Solo Travelers

[Everydaymatters]

I frequently travel alone. As much as I love to travel, I can’t always find someone who wants to go where I want to go, when I want to go, how I want to go. I’ve traveled via Amtrak all over the country and have found people to be friendly and helpful.

I got a little scared in Seattle when the angular streets threw me off and I was momentarily lost. There on the corner was a man who was part of a group who answers questions for people. He got me on the right street.

In Washington D.C. a lady came up to me and said she’d seen me alone at some of the other monuments and she was alone too, so why don’t we travel together? We did and had a nice day of sight seeing.

I’d like to hear what experiences others have had – both men and women. I don’t feel anyone should ever avoid traveling because they can’t find someone to go with them.

 

[Shawn]

I always travel alone. So much easier to keep myself occupied and do what I want and not worry about being too boring for the other person or wearing them out.

 

[evilprncess]

When I was in Europe a few years ago I ran into someone from New York at a lot of the same places, we ended up deciding to travel together as we had almost the same itinerary planned (we didn't change hotels but just met up each day) We have remained e-mail pals ever since. It seems a little strange to some but it made for a wonderful trip. The first question many people have when I tell this story is, oh he just wanted to hook up with you. The truth is he had a fiance at the time who couldn't make the trip and insisted he do it alone. They are happily married and now so am I.

 

[the Other Mike]

I frequently travel alone. As much as I love to travel, I can’t always find someone who wants to go where I want to go, when I want to go, how I want to go.

It's just a nice way for them to say " I won't travel with people wearing funny hats" ! :lol:

Seriously, I've thought about posting some possible trips to see if anyone else was interested in at least a leg of the trip if not the whole thing. I was thinking of doing the EB builder in Febuary with a possible stop of the IW inn for 2 or three days but then I think " who in their right mind would want me as a travel companion?" :unsure:

 

[Rail Freak]

This is interesting, in that, after realizing traveling LD Trips in a sleeper benefit 2 passengers (bunk & meals), I have the feeling of guilt by not sharing the experience while saving me a few $$$$! But as I get older, I find people (myself included) are set in their ways & get irritated sometimes with lack of privacy.

EX. Last year, I paid a buddy of mine's expenses for a trip to the Grand Canyon for helping me during a medical situation! By the end of the trip, we both probably had enough of each other! Not a train trip though. :blink: :angry:

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Much, much of my travel has been solo. I am an introvert but have become less so in recent years.

This gets into why this forum is so meaningful to me. I have made few if any friends who were interested in trains to the extent I am.(until now) Yes, some family and friends have ridden with me but none enjoy it to the extent I do.

Few if any friends ever wanted to spend 2,3 or 4 days getting somewhere when they could fly there in a similar number of hours.And I am more interested than some in the local tourist attractions.I like visiting zoos,and certain churches--also I enjoy hotels.(I don't just think of them as a necessary evil).

On the other hand I am not a sportsfan, also I am not usually interested in shopping though a recent NYC Xmas trip was an exception. My needs are kind of unusual.I enjoy the live theatre and have done some of that in NYC and other places. But many productions in their full glory(not toned down) happen in Atlanta, especially at our Fox Theatre.

Yes, I have run into some neat people.

Take my very first visit to NYC, about 1971. I had noticed a guy in my lobby of the hotel and that he took the same Grayline bus tour I took that day. Thought no more about it. But the next morning, boarding yet another tour bus, there he was again. We noted we had seen each other the day before. We instantly partnered up. He was from London. His first visit to the states,and my first visit to the big city. We helped each other out in several ways and spent the rest of the trip going the same places.

In my jobs at work I have always been the one to whom everything was delegated. Guess my yearly vacation was my one time to be boss of my own plans.

I remember a trip on the Sunset Limited from LA to NOL in which I became friends with a guy enough to hang around NOL together for awhile. He was an off duty Amtrak employee. Come to think of it he was on the Crescent the next day also.

