Author Archive

Posted on July 14, 2010 - by Guest

Saint Petersburg Part II – Top 15 Things to Do

Yesterday you read about 19 things NOT to do in Saint Petersburg. But even with all those caveats, it’s still a place that I really want to visit. Here are 15 reasons why…

The Top 15 Things To Do In Saint Petersburg:

1. First, hire a private guide. You will see more and do more. You’ll have more fun, and the guide will watch over you. (This post and the “what Not to do” post were written by Ed Ryder of Visit Saint Petersburg, a provider of private guide services in Saint Petersburg.) (more…)

Posted on July 13, 2010 - by Guest

Saint Petersburg Part 1: 19 Things Not to Do

One day, I will take a trip from Saint Petersburg to Athens. I have no idea what the logistics would involve but I took a course on eastern European history once and I would just love to see the landscape, architecture, culture… for myself, fist hand.

With Saint Petersburg on my list, I was thrilled when Ed Ryder of Visit Saint Petersburg, a provider of private guide services in Saint Petersburg, approached me to provide information for my blog. Aware that Saint Petersburg is no Kansas, I asked for more than just what to do. I asked for what not to do as well. Here’s the latter. Please return tomorrow to read the former.

19 Things Not to Do In Saint Petersburg:

1. Don’t be tempted to buy an antique, or anything that looks just a little bit old, or anything which might be perceived as having “cultural value.” Example: If you buy a World War 2 medal at a flea market and attempt to take it out of the country, you will be arrested and thrown in jail if they catch you. (more…)

Posted on May 26, 2010 - by Guest

Traveling Alone? Not for long in Ibiza

I had another reader request. This time for Ibiza, Spain. Through Twitter, I met Anton who kindly stepped up to share his vast knowledge of the island with us. He’s been going to Ibiza for 15 years.

Ibiza offers such a breadth of holiday experience that it’s important to know what you want from the magical white isle to ensure that you make the most of your time there. (more…)

Posted on May 25, 2010 - by Guest

Before & After: Solo travel can change everything.

I am pleased to welcome Leyla Giray as a guest writer on Solo Traveler.

Leyla is a development professional and journalist. She owns and operates the imaginative and offbeat website, Women on the Road, for women who love to travel on their own.

The one big solo travel adventure that changed me was a backpacking trip up the spine of Africa and across Asia. I was supposed to travel for six months, but I came home nearly three years later. (more…)

Posted on May 19, 2010 - by Guest

Solo Travel in London: Chic & cheap

Susan Radcliffe is a qualified journalist with 5 years experience writing for internet, radio and television. She is also a keen traveler based in London. She shares her knowledge of the city’s hotels, apartments and hostels for the London based hotel price comparison site Tube Hotels.

Full of friendly faces and easy on the pocket, hostels can be a great accommodation option for those of us who travel solo. In areas of central London, where few hotel rooms sell for under £100, they can cut your accommodation bill by a factor of 10. Let’s not lie; some of them can be a bit grim and basic. But they can also be something completely different – stylish, surprising, special. How about sleeping in an old prison, an art gallery or the home of a Victorian biscuit entrepreneur? These are some of London’s most unusual hostels. (more…)

Posted on May 7, 2010 - by Guest

Travel Itinerary: The Philippines Solo & on a Budget

A big thank you to Dave for stepping up and filling a reader request for a post on the Philippines.
Dave has been traveling for over 5 years in search of a place called home. He writes a fascinating travel journal
series on The Longest Way Home, and includes many travel resources for others looking to either travel in
similar places, or looking to live overseas.

Relatively speaking, The Philippines is one of the least visited of all the popular South East Asian countries. The reason for this is that, unlike the others, you need a plane to get there. (more…)

Posted on April 26, 2010 - by Guest

7 Tips for the Kosher Traveler

Travelers have all sorts of specialty needs that have been ignored in the past but are now served by the travel industry. Here, David Walles, CEO of Israel-based Eddie’s Travel, shares tips for the Kosher Traveler.

In years past, the options for the kosher observant traveler were severely limited. While one could always pack up cans of tuna or jars of peanut butter and have their choice of destinations, if you were a truly discerning traveler who wanted to enjoy top-quality cuisine, you had to stay well within the beaten track.

