S/O Would you travel by yourself?

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

Say the opportunity came up and you had the choice to vacation alone or not at all. Would you?

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

I posted this because I had to qualify my answer in the last post - I wouldn't want to go to VEGAS alone. I'd go a lot of other places alone, though. Maybe I just don't like Vegas that much?

pumpkinpumpkin

I traveled Europe alone.
I wouldn't want to go on a vacation alone today though. Not because I'm scared or get lonely or anything, I just thoroughly enjoy vacations with my husband, we travel alone (well, the two of us only) a lot.

aaf10

A free trip to Europe following a conference. My fiance could not take vacation as I was not notified of the conference early enough, would I stay 4 extra days to see Italy by myself???? Oh yes! And I am glad I did. I prefer to travel with FI but if that was not a choice and I could, I would totally go alone, maybe not anywhere.

JessAndTrav

Um...I'm not seeing a poll...I'm seeing a box to create a poll. Weird.

wadingmoose

Both A and B.

I did a solo trip through the Cdn Rockies a few years ago, camping and hiking.  I spent a week in Halifax watching curling and sightseeing.

I spent a month in the UK by myself.

I've also been to Denver, Peoria, Saskatoon and Ottawa alone for work/training.  I don't count various trips to Calgary because I used to live there.  It's not travel when I still consider it home.

I really want to book another solo trip somewhere, but things keep coming up that I need to use my vacation time for - anniversaries, weddings, family reunions, etc.  Bah.

Bubbalub

I would and have traveled internationally on my own. I think for me it depends on the destination. I love traveling with FI, just the two of us. We always rent a car and just drive. Sometimes we get lost and those almost always turn out to be the best times and make great stories later. We got lost in the Gap of Dunloe in Ireland and had to stop at the lone farmhouse we found to ask directions. Crazy. :P

AmoroAgain

I travel a lot on my own, and have spent months at a time separate from H.  It's not a big deal, but would i choose to do it on my own? eh, no.  I actually prefer to travel alone.  H gets really overbearing and pedantic when we fly and it irritates me to no end.  Yes, he flies a lot more, but that doesn't mean I'm wandering around the airport, lost until he takes me by the hand!

Simply Fated

I haven't travelled internationally alone, and I'm not sure if I would. Knowing me, I'd get robbed and lose my cellphone and get stranded in some country that really hates Americans. I'm undecided on this one.

Domestically I totally would. I've traveled alone before and have spent time while on vacations with other people alone. I have really bad anxiety, but I've found that it's better for me in places I'm not as familiar with than with places I am. I have no idea why this is.

ExpatPumpkin

I don't think I'd schedule a solo trip on purpose, just because DH and I like to travel together.  But if the opportunity arose - and especially if it was "use it or lose it" as Shoegal's facing - I'd go.  And pretty much anywhere, domestic or international.

As I mentioned in my answer to Shoegal's question, I used to travel solo for work a lot.  One of my favorite "vacations" turned out to be a week I spent alone in Alaska.  Since I only had to work for about an hour a day, it was basically a paid vacation.  Of course I would have loved to have DH there, but I honestly have great memories of that trip.

bethsmiles

I don't think I'd ever vacation by myself. Its just not my style. I like to have people with me

soontobehimes

Eh, I'm a chicken and I really like being around people.. so no, I don't think I'd vacation alone.

GreenPepperBurger

I would go for work - in my line of work, you're constantly going back between NYC and LA, as well as abroad. If it was for leisure, I'd prefer company.

abbalish

I guess I'm not totally comfortable with the word "vacation."  When I did recruiting for a law school, I travelled all over the country by myself - rented cars, explored cities, went out to dinners and I had a great experience.  I was actually kind of proud of myself when the travelling was over, because I'd never travelled alone before and it was good to see that I could find my way around strange cities and have fun.  I guess the difference is that I see "vacations" as more about leisure, whereas my work trips were for business but with some leisure worked in.  And the latter, I am totally comfortable with.

When I went to Europe for a month several years ago, I went with my good friend and roommate.  I would have been too scared to navigate non-English speaking countries on my own, but several times throughout the trip I found myself wishing that I'd gone alone.  I would have been friendlier and met more people (because there really were a lot of people on their own) without the comfort of having a buddy.  The experience would have been totally different.

So, in sum, if we can replace the word "vacation" with "travel"  I would choose the first and the fourth options.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

Fi has a more flexible work schedule than me, so I doubt this situation will ever arise, but maybe.