Spent some time in Boston with a guy from Germany, my first visit there also. Met him on a tour also.

I remember being on the eastbound CZ and found a guy my age who knew about the old trains and we spent a lot of time talking about that, and eating together in the diner.

No doubt there are more events I cannot now think of.

But the scarecity of people who share our hobby makes these and other forums so meaningful. Who would have ever known!!

 

[TimePeace]

I recently returned traveled to CA on the CZ with my girlfriend, but returned alone. I travel with a guitar and am always hoping to run into another musician with an instrument - and on the return trip, I saw a guy with a guitar boarding the train at Sacramento - and next thing i knew he was being assigned in the roomette next to mine! We hung out and played lots of songs in the cafe car - oh, and it was on Election Night, so we had a big gang of revelers - what fun!

David

 

[Rail Freak]

Much, much of my travel has been solo. I am an introvert but have become less so in recent years.
This gets into why this forum is so meaningful to me. I have made few if any friends who were interested in trains to the extent I am.(until now) Yes, some family and friends have ridden with me but none enjoy it to the extent I do.

Few if any friends ever wanted to spend 2,3 or 4 days getting somewhere when they could fly there in a similar number of hours.And I am more interested than some in the local tourist attractions.I like visiting zoos,and certain churches--also I enjoy hotels.(I don't just think of them as a necessary evil).

On the other hand I am not a sportsfan, also I am not usually interested in shopping though a recent NYC Xmas trip was an exception. My needs are kind of unusual.I enjoy the live theatre and have done some of that in NYC and other places. But many productions in their full glory(not toned down) happen in Atlanta, especially at our Fox Theatre.

Yes, I have run into some neat people.

Take my very first visit to NYC, about 1971. I had noticed a guy in my lobby of the hotel and that he took the same Grayline bus tour I took that day. Thought no more about it. But the next morning, boarding yet another tour bus, there he was again. We noted we had seen each other the day before. We instantly partnered up. He was from London. His first visit to the states,and my first visit to the big city. We helped each other out in several ways and spent the rest of the trip going the same places.

In my jobs at work I have always been the one to whom everything was delegated. Guess my yearly vacation was my one time to be boss of my own plans.

I remember a trip on the Sunset Limited from LA to NOL in which I became friends with a guy enough to hang around NOL together for awhile. He was an off duty Amtrak employee. Come to think of it he was on the Crescent the next day also.

Spent some time in Boston with a guy from Germany, my first visit there also. Met him on a tour also.

I remember being on the eastbound CZ and found a guy my age who knew about the old trains and we spent a lot of time talking about that, and eating together in the diner.

No doubt there are more events I cannot now think of.

But the scarecity of people who share our hobby makes these and other forums so meaningful. Who would have ever known!!

WOW!

How old are ya, 108 :lol:

1 Ga Boy To Another

 

[transit54]

I'd say that about 50% or more of my travel is solo, and its going to become increasingly so. All of my rail travel most certainly is, with only one exception. Part of that is most people I know tend to just drive places, so I'm not likely to find myself on the train with them. I've flown on the same flights with many people I knew, but it was never a planned experience. I like both methods of getting around. I'd say travel with a companion is generally more fun, but solo travel is far, far more relaxing. Most of the time though, others want to travel on a different schedule than mine, or simply don't have the money/want to spend the money to go places. For me, I start off with a $3,000 travel budget every year, which is my estimated savings by not owning a car and using it to commute daily (as an employee of the local transit agency, I have a free pass to the system, and bike and use the local equivalent of Zipcar as needed). Part of my justification for continuing to be car free is that I enjoy that money much more when I'm using it to take trips, than sit behind the steering wheel of an automobile. In any event, most people I know don't make the same choice in that regard, so I tend to do more traveling than most.

