Love of traveling with no one to experience it with?

[whittierrenegade]

I LOVE to travel as I'm sure most of you do too! My problem is that no one else that I know has a passion for it like I do. I want to experience so many things like taking a summer long road trip across America and visiting other countries! When I tell my friends this they are so excited and want to do it too, or so they say. None of them will save up the money or take the time to help me plan anything, which leads me to believe that to them traveling is just a fantasy that they don't actually want to pursue.

 

I recently went to Ireland for an independent study/study abroad program at my college. Needless to say I went alone and while I did end up making a friend (thank the lord because most of the kids on that trip were terribly immature and it almost ruined my trip, almost) it just wasn't as fun as I know it would be if I went with someone I knew.

 

I guess my question is if anyone else has this problem and what you have done about it. Should I just continue to go places on my own?

[iatetheyeti]

Unfortunately, chances are you're going to be one your own, at least initially, for your travels. I've yet to find a way to convince someone to actively pursue what seems to be very much an idle daydream of travel. Everyone seems to find reasons not to do it, whether it's time or money or my former house mate's favourite "I might not like it". I get oohs and aahs when I speak about the travelling I'd like to do, then laughter when I make plans, even when said plans are travelling within my own country's borders (and Scotland isn't exactly massive). Because, you know, it's never going to work out for this reason or that reason.

 

I've only ever been on a group trip once. We planned a climbing trip to France way back, and April this year it actually happened. That house mate of mine came along as well, although it was a fight to keep her on board with it. It's like she wanted to ruin it for herself so she wouldn't be able to go. A lot of people are like that, and I just can't understand it. It's a whole weird self sabotage thing that seems to be the prevalent attitude in society (and in all, bar one, of the people I know).

 

You shouldn't let it stop you travelling, not at all. Travelling alone might not be ideal all the time, but it does give you more freedom and more scope to meet new people.

[srkelly]

I have the same problem. I'm in the military and we have access to Space Available flights (you can hop in a cargo plane for free to awesome locations, as long as they have space and you're on leave), and nobody every wants to take the risk with me! I feel like the only one who doesn't use up all of my leave visiting home.

 

This isn't a bad thing, though. For example, I've always wanted to visit the west coast, so I'm flying to San Francisco by myself in mid-August. I don't know anything about SF or anybody there, but that makes it more of an adventure

 

Last summer, nobody would join me in a long road trip to one of the darkest skies in the country for a star party, so I went myself. It was one of the best weekends of my life; fell in love, made awesome friends at a nearby campsite (and joined their group!), and saw the most amazing skies I could've ever dreamed of. If I brought a friend there, I doubt it would've been half the weekend I ended up having. 

[Riskva]

I've traveled, both through my job and for fun, and initially you'll probably be doing it on your own. You're not going to find those wanderlusters at home. You know? Because the ones who love traveling are out there on an adventure!

 

The best friends I have I've met while actually abroad. That's where I've found my travel buddies. 

[Zee]

I travel quite a lot (3-4 months/yr) and to be totally honest, I operate best solo. I think it really depends on you, but I love having no one else to deal with, and only myself to rely on. It forces you to go explore, to go meet new people, make new friends, get new experiences - and especially if it's a place where I have no idea about the local language - in particular if I can't even read the script - I find it incredibly satisfying just achieving small things - like ordering food, or getting to where you want to go...

 

Telling your friends about it later is also a lot of fun - and remember, stuff going wrong usually makes the best travel story...

 

Z...

[Arilian Princess]

I sometimes would like another person to travel with so I had someone to share the memories with but no one around where I live realy wants or or really can afford to make the trips that I'm really interested in so I usually travel alone. Which I really don't mind most of the time. It's like being single, I have absolutely not issue with it until you know it's family gathering at Christmas and I'm the only solo one. But you could find a site and get to meet people and form travel groups that way.

[Timmy M]

i saw this post recently on 9gag and when i get my own place i'm going to do my utmost to do the same, the idea of just saying, 'i fancy going somewhere' finding a cheap flight and booking a few days off without telling anybody sounds like the most incredible idea, and i'm notoriously single so no OH to work around

[IslandGirl_Becks]

I have people who want to go, but not time or money. I've saved up three times now to take trips with my mom and each of my sisters. My mom's 50th birthday present was a ticket to the UK for a week+ of adventure. I am good at travelling alone, but I really like having stories to share with my best people! The big problem right now is that travel is not a priority for my BF, and he's a little afraid of going places too different. Which of course means (to me) that he needs to go! 

