to plan my trip from east to west, seeing exactly what I wanted to see, eating where I wanted to eat, meaning I saw and did more in a day and a half than I might have done in a week had I gone with other people. Plus, having all that time to myself in the car with the windows down and music blaring was just perfect for relaxing. That would not have been possible with other people in the car.

The moral of this story: sometimes it’s more fun with friends, but traveling by yourself can be a great experience. The next time I know I have a 3 day weekend coming up you can bet I’m going to find another landmark that I can get to cheap and make another run for it. It was no foolin’ one of the best vacations I ever had.

My advice – take a vacation by yourself. If you’re worried about being lonely, pack so much into it that you’re never standing still for long, and use that freedom to see everything you want to see, how you want to see it. You’ll have a blast!

40

My philosophy is that when I go on vacation with a girlfriend, I’m there with my girlfriend. When I go alone, I’m there with everyone else. This last time I just made new friends wherever I went. It was anything but lonely.

The other advantage to going alone is that I can spend exactly zero time looking in the windows of jewelry and shoe stores.