Anyway, back in the days that I worked for an airline (which feels like forever but really was six months ago), I decided to take a solo trip to Russia. I was looking for interesting places to go that would normally be very expensive to get to, in order to take full advantage of my flight benefits. I did the paperwork, obtained a visa, listed myself for standby with Lufthansa and packed my bags. I was flying JetBlue (my employer) to JFK then taking Lufthansa, flying to Frankfurt and on to St Petersburg. I came back by way of Moscow.

I sat down on the JetBlue flight next to a pilot who was commuting to work. "Where you headed?" he asked.

"St Petersburg," I replied.

"Ah, going to relax in the Florida sun?"

"I'm actually headed to Russia."

He took that in, and then asked, "You're headed there by yourself and your not scared?"

I replied I wasn't, and didn't think anything of it.

On the flight to Frankfurt, I sat next to some students on their way to Italy. I mentioned I was headed to Russia, and one remarked, "Wow, I'm surprised your going by yourself. I'm don't think I could ever do that." I also thought nothing, until I boarded my flight to St Petersburg. I was sitting next to a Russian man, and he asked me where I was from. I replied "the US" and he asked if I was traveling alone, to which I nodded. "You must be very brave!" he told me.

You'd better believe that by the time I stepped off that plane, I was pretty worried.

Of course it turned out to be a fantastic trip. I had the opportunity to ride an overnight train between St Petersburg and Moscow, and I was probably the only one who spoke English (and I don't speak a word of Russian!). Also cost me a fraction of what Amtrak costs - I think I made the journey for $47 US (I had my own bed, but not my own compartment and no meals were included).

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Much, much of my travel has been solo. I am an introvert but have become less so in recent years.
This gets into why this forum is so meaningful to me. I have made few if any friends who were interested in trains to the extent I am.(until now) Yes, some family and friends have ridden with me but none enjoy it to the extent I do.

Few if any friends ever wanted to spend 2,3 or 4 days getting somewhere when they could fly there in a similar number of hours.And I am more interested than some in the local tourist attractions.I like visiting zoos,and certain churches--also I enjoy hotels.(I don't just think of them as a necessary evil).

On the other hand I am not a sportsfan, also I am not usually interested in shopping though a recent NYC Xmas trip was an exception. My needs are kind of unusual.I enjoy the live theatre and have done some of that in NYC and other places. But many productions in their full glory(not toned down) happen in Atlanta, especially at our Fox Theatre.

Yes, I have run into some neat people.

Take my very first visit to NYC, about 1971. I had noticed a guy in my lobby of the hotel and that he took the same Grayline bus tour I took that day. Thought no more about it. But the next morning, boarding yet another tour bus, there he was again. We noted we had seen each other the day before. We instantly partnered up. He was from London. His first visit to the states,and my first visit to the big city. We helped each other out in several ways and spent the rest of the trip going the same places.

In my jobs at work I have always been the one to whom everything was delegated. Guess my yearly vacation was my one time to be boss of my own plans.

I remember a trip on the Sunset Limited from LA to NOL in which I became friends with a guy enough to hang around NOL together for awhile. He was an off duty Amtrak employee. Come to think of it he was on the Crescent the next day also.

Spent some time in Boston with a guy from Germany, my first visit there also. Met him on a tour also.

I remember being on the eastbound CZ and found a guy my age who knew about the old trains and we spent a lot of time talking about that, and eating together in the diner.

No doubt there are more events I cannot now think of.

But the scarecity of people who share our hobby makes these and other forums so meaningful. Who would have ever known!!

WOW!

How old are ya, 108 :lol:

1 Ga Boy To Another

64 years young, Ga Boy

 

[the_traveler]

I like traveling solo - because USUALLY it's quieter and USUALLY there are less arguments! (But not always!) :lol:

 

[WICT106]

I have no other choice but to travel solo Not that this is an issue for me.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

While I like riding the rails with friends, girlfriends, and family, I certainly don't mind traveling alone.

In going solo I've met some very interesting folks I might have missed otherwise.

