There is solo travel, and there is solitary travel. Solo travel means setting off alone, but often, that’s where the solitude ends. We join a group trip at the airport, or book into a hostel or hotel where we meet other travellers, or we travel alone to a place where we have friends.
I fully support all the above, particularly when I think about women, people of colour, LGBT+ travellers, people with disabilities and other travellers who historically haven’t had the same freedom and privileges as majority travellers.
Today, solo travel is for everyone. Google searches for “solo travel” have risen by 223 per cent over the past decade, with a 60 per cent post-pandemic increase since 2022 – and women make up a large majority of solo travellers. From affordable, Gen Z and Millennial-oriented group travel outfits like Intrepid and Flash Pack (tagline: “Arrive solo, leave as friends”) to new high-end travel clubs geared towards discerning mid-lifers, such as Club Avandra, it’s never been easier to set off solo, and have an adventure.
However, the rapid normalisation of “solo travel” and proliferation of group trip providers has obscured one niche strand of solo travel: solitary travel, a trip where I remain willingly, obstinately alone. Eating alone, exploring alone, sleeping in a single room, remaining blissfully alone. Solitary travel can be magical, and it takes a completely different set of skills to solo travel.
Like many other solitary travellers, it was business travel that gave me the bug … and proved that I had the skills to travel completely alone. As an international reporter and travel writer, I’m accustomed to parachuting into an unfamiliar city, and running around getting to know the place, interviewing people, visiting sites, trying to get under the skin of the place (or the subject matter) in a few short days.
I became addicted to the rapid pace, the freedom, the balance between time running around, and flopping gratefully into a luxurious bed just for me. Eating breakfast when I feel like it, not needing to tell anyone else my gym plans, or my abandoning-the-gym-plans. More generally, changing my plans at the last minute depending on my mood or energy levels, with no concern for someone else’s mood or energy levels. Booking a trip at short notice, so it actually happens; we can probably all think of holiday plans that never made it out of the WhatsApp group chat, thanks to clashing schedules and budgets and desires.
Solitary travellers come in all ages, genders, shapes and sizes – and we have different tastes. I’m very much an urban solitary traveller. In cities, I never feel lonely. I want to squeeze in as many museums and galleries as humanly possible, and I make much speedier progress alone. I enjoy walking the streets with my headphones on, marvelling at the architecture, clocking up 26,000 steps without having to listen to someone else whinge about their poor choice of footwear.
I love eating at food markets, or at bar counters in restaurants and tapas bars, where a solo diner fits in perfectly fine. In fact, being able to squeeze onto a lone empty barstool often works to my advantage at a bar setting, where there’s a queue for couples or larger parties.
Similarly, it’s often easier to book a last-minute ticket for one at the theatre, or opera, or a concert hall. This year I’ve caught (alone) Gypsy on Broadway in NYC, Tosca at the Vienna State Opera and the London Symphony Orchestra at the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid – all by purchasing an “orphan” seat for one. We’re not going to chat to our companions throughout Tosca’s wails anyway, so really, how social is the opera?
I might have felt differently about socialising, and safety, when I was a younger traveller. But at the age of 40, I’m happy to drink a cocktail or glass of wine on my own, and I don’t care about clubbing, and I don’t need to worry quite so much about getting myself home safely.
Nobody who knows me would ever call me a loner. My job demands extrovert traits, and I can muster this behaviour up, working well in a team of photographers and videographers on the road. In my home life, too, I’m part of a close-knit family and have a wide circle of friends; my people are my greatest asset. I take my retired mum and dad on a holiday every summer, I travel with friends and my boyfriend, and most of my disposable income vanishes on visits to family and friends around the world – in California, France, England and Ireland, where I’m from.
People are often surprised when I mention I’ve booked myself a city trip: to Seville, Madrid, Rome, Bilbao, Naples, Marseille. “For work?” Nope, purely pleasure. “Alone?” Yes, what bliss.
I know some solitary travellers who’d never dream of visiting a city alone, but are comfortable wandering the Camino de Santiago, Menorca’s Camí de Cavalls or the Ulster Way loop in Ireland. Personally, I get lonely in a rural or wilderness setting. And I’ve learned the hard way that lone luxury doesn’t suit me; being surrounded by honeymooners and large families makes me sad and awkward.
And yes, there are downsides. On every trip, there is something that makes me long for a companion for a few hours – perhaps a late night bar or some arty avant-garde event that I can’t quite face alone. Inevitably, dining or drinking alone, a man will often assume I want company; sometimes I carry a book to deflect unwanted attention, but I can say “thanks but I want to be alone,” in Spanish, Italian, French and German. And being unable to split the cost of a hotel room always stings a bit. But then I remember what I’ve gained, and it all feels worth it.
Anna’s top destinations to visit solo:
1. Madrid
Dazzling museums and galleries, fantastic food markets and opera/ballet/flamenco performances by night. Just be warned that Madrid is a convivial and nocturnal city, so you might feel a pang walking past riotous bars at midnight.
2. New York
The most iconic bar-dining scene on the planet, electric streetlife, endless (if expensive) cultural treats, and reassuringly familiar surroundings, because you’ve seen it all before in a Meg Ryan movie.
3. Singapore
Safe, smiley and stress-free, with spectacular no-fuss solo dining at hawker centres, and a variety of rainforest/beach/city-based activities. English is the national language, so there’s no barrier for English speakers.
4. Cape Town
Ravishing natural scenery, world-class food and wine, and so much to learn from the local people. You’ll need to book some private guides and tours, and Ubers after dark are essential, but these simple precautions apply to everyone, not just lone travellers.
5. Edinburgh
It’s a tough one, because Glasgow is eternally hipper and friendlier, but there is no arguing with Edinburgh’s staggering scenery, array of museums, walkable historic centre, and cosy pubs to curl up in.
6. Taipei
Friendly, walkable and green, with night markets, historic temples and city hikes, Taipei makes it easy for lone travellers to immerse themselves in Chinese culture and cuisine. And who wouldn’t want to do that?
7. Mexico City
Proof that you don’t need to be part of a crowd to feel cool, CDMX is an education in creativity, from the streetfood to the indie galleries to the tiny fashion and homeware boutiques.
8. Sydney
With some of the world’s best city beaches – and spectacular surfing and sailing – plus an equally superlative dining and shopping scene, Sydney particularly rewards active solo travellers who like to pack a lot in before 9pm and then flop into bed, ready to do it all again at 8am.
9. Vienna
Centuries as the seat of imperial power has bequeathed the Austrian capital some of the most impressive museums, galleries and palaces in Europe, not to mention the city’s excellent infrastructure. Solitary travellers will feel right at home lingering in a grand cafe with a book and a glass of Grüner Veltliner.
10. Seattle
Still deservedly famed for being laidback, warm-hearted, hip and cultured, solo travellers adore Seattle for its OG coffeehouse culture, rich brewery/distillery/craft cocktail scene, fantastic farmers markets and museums/galleries that sit squarely left of mainstream.
Source : nz.news.yahoo.com
