Going On Holiday By Yourself Alone

rainbowtrout · 28-06-2012 07:13PM

cocoshovel wrote: »

This is something I have always wanted to do, but Im unsure if there would be much to do there aside from scenic walks, and the norther lights.

I was in a place called Kangerlssuaq, no there isn't a hell of a lot to do and it was -24C when I got there, but I went on a group trip to see the glaciers/Greenland ice cap, went dog sledding, saw the Northern lights, went on a tour of the area.

To be honest seeing somewhere so remote and people just getting on with their lives there was interesting. You can't drive from town to town, it's sled or fly, and flying is expensive, so if you don't have anything important to do you're not leaving your town anytime soon. So nothing opens til 10am (where I was).... reason they gave me is, why is there a need to open any earlier, no one is going anywhere, a good antidote to the way we rush around all the time, even if we don't realise it.

But within a few hours of arriving in the town (population 500) the locals were waving at me going up and down as I was the strange Irish girl who had arrived in Greenland on her own without booking through a travel agent.

Again met other tourists there and because the place was so small, some of the were doing the same activities as me.

ScumLord · 28-06-2012 07:26PM

I prefer to travel alone. Other people just want to do stupid things and they spend ages deciding and doing everything. I nearly always stay in hostels though, you can't avoid talking to someone in hostels so tour not really alone.

Ficheall · 28-06-2012 07:51PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Boards Northern Lights trip! Wooo!

I'm in. You should start a thread. Flights are about six hundred euro next January. I'd guess just after Christmas is best for most people, holidaywise, but I hope to be unemployed/selfemployed/somesuch next year, so I'm easy.

previous user · 28-06-2012 09:25PM

Hostels abroad can be good craic op

28-06-2012 09:26PM

Ficheall wrote: »

I'm in. You should start a thread. Flights are about six hundred euro next January. I'd guess just after Christmas is best for most people, holidaywise, but I hope to be unemployed/selfemployed/somesuch next year, so I'm easy.

I'm totally in, but I'm not gonna be the crazy lady who sets up the thread, no siree, I'll post on your thread though

Lionel Messy · 28-06-2012 10:23PM

Ive been to Amsterdam alone. I could do what i want when I want. Loved it. No fuss, no embarassing scenes in the airport from alcoholic family members. ****ing loved it.

JerryHandbag · 28-06-2012 10:37PM

Ficheall wrote: »

I'm in. You should start a thread. Flights are about six hundred euro next January. I'd guess just after Christmas is best for most people, holidaywise, but I hope to be unemployed/selfemployed/somesuch next year, so I'm easy.

They'd be a lot cheaper than that if a Dublin/Belfast-Reykjavik route is announced. Thats what I'm holding out for anyway

christmas2012 · 28-06-2012 10:41PM

when travelling alone esp if youre a woman ,wear a wedding ring to show your unavailable esp in third world countries where a single woman is seen as fair game an open invitation for a rape..

before going photocopy all passport and id credentials and other significant papers even your plane ticket to prove you had them and payed for them(keep one copy on your person,and one copy back at the hotel where youre staying) - that way if you get robbed you have a spare pair back at the hotel ..

cash: keep cash in your pockets,one in a pocket and one in a jacket,most muggers a likely to go for one area,either jacket or pocket or backpack..(never leave cash in your bag or backpack - its an open invitation)..

make sure people know when you are coming back or when to expect you back from your holiday,or schedule times when to expect you to ring,that way if you get into trouble(and cant make contact)they know youre in trouble and can raise the alarm..

The_Thing · 28-06-2012 10:43PM

My dog is my best friend, I wish I could bring him on holidays with me.

Princess Peach · 29-06-2012 12:11AM

I don't mind travelling with friends or by myself. Either way I always end up making friends with the most random and fun people.

Went to New York once for a few days and stayed in a hotel, and aside from meeting up with someone one day I was pretty lonely, but it was still nice to work on my own schedule and do my own thing. But anytime I stay in hostels I always seem to pick up a few strangers to hang out with!

