Traveling Solo…

I got a call last week from a friend taking a sabbatical: 2 months in Mexico, then almost 3 months in Europe – I was jealous!! However, while she was excited about her pending trip, she was also nervous. She had never traveled for such a long period, and was also concerned by the idea of traveling alone.

So I told her I had recently met lots of single females traveling in Guatemala. Many were traveling for months at a stretch, and all seemed to be enjoying the benefits of solo travel: from the reality that people find you more approachable as a solo traveler and are more likely to engage you in interesting conversation, to the fact that if you want to stay longer in a beautiful spot, you just do it – no discussions with fellow travelers required!

I also gave her links for some great resources for solo travelers, such as Boldy Go Solo, and a great article from Rick Steves (guidebook author) on women traveling alone. Lots of good, common sense, ‘trust your gut’ advice that is actually applicable for any traveler!