Does Solo Travel Scare You? Do What I Did.

 

 How many times has fear held you back from doing something you really want to do?  Oftentimes it's more  that we care to admit.  Fear can paralyze us into not living our dream lives.  Of course not everyone can act on every little whim we have, like quitting a less than fulfilling job when we have a family to support, but with careful planning we can take steps to make our dreams into reality.

 

 Take for instance traveling. My dream of going to Paris began many years ago when I was in High School.  I love fashion and it was always a far off dream to visit the fashion capitol of the world.  I never thought I would actually go at that time since dreams like that for me were just that-dreams that could never be reality.  Then I turned 40 and for the first time I realized I will not live forever.  I set up a separate savings account and started putting away about $15 dollars a week into that account.  It was my "Paris Account" and I did not touch that account.  I found that I did not miss that $15 every week and although we could have used that money for daily expenses, that was the only way I was ever going to make my Paris dream a reality.  If you think you can't afford to take a big trip, I recommend opening up your own little savings account.  Put $5, 10, 15 dollars a week aside.  It may take a long time to save up enough, but it will be worth it.

     For the next seven years I kept building up that account until I had saved $3500.  Mind you my hubby had no desire to share my dream with me and being that I was determined to go I started researching going by myself.  I started searching for info on traveling to Paris solo and found that there is a whole lot of people my age that go it alone.  There are lots of bloggers and other websites out there just geared to solo travel.  I also did a lot of reading on the Paris forums on the Foder's website for about every bit of information geared toward Paris travel.  The more I researched the more obsessed I became.

     I had resorted to the fact that I would have to go it alone until my hubby saw a TV spot featuring a week long tour of Paris with a local tour company hosted by a local news celebrity.  Maybe this was my ticket!!  Why I never thought of this before I will never know.  I was afraid to go it totally by myself.  After all going to a foreign country where you don't speak the language is a little intimidating, but I was desperate to go and had the money all saved up!  Could this be the answer?

   
     I ended up going to an informational meeting about this trip and I had found my answer.  That night I paid my deposit and made my Paris dream a reality.  In the end I went on that trip not knowing a single soul and ended up having the time of my life.  Going on a group tour is the perfect way to see a place you dream about. It turned out I was not the only solo person on that trip and in the end I made a few friends too.

     I'm here to tell you that you should not let your fears stand in your way.  Life is too short for having any regrets.  Just because you have no one in your circle that shares your dream, does not mean that you can't go for it on your own. Check out the tour companies in your area. I'm from Wisconsin and this trip was trough Holiday Vacations. There is a ton of info out there on solo travel. One of the best blogs for solo travel is the Solo Traveler blog.  Or just do a Google search for solo travel and go from there.

     Don't let fear hold you back from fulfilling your dreams.  One way or another you can find a way to get there.  You just need to believe you can do it and you have to want it bad enough.

Advantages To Traveling Solo'

It has been one year since my trip to Paris.  I suspect I will be doing much reflecting this upcoming week on that wonderful trip and what made it so wonderful.  Seven years ago  I set up my own personal "Paris fund" to save for a trip I didn't know when I was gonna take.  I knew I was gonna do it and was hoping I would find someone to go with me.  I knew the hubby would never go, hes not a fan of cities and will not fly, so I knew it would have to be a relative or friend to go with me.  At the time I gave it little thought.  I just new someday I would go.

Last year when I knew I had enough saved up, I started to get serious about making the trip.  There was no one I knew at the time that was interested in going so I started to do research on going solo.  I really figured I could do it after spending countless hours reading the forums on the Foders travel website.  There were dozens of entries saying that Paris is one of the best cities for solo travel.  Especially for women.  There were women  writing about going to Paris multiple times by themselves.  I wanted to go bad enough that I didn't care.

Making a long story short I ended up going by myself but with a tour group, which made my hubby feel better.  He had suggested it after seeing a TV add with our local news anchor Erin Davisson hosting a trip.  It was a perfect idea and I signed up.

I went on that trip not knowing anyone.  Ten years ago I would have never dreamed of doing something so crazy. Its amazing what you can do if you really want something.  Here's some of the benefits to going solo.

You can do what you want-Okay, I LOVE shopping.  Not everyone does (I have a hard time understanding this!!). Solo travel gives you the opportunity to do what you like.  If you are an art lover, you can spend all day gazing at that Van Gogh if you like.  There's no one to worry about.  Everyone has unique expectations when they travel.

You are on your own timeline-Some people have to have a strict itinerary when they travel.  Others are happy just strolling along to discover hidden treasures that the usual tourist misses.

You may be more open to meeting people-This is very true in my case.  When I am with a friend or my hubby, I tend to "hide" behind them.  I can be more reserved and usually will not initiate a conversation with someone I do not know.  Alone I am more outgoing as long as I feel comfortable with the other person.  On my Paris trip I was with 42 strangers and by the end of the trip I think I had talked to almost everyone. Course they all made it so easy for me to feel comfortable with them.

Solo travel may be more cost effective-Especially true if you would otherwise be traveling with a spouse or child!  Some travel companions like to eat all their meals in fancy restaurants.  You may just be happy grabbing something cheap and quick from a convience store or a crepe from a street vendor!

Lastly, traveling solo gives you a boost of self-confidence-Try it and see what happens!  After doing this for a first time you may just feel like you can accomplish anything and there is nothing wrong with that feeling!