Going it alone’ Holidays for the ‘single’ person
                                               by Lesley Seaford - Bell ringer

I always feel a little sad when I hear people say “I’d love to go on holiday to xxxx but I haven’t got anyone to go with”. I am very lucky as over the last 25 years my friend, Jean, and I have been on coach tours, river trips, cruises and even a weekend in a caravan on Romney Marsh (out of season!) and hope to go on many more. However, long haul trips are not everybody’s cup of tea and if I feel the urge to go further afield I have no qualms about ‘going it alone’.

My first solo trip was to Australia, and was carefully planned and pre-booked, followed swiftly by a second visit where I just booked flights and a hotel for the first couple of nights, arranging the rest of the tour in Sydney. Australia is stunningly beautiful, everyone was helpful and friendly and both trips were wonderful. Once I retired I decided to try my luck on ‘package tours’ and found myself touring New England with a great bunch of people, most of whom were also celebrating their retirement. I was the only one travelling alone, the others being mainly married couples with a scattering of friends/siblings but within a few days we mixed well and had a great time. A subsequent tour of the Canadian Rockies was just as successful.

Solo travellers are encouraged to try “Hobby” related holidays but, to be honest, my hobbies change like the weather (except of course for bell-ringing) and I wouldn’t want to spend a week studying photography or gardening. I’ve also avoided “Singles” holidays, imaging them to be a geriatric “18-30” Club. However, when Ros and I tried to book onto Travelsphere’s Grand Canyon trip and requested single rooms we were rerouted to their ‘Just You’ section for single travellers. Although a bit dubious we decided to go ahead and some weeks later Joyce decided to come on the same trip as the Grand Canyon was on her hit list.

Why did we worry? We met up with some of the group on the plane, others when we were panting through Chicago Airport. On the coach next day we learnt more names (thank goodness we weren’t expected to wear name badges like the American groups) and quickly fell into the habit of forming informal groups, which you joined and left as you wished. Want to buy postcards? follow Anna. Want to eat? follow us. Three quarters of the group were women and there were 6-7 people in the 20-30 years age range, the rest being of a certain age. Some of our group were single, some had partners who couldn’t or wouldn’t travel but mainly our fellow travellers were widowed. At 83 Ann and Jane were the oldest, at least in years, and Margaret, who was 73 had never travelled abroad until her husband died six years ago, since when she hasn’t stopped. It was one of the nicest holidays I’ve had and the three of us agreed that we’d have been happy to have taken the trip on our own.

Many people have neither the time nor resources for foreign holidays but if you yearn to see Venice or the Rockies please don’t let the lack of a travelling companion put you off. Try a week first, anyone can put up with being bored for a week but there’s a very good change you’ll have a great time and increase your Christmas Card list. Go on, give ‘going it alone a try’.                
 
Lesley A Seaford - November 2006