Greetings from Tenerife! I’m on night two of my solo trip, and I just wanted to take a moment to dispel a myth. One of the first questions I hear when I mention I’m traveling solo is “won’t you be lonely?” After over 10 years of solo international travel, I can emphatically answer “NO!”
Granted, solo travel may not be for everyone, but in the last two days I have some of the most stimulating adult conversations in recent memory with fellow travelers. I’ve just come from a fascinating conversation with a German gentleman who left corporate life to start a farm here on Tenerife. Last night I chatted for over an hour with a couple from Miami who take every summer off from teaching and travel Europe.
My favorite travel encounter occurred years ago on a train from Melbourne Australia to Warnabool. I met a elderly gentleman named George who claimed to be an ex KGB agent and after three hours on a train was charmed into giving him my address. I still have the letters he sent and have no doubt in his story!
That doesn’t even scratch the surface of the fascinating conversations I’ve had with waiters, bartenders, taxi driver, and tour guides over the years. When you’re in a group, you’re simply less likely to engage others. On your own, the barriers go down.
I will admit that not every moment is sunshine and on occasion I have been scared, sick, or just plain crabby, but never lonely! Who have you met on the road?
Original publish date June 29, 2012.
