It’s a lovely post. Maybe I can take baby steps like a day alone in San Francisco or so. I am afraid to hurt my husband’s feeling cutting him off from my travel plan. I also love to take solo walks
I just found sub yesterday I was so excited. As I read all of these stories I think back on my own life and where I would have been if not for solo traveling. I was fortunate that my whole life straight out of the womb I was traveling .my dad was in the service and we moved every 1 1/2 years or sometimes 3 years if we were overseas which was how we put it ,overseas. We lived everywhere and in a time that was different. 1950-1980. When I was sixteen my dad retired to utah and found I couldn’t stay in place. I was 21 when I went to barber school. I could find work anywhere and it paid well. All my life I read books and traveled. Some were my traveling companions special books,that I couldn’t leave behind. They grew me up. Made me fearless. I became a Taoist when I was 38. I was living in Vancouver Canada. I went back to school and became a farrier horseshoer and artist of steel I moved from Vancouver to salt spring island,bought an old fishing boat and took couple years to make it my home. My spirt soared!I flew! I flew! I got my captains license and I could take that 40 foot gill netter out to sea!
I liked your exploration of the artists way alongside solo travel in this post. I have travelled around the world alone and its my default way to travel to this day- the other versions require so much planning - alone you are agile and free. As its been 20 years now since I set out on my first solo trip I guess I kind of take it for granted that every woman - with the financial means - can also just step out on her own. It was surprised to read that there are still not so many women solo travelling. for me being alone has allowed more meeting of places and myself than had I been with someone. In my experience, it us a privilege to know the world. Its also not without its challenges.
It's wonderful to hear that solo travel has been your default for so many years! I bet you have had many incredible experiences. I look forward to many more years of it myself!
Hi Anne, I have a copy of the "St. Bride" painting on my living room wall. I bought it in Iona, Scotland. I made that trip alone. I'd never done anything like it before, and I was anxious. But once I arrived and began to negotiate the literal planes, trains, and automobiles (and ferries) it took me to get the island, I felt extremely proud of myself. My confidence increased tremendously. I would like to travel much more than I have, and your post here and others' experiences have helped me to realize that doing it alone really might be wonderful. I've traveled all over the US alone and love it, but I need to practice going to other countries solo as well:).
This is wonderful, Emily! I went to Iona twice (alone) last year and also felt proud for navigating all of the steps to get there. Being there was life-changing for me. I wish I could go back this summer.
I have travelled solo often - Australia, South America, Japan. I have no real aversion to having company but often when I want to go somewhere, no travel companions are available and going alone is the best option. I do think it makes you more approachable and I've met a variety of fascinating people when travelling alone that I may not otherwise have done had I been with a friend. I also think joining groups as a solo traveller is a great way to make connections. There's so much to gain from travel, however one experiences it.
Every summer I take a solo road trip home to visit friends and family in what usually ends up being a 5,000 mile journey. I love the time alone. It makes me feel so free. I don't do much in terms of sight seeing, but I like trying new routes. I have done other solo (flying) trips over the years to major U.S. cities, but I've always missed having someone as a companion. And I am a little afraid for safety. So I guess when it comes to sight-seeing or visiting places of interest, I prefer to have someone with me. The problem, however, is that when traveling with someone, you always have to negotiate where to go and how long to spend there, and you don't get much, if any, reflection time. This is where solo traveling would have many advantages.
I love the concept of the artist date and have tried so many times to incorporate it into my week. But now that I am retired, I live in a less vibrant, small community compared to the metro area I moved from. I feel very land-locked, and as a result, unhappy in that regard. I struggle to find places to visit on an artist date, so I rarely go. Sometimes a trip to the nearest bookstore and having a cup of coffee feels like a mini-retreat. So if anyone has suggestions about how to incorporate artist dates into living in small towns, I'd love to hear them.
Great points Nancy! I admire your long solo driving trips. That is something I wouldn’t feel safe doing alone in the US but in France I felt fine! And yes, artist dates are hard in small towns. Cafes and bookstores are always good. How about walks in nature? Are those accessible to you? Also just listening to music that is new or that you haven’t listened to in a while or watching a documentary can be an artist’s date, I think. It’s all about having new encounters with the world, which can happen at home too!
I think a lot on the times that I traveled to NYC for work in the past, and the thrill of being anonymous around so much life going on--it felt immersive, protective, and incredibly freeing. One of the best dates I ever had was solo for dinner and then a broadway show. I sat in a box and joined in with two other strangers who were also delighted, and it was the best, as I walked back to the hotel smiling and watching the nightlife in the city. I went to Scotland for grad school alone and it was a similar feeling--while I had flatmates, much of my daily wanderings and research was solo and it was incredibly fulfilling, to notice, to be aware, to be both part of and yet observer at the same time. It allows for daydreaming, which we get far too little of. I love thinking about those times, and appreciate so much what you are sharing and encouraging by writing about your own experience. 💜
This post made me think about different kinds of enjoyment inherent in the various ways we might travel: with spouses or partners (one kind), with friends (yet another), and solo (the focus here).
