Author Archive

Posted on March 10, 2010 - by Janice

How to Travel Alone: tips for the shy solo traveler.

It might be easy to conclude that solo travel is for gregarious, outgoing people. But, truth is, shy people enjoy traveling alone as well.

Solo travel is for the confident and to build confidence.
Just because one is shy doesn’t mean that one is not confident. I am a case in point. I am, by nature a shy person. But I am also a confident person. I like quiet but I’m also a social being. Respecting the fact that we all want everything, I give you 5 tips to allow you to solo travel in silence and 5 more to get you engaged socially when you travel alone. (more…)

Posted on March 6, 2010 - by Janice

Solo Traveler: February’s Fave Five

On the first of every month I usually offer you the Solo Traveler Fave Five of the previous month. This was delayed from March 1 as I deliberated the fate of my Chile trip and you helped. Thanks!

Here, finally, are the most popular posts on Solo Traveler in February. The number one post is on safety and actually from January but it continues to enjoy great popularity. The Dali post offers novelty appeal to the blog and the culture shock piece points to the need for How-to articles. Thanks to Andy Hayes for his reflections  on “Why I Travel Solo” which was enjoyed and commented on by many. And, also, thanks to the six travel bloggers who shared how, for them, “Travel and Art intersect on the road to understanding”.

Here are February’s Fave Five:

• Solo Travel Safety: Safe answers to common questions.
• Solo with Salvador Dali: Figueres, Spain
• How to travel alone: 10 tips to survive culture shock.
• Travel and Art Intersect on the Road to Understanding
• Why I travel solo.

Wonder what the favorite solo travel posts will be for March?

Posted on March 3, 2010 - by Janice

Chile: whether to travel during a travel alert.

You may also be interested in:
How to donate to Chile Earthquake Relief – Canada

As mentioned in a post quickly written on Sunday, I have a flight booked for Santiago, Chile on Friday. At that point, I wasn’t sure whether I should go and I put my dilemma to all readers. I received many thoughtful comments and good advice.  You can read them here:  Solo Travel to Chile: Torn between two values.

Now, I have made my decision. Here’s what has gone into it.

The Canadian government’s travel alert:
OFFICIAL WARNING: Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada advises against non-essential travel …

My personal network’s travel alerts:
Here’s how my friends and family weighed in on the decision which, I should point out, is not about whether to go at all but whether to go now.  Their comments ranged from things to consider to direct advice to personal preferences. The result is this list of reasons to go and reasons to stay.

Reasons to go now:

• The condo that I was going to borrow in Santiago was spared so I still have safe accommodation.
• My flight has changed but is not canceled. I can still go on Friday though it would not be a direct flight.
• The tourism office is not discouraging people from going to Santiago, the deserts of the north or Patagonia in the south.
• By going, my need for travel is fulfilled – at least, I don’t have to come up with another trip.

Reasons to stay for now:

• It feels grossly inappropriate to me to go to a country for pleasure when it is reeling from a disaster. Logical or not, that’s how I feel.
• Reports I’m receiving second hand from people in Santiago say that the people of Chile are dealing with a form of post-traumatic stress syndrome since the quake. I certainly would not see the people and culture at its best.
• I work with tourist offices not tour companies. The final details of my trip were to be confirmed Monday. Due to the quake, this didn’t happen so I am not sure how much of what I hoped to do is now possible.
• Tourism dollars are always welcome but I think that my going and writing about Chile under normal conditions would be more beneficial to the country than writing about its present state.
• My family prefers that I don’t go.

That’s my list. I’d like to add two other comments that hold weight:

• “I think your answer is found in your question.”
• “Take the time to really evaluate & then trust what your heart tells you. The pause in your decision may be your answer.”

My conclusion:
I will wait and go at a later date.

For those considering going to Chile, or any area during a travel alert.
For anyone considering going into a disaster area to help, I’d like to offer the core of a comment left by Gwen McCauley in my last post. Gwen is a personal coach and poses some excellent questions for those considering travel during an alert.

• Have you ever experienced a major natural disaster or environmental trauma scenario before? If so, what was the long-term impact of that experience on you? If not, how do you tend to react to dirt, putrid smells, lots of noise and being in the presence many, many people in deep emotional distress? Can you even imagine how you might respond?

