Solo travel?

[youbet]

DW and I have been married 45 yrs and are both family oriented types. Yet we both have always enjoyed some traveling and activities on our own. We've been fully FIRE'd for about a decade.

Her - Visits a girlfriend in Maine for 1 - 2 weeks every year. They taught school together for decades and are kindred spirits who have a ton of fun together. DW has also visited siblings out of state on her own. Once she went on vacation with our son and grand kids and I stayed home and took care of the pets. I enjoyed the week to myself!

Me - We have a small camper and have been spending 10 -12 dispersed weeks on the road every year. I go to club gatherings (2 - 3 days typical) alone when DW doesn't feel like it or is tied up with something else. I think she'd go alone sometimes too but doesn't feel comfortable driving the truck while towing or handling the mechanics of the camper. I go on fishing trips with some buddies most years without DW. And like others here on the board, I traveled internationally, gone about 3 weeks at a time, on business for a few years and DW was a trooper about that.

I don't think either of us could handle a spouse that objected to a bit of travel independence.

 

[Moemg]

I traveled solo a lot when I was widowed and I enjoy it. We travel together but we also do a few separate trips . His usually involve football or camping . My trips are usually spent visiting my family but I do manage to do some side explorations . Most of the trips are a week .

 

[Throwdownmyaceinthehole]

I traveled a lot internationally when I worked and have done a few solo trips since - cruises, hiking peru for 2 weeks with the girls, visiting my daughter. But honestly I don't enjoy them with out DH. I'd rather be on the couch with him than any where else

 

[Nemo2]

I traveled a lot internationally when I worked and have done a few solo trips since - cruises, hiking peru for 2 weeks with the girls, visiting my daughter. But honestly I don't enjoy them with out DH. I'd rather be on the couch with him than any where else

+1..(not that I have designs on your husband y'unnerstand.)

 

[travelover]

..........Me - We have a small camper and have been spending 10 -12 dispersed weeks on the road every year..... .

Small camper here, too. I take four or five 4-day/3-night trips a year in the middle of the week when the weather is nice while DW is still teaching school. That way we still have our weekends together, I avoid the campground weekend crowds and I get to go where I want and explore. Often we return to spots I've scoped out for a later longer trip together, once school is out.

 

[Sarah in SC]

DH and I have been together 25 years. I'm working, he isn't. He took off for two months last summer for a Europe and Central Asia road trip, a month this summer to the west coast, and a few weeks in Chile back in February. I don't mind a bit. It is nice for him to get to see and do things that I'm not able to do right now with work. We do enjoy traveling together, and will be going together to England in March. And we've spent an inordinate amount of time traveling together, lol, sometimes in less than ideal conditions.

Everyone has a different relationship, and no one way is the right way.
Whatever works for you, works for you. We take trips as they come, solo or together, but rarely pass up the chance to do something out of our comfort zone.

 

[Dawg52]

I took a solo rode trip out west a couple of months ago. I really enjoyed it. Lot's of hiking and photo shooting. I did have a couple of stops along the way visiting family, but the majority of the trip was alone. But being a single guy, traveling alone is not unusual to me.

 

[NW-Bound]

I've never really traveled solo--I wonder if I would like it. I do like being alone, but there's no reason to travel w/o DH, both of us being retired, and he would want to see whatever I thought would be interesting. I don't think he is interested in traveling solo himself.

DH and I have traveled without each other but always with other family or friends or coworkers, which is not the same thing.

+1

When I traveled alone, it was always for business. The same with my wife. My wife has taken many leisure trips without me when I was still busy working or when she wanted to go places I did not care to, but she was traveling with friends or relatives.

We have been together since we were 20. Before that, I was in school and never had the money to do much, whether by myself or not. It was the same with my wife. So, we have not traveled for leisure by ourselves.

I know several couples who have different interests and take some solo trips and some trips together. They are confident people with a high level of trust in their partners. But it wouldn't work for needy, dependent couples.

We both traveled for business when working, so trust was never the isue. But for us, traveling alone is not fun, compared to having a companion. It does not have to be your spouse, and can be a friend or a relative. Of course, if it is a friend of the opposite sex, it will raise an eyebrow.

 

[NW-Bound]

Come to think of it, we both do not like to travel alone, though we think of ourselves as introverted type. And for traveling companionship, we do not always agree, but can tolerate each other much better than a friend or a relative. So, we are stuck with each other.

 

[Bestwifeever]

I took a solo rode trip out west a couple of months ago. I really enjoyed it. Lot's of hiking and photo shooting. I did have a couple of stops along the way visiting family, but the majority of the trip was alone. But being a single guy, traveling alone is not unusual to me.

This is what I think of for the term "traveling solo"--both the journey and the destination are for the most part without companions known to me. I know I would love having experiences all by myself, but the middle-child in me would always then want to turn to someone else to share them with.

Solo travel like this probably won't be happening for me but I love reading others' stories about it so hope they post some travel threads about it!

 

[Nemo2]

would always then want to turn to someone else to share them with.

OT: This was one of the (many) things that hit me when my late wife died.....all the shared memories were gone.

Sure, I can relate experiences to others, but never again can I say "Hey, doesn't that remind you of.......")

Thankfully DW and I are building up quite a collection of our own.

/OT

 

[sengsational]

I haven't spung it on her yet, but I'm thinking I'll linger in the EU after dropping DW off at the airport; I want to learn more about how to sail, and she's not interested.

And my little OT...Nemo, I just booked air to St Martin on miles...nonstop from Charlotte! Just the night before.

 

[Nemo2]

And my little OT...Nemo, I just booked air to St Martin on miles...nonstop from Charlotte! Just the night before.

We're still on...booked into the Joshua Rose Guest House the day before sailing!

 

[Peter]

OT: This was one of the (many) things that hit me when my late wife died.....all the shared memories were gone.

Sure, I can relate experiences to others, but never again can I say "Hey, doesn't that remind you of.......")

Thankfully DW and I are building up quite a collection of our own.

/OT

+1

 

[AllDone]

I travelled solo a lot before I got married. My DH had big plans for traveling when he retired, but then he decided that he wanted to focus on tennis instead (when he does something, that's all he does). If I want to travel, I go by myself or with my mom.

Occasionally he goes off to a tennis tournament for a few days or we go off to a big tournament together. This year we went to the US Open and while he watched tennis, I wandered around NYC. Last year we went to the Robert's Cup and next year we're going to the French Open. It would be more fun, if he would go with me, but if I want to travel, this is the way that works. Now and then I hold my breath, stomp my feet and demand that he do something with me. I have to ignore the first day of bellyaching, but then he has fun.

 

[kaudrey]

I have traveled solo several times; my DH takes motorcycle trips without me (which is FINE with me - I don't like them).

The key for me is to plan things you love to do, but at the same time be willing to alter those plans as you meet people. How long are you planning to go away? I can't imagine getting bored or lonely in a week or two by myself. I always have something to read (Kindle), and my travel journal to write. And give yourself "permission" to have down time. Slowing down and enjoying life doesn't have to mean being bored.

I went to Spain about 10 years ago (before DH) by myself. I toured in Madrid, Seville, the white towns, and over to Barcelona. I met up with some people I had been chatting with on the Lonely Planet forum in Seville, which was fun. And I got "adopted" by this one family for a few days. We met in line for a castle tour or something, and talked while we waited. Two days later, I randomly ran into them again in the next town at a café, and they invited me to join them for dinner. It was a lovely evening; they were a fascinating couple in their 50s with 20-something kids - all well-traveled and just nice people. I never would have had that experience if I was with other people, because we probably wouldn't have struck up that first conversation.