The great thing about travelling is that you meet other travelers - some of my best adventures have been with friends I've met after leaving home! 

[Sarah Barr]

Ha, I was going to say "if I waited around for any of my friends to bother coming adventuring with me, I'd never go anywhere" but that is actually the case.

Don't wait around! Go have fun and regale any eager listeners with the stories you'll have when you get back, and maybe they'll come next time, but don't put an adventure off while you wait for them to decide that they'd rather get drunk in front of Netflix instead!

Go, go, go!

[turbo]

I agree with Sarah! Don't wait around! I spent 3 years, every other month getting on a plane to have small vacations. West coast, east coast, mainly Texas. But just go out and do it! I'm actually traveling for the first time with a friend next month! Never sat next to someone I know on a plane lol

[jasonkoller]

I used to have this problem. now I'm married and we can't travel enough!

We love traveling.

I say go for it. I know it's nice to have a companion, 

but you'll look back and be glad you did.

[jll387]

Hi! I kind of have the same issue, at least for big ticket trips. Being in our mid-late 20s with most of us being in the arts or public service, it's not really easy for many of us to scrap together the cash to go abroad. However, in the spirit of doing something we suck at (I read that as: terrified of), I'm actually planning to hit up Ireland by myself this August! I just have to pluck up the courage and do it. A part of me does think it's important to know whether or not I am the kind of person who can travel alone. It's just a matter of committing and not letting anything hold me back.

[Romily]

I travel aone on most of my big trips - most people my age (early 40s) now have familys so my former travel companions are out. I really enjoy the freedom it gives me - making my own decisions on where I want to stay longer, go next, without having to make compromises - I make enough of them in my daily life here, when I'm traveling on my own I feel free:) It also gives you a lot of confidence - I know I can cope on my own half way around the world, but I also learned that strangesr can be incredible helpful when you need help...

 

Plus you meet many other travelers - some of my best friends are people I met on various trips in asia. Even met my ex boyfriend in Thailand ages ago:)

 

Planning a trip to Nepal next year at the moment, and I'm off to the US in September to visit a friend.

 

Just go and enjoy yourself!

[Skywalker]

I plan a trip and put it out there to all of my friends and aquantences. You'll be surprised who might be interested in sharing your adventure.

If you do the work of plans and/or itinery you are making it easier for some one to just say 'why not'. It also means that you don't have to comprise too much on what you want to do because you are driving the travel plans. If you don't get any takers, just go yourself and enjoy yourself.

One of my coworkers is joining me in New Zealand next year and isn't someone I would have expected to be a travel partner.

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[bregalad5]

I'm going to jump in on this thread, even though it's a bit older. I have the same exact problem. The problem for me is that my traveling is working, as I'm an ESL teacher and teach abroad. I basically pick a place I want to go where I can get a good job, go there, and teach. People seem to think it's all glamorous, but I tend to burst their bubble by letting them know how lonely it can be. I make friends, but when I want to go on a vacation (I went to Amsterdam and Copenhagen this past year while teaching in Moscow), I end up going by myself. I've been around, but very, very rarely has it been with someone else... When I started traveling I'd hit up friends around the world an stay with them, but I've nearly run out of new places to see now that involve seeing friends (though in a few weeks I'm visiting a friend in Utah, and last summer I visited a friend in Perth, Australia...).

 

Anyway, I feel the pain of all of you... lonely travelers unite! or should that be a ?

[Nekobeko]

I've done a little bit of travelling solo but not a huge amount, but what I did I loved.

 

The best part about travelling solo is not having to worry about someone else's wishes. If I check in at the airport, I can go straight through security and straight to the gate....or I could browse duty free, or go hang out in the bar. Its up to me. And I can change my mind last minute without having to run it through someone else. Thats a big part of freedom. 

 

The first time I went alone, I wanted to go on a ski trip, but nobody I knew (which wasn't a large pool of people to start off with) wanted to go, or they couldn't afford to go, or if they could, they couldn't get the time off work. So after sitting around for a while feeling pretty miserable that I couldn't go anywhere because I had nobody to go with me, I said fuck it, I'm gonna go anyway. Why should I let other people's lives restrict my own?