• What’s your capacity for being around people and animals who are in distress but whom you can’t help? (some people don’t get hooked, others torment themselves by their impotency -pay attention to cues from day-to-day living: do you have a history of rescuing injured cats, dogs, squirrels; if you see a crying child how difficult is it for you to pass by? Your responses to those kinds of situations reveal a lot)

• Have you considered the language dynamics. I don’t think you speak a lot of Spanish so what do you think it’ll be like for you to try to process your emotional responses to awful situations in a context where you might not have access to fluent English speakers? I’m sure you’d do just fine in making yourself useful, it’s the deep emotional ‘aftershocks’ within yourself to what you’d have to deal with that interests me.

• How long after you return home are you prepared to have your life disrupted? I know and work with a lot of folks in the International Development field and each of them has had to develop their own way of dealing with the culture shock that is the norm for their work. Those who end up in disaster situations often have many of their assumptions about themselves and the world shaken up and it can take a prolonged time upon returning home for them to find stability and equanimity again.

Posted on March 3, 2010 - by Janice

How to Donate to Chile Earthquake Relief – Canada

Americans wishing to donate to Chilean relief please go to
Mashable where there is an excellent list of options.

Here are some options for Canadians wishing to donate funds to Chilean disaster relief:

Embassy of Chile – Earthquake Relief Fund
Bank of Nova Scotia, Account # 40006 01408 13, 119 Queen St., Ottawa, ON

Red Cross in Chile
CITIBANK, Account No. 9941973331 ABA Code: 021000089 Address: 153 E. 53rd St, 4th Floor, New York, NY

Doctors without Borders / Medecin Sans Frontiers
Donate online at: http://www.msf.ca/

Salvation Army
www.SalvationArmy.ca or 1-800-SAL-ARMY or at you nearest Salvation Army facility. Please specify that your donation is for the Chile Earthquake Relief Fund.

Aeroplan
Aeroplan has committed 1 million Aeroplan Miles to the Canadian Red Cross to support Chile’s emergency relief efforts. Aeroplan Members who wish to support the Chilean community can donate their miles online at www.aeroplan.com.

Text Giving

Text the word “CHILE” to 20222 to donate $10 On behalf of World Vision

Text the word “CHILE” to 52000 to donate $10 On behalf of the Salvation Army

Text the word “CHILE” to 45678 to donate $5 (In Canada Only in English) On behalf of UNICEF Canada

Text the word “SAVE” to 20222 to donate $10 On behalf of Save the Children Federation, Inc.

Text the word “CHILE” to 85944 to donate $10 On behalf of International Medical Corp.

Text the word “4CHILE” to 50555 to donate $10 On behalf of Convoy of Hope

Text the word “CHILE” to 50555 to donate $10 On behalf of Friends of the World Program

The donation is added to the cell user’s bill.

I’ll add to this list as I can. Please add your organization in the comments field.

Posted on March 1, 2010 - by Janice

Solo travel safety: government registries.

I’m  aware of the government’s registration service for travelers but I’ve never used it. I hadn’t t crossed my mind to use it for my three week trip to Chile either, but maybe it should have.

(more…)

Posted on February 28, 2010 - by Janice

Solo Travel to Chile: torn between two values

My ticket is for this Friday, March 5th.

Many arrangements have been made.

But with the devastating earthquake in Chile yesterday, I am unsure whether this is a solo travel adventure I’m prepared to take. (more…)

Posted on February 24, 2010 - by Janice

Solo travel, Cheap Eats and the Blues Highway

As I solo travel I find  eating more of a necessity than a social event – so cheap is good. Healthy and cheap is better. Healthy, fun and cheap is the best. (more…)

Posted on February 23, 2010 - by Janice

Travel & Art Intersect on the
Road to Understanding.

What inspires your travels?

Are they just about fun? Are they also about learning? You can’t go everywhere so, how do you choose where to go? (more…)

Posted on February 20, 2010 - by Janice

Solo Traveler:
Modern connections to ancient Greece.

In 2000, I spent some time in Greece. I island hopped, enjoyed the food, sun, history and beaches. But, for me, Athens was the highlight.

The Acropolis and the National Archeological Museum were amazing. You can tour much of the museum’s collection online.

My best memory, however, was attending a performance of the first of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, the Rhinegold, at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. This 2000 year old amphitheater in Athens is located at at the base of the Acropolis and was a dramatic setting for a Wagnerian work. (more…)

Posted on February 17, 2010 - by Janice

Travel Solo and Enjoy the Magic of Lake Ontario in Winter

Stuck at home.  Wishing I could be traveling. I decided to wander my neighborhood as a tourist. I turned my camera to the beauty I have at my doorstep.  Beauty that many of you have never seen. These are shots of Lake Ontario on crisp, clear winter day in January.

(more…)