Went on holidays with a group of friends once who drove me crazy, they were so damn lazy and we didn't see half of what we should have! I have a few travel buddies I've been away with who share my view on the sightseeing to play ratio, which is great. So I do prefer to travel with like-minded friends than alone, but I'm not too sad alone either.

ThomasFlynn just stay in hostels and hang out in the common areas or introduce yourself to people in the dorm. Its honestly fine and not weird. I love staying in hostels that organise group events, great way to socialise!

BillyMitchel · 29-06-2012 12:12AM

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

Does anyone do it?

I'm a bit of loner in real life and don't make friends easily so I do it because I have to if I want to live my life and do things I enjoy doing e.g. travelling (which is a hobby of my mine!).

I went to Australia for 5 weeks on my own, I've been to Germany on my own, Faroe Islands on my own, Italy on my own, Denmark on my own etc.

I hate doing it tbh because it does get very lonely but otherwise I feel like I am a burden on other people if I start looking like a hanger on trying to force people to be friends with me. All I end up doing is p!ssing other people off otherwise acting desperate.

I'm not overly a popular person so its just something I'm born (seem to have a repellent personality) with so just live with it. Its painful but I've kinda got used to it now and like I say I'm not restricting things I enjoy doing just because I have no friends/have no one to go with.

I'm planning to go to Spain for 12 days or so in August, not Ibiza type holiday, but rather a cultural Spanish holiday visiting Madrid/Seville/Cordoba/Granada etc. I also am considering to go to New Zealand next march for 2-3 weeks which I'm really looking forward too!!

I know people think its weird but in all honesty I don't give a fúck cause I only live once and want to do things I enjoy.

I wouldn't worry about it. Just think if you had people with you, you wouldn't always be able to do what you want. You don't have do answer to anybody. Go where you like, when you like.

The package holiday thing mightn't be great but even then you'll always meet people. everything else is game ball. Fcuk what other people say or think. It's not weird at all, just enjoy it. I done the whole Australia thing before it was popular and the amount of people traveling alone outnumbered couples, groups etc.

The one thing I do hate though is the restaurant part but you could just find a pub that sells food and it's not as bad.

Be thankful you're able to go on all these trips and don't care what anybody says or thinks!

starbelgrade · 29-06-2012 12:31AM

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

I'm planning to go to Spain for 12 days or so in August, not Ibiza type holiday, but rather a cultural Spanish holiday visiting Madrid/Seville/Cordoba/Granada etc. I also am considering to go to New Zealand next march for 2-3 weeks which I'm really looking forward too!!

I know people think its weird but in all honesty I don't give a fúck cause I only live once and want to do things I enjoy.

As the saying goes.. if you can't enjoy your own company, then you can't be good company to others!

I've travelled many times alone. It's a great way to travel.

Just a quick tip though - Madrid is virtually empty in August as the locals leave the city en-masse for the summer as the temperatures are unbearable.

pragmatic1 · 29-06-2012 12:39AM

I'd love to. A gang of mates are going to some shytehole this year with one lad who is a fookin idiot. The type that starts fights when he has a few drinks for the craic. I'd prefer to go on holiday on my own anyday.

Oranage2 · 29-06-2012 12:54AM

Never really traveled alone but had a falling out with a friend before and was left traveling for about 2 months on my own and it was the best experience I've ever had.

Was away in Poznan last week with others but would go off on my own during the day looking at things and enjoying my own company but would head out drinking at night with amigos.

I'm planning a big trip this year and I'll probably be going on my own - Cairo to Cape Town.

humbert · 29-06-2012 01:06AM

Went to Cambodia alone.

Much more interesting immersive experience than it would have been otherwise.

emzolita · 29-06-2012 01:07AM

whoopsadaisydoodles wrote: »

Ficheall wrote: »

I'm in. You should start a thread. Flights are about six hundred euro next January. I'd guess just after Christmas is best for most people, holidaywise, but I hope to be unemployed/selfemployed/somesuch next year, so I'm easy.

