Are you sure?

There's an interesting post over at Gadling, one of the travel blogs I subscribe to, about traveling solo.

Now, anyone who knows me knows this is generally my method of travel, not so much by choice as necessity. Without a significant other with whom to globetrot, it's nearly impossible to find a travel companion for something longer than a weekend. There's funds to coordinate, vacation time to reserve, destinations and sights to settle on... but still, given the choice, I'd much rather go through that hassle than go it alone.

I guess what struck me most about the Gadling post was how... factually... it was presented. Brenda writes:

"Once you step your foot out of your hostel and into the unknown, you won't let yourself turn around and seek refuge in your room. ... In the end, while it appears to be a difficult and scary thing, traveling solo is actually easier than living at home alone. I promise."

That's a nice notion, and the commenters, so far, seem to agree. But I guess I don't. I live at home alone all year long; I travel alone at least a few weeks out of every year. And with the prospect of spending nearly two weeks (encompassing three rather Big Days), I'm a little nervous that loneliness will set in. Perhaps it won't; and I'm sure that even if it does, I'll still adore my surroundings, but... it seems impossible to just write off the possibility of feeling alone, no matter the venue.

What about you? Surely there are other solo travelers out there. I've done it plenty, but never really manage to make connections with other travelers (or locals). What are your secrets?

Comments

[Kenney]

I thought about not leaving a comment, because the "0 comments" at the end of the post seemed ... poetic.

But I actually kinda like it. Sorta. I don't think I've ever traveled somewhere alone where I didn't know people where I was going. I've been to Chicago alone many times and just met up with friends here and there. I went to New York alone and did the same and it was great. The nice thing about it is that you can just do whatever the fuck you want to do and not give a shit what anybody else wants. (Which, come to think of it, is how I live much of my life ... but then, I'm an asshole.) So for example in New York, if I want to wander Williamsburg looking for an obscure pizza place ... done. If I want to spend a day watching old archived TV shows (the first episode of Late Night with David Letterman, for example) at the Museum of Television and Radio ... also done. The downside is that I like to eat at good reastaurants, but if I'm by myself I will not do anything but eat at a bar. So there is that.

[Kenney Marlatt]

While we're here, I checked out that Gadling blog and they had a post about the folk band Eddie From Ohio.

http://www.gadling.com/2008/12/09/sounds-of-travel-eddie-from-ohio/

Some true facts about Eddie From Ohio:
-- They are from Virginia.
-- I have been listening to them since high school.
-- I have all their albums.
-- I saw them play in Santa Cruz once.
-- One of the band members is friends with Rachel Wilner.

All true!

[TBall]

That's the big difference to me: Not knowing anyone where you're traveling. There are definite benefits either way... the whole doing-whatever-you-want-whenever-you-want thing is always nice.

But, yeah. When there's not at least an option to hang out a friend for dinners, or for drinks, or to drag me out of the hotel room if I'm lazy... that's where I run into problems. Sometimes.