Today, things are very different largely due to a developing sector of the traveler industry that is finding innovative ways to cater to kosher-observant travelers. You now have choices off the beaten track. The Far East, luxury cruises, heritage tours around Europe and other parts of the world are now being offered with fully catered kosher options.

Here are seven tips to make your Kosher travel great.

1. Research is critical. The last thing you want is to get off the plane and be stuck with a sub-par travel program. In the non-kosher world, you can often switch to another program. With kosher travel that option might not exist. Research your travel choices carefully.
2. Plan around the weekends. Many kosher travelers are also Sabbath observers so be sure your weekends are in places with Jewish communities (Chabad House)
3. Pack for the road. If your comfort foods are from the kosher section of your hometown supermarket or are just harder to find products, then make sure to have a good inventory in stock before you depart.
4. Be prepared to improvise. Finding Kosher food can sometimes require thinking out of the box. Call the local synagogue to find out what generic kosher food is available at a local supermarket and what hotels and restaurants serve Kosher food.
5. Be prepared to pay a little more. High-level kosher touring options come at a slight premium.
6. Get the support of travel specialists. Specialized companies can help you design an itinerary and provide you with the resources you need to “go kosher” as a solo traveler or in small groups.
7. Check out Israel,“the kosher capital of the world”! It features every type of kosher cuisine you could want and it’s an amazing tourist destination with history, natural beauty and attractions throughout the country. Israel should be at the top of the list of any serious kosher traveler.

Posted on April 21, 2010 - by Guest

How Solo Travel Changed My Life

I am so pleased to welcome Robin (@mymelange) as a guest writer on Solo Traveler. Robin has a passion for travel and an undying love for Italy and France. On her blog, My Melange, she shares her European experiences, recipes, pictures, travel tips, ways to travel on a budget… everything you need to be in the know. Her passion has grown into a multi-faceted business which includes freelance writing, travel consulting, itinerary planning, photography, and of course, blogging.

I have always been a pretty independent gal, though I had never been one to want to travel on my own. But, a few years ago, something inside me yearned to take a huge leap and travel solo. (more…)

Posted on March 29, 2010 - by Guest

Solo travel by flashpacking:
cheap travel with a few perks.

I am pleased to introduce David Jedeikin as this week’s guest blogger. David Jedeikin is the author of Wander the Rainbow, an upcoming chronicle of a gay solo traveler on a seven month flashpacking trip around the world. You can follow him on Twitter where he is @wanderrainbow.

If there’s one thing backpackers love to hate, it’s “flashpacking,” loosely defined as backpacking with a few frills. “It’s not a real experience,” “you won’t meet people,” “You won’t see the true [fill in the destination of your choice].” All untrue: It’s eminently possible to travel more comfortably than the backpacker norm and still garner incredible adventures. Here’s how:
(more…)

Posted on March 22, 2010 - by Guest

Recommended: Travel Solo to Japan on a Budget

Guest writer, Nikolas Tjhin is the editor for Unearthing Asia, a travel zine focusing on Lifestyle, Culture and Attractions all over Asia. Check out our latest offering, a travel magazine that visitors can browse online and even download.

This post was requested by Terry, from Ontario, Canada. A reader of  Solo Traveler,
she plans to travel solo to Japan in the next month.

The oriental charms of Japan is one that is often expensive and pricey. The recent Cost of Living Survey listed Tokyo and Osaka as the top two most expensive cities to live in the world, but budget travelers need not fret. There are still ways to experience Japan on a budget, here’s some tips to extend your dollar. (more…)

Posted on March 15, 2010 - by Guest

Recommended: Solo Travel to Berlin

Dian Emery is the managing editor and publisher of www.girlsgetaway.com, a website that offers stories, reviews and tips about women only travel.

