Janice Leith Waugh's Blog, page 119

Solo Travel Destination: Places to Go Near Ubud, Bali

This week Janice is offering the Solo TravelDestination Post. Usually it’s contributed by a member of theSolo TravelSocietyon Facebook. Do you have asolotraveldestination that you would like to recommend?Submit your description here, along with a few photos, and share it with fellow travelers!

Solo travelrating: 1.5 (1 is easiest, 3 is most difficult. Please see chart below)

Languages spoken:Indonesian, Javanese, Balinese. Many people and especially children speak English.

The Plataran Hotel & Res...

Pic of the Week: Berlenga Grande, Portugal

The Fort of Saint John the Baptist, off the southeastern coast of Berlenga Grande Island.

The Pic of the Week is drawn from photos submitted to theSolo TravelSocietyFacebook Group, providing an opportunity for solo travelers to share with us a favorite photo from their travels.

This week’s pic fromSolo TravelSociety member Angelica was taken on Berlenga Grande Island, Portugal.

When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed: 43 Tips for Traveling Alone

The Tate Britain. In addition to housing great art collections, museums and galleries can be great places to sit and collect your thoughts.

“Please, I really need your help.”

So began a message we recently received from a reader. Galit had just begun her first solo journey, traveling from Israel to London.

Her note continued, “I am very anxious and have not slept all night. I don’t feel safe, and I am considering going back home, even though I am supposed to travel in Europe for 16 days. Can you...

Quote of the Week: Waking Up in a Strange Town

We are happy to present today’s Quote of the Week. Do you have a favorite quote that you would like us to consider for a future post? Add it in the comments below, and be sure to give us your first name and the full name of the author.

Dame Freya Stark (1893-1993) was a British explorer and travel writer who knew a little something about awakening in an unfamiliar place. This quote conjures up the feelings of anticipation and exhilaration I feel at the beginning of the first day in a new desti...

Solo in Italy: Favorite Photos

View of Il Duomo from Palazzo in Florence – Tuscany.

Italy!

Specifically the northern half of Italy.

I love it!

The landscape. The history. The architecture – ancient, medieval, renaissance… The art. The lifestyle. The food!

I have traveled solo in Italy many times. The first time I was focused on Tuscany. Next time it was Umbria. Last fall it was Emilia-Romagna.

Here are some of my favourite photos from these three wonderful regions

Teatro Farnese in Parma – Emilia-Romagna. Read: A Day Trip to Parm...

Solo Travel Destination: Taipei, Taiwan

We are pleased to present a newSolo TravelDestination Post from Mark, a member of theSolo TravelSocietyon Facebook. Mark lives in Australia and submitted the following report about Taipei . Do you have asolotraveldestination that you would like to recommend?Submit your description here, along with a few photos, and share it with fellow travelers!

Solo travelrating: 1.5 (1 is easiest, 3 is most difficult. Please see chart below)

Languages spoken: Mandarin

Lungshan Temple

Reasons to go: Taiwan is a gr...

Pic of the Week: Ganesha in Bali

Ganesha, Hindu God of success, education, wisdom, and generally getting around obstacles. It is one of the most common Hindu Gods seen in Bali.

The Pic of the Week is usually drawn from photos submitted to theSolo TravelSocietyFacebook Group, providing an opportunity for solo travelers to share with us a favorite photo from their travels.

This week’s picwas taken by Janice at the Keraton Resort and Spa where she stayed at the end of her tour of Java and Bali as a guest of Overseas Adventure Tra...

Reinstate wonder. Banish expectations.

St. Paul’s Cathedral London England

Reinstate wonder – Take 2.

Travel is a huge privilege.

But as with most things in life, the more attainable it is, the more frequently we do it, the less a privilege it feels. We can start taking it for granted. The sense of wonder that we had when we first started to travel can be lost.

I will never forget being on my first trip at the age of 15. Looking out of my hostel window in London, peering between the buildings, I saw the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral wh...

Quote of the Week: Discover It for Yourself

Here we have it: today’s Quote of the Week. Is there a favorite quote that you would like us to consider for a future post? Add it in the comments below, providing your first name and the full name of the author.

This week’s quote comes from Wendell Berry, American novelist, poet, environmental activist, cultural critic, and farmer. I really like his concept of the importance of traveling and experiencing the world on our own, in order to come to a place of understanding that we are all linked...

The Magnificent UNESCO Temples of Java: walk with me.

Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia.

Java is home to three UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Sites and I was lucky enough to visit two on my recent trip to Indonesia.

Borobodur is a ninth-centuryBuddhist Temple which is considered the largest such temple in the world and Prambanan is of the same century and the highest Hindu temple in the world. The Hindu and Buddhist religions lived side-by-side in Java at this time. Both temples are located 30-40 minutes by car from Yogyakarta.

My...