STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

bumblebee · Dooney & Bourke

another solo vacation question

cc · Marc Jacobs

quote:
Originally posted by: bumblebee
"the other option is to visit a dear friend of mine in boston, whom i love and would really like to see, but i don't want to impose on her for a whole week. maybe i could go there for a few days and take the train to NYC or something? or is there somewhere else easily accessible by train from boston that would be fun?
"

do this !!

but of course i will help you come up with other possibilities.

i actually have to run now but i have taken several solo vacations despite being really shy and afraid and spastic.

you could re-visit someplace you have already been. a city you liked but didn't get to spend much time in or one you went to a long time ago. this is really easy because you will already have some familiarity with the place so you won't have as much to worry about, but you can really delve into things since you will be on your own.

or if you want to go someplace new, you should decide in what setting you would feel most comfortable: a city with lots of cultural things to keep you busy, or some sort of resort where you could just relax on a beach and be alone and not have to interact with people that much.

ok more later...

bumblebee · Dooney & Bourke

thanks, cc--the re-visiting idea is great. i hadn't thought of that. i am shy and afraid and spastic, too, so keep the ideas coming.

RyanJ · Coach

quote:
Originally posted by: bumblebee
" i speak french, and some elementary spanish. "

Were you thinking about going to a foreign country since you speak French and Spanish?

bumblebee · Dooney & Bourke

not really, i just mentioned it in case anyone had suggestions of places that are french or spansih speaking, that that isn't a limitation. i wouldn't really feel comfortable going to a country where all they spoke was, say, german, though.

e_doli · Dooney & Bourke

costa rica is awesome and tons of people travel solo there -- i spent a few weeks solo while i was there and it was great. there are tons of cool beach towns to hang out in that are always full of travelers, so you meet really interesting people.

cc · Marc Jacobs

ok here's how i've tackled solo vacations.

1. revisiting a place. my first solo trip was to venice and florence and i had never been to either, but for my second vacation i went to rome, which i had been to before very briefly, and i did a short side trip to naples to experience something new. then my third solo vacation i went back to venice, but did a side trip to ferarra and ravenna for variety. so you could do something like that. i like to organize it so my first few days are in the familiar city so i can get myself adjusted before heading off to someplace new.

2. going someplace i've read a lot about or about which i can get lots of advice from other people. i studied rome, florence and venice all throughout college so i felt familiar with them, even to the extent that i knew the layouts of the cities pretty well.

3. choosing a destination similar to where i live. i think it makes things easier if you can go someplace where you can get around the same way you do at home and do the same sorts of activities. so for me, i've gone to cities since i'm used to that and i've also chosen cities where you don't need a car and i can get around on foot or by public transportation, since that is what i'm used to. i've also gone places where the main activities are going to museums and other art-related sites and i do that by myself in nyc all the time so i feel comfortable doing that alone in a foreign country. however, i would probably not deal well with going someplace where i had to drive or do outdoorsy things a lot.

4. going someplace foreign. this is just a weird personal thing, but i actually feel better going to a foreign country by myself since i'm not friendly and i don't want to get into situations where i feel like i need to chitchat with strangers. i know enough italian to get by, but being foreign makes me feel more anonymous. plus i tend to just be on my own planet all the time since i can't really understand what anyone is saying and since it's obvious that i'm foreign people usually just ignore me.

i realize that a lot of this may not apply to you but i thought it might help you figure out what you want to do and what is important to you in planning this trip.

let me know what you are thinking of doing (city, beach, europe, us) and i'll try to come up with some more ideas.

-- Edited by cc at 17:06, 2005-01-13

berryahou35 · Dooney & Bourke

Wow, these are great ideas. I love traveling, but traveling solo is a bit intimidating. I mean, I've flown on the plane myself, but going places.. That's what I'm doing this summer, kinda. I have relatives and friends in Taiwan, so I guess maybe it doesn't count.

bumblebee · Dooney & Bourke

thank you so much, cc, for all of the great ideas. i haven't been logging in much lately, but i just wanted to thank you. i haven't planned my trip yet, but i'll let you know what i end up doing!