 

What made it better is I was staying in a communal chalet, so like a home rather than a hotel or guest house, except all the people there are on holidays too, and we all have dinner in the chalet every night. I'm not going to say it was the best time socially, because back then I was still really shy and socially awkward, so I didn't make it easy on myself, but the overall experience setting my own plans for the day was still awesome and I have no regrets.

 

I have a friend who has done a lot of solo travelling, but always makes a lot of friends along the way. She meets other travellers on forums in advance of getting to her destination, and then meetups are agreed and they stick together for part of the journey until they part ways again. Websites like travelbuddy.com are great resources for that. 

 

You could also try couchsurfing which is very budget friendly and you are already set up with someone to hang out with before you even get there. 

 

If you want to go a bit more adventurous again theres also workaway which is a website where you volunteer to work, which can be anything from picking lavendar, to minding someones kids, to building a mud hut. Again, you'll have people already there and willing to hang out with you, and in most cases you only have to work like 4hrs a day for 4-5 days during the week with weekends off. 

 

I hope those resources would make it a little easier for someone considering solo travel to feel they'll be able to make some connections on their journey. If all else fails, get remote support for your journey, through regular facebook/twitter posts or a blog, whichever you prefer. That can make you feel less alone as well because you are still sharing it with people, even if they're not there with you physically. 

[RedPandaOne]

I'm jumping in here too, because I have the same problem. There are a ton of places I want to go, but no one to travel with. I've solved part of the problem by joining an events group and doing some of the international trips with them (Africa and China coming up). So, while I am going with other people, it's people I don't know and I'm essentially going by myself. But the group is expensive and I'm going to cancel my membership at the end of the year. The monthly fees aren't worth it for trips I can't always go on because of the timing with work.

 

However, I don't always want to do group tours. I actually hate tour groups, because you stand out as a tourist. I like just wandering. What has stopped me is being a single, young, white female. I'm scared to go places and then have some perv notice that I'm traveling along and kidnap me. I know it's unlikely, but that reason has stopped me. And while I like not being accountable for anyone else, I find it more enjoyable experiencing places with someone. My last trip to Florida started off with friends, but after a day, we split (long story). So I had 9 days to spend by myself. Luckily my mom flew down 2 days after the split with my friends. But those two days I was so bored/lonely doing Universal Studios by myself. But that's just me.

 

Nekobeko, I'm going to check out some of those sites you posted. They may help me. I so want to go to England/Ireland/Scotland and Australia and New Zealand. But no one I know has the time/money/desire to go with me. It's all "I would like to but..."

[Nekobeko]

Well Ireland is my home so if you do take the plunge to come here I'd be glad to show you around =)

[RedPandaOne]

Awesome! Thanks

 

My friends want me to come back to Sweden and visit them next summer. I'm thinking about it, and thinking of stopping in England or Ireland. I think for those countries, driving on the other side of the road is really stopping me. I hate driving and doing it on the "wrong" side of the road is just terrifying, lol. I also can't drive stick shifts...

[Mad Hatter]

Then don't drive. The public transportation system will get you far.

[Nekobeko]

Yeah public transport here is really good. That and towns/cities are usually squeezed together into a tight area rather than sprawled out like they are in the US so everything is within walking distance.

Only thing I would say about Ireland, and this goes for some other European countries too, is that while some places look close on a map, the roads between them are small and windy. So a trip that looks like it might take 30 mins can end up taking 2hrs.

My dad is in the business of doing private driving tours for visitors and a lot are surprised by the time it can take to get places.

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[RedPandaOne]

Thanks for those tips! I'm just so used to horrible public transit and large sprawling towns that I tend to forget not all places are like that.

[RedPandaOne]

Ha! So it turns out I may be going to Ireland next year afterall! But it will be with my entire family.

 

My bro had a horrible experience flying back from Sweden through Germany, and it sounds like my sis-in-law didn't enjoy it either (came back a week apart). So, my dad said the other way is to continue through Iceland like they've done in the past, or go through Ireland. Sounds like my bro is highly considering the Ireland route since he's never been either. If he does, my dad and mom are going to fly out and meet up with him on his way back, and I will tag along as well. Now to research and find where I want to go!! (and save my pennies).

[Nekobeko]

That's awesome. If you want any info or advice just PM me =)

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