There was the guy from Argentina on a northbound Silver Meteor, met in the diner. We had a most interesting discussion about his country's political and economic situation. He was not at all happy about it in 2005, but was more than happy to talk about it, as was I.

A couple on the eastbound Empire Builder who were both university professors in Illinois and fellow Food Network fans.

An elderly gent aboard a westbound Sunset Limited out of New Orleans (pre-Katrina) who gave me chapter and verse about Huey P. Long as we rode over the bridge named for him.

A lady on a northbound Coast Starlight who was standoffish (kept eyeing my Vietnamese girlfirend at the time with obvious suspicion) but lit right up when I started talking about the old North Shore Line. She'd been a preacher's daughter as a girl in Chicago, and talked of sneaking out of church to go watch North Shore trains at a nearby station.

Okay, that last one wasn't riding solo, but may as well have been, cuz the old gal would only speak to me.

The guy on the Silver Meteor (same ride as above) who started talking to me because he saw me reading a book about WW II, and who kept complaining about dirty windows, asking the sleeper attendant at every stop to see about getting them cleaned. Attendant finally got fed up and told the guy "Look. I'll get you a bucket, a mop, and a ladder at the next stop, and you can clean the windows." That shut the guy up for good. Hilarious!

Too many stories to include here, but traveling alone does have its advantages, I think because it opens up possibilities.

 

[spacecadet]

I used to take Amtrak cross-country alone all the time when I was a kid, from when I was about 10 years old up to when I was about 16-18. (Then I started driving, then I got to the point where mostly I just didn't have time to do anything but fly). Rode in both first class and coach, depending on the trip and the train. One of my favorite Amtrak memories is going out with a group I'd met on a very late and getting later San Francisco Zephyr to see the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City as we waited for a new engine to come and replace one that had just barely gotten us into the station. We were told we had a couple hours to kill, so a group of six or seven of us went to see the Mormom Tabernacle!

Another memory that could have been awful but turned out great was being so late on the Broadway Limited that I missed my connection to the SFZ. Amtrak brought all of us with missed connections into the dining car, which was serving as the conductor's office, and they sat us down one by one to present our options. I remember the options were something like flying us out or putting us up in a hotel and putting us on the next day's train, with a first-class upgrade to make up for the trouble. (It was an upgrade above whatever we already had, so if you had coach, you'd get a roomette, if you had a roomette, you'd get a bedroom, etc). Most people chose to fly and I have to believe that's what Amtrak were counting on, but it was summer vacation and I had plenty of time so I took the hotel and the upgrade. Got to spend almost a full day in Chicago just wandering around, and stayed in a nice hotel too, though I forget which one. And that was going to be a coach trip, so I was really happy to have the upgrade to a roomette.

One of my *worst* memories traveling alone on Amtrak must have been one of my first trips, when I was still really young and inexperienced. My parents always gave me $80 or so for food and snacks on the train (that was more than enough for 3 days back then, I'm not sure it would be now). I knew that was plenty of money so on one trip I absolutely gorged myself on those egg mcmuffin things they have in the lounge car. I love those things. I think I had seven of them in the span of about 2 hours. I got really sick and ended up throwing up all over the car. Seriously, even as a kid I felt so bad for everybody else in the car. It was more than once, and a couple times I did not make it to the bathroom! If I were the people who got that roomette on the next leg of that trip, I'd have demanded my money back. (I did tell the car attendant so they knew to clean it extra well at the terminal or something, but he was like "ok? what do you want me to do?") Well, I learned my lesson, that's for sure.

I think all that traveling alone when I was young has carried over now to when I'm older. I'm married now but I still sometimes have to go on business trips alone. I usually have a great time. First time in Tokyo was alone and I totally fell in love with the city on that trip. Most people I know are scared to go there even with somebody else because of the language barrier, but I had no problem at all.

 

[Tony]

IIn Washington D.C. a lady came up to me and said she’d seen me alone at some of the other monuments and she was alone too, so why don’t we travel together? We did and had a nice day of sight seeing.

