My favorite way to travel. Now, that does not mean the only way I opt to go. When traveling internationally it is a grand way to go. For two main reasons, what I do and who I meet.
Traveling solo allows me to do as I please. There is no negotiating over which museum and how long to stay or not and dinner choice is mine. You get the idea.
As humans we need to talk, me a lot, as result I get to meet all sorts of interesting people from all over the world. I have so many memories of these conversations. I often wonderful if they remember me as well as I them? Especially when they change my way of thinking. When traveling, we often ask someone ‘where are you from?’ It never dawned on me that different people respond differently to the same question. Recently in Amsterdam a woman responded, ‘I reside in San Francisco, but I am from Columbia.’ I was not asking about her light brown skin, just making small talk. But I think she did not like the original question, therefore from now on I will ask ‘where to do you live?’ to help make connection. And of course where you are from is not as important as where you are going!
This last holiday I spoke with a man from Luxembourg and a woman from Ukraine, having never been to those countries it was interesting. But it was the Israel-Palestinian man living in Atlanta that was the most interesting!
Also, when I travel solo, I often hire guides. The one on one experience for the day gives us time to share stories. The guide in Cinque Terre told me his grandmother who lives 20 miles from the Mediterranean Sea has never ventured to the coast! My ‘rickshaw’ driver in Amsterdam knew more about the world than I! Afterwards we shared drinks and a bit of food, what a lovely day.
I may not travel solo again to Europe, as it is twice the challenge. But so glad I have all these years! I get you may be a couple, but you can still go it solo once in a while!
Call and I can arrange all the details for you.
AlwaysHarriet 