I'd go pretty much anywhere that I knew I could get around. Pretty much any European city or major South American city. Anyplace where I could use public transportation and communicate in the language (or in English with the residents). Some places would be hard, like most of China, if it was a very foreign culture. But honestly, some places would be hard if it was just me and FI. I'm glad that my first trip to non-English-speaking Europe (Berlin and Prague) was with a tour group.

emilyinchile

Amoro, I'm like your H - I drive my H crazy on trips because I get all "ok, do you have your passport? Are you sure? Let's go to the gate now, I want to be first on the plane so that we get overhead space and can then sit down and switch our brains off!"

I can't imagine a situation where I'd choose to travel alone if only because H has a more flexible schedule than I do (so he can go pretty much whenever I would be able to), and I would rather combine trip + spending time with him than just having a trip. But if it did come down to a situation where either I already had something booked, and the other person backed out, or I could only go at a specific time when no one else could make it, then I would have no problem traveling alone to pretty much wherever.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

You have a point, Abbalish. Man, I always leave things out of polls.

i wouldn't count flying home to visit your family as "alone" though, to qualify. I know someone who leaves her husband for 6 weeks every summer to visit her parents and I think that's weird. Work trips in cool places with leisure time would count, though.

I "traveled" alone once, sorta - the first time I was on a plane by myself was when I moved to LA when I was 21, having never stepped foot in California. But I was moving into student housing, so there was that support network.

abbalish

Honestly, I consider moving to Ohio when I was 24 and didn't know a soul one of the bravest things I've done.  It's not the same as travelling, but still.  I found an apartment on my own, lived by myself in a strange city, and really started from scratch (although I did have a built-in network of law school people once school started....whether or not I liked most of them is another issue!).  I always thought my move here was temporary, just for school, and I'd go back to my comfortable life in Chicago with all my college freinds.  That didn't so much happen.  I met PJ, and here I am, 5 years later, settled down in Ohio!  And even more strangely, one of my college friends moved here two years after I did.

brilibby4

I traveled to Guatemala for two weeks on my own.  It wasn't a vacation though it was to volunteer with a school program.  I don't think I would actually vacation alone though, mostly because I would have more fun with FI, friends, or other family.

travellerlisa

I did a 3 week vacation in Japan on my own - it was a great trip. I had a travel agent try to discourage me as I didn't know anyone or speak the language but I had no major problems.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

Same thing with me, Abbalish! I thought I'd be in LA for 5 years tops, then move back to upstate NY or somewhere on the east coast. Seven years later, here I am, living with my FI in a city we both like pretty well.

kikibaby

No, I would absolutely not travel alone. 

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

Crap, I should have added d) blue moon to the poll.

[Deleted User]

i have and i definitely would again.

katiewhompus

Think what you want but no, I would not ever want to vacation alone. I'm also the type who doesn't like to eat alone or see movies alone. I will if I have to but I feel uncomfortable because to me those are "social" things and I don't enjoy them as much by myself.

mica178

I love traveling, either with FI or alone.  I'd prefer to be with FI, but if he couldn't, then of course I would.

salt78

I'm late on this, but I had answered in that other thread that I wouldn't go to Vegas by myself. However, I have no problem going on vacation by myself and I have before. I just know I wouldn't feel comfortable in Vegas alone. (And I've been there quite a few times so it's not like it would be a strange place for me.)

pooh8402

nooooope. if I wanted to be alone, I'd stay home. I'm way too social for me to want to travel alone. besides, airlines scare me--I'm always worried I'm going to fvck up my ticket or baggage or something.

GreenPepperBurger

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_would-travel-yourself?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:e0afc0fb-924c-4a74-a04c-0d296bedaf1aPost:f5896060-3dfc-48fa-9881-ea9582d2c336">Re: S/O Would you travel by yourself?</a>:
[QUOTE]Think what you want but no, I would not ever want to vacation alone. I'm also the type who doesn't like to eat alone or <strong>see movies alone. I will if I have to but I feel uncomfortable because to me those are "social" things and I don't enjoy them as much by myself.</strong>
Posted by katiewhompus[/QUOTE]

Ooh, I disagree. I adore seeing movies by myself. I have a weirder taste than most people I know (BF will go with me if I absolutely insist, but sometimes our schedules don't mesh). This way, I can see what I want, when I want, with no one to bother me. It's great.

salt78

I actually prefer to go to the movie theater by myself also. I feel distracted when I'm with other people, plus I can go whenever I want without having to make a plan with anyone else.

I just went by myself over the weekend actually and had most of the theater to myself. It was great.