Long Zhiren

Ah yes. There's that.
Before I was married, I socialized a bit with the nicer and prettier hotel receptionists, etc of various places. Yes. I was younger at one time.
After the receptionist got off work, she would become a great tour guide of the area, besides being a nice date, and a friendly familiar face the next time I was in the area. I was introduced to some really great neighborhood Paris bistros, got lessons on how to kiss the cheeks in France, brought to fun local parties in Kassel, brought to fun local pubs in Bristol, etc.

HelloKittysMum

I spend about a week to ten days each month away (mainly South and Southeast Asia) and I do a mixture of things. If I am on my own (occassionally a colleague is in the same city) and I don't have preparation for the next day, then I alternate eating out (usually near to hotel) / visiting night markets with an evening in with room service, skyping home and watching TV. As a woman travelling alone I don't like sitting in lounge or bar (although a few time in Saigon I have got into conversation while waiting for the lift and gone for a beer with interesting people (men)). The only bad experience I had was with a woman I got talking to in the lobby and again after Catholic mass who invited me for a meal with her relatives which turned out to be a gambling and drughing scam. Fortunately I decided I was uncomfortable and got out before I was tipped off.

elCheapoDeluxe

I, like you, rarely travel to very interesting places. Some folks say that they are fine unless they get stuck in the suburbs. When I'm in a big city suburb that is one of the interesting places! My last few trips have been to:

• Great Bend, KS
• Wichita Falls, TX
• Suburban Houston / Energy Corridor area
• North East, PA (Confusingly in North West PA)
• Rockford, IL
• Franklin, PA
• Fresno, CA

As you can see, not exactly the downtown culture Meccas of the country. I usually don't know the people I'm meeting and many times won't ever see them again after I leave. I have a few guidelines:

• Never, ever, for the rest of my life to I need to eat at another Applebees. Ever.
• Eat at the bar - even if you're just throwing back diet cokes with your meal. Strike up a conversation with the bartender or a nearby patron. And if that's not your thing, don't be afraid to dine out alone. Sometimes the hostess will make a snotty sound as she asks "just one?" but tell yourself she's being paid less than the janitor so she probably isn't a definitive authority on much of anything anyway. The servers rarely care, and if you tell a good server joke or two sometimes they'll even sit and chew the cud for a while.
• No roomservice. Be alive. Get out of the room. The same goes for hotel restaurants unless you really need to work.
• IF you have the luxury of being near somewhere with a walkable downtown, try to get a hotel there. Even if it is just a small town and the hotel is 30 years old and you'd rather stay at the holiday inn exrpress out on the interstate to get your points. I feel you don't truly interact with a place when you do everything via car.
• For the love of all that is holy, if you have Skype do NOT introduce your family to this fact.
• Have a goal on standby for when you travel. To see every railway museum in the tri-state area. Or to have the bartenders recognize you by name at one bar in each of the states you visit on a regular basis. But not that last one - that one's mine (turnover is a @#$*!) (and I don't have a drinking problem, really)

brendog

Currently typing this from the very, very best hotel in Buffalo, MN. I feel your pain. I have a choice of Mexican (In rural MN? Umm, no thanks...) or Crapplebees. I may just fast.

bmw745ion19s

my ways:

I'm 26 and go through phases of light business travel since I was 23 where about 2-3 weeks a month I would have solo trips alone for 2 or 3 days in the middle of the week. Mostly to big cities and sometimes to the same place.

Other then a small amount of 1 on 1 business lasting maybe a few hours during the trip I was totally alone and I love it.

Now, I do have to say if I had to be gone nearly as much as a lot of people on here Id go mad probably lol

What a nice time to get out and see the sights in the city both touristy and local. Go shopping. Enjoy the weather. Stop and people watch. Enjoy great meals. Go out drinking (if you dont have to be up early lol). Look up old friends and catch up (I agree with a PP to call them before the trip so they will be expecting you). The Skype suggestion was a great idea. Seeing someone besides hearing their voice will help a lot. Open up a great bottle of wine in the room and watch a movie before bed. Enjoy yourself!

I am really surprised at the number of people who wont eat out alone. I am a very social person and have lots of friends. Most days I have lunch alone and while I eat at home most nights or go to dinner with a girlfriend or family etc When I am traveling or feel like dining out alone at home for dinner I will. I have never received a negative opinion or stigma from anyone, WE ALL HAVE TO EAT lol!

I know some people who wouldnt eat out alone but isnt this supposed to go away when youre an adult? Maybe, I am just very confident but chances are the meal will be way better then any hotel meal too.

Hope this helps!

erik123

For food:
- most bigger cities offer food tours you can join
- Japanese restaurants often have counter service which works well for a single
- some places offer evening cooking classes where you eat the result
- yelp will point you to good, basic places that are ok for single travelers
- linked-in, etc. can link you to friends of friends
- instead of room service - order out if an option -better and cheaper

LaserSailor

I rarely eat alone. Room service is pathetic, but sometimes it's the only option. I often travel in countries where my host has the wheels so i am stuck in the hotel

Women invariably make better dinner conversation partners I have found. Once you make it clear you aren't hitting on them, I have seldom been turned down for a business date. Leading with my kids stories and my 25th anniversary trip eases any icky tension quickly.

At this point, around the world, I have Hotel Friend stays than Hilton or Marriott chains....I aspire before I retire to travel for a year with no hotel stays.....

travelmad478

I have the same attitude as JDiver, and I will also say that becoming a birdwatcher over the last decade or so has added a whole new dimension to business travel. These days I tend to bring a bird book and small binoculars with me if I'm going to have even a couple of days in which to walk around and do some exploring. Even boring/unpleasant cities can become a lot less so if I'm focusing on the bird life. And I will frequently rent a car and get out into whatever countryside is available if I'm out on weekends.

I also run, and bring my running gear on every trip. If you're in a place where running is an acceptable thing to do (i.e., as a woman, I don't leave the hotel in Lycra in the Middle East!), it's a great way to get out and see things, not to mention work off the over-eating that is almost a given on business trips.

irockfm2

I like to be in the hotel at least 1 night which gives me a chance to catch up TV shows, news, etc. I try to plan 1 evening at the hotel to just have "me" time. I rarely do room service instead hit the hotel bar and chat with the locals.

fjord

My job rarely gives anyone enough time to do anything other than sleeping. 12+ hour days every day when on site.

zceuxbhjutf

During baseball season I like to use the internet to watch my home team. Baseball cuz they play every day