I'm totally in, but I'm not gonna be the crazy lady who sets up the thread, no siree, I'll post on your thread though

I'm going in Oct, I found a company that does flights and accom (4nights) for 620 each inc tax.
Sorry I know its Off Topic, thought is tell ya.
On topic, kudos to you OP!

whiteley91 · 29-06-2012 01:34AM

I would love it i think! I enjoy being by myself which people find weird but everyone to there own! Where do ye think would be a good place to go to have a good time and enjoy the scenery with some good public transport to travel around abit?!

cocoshovel · 29-06-2012 02:56AM

rainbowtrout wrote: »

I was in a place called Kangerlssuaq, no there isn't a hell of a lot to do and it was -24C when I got there, but I went on a group trip to see the glaciers/Greenland ice cap, went dog sledding, saw the Northern lights, went on a tour of the area.

To be honest seeing somewhere so remote and people just getting on with their lives there was interesting. You can't drive from town to town, it's sled or fly, and flying is expensive, so if you don't have anything important to do you're not leaving your town anytime soon. So nothing opens til 10am (where I was).... reason they gave me is, why is there a need to open any earlier, no one is going anywhere, a good antidote to the way we rush around all the time, even if we don't realise it.

But within a few hours of arriving in the town (population 500) the locals were waving at me going up and down as I was the strange Irish girl who had arrived in Greenland on her own without booking through a travel agent.

Again met other tourists there and because the place was so small, some of the were doing the same activities as me.

Sounds great and owuld love to try it, but would be unsure of how to go about it without some organised tour. I usually never book via travel agents etc but Greenland is a bit off.

Thats one thing I loved about Japan. Everybody was interested in you and tried to talk to you. All the school kids waved and said hello, and teachers got me to talk to their students. It was quite heart warming. I must make a thread over on the travel board sometime, dont want to stray off topic too much here.

_feedback_ · 29-06-2012 08:54AM

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

I know people think its weird but in all honesty I don't give a fúck cause I only live once and want to do things I enjoy.

That line brightened up my morning

Fair fooks OP. Enjoy.

And feck ya, after reading this thread, I want to buy a motorbike to feck off on.

Dyr · 29-06-2012 08:57AM

Where To wrote: »

The word Holiday comes from the ancient Greek holyssius, meaning enjoying one's own company, not a lot of people know that.

I went "jaysus, i didnt know that and I'm a right clever c**t"

Where To wrote: »

mainly because I just made it up

:mad::mad::mad::mad:

fryup · 29-06-2012 10:03AM

2.55 in .........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf9cgC0BTp4

Ficheall · 29-06-2012 12:52PM

emzolita wrote: »

I'm going in Oct, I found a company that does flights and accom (4nights) for 620 each inc tax.
Sorry I know its Off Topic, thought is tell ya.
On topic, kudos to you OP!

You couldn't give us a link or something useful, could ya? :P

rainbowtrout · 29-06-2012 01:19PM

cocoshovel wrote: »

Sounds great and owuld love to try it, but would be unsure of how to go about it without some organised tour. I usually never book via travel agents etc but Greenland is a bit off.

Thats one thing I loved about Japan. Everybody was interested in you and tried to talk to you. All the school kids waved and said hello, and teachers got me to talk to their students. It was quite heart warming. I must make a thread over on the travel board sometime, dont want to stray off topic too much here.

Return flights to Copenhagen, then Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq with Air Greenland, think they fly there 3 times a week.

This crowd can organize everything else for you before you go or when you get there. Mainly Danes working for them so communicating is not a problem http://www.wogac.com/

29-06-2012 01:33PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Boards Northern Lights trip! Wooo!

yay

Greenmachine · 29-06-2012 01:38PM

"By yourself alone" = double negative (i think) does not compute.

Hostel is the way to go.

emzolita · 29-06-2012 01:42PM

Ficheall wrote: »

You couldn't give us a link or something useful, could ya? :P

http://www.travelbroker.ie/iceland-holidays.asp :P

just rang and theyre fully booked, sorry! ;s

Going On Holiday By Yourself Alone

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