Any destination where it’s better to drive (ie remote eastern Europe)
I can’t drive so in this case, I’d need to travel someone who can.
On the other hand, I’ve been making all sorts of excuses as to why I don’t need a car or drivers license, but now I’m probably more motivated to get one.
Recently I was in Transylvania, Romania. I was travelling with a group, we went through the mountain villages then I was dropped off in Brasov because they had a different travel agenda.
I wanted to check out some destinations near Brasov but it’s better to have a car so you have more freedom instead of relying on public transport. I ended up just staying in Brasov for nearly a week.
Another example was going to Los Angeles, though I was staying in Santa Monia. When I travelled there, I had no particular plans but I met with a friend and we ended up driving to Joshua Tree National Park and stayed there for the night.
Any destination where it’s just not safe to be there on your own since you have no idea of the lay of the land – for example, seeing Morrocan mountains
Another one was Marrakech – wanted to go see Atlas Mountains but I needed to pay a guide. I ended up paying for a guide but he never showed up.
In this case it would have been better for me to travel with people and also have a guide.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to see the more remote destinations like Ngorongoro in Tanzania.
There are some destinations or activities where I am OK just travelling on my own, but it’s better to have someone that I know well as an emergency contact and who is also in the area.
Sometimes at the end of the day, it also depends on the people around you…
One of the things a solo traveller does where it’s easy to become self-conscious is going out for a meal, especially around dinner time.
In my teens, I used to be self-conscious about eating out or eating in front of people. But when I moved out and when I started travelling on my own, I was less conscious of this. I eat on my own – from a store-bought sandwich on a park bench to having a $100 lunch on my own in a hotel. But, the ‘bubble’ pops as soon as you overhear someone talking about how you’re desperately trying to figure out how to eat clams or the fact that you’re reading a book on your own while eating a pizza. So, a message to non-solo diners out there – don’t be rude by point out or loudly talking about a solo diner. It can be difficult enough as it is dining on your own, enjoying your meal and keeping track of your belongings at the same time.
A simple distraction, like checking out the news on your phone, could have helped. But, I’d rather not stick to being constantly distracted with my phone and instead focus on the moment.
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