Janice Leith Waugh's Blog, page 124

Solo Travel Safety: who to trust

I hiked and camped with Noemie whom I met on the Navimag Ferry on the way to Patagonia. We spent the first night in the campground below the Towers.

Who to trust?

In absolutely every question about solo travel safety that I’ve put put to the community, some of the responses inevitably include“trust your gut”.

But what if you don’t know your gut?

What if it’s not working?

What if your gut is a stranger?

You can trust your gut.

In a recent Guardian article, “Don’t tell kids not to talk to strangers —...

Pic of the Week: Easter Island, Chile

The maoi of Easter 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 Luz was taken on Easter Island in Chile.

Transported to India

Posted at Ranthambohr Fort

I love my home.

My family. My friends.

But some days I’d just rather be traveling.

Those are the days that I rely on the photos of past trips to transport me to far off lands and the somewhat simpler times that travel offers. I admit it. The photos are an escape.

But who doesn’t need an escape now and then.

India is where I escaped to today.

Please join me.

So many streetanimals in Puskar.

Rajputana in Bundi is where Kipling was inspired to write Kim.

A view of the Ganges fro...

Solo Travel Destination: Cape Town, South Africa

We are pleased to present a newSolo TravelDestination Post from Emily, a member of theSolo TravelSocietyon Facebook. Emily lives in South Africa and submitted the following report about Cape Town . 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: 2 (1 is easiest, 3 is most difficult. Please see chart below)

Languages spoken: English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu

Chapman’s Peak...

How to Avoid the Single Supplement and a Great Deal for Canadians

The Hotel Indigo in Liverpool, England.

Which came first? Room rates or the fact that rooms are priced for couples?

Does it really matter? In most cases they are one and the same.

Hotel rooms are typically charged by the room per night regardless of whether there is a single person or a couple staying in it and this amounts to a solo traveler paying twice as much as those traveling in a pair.

Therein lies the single supplement.

And this cost differential affects tours, cruises and other travel tha...

Pic of the Week: Venice, Italy

A gondolier maneuvering through the Sestiere Cannaregio.

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 Shelly was taken in Venice, Italy.

Solo Travel & Education – lots of tips and where I’m teaching this summer.

Some of the principles behind Chautauqua.

For me, looking through a college course calendar is like browsing the Christmas catalog.

I want it all.

My wish list just keeps growing.

Last summer I went to Chautauqua, a small town in western New York State that was named the best small town in American by the Smithsonian Magazine. For nine weeks every summer this town turns into a campus for learning. There are lectures every morning and afternoon. Courses you can take that last a week. There’s a liv...

Solo Travel Destination: Lalibela, Ethiopia

We are pleased to present a newSolo TravelDestination Post from Anita, a member of theSolo TravelSocietyon Facebook. Anita is from the United States, and submitted the following report about Lalibela . 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: Amharic, English

Church of Saint George

Re...

Travel Deeper: how to connect with locals

I met Madhu on a train on the way to Delhi.

Solo travel presents many opportunities to spend time with other travelers. As I do, I learn about my destination and at the same time learn about the home country of my fellow traveler.

But focusing on other travelers can also have the effect of walling you off from meeting and connecting with locals. I thought about this again when I read this comment from Shelly on my post One Delicious Day in Venice.

I also went to Venice as a solo traveler for two...

Pic of the Week: Muxia, Spain

Finishing the Camino de Santiago trail across northern Spain.

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 Helen was taken in Muxia, Spain.