Solo travel

Thank you all for your excellent suggestions. What a wimp I have been. Realise I am lucky to be able to travel now I am retired and will make the most of it. It's what you don't do that bothers most people. Love the idea of going to the Venice Carnival and the HF holidays, so will do my research.

Shelana, know how difficult it is trying to get your life back together without your husband, my husband made me promise him that I would travel and make the most of life and I have. Good luck for your first solo holiday, have a lovely time.

I just had a quick look at Saga and saw that they have a range of holidays for solo travellers.
travel.saga.co.uk/singles-holidays.aspx

Hope you enjoy yourself thoroughly, Luckylegs9, and anyone else going on holiday alone.

Might sound j silly, but would you need a lot of posh clothes on a Saga Solo holiday? I'm Mostly a (smart) jeans girl or summery dresses.

wot if you're old enough to go on a Saga holiday you're old enough not to care what other people wear, or what they think of what you're wearing.
On any holiday clothes need to be practical - layers that you can add to for warmth, and a few scarves or bits of jewellery to dress up with if you need to.

Don't forget the pearls!

Quite Galen that's all you need and your Chanel no 5

Yeah but no but yeah! I wouldn't want the fellow traveller s to think I was common or and scruffy!

Even if I is!

Hello Luckylegs9
I'm just back from a Solos holiday to Costa Rica with Cox and Kings, which was excellent...and am now playing catch up.
I haven't read all the responses to your post, so this may already have been mentioned....but I would recommend the Silvertraveladvisor website.
As luck would have it, its March newsletter focusses on solo travel, and there's a forum with lots of useful hints and tips.
Happy to respond to any specific queries, either here or via a PM, if you like.
Happy travelling

Pearls, Chanel? Goodness me. I back pack the world with two sets of underwear (one on) and very few clothes, mainly Rohan that can be washed and drip dried overnight. The comments I usually attract are admiration for having so little to lug around and I am far too mature to bother what people think of my limited wardrobe. Life should be for living not worrying about clothes. I once went on an expedition to Antarctica flying Aerolineus who lost my luggage, so turned up at the expedition ship (NOT a cruise) in what I was wearing. Sorted in 2 hours with the help of like minded women and an international crew who just loaned and gave me stuff.

Years ago ago I actually fitted into the category of worrying about clothes. A serious illness put things sharply into perspective. My first trip after that was a solo 4000 mile trip round China. Life changing.

So please just have your adventures. I have nursed so many patients who had regrets about not doing things. Very few who regretted grasping life no matter what their limitations or disabilities were in many cases.

If you are easily confused by airports and railway stations, as I am, it takes courage to travel alone, as I have had to do over the years as my grumpy husband doesn't believe in holidays. I have had a few negative experiences as a single traveller: being seated next to the lavatories in an hotel restaurant in Fiji for example; being given the wrong exchange rate ( accidentally on purpose) given the room overlooking the car park or with a view of a brick wall. I have had to learn to make a bit of a fuss & stand my ground against staff cynicism or indifference. Feal the fear & do it anyway - or, if you can afford it, try a Saga singles hol.

Having read through these posts I envy (in a nice way)anyone who can afford to and can manage to go off on holiday alone. Wish I could. Good luck

Izabella, very inspiring and appreciated post of yours.

I would be hopeless on my own. I need someone to hang onto just to get across the airport.

Each to their own I guess Izabella.

TBH if I was coming to the end of life, how much travelling I had or hadn't done, would be the last thing on my mind.

I think the very best part of any trips abroad are the delicious cookies they put in the big jars in BA Business Class lounges. Yum!

jing they provide wheelchairs for the decrepit ones like us ( ducks behind sofa)

wot I use Saga holidays a lot and I would be in big trouble if I needed posher clothes than jeans as DP and I only own jeans (and I have one pair of posher trousers for work assignments where jeans aren't allowed). I just dress up with silky tops for night. I don't own jewellery either, I have 2 rings and a pendant that I wear all the time and that's it. I think I missed out on a vital "girly" gene somwhere!! So if I can get away with it, I'm sure you will be fine. DP and I are off to Pompeii later this year with Saga and my main obsession about packing will be to get the case as light as possible.

I didn't exactly mean hang onto Galen. Sorry. I meant trail round behind. I get lost easily.

Thank you for all your comments. I have made a rough plan of what to take and do. I will travel light, take a guide book and my I pad. I enjoy reading and meeting new people. I spend a lot of time on my own now and feel that if I don't do it now it will be too late.

I often think that the best bit of holidays is the planning and researching. The internet is such a great way to 'window shop' hols. The critic sites are helpful and I found a brilliant couple of sites that tell you what seats to avoid on planes or the dud cabins on ships.

Go and enjoy. I have travelled many places on my own and have not had any problems. I find if you join in with any entertainment in hotel you make contact with other travellers and even if its just to pass time of day with you will always speak to someone. I like to dine on my own and always have my book or reader with me. I usually go on a few outings too, again you get to know people when you are out of your room. Yes its daunting first time but please relax and enjoy.

Hello Luckylegs I've recently joined GN and saw your post about travelling on your first solo holiday. I've just returned from my first holiday alone and I can't wait to get another booked - the only thing holding me back is finances . I went with a company that specialises in solo travel for mature people. The company are OneTraveller and I chose Prague. Apparently this company are amongst only a few that do not charge supplements for a single room. The upside for me is I've exchanged email address with two ladies and we are determined to meet up before Christmas.
I hope you let us know how you got on. Bon voyage

why not try a cruise Ive just come back had a great time
some are a bit pricey but shop around

For those of you who are not aware of it there is a great site called ' Virtual Tourist' You can access any info you want about anywhere in the world. Even if you don't want information it's good to read about where people are going.