Archive for the ‘Solo travel stories’ Category

Posted on March 8, 2010 - by Guest

Solo travel in India: A Letter from Calcutta

Shelli Trung of Talks Time 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 Sean

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.

Alone in the hostel, I tried to make friends with other people staying there. I met Germans, Israelis, Aussies, Brits, and Americans, yet none of them seemed interested in going out to do things together.  I was annoyed by this because I expected it to be the same as in  Shanghai. I was wrong.

At first I adapted to their way of thinking; I turned to my books. I read about 200 pages a day in an attempt to pass the time. Then I realized I was wasting my time in Australia (although I did have 20 days), so I got up off the bed and made a plan.

Solo travel is not reading in a hostel.
First I went to Fortitude Valley, which is basically Chinatown. I walked around and ate while still feeling quite angry at the situation. So I tried to turn it around. I took the train down three stations to the Museum, then walked to the CityCat, which is a ferry. While on the ferry, I met three people from Hong Kong, one of whom lives here with her husband. They were very nice and helped me out a lot.  I was happy to meet them!

After the ferry ride, I walked back to Fortitude Valley and went rock climbing. From there I went back to shower, only to find those same people from earlier sitting around doing nothing. I laughed in my head at how dumb they were for wasting their time.

That night after almost 2 years, I went out to dance Salsa at the local club and had an amazing time! I even befriended a girl from Canberra, Australia’s capitol city.

The rest of my trip was like this. I was continually surrounded by passive foreigners who called themselves travelers yet refused to leave the hostel during the daytime. I avoided them and only thought about the good time I was having doing such activities as climbing the Story Bridge, going bungee jumping for the first time, and talking to the locals!

I learned an important lesson about solo travel:  your experience will always be different.

Don’t expect to always find people who share your interests and want to spend time with you. Be prepared to go it alone, and enjoy yourself while doing it! Those who are afraid to reach their goals will never even reach the edge, while those who strive to push themselves are constantly walking a tightrope across the canyon towards the other side.

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 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…)

Posted on February 8, 2010 - by Janice

Carnival and Candies in Vilanova i la Geltru, Spain

From the cold of Quebec City to the heat of Rio de Janeiro, Carnival (Mardi Gras) is celebrated in many ways and many places all around the world. And it’s that time once again.

A few years ago, I experienced a completely different sort of Carnival in the small city of Vilanova i la Geltru, just south of Barcelona in Spain. (more…)

Posted on February 1, 2010 - by Janice

Travel Solo for a Rocky Mountain High

While, officially, I travel solo, I am seldom solo for long.

I meet people along the way and sometimes decide to share a few hours or a few days for a lot of fun. This was the case last Thursday when I skied The Canyons near Park City in Utah.
(more…)

Posted on January 30, 2010 - by Janice

The Sundance Kids: an ode to the volunteers

Corny as it is, here’s my ode to the volunteers of Sundance.

Sundance is the festival by name,
where volunteers help filmmakers find their fame
by parking and ushering and directing the fans
to sit in the dark / travel cinematic lands.

From far and wide the volunteers come
to Salt Lake, Park City and, of course, Ogden,
to support the making and watching and discussing of movies
catch sight of the stars and be, well — groovy.

Over 1600 give their time and their talent,
volunteers are kind, generous, patient and gallant.
After 10 days they’ll return to their homes
and resume their lives in Slovenia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Canada, Washington, Massachusetts, California, Idaho, Alaska, Florida, New York, Idaho, Georgia, Nevada, Michigan… and countless places more.
(more…)

Posted on January 27, 2010 - by Janice

Solo skiing – my first solo travel experience was up a mountain.

As you read this I am on the slopes of The Canyons, just outside of Park City, Utah. Planning this trip as a solo traveler took me back to my years of skiing growing up in Montreal and Ottawa. (more…)

Posted on January 25, 2010 - by Janice

Sundance: solo travel lesson is learned once again.

I arrived in Salt Lake City and, just as planned M picked me up from the airport around noon. (If you havn’t read it yet, Travel Partners Make Sundance Affordable will tell you who M is.) We drove to Park City together, picked up the keys to our condo and checked in. Then M had to head back into town to work at the Yarrow Theater and I got organized. There were things to do: (more…)