Travelling Solo - avoiding loneliness

funkey_monkey

I've done a number of trips solo now - covering South America and Europe.

However, on my last trip I did get very lonely at times - it was over 3 weeks in Spain. I'm beyond slumming it in hostels - I like my comforts now (early 40's).

How do you fellow solo travellers avoid loneliness whilst travelling? I'm a bit shy about meeting up with folk which doesn't help matters.

I should also state that I do enjoy some time on my own - people watching, etc. However, when not doing tours etc I do sometimes feel a bit isolated.

I'm not in a position to travel with friends - all are married off with kids. I've done the group tour thing about 10 - 15 years ago and I didn't like being herded from one place to another with people I didn't know and having to share with
them with no escape.

It's either sit at home or go it alone.

dingding

Did you think of a cruise. You would have various dining options so you could get to meet different people every day. There are also tours which mean you get a chance to see sites with some company. They are also great for people watching and there are many activities on board that you can watch from a distance.

ted1

Find a sport on interest ,
I travel with work quite a bit on my own. I kitesurf so I just rock up to the beach and meet fellow kitesurfers easy enough.

HeidiHeidi

ted1 wrote: »

Find a sport on interest ,
I travel with work quite a bit on my own. I kitesurf so I just rock up to the beach and meet fellow kitesurfers easy enough.

Agree with this.


I'm also single, and waaaay beyond the hostel scene/like my comforts (older than OP) but can very much identify with loving time on my own.


I sail, and the opportunities I've had and places I've been through that (sometimes on boats where I barely know one person) have been fantastic.


Walking/hiking/tennis/swimming (and probably loads more) holidays are out there, if you can find something you love doing and like-minded people - result!

Sleeper12

Being autistic I love to be alone & find it difficult to meet new people. The longest time I travelled on my own was two days to the UK.

I'm thinking if I wanted to do a long trip I could be lonely too. What about advertising online for a travelling companion? I'm sure there must be a dedicated sites. If it were a long trip you could arrange a companion for half of the trip & the other half on your own.

I'm trying to think what would be worse, travelling for wee on my own or stuck travelling with someone who is getting on your nerves

HeidiHeidi

Sleeper12 wrote: »

I'm trying to think what would be worse, travelling for wee on my own or stuck travelling with someone who is getting on your nerves

For me, the latter - no contest!

funkey_monkey

dingding wrote: »

Did you think of a cruise.

I'm not that old

Caranica

funkey_monkey wrote: »

I'm not that old

Solo cruises for 20 and 30 somethings are huge! Some of the lines have designed levels for mingling and interaction for solo guests.

spurious

Caranica wrote:

Solo cruises for 20 and 30 somethings are huge! Some of the lines have designed levels for mingling and interaction for solo guests.

Even 'standard' cruises are not exclusively over 50s.
Lovely way to travel. Mix if you want, don't if you don't.

I've done some solo travels. For me I think the key is keeping busy.
I have things I want to do, & I make a little itinerary for myself.
I don't tend to stay out too late at night, that's the time I feel loneliness could hit more.

munchkin_utd

Ive done a fair share of travelling on my own, often walking/ hiking / cycling in the alps or somewhere in the countryside and when doing that you are just too busy in getting from A to B and enjoying the scenery to notice if you are travelling with someone or not.

Funnily, and I think its being alluded to above, travelling in cities full of people is a more lonely experience than just being out in nature, properly on your own.
Still, I also find that if you havent a good plan for a city (maybe plan is the wrong word, but maybe list of targets to visit) then you can end up at a loose end.

If visiting cities, maybe go for ones that are loaded with sights rather than ones that are plain but highly rated for their pubs and restaurants or nightlife which you might hear friends raving about. For example you can spend days wandering around Paris, London, Stockholm on your own and not notice time flying, but you'd probably be bored in the likes of Cologne or Newcastle in England where theres not so much to investigate but heaps of pubs and restaurants and lively nightlife which would be great if there in a group.

grimm2005

Couchsurfing website/app is good for meeting people. I've used it several times to meet locals and other travellers. Despite the name, it isn't used exclusively for accommodation and they often have local events for meeting folk as well as discussion forums for each city where you can plan things with other like minded folk.

Apart from that, organised walking tours and pub crawls are good if you want a "built in" crowd to socialise with. And if the pub crawl crowd are a bit young for your liking then some companies run slightly more civil food and drink tours.

funkey_monkey

Thanks - I've lost my mojo for travelling over the last couple of years, but I want to get back into it.
One of my last trips was to Germany where I stayed in a main city for a week before going for 2/3 nights to some destinations outside of it. Was a great trip - although the German food was not to my liking - I did try though!

RobertKK

Travelling alone, I find it is all about the work done when planning the holiday. Like already said previously, keep busy on the holiday doing stuff, you naturally meet other people that way without it being an effort, but it is all about the preparation before you go.

otnomart

munchkin_utd wrote: »

If visiting cities, maybe go for ones that are loaded with sights rather than ones that are plain but highly rated for their pubs and restaurants or nightlife which you might hear friends raving about. For example you can spend days wandering around Paris, London, Stockholm on your own and not notice time flying, but you'd probably be bored in the likes of Cologne or Newcastle in England where theres not so much to investigate but heaps of pubs and restaurants and lively nightlife which would be great if there in a group.

I do agree with this.

Also I found in some Countries I felt more noticed and therefore more self counscious as a single person dining alone (as the locals were going out in packs),

while in another Countries there were plenty of people in their own, both locals and tourists.

funkey_monkey

otnomart wrote: »

Also I found in some Countries I felt more noticed and therefore more self counscious as a single person dining alone (as the locals were going out in packs),

This is exactly what I found when I got the wobbles. It happened when I was in Spain. Could not adjust to the evening meal time and felt a bit billy-no-mates when everyone else were in groups.
I also sometimes felt that as a solo diner, that there was not as much interest in me as there was in the groups. However, I do have to say that the converse was also true in other places.

Mrs OBumble

Book private ie double rooms in hostels. Comfortable enough and you get a lounge and kitchen to meet people in.

dingding

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Book private ie double rooms in hostels. Comfortable enough and you get a lounge and kitchen to meet people in.

Also in the Summer some university accommodation would have a similar layout, your own room with shared space. I have used the University of Bath accommodation a bit, and found it great. Bath is a great city also.

dingding

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Book private ie double rooms in hostels. Comfortable enough and you get a lounge and kitchen to meet people in.

Also in the Summer some university accommodation would have a similar layout, your own room with shared space. I have used the University of Bath accommodation a bit, and found it great. Bath is a great city also.

bigar

I have been travelling to the Far and Middle East, America and the best part of Europe by myself for the last 10 years. I do rent a car every time and drive around for 8 to 10 hours a day stopping in all the hot spots along the way. I am so tired in the evening that I hit between 9 and 10.

I started doing this as I found no one crazy enough to do this with me. I am 51 so all my friends have families and commitments. Now I enjoy this kind of travel so much, I cannot think of doing it with someone.