Solo Traveler’s Valentine’s Day Confession
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I have had second, third and fourth thoughts about this piece but, I got myself committed so I lay my situation before you. Please be kind.
Confession time. While I love to travel solo — it is enriching, satisfying, exciting, unpredictable, rewarding… — I would prefer to travel through life not-so-solo.
I was contacted recently by a journalist putting together a story on solo travel for Valentine’s Day. “How progressive,” I thought. She wanted exotic escapes that people take, just for themselves. I offered my post “Falling In Love in the Lake District“. It was truly the most romantic place that I have ever taken myself. She was happy with the contribution and I started thinking:
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- What about Valentine’s Day 2010?
- Is it important?
- Does a manufactured “special” day count for anything?
- Do I really care what I do on Valentine’s Day?
Another Valentine’s Day Solo.
My conclusion: Valentine’s Day is not a stab in the heart but a pinch on the arm. It’s a superficial flesh wound on the quest for true love. Yes, that feeling of “missing” someone special is a little heightened on Valentine’s Day but it’s not a “couch & carbs” crisis.
And maybe, just maybe, Valentine’s Day presents an opportunity.
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- Are there men out there feeling the same little “pinch”?
- And do some of them like travel? (I don’t always travel alone.)
- Is Valentine’s Day an opportunity for the unmatched as well as the matched?
The plan.
Unlike those the journalist is writing about, I won’t be traveling this Valentine’s Day. Just back from Utah and the Sundance Film Festival and just before my trip to Chile, I will face this special day in my home town, Toronto. So I Googled “single Valentine’s day Toronto”, looked for the event of greatest interest to me and booked.
On Valentine’s Day, I’m going to an event for singles by The Works. It’s called “A Special Valentine’s Day Aphrodisiac and Wine Affair” – oh my!
On the February 14th weekend, I’ll let you know how it goes. And I’ll share a wonderful video I’ve found that explains our need for romantic love.
P.S. Should I find a new partner for my life, he will have to accept the fact that I take off now and then to travel solo.