 

[edding]

Great Topic! I also travel predominantly alone and love it! My most recent alone train trip was last July on the CS to Portland in a roomette. Fantastic! As long as I have several books and my ipod, I'm never bored. While I did meet some nice people, I'm not much of a mingler so I didn't make any permanent friends. On a related note, the UK with one of the Britrail passes is my favorite place to solo travel. I'm going in June in part to walk segments of Hadrian's Wall and will do all my travel vial rail( which I've done at least 3 out of the last 5 years). I plan most of my trips so whatever my destination is it's within walking distance( with luggage!) of a train station.

 

[VentureForth]

I think all that traveling alone when I was young has carried over now to when I'm older. I'm married now but I still sometimes have to go on business trips alone. I usually have a great time. First time in Tokyo was alone and I totally fell in love with the city on that trip. Most people I know are scared to go there even with somebody else because of the language barrier, but I had no problem at all.

Tokyo is awesome - I try to convince first timers that are going there on business to take me along to (Just 'cause I love the city and really can help first timers).

A few years ago, I took my family to Japan to visit my folks near Osaka and Kyoto. Of course, I intentionally flew to Tokyo to ride the NEX and Shinkansen. My wife and kids had no clue... I think my wife was about to kill me. After settling onto the NEX at Narita, I told her I was going to call my brother in Tokyo to meet us at Shinagawa. About 10 seconds after I left the vestibule, the train started to move. I failed to tell her I was calling from the train. She thought I got off and was on the platform. She freaked.

I'm predominately a solo train traveler. I try to get my wife and kids onboard, but no.... Closest I came was to get my family to come up to my roomette when I took a ride from ABQ to FUL. Since there was a lot of time to get settled in (ABQ is a service stop), the attendant was very nice to let my family in the room and take pictures. But as far as going anywhere with me.... Hmmm.....

My dream is to go to NYC and on to visit a buddy in BOS. The cost is just a bit more than my wife will let me spend on a whim. Grr.... That trip will probably be solo, but I do enjoy traveling light and meeting who's path I cross.

 

[Greg]

I used to really like traveling alone although when I spent last Christmas in Salzburg, Austria I really wished I could have had someone to share the Christmas Eve worship service at the Cathedral with. It was the most beautiful Christmas eve experience in my life.

I think I would like to take Amtrak around the country right before Christmas...I can't think of a better way to see the holiday lights on all the houses and all over the country!

 

[greatcats]

All my Amtrak trips have always been alone, with one exception. I asked a friend my age in 1985 to do a trip around Wisconisin and Minnesota with a rented cat. We took the Lakeshore out and the Broadway back, both of us in SLumbercoaches New York to Chicago and then to Milwaukee. I usually have a good time visiting with other passengers, including the diehard railfan on the Southwest Chief this past May.

 

[Guest_Rick_*]

I ve always gone solo on Amtrak with a few exceptions. I always manage to meet people and I ve developed a few romantic relationships over the years. I enjoy being on my own and I enjoy listening to music and watching DVDson the train. If I m in the mood to socialize there is always the sightseer car and of course meal time.

These days I ve found my special lady who shares my love of train travel. We are heading out to San Francisco on the Zephyr on New Years Day leaving from Pennsylvania, but I ve always loved being by myself on a train. You are alone, but never lonely and I never get bored. The train is the ultimate trip for me.

 

[spacecadet]

A few years ago, I took my family to Japan to visit my folks near Osaka and Kyoto. Of course, I intentionally flew to Tokyo to ride the NEX and Shinkansen.

A little OT, but my wife and I did the exact same thing last time we went, but in reverse - we flew to Osaka via Tokyo, knowing we'd go back to Tokyo later and I could take the shinkansen. I also got to ride the N'EX train unwittingly - I left my jacket on the plane at Narita and I had the choice of JAL either mailing it to me or picking it up at the airport. Well I knew it was gonna be cold that night so I went and picked it up... and I rode the N'EX train out there. It was unpleasantly crowded, and I had to stand in the vestibule the whole way. I rode a local train on the way back so I could sit down.