There is yet another kind, a kind of ‘solo-together’ (for lack of a better term), where one embarks on a journey alone, without partner or friends; but with a community of like-minded souls whom you gradually get to know over the course of travel.
I dare say this is among my favorite modes, for as much as I relish the a great solo trip—the freedom, the wandering, the reflecting and journaling—I have not been able, for circumstances of life, to take as many of these journeys as I would like.
I have enjoyed organized small group trips and/or writing communities where I am one, alone, among many. The discovery, sharing, and conversation that unfurls as individuals immerse themselves in nature, history, or art alongside the creative process and/or personal discovery, is deeply satisfying. It seems to fulfill many dimensions of the soul at once.
This is so beautiful, Cheryl! This is precisely the kind of trip that my co-leader, Etta Madden, and I are wanting to create more of. A lot of women on the current tour know each other through the Constance Fenimore Woolson Society, but a few don't, and it's been lovely to see the connections that are being formed.
I still haven’t read REBECCA. It’s past time. And what a fascinating painting by John Duncan. It looks like a collage. How is it that the wings protrude outside the frame?
Such a beautiful post, Anne. I ache to travel alone. When I went to Scotland last October, my daughter was with me, and though I loved having her, I also wanted to wander around alone, and soak it all in myself. I went to England on a solo trip in 2008 and after I conquered my anxiety of "OMG, I'm in a foreign country BY MYSELF," I had the absolute best time. I highly recommend solo traveling to every woman who desires it because it will teach you so much about yourself.
I also long to live abroad, to experience a different culture and a different country while exploring my creativity. I like to think I would be inspired in a way I'm simply not here, in the state I've lived my entire life. Of course my therapist often told me, "Wherever you go, there you are." So true, BUT, I'm a firm believer that place is crucially important to who we are. If I can experience life in a place my soul feels drawn to, who might I be? What might I accomplish? I'm looking forward to finding out.
I loved this, Anne. I found myself as a writer in the course of my own expat experience, and it changed the trajectory of my life. Thank you for this lovely piece.
My thoughts, sentiments, and experiences exactly! I felt like my year traveling was one long artist's date. My most transcendent experiences were when I was by myself.
It’s a lovely post. Maybe I can take baby steps like a day alone in San Francisco or so. I am afraid to hurt my husband’s feeling cutting him off from my travel plan. I also love to take solo walks
I just found sub yesterday I was so excited. As I read all of these stories I think back on my own life and where I would have been if not for solo traveling. I was fortunate that my whole life straight out of the womb I was traveling .my dad was in the service and we moved every 1 1/2 years or sometimes 3 years if we were overseas which was how we put it ,overseas. We lived everywhere and in a time that was different. 1950-1980. When I was sixteen my dad retired to utah and found I couldn’t stay in place. I was 21 when I went to barber school. I could find work anywhere and it paid well. All my life I read books and traveled. Some were my traveling companions special books,that I couldn’t leave behind. They grew me up. Made me fearless. I became a Taoist when I was 38. I was living in Vancouver Canada. I went back to school and became a farrier horseshoer and artist of steel I moved from Vancouver to salt spring island,bought an old fishing boat and took couple years to make it my home. My spirt soared!I flew! I flew! I got my captains license and I could take that 40 foot gill netter out to sea!
Love Julia Cameron - I began reading a her books in my Twenties. Love the Artist Dates!
OH MY MY, I feel such a relief! I have felt this all my life, and as of late, with so many strange changes, this helps me understand myself better....
I liked your exploration of the artists way alongside solo travel in this post. I have travelled around the world alone and its my default way to travel to this day- the other versions require so much planning - alone you are agile and free. As its been 20 years now since I set out on my first solo trip I guess I kind of take it for granted that every woman - with the financial means - can also just step out on her own. It was surprised to read that there are still not so many women solo travelling. for me being alone has allowed more meeting of places and myself than had I been with someone. In my experience, it us a privilege to know the world. Its also not without its challenges.
It's wonderful to hear that solo travel has been your default for so many years! I bet you have had many incredible experiences. I look forward to many more years of it myself!
Hi Anne, I have a copy of the "St. Bride" painting on my living room wall. I bought it in Iona, Scotland. I made that trip alone. I'd never done anything like it before, and I was anxious. But once I arrived and began to negotiate the literal planes, trains, and automobiles (and ferries) it took me to get the island, I felt extremely proud of myself. My confidence increased tremendously. I would like to travel much more than I have, and your post here and others' experiences have helped me to realize that doing it alone really might be wonderful. I've traveled all over the US alone and love it, but I need to practice going to other countries solo as well:).
This is wonderful, Emily! I went to Iona twice (alone) last year and also felt proud for navigating all of the steps to get there. Being there was life-changing for me. I wish I could go back this summer.
I would love to return. It was such an epic trip, and also really transformative for me as well.
I have travelled solo often - Australia, South America, Japan. I have no real aversion to having company but often when I want to go somewhere, no travel companions are available and going alone is the best option. I do think it makes you more approachable and I've met a variety of fascinating people when travelling alone that I may not otherwise have done had I been with a friend. I also think joining groups as a solo traveller is a great way to make connections. There's so much to gain from travel, however one experiences it.