I’ve decided that I like solo travel, especially when I have a short stay in a city. There is no need to compromise when faced with the dilemma of too many sites to see and too little time in which to see them. I alone can make the decision of what I really want to see and what can be left for the next visit. (more…)

Posted on March 8, 2010 - by Guest

Solo travel in India: A Letter from Calcutta

Shelli Trung of 3six5date submitted this piece as a result of a call for posts on the Facebook Solo Travel Society page. When I first read it, shivers when up and down my arms and my eyes welled up. It’s a beautiful, emotional post written in the second person. It speaks directly to you, the reader. My thanks to Shelly. Please enjoy. The photos are by Rachael Dobbie.

Calcutta, now Kolkata, is dressed in contrasting architecture with its colonial past still very much obvious today. Unlike many other cities in India, the gardens here are neatly trimmed; the roads have marked lanes; and your foreign presence is less of a novelty. (more…)

Posted on February 26, 2010 - by Guest

Solo travel to Brisbane

Sean is a 20-something American living in China who will sometimes solo travel.
You can read more about his travels at World Resolution.

Solo travel is often an eye-opening experience. It is interesting because each time you do it the circumstances are different and so is your experience. When I went by myself to Shanghai I had a blast and met some really amazing people. But this trip to Brisbane was a much different story. (more…)

Posted on February 10, 2010 - by Guest

Why I Travel Solo

Welcome to guest blogger, Andy Hayes. Andy is a professional writer, published author, and probably not
as introverted as he’d have you think. He’s the editor of Sharing Travel Experiences, an online magazine that
shares rich and authentic travel stories, whether they’re solo travel or not. Click over and check it out –
maybe you’ll find the inspiration you’ve been looking for.

There’s an awful lot of talk about whether one should travel solo or not. Sure – there are issues like safety, security, and your own physical health that influence a decision like that. But the bottom line is only one person can make that decision: YOU. I’m not going to tell you whether it’s right or wrong to travel solo, and nor can the next person. What I can do is tell you a bit about why I mostly travel solo. I hope it leads you to some internal thought and possibly a better idea of what kind of travel is best for you.
(more…)

Posted on January 20, 2010 - by Guest

Getting ready to travel solo: Four top tips for going to India.

Mariellen publishes BreathDreamGo, a blog about travel in India.
This is the first in a series of four monthly posts in which she will share
the highlights of her upcoming trip to India.

I am just about to embark on my fourth solo trip to India in about as many years. This time, of course, feels very different than the first time I left, in December 2005. Back then, I had almost never traveled by myself and had never been anywhere like India (is there anywhere like India?).

(more…)

Posted on January 16, 2010 - by Guest

Solo travel for business and pleasure.

Thank you to JJ for this guest post. JJ is an avid solo traveler who sees the country mostly by RV.

Traveling solo has its advantages and its challenges. The biggest challenge, to me, is not the “what ifs” or the “what may happen,” but more the “can you be alone with yourself?” This is the true joy of solo travel.
(more…)

Posted on January 11, 2010 - by Guest

A New Year’s Dream Come True in Pasadena, CA

Where’s the happiest place in America on new year’s day? Pasadena California!

Embarking on my fiftieth year, supposedly a life-defining time, though I don’t know why, I decided to fulfill a few old dreams. Being one of the world’s great procrastinators, many of these dreams are totally do-able just put off indefinitely so here’s the story of experiencing one of them. (more…)

Posted on November 14, 2009 - by Guest

Burning Man for the Solo Traveler

I’m very pleased to welcome JoAnna Haugen as a guest blogger on Solo Traveler.
JoAnna is a former Peace Corps volunteer and current globe trotter. Her travels have taken her
through the rain forests of Australia, up the Inca Trail in Peru and down
the Nile River. Follow her journeys at Kaleidoscopic Wandering.

If you’ve never been to Burning Man, take everything you’ve heard about it, turn it on its head, shake it around a bit and you will be no closer to having any real clue as to what this week-long festival is truly like. (more…)

Posted on September 10, 2009 - by Guest

Recommended: Travel solo to still the anger.

Keith is a thirty-something based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Travel and writing are his biggest passions. He’s traveled extensively across 60+ countries on five continents and knows first-hand how enriching traveling alone can be. You can read more about his adventures on his blog, the Velvet Escape.

Posted on August 27, 2009 - by Guest

Recommended: Travel Solo in Croatia