Japan is a great country for solo travelers. Everybody is just super-nice and helpful, even if they don't speak English. I've gotten by just with hand signals and basic words. Most Japanese do know simple English words like "train station" too, so it's not that hard to get directions if you need them even if you speak no Japanese at all.

 

[JackieTakestheTrain]

Traveling solo versus with a companion:

I like them both, although I do enjoy my layover Amtrak layover trips alone because I can shop, eat, go to a museum or people-watch. However, I do think the trips with my husband are most interesting because he is a history buff and we often go places I wouldn't ordinary go and I find out I really enjoyed it...except for cementaries.

He has a real thing for cementaries and they give me the ebbyjeebies, so I opt to sit in the car or go do something else.

True story not related to cementaries but people who are alive and you meet while traveling..

While in graduate school about 8 years ago, I was traveling back from Cincinnati, my hometown, to Boston. I had a sleeper. I can't recall all the details, but when the train arrived all of the first-class passengers had to sit in the Dining Car for about 1 hour until our rooms were ready.

I struck up a conversation with a lovely elderly couple who were traveling from Cincinnati back to DC. They were there because they had relatives in Cincy and were going back home. Saw them a few times more on the train at meals and throughout.

After arriving at DC, I never saw them again, or so I thought.

Flash-forward 3 years into the future and I am at Port Authority in NYC on a Carnival Cruise ship headed to San Juan. Everyone is up on the deck, waving goodbye to their loved ones and who in the heck do I see but this *same* elderly couple who I saw back in Cincy on the train years ago! I couldn't believe it!

I went over and the wife of the couple spotted me immediately and we both had a good laugh. We agreed that the chances of strangers meeting in 2 separate cities that weren't either's hometowns had to be in the billions!

I introduced her to my husband and throughout the trip we saw them often.

They were a real hoot at the NewlyWed Game. After 50+ years of marriage, they were the oldest couple on board. When asked who her husband would want to be stranded with on a desert island -- a hooker or a nun, the wife of this couple said her husband would want a nun.

Grinning, her husband held up the card and said both -- he wanted a nun for the daytime and a hooker at night.

Nothing wrong with him!

 

[GG-1]

On the other hand I am not a sportsfan, also I am not usually interested in shopping though a recent NYC Xmas trip was an exception. My needs are kind of unusual.I enjoy the live theatre and have done some of that in NYC and other places. But many productions in their full glory(not toned down) happen in Atlanta, especially at our Fox Theatre.

Stayed in a Hotel within Site of the Atlanta Fox Theater in 1976 during the Ice Capades tour. What good Theater.

But the scarecity of people who share our hobby makes these and other forums so meaningful. Who would have ever known!!

OH so true
WOW!

How old are ya, 108 :lol:

1 Ga Boy To Another

64 years young, Ga Boy

Since our Calender years are the same would you say we are also 16 mental years old.

 

[TimePeace]

>>I asked a friend my age in 1985 to do a trip around Wisconisin and Minnesota with a rented cat. <<

There's your problem right there - those rented cats will spoil a good trip every time -

D

 

[rtabern]

I don't mind traveling alone... actually... I almost perfer it. I can get up when I want to, go to bed when I want it, and do whatever I want to without asking what other people want to do.

Solo travel is especially fun on the train because you can socalize and meet people. Some I have stayed in touch with.

A fun example of this when I travel from CHI-LAX on #421 (Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited)... with a good friend in LAX, it's a trip I take 2-3 times a year. I usually let it be known that we have an 8-hour layover in San Antonio coming (some people don't realize this)... and I always try and form a small group of fellow travelers to go and walk over to the Alamo and River Walk during the time we sit in SAS. I usually always get a few takers... and have a blast... and hopefully I add something to their trip too.