Agree with all of this, Laura! I’m glad I’ve had my solo adventures but joining a group is also wonderful.
Every summer I take a solo road trip home to visit friends and family in what usually ends up being a 5,000 mile journey. I love the time alone. It makes me feel so free. I don't do much in terms of sight seeing, but I like trying new routes. I have done other solo (flying) trips over the years to major U.S. cities, but I've always missed having someone as a companion. And I am a little afraid for safety. So I guess when it comes to sight-seeing or visiting places of interest, I prefer to have someone with me. The problem, however, is that when traveling with someone, you always have to negotiate where to go and how long to spend there, and you don't get much, if any, reflection time. This is where solo traveling would have many advantages.
I love the concept of the artist date and have tried so many times to incorporate it into my week. But now that I am retired, I live in a less vibrant, small community compared to the metro area I moved from. I feel very land-locked, and as a result, unhappy in that regard. I struggle to find places to visit on an artist date, so I rarely go. Sometimes a trip to the nearest bookstore and having a cup of coffee feels like a mini-retreat. So if anyone has suggestions about how to incorporate artist dates into living in small towns, I'd love to hear them.
Great points Nancy! I admire your long solo driving trips. That is something I wouldn’t feel safe doing alone in the US but in France I felt fine! And yes, artist dates are hard in small towns. Cafes and bookstores are always good. How about walks in nature? Are those accessible to you? Also just listening to music that is new or that you haven’t listened to in a while or watching a documentary can be an artist’s date, I think. It’s all about having new encounters with the world, which can happen at home too!
I think a lot on the times that I traveled to NYC for work in the past, and the thrill of being anonymous around so much life going on--it felt immersive, protective, and incredibly freeing. One of the best dates I ever had was solo for dinner and then a broadway show. I sat in a box and joined in with two other strangers who were also delighted, and it was the best, as I walked back to the hotel smiling and watching the nightlife in the city. I went to Scotland for grad school alone and it was a similar feeling--while I had flatmates, much of my daily wanderings and research was solo and it was incredibly fulfilling, to notice, to be aware, to be both part of and yet observer at the same time. It allows for daydreaming, which we get far too little of. I love thinking about those times, and appreciate so much what you are sharing and encouraging by writing about your own experience. 💜
Totally, agree Freya. I love wandering cities on my own. I always feel that I can do what I want, be what I want. The anonymity provides that.
This post made me think about different kinds of enjoyment inherent in the various ways we might travel: with spouses or partners (one kind), with friends (yet another), and solo (the focus here).
There is yet another kind, a kind of ‘solo-together’ (for lack of a better term), where one embarks on a journey alone, without partner or friends; but with a community of like-minded souls whom you gradually get to know over the course of travel.
I dare say this is among my favorite modes, for as much as I relish the a great solo trip—the freedom, the wandering, the reflecting and journaling—I have not been able, for circumstances of life, to take as many of these journeys as I would like.
I have enjoyed organized small group trips and/or writing communities where I am one, alone, among many. The discovery, sharing, and conversation that unfurls as individuals immerse themselves in nature, history, or art alongside the creative process and/or personal discovery, is deeply satisfying. It seems to fulfill many dimensions of the soul at once.
This is so beautiful, Cheryl! This is precisely the kind of trip that my co-leader, Etta Madden, and I are wanting to create more of. A lot of women on the current tour know each other through the Constance Fenimore Woolson Society, but a few don't, and it's been lovely to see the connections that are being formed.
I still haven’t read REBECCA. It’s past time. And what a fascinating painting by John Duncan. It looks like a collage. How is it that the wings protrude outside the frame?
That part of the frame is part of the picture, I believe. It’s a beautiful picture.
Such a beautiful post, Anne. I ache to travel alone. When I went to Scotland last October, my daughter was with me, and though I loved having her, I also wanted to wander around alone, and soak it all in myself. I went to England on a solo trip in 2008 and after I conquered my anxiety of "OMG, I'm in a foreign country BY MYSELF," I had the absolute best time. I highly recommend solo traveling to every woman who desires it because it will teach you so much about yourself.
I also long to live abroad, to experience a different culture and a different country while exploring my creativity. I like to think I would be inspired in a way I'm simply not here, in the state I've lived my entire life. Of course my therapist often told me, "Wherever you go, there you are." So true, BUT, I'm a firm believer that place is crucially important to who we are. If I can experience life in a place my soul feels drawn to, who might I be? What might I accomplish? I'm looking forward to finding out.
These are such lovely questions, Melissa! I look forward to seeing how you answer them.
I loved this, Anne. I found myself as a writer in the course of my own expat experience, and it changed the trajectory of my life. Thank you for this lovely piece.
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Love that you've been exploring lesser-known parts of France!
What made you decide to visit Tours and Château de Villandry?
I was staying near there. I love exploring lesser-known places.
In addition, travel can allow us to look back at our own lives from a distance, the smallness of it. And, maybe, the grandeur.
Yes, lots of contemplation happening while over been on the road!
My thoughts, sentiments, and experiences exactly! I felt like my year traveling was one long artist's date. My most transcendent experiences were when I was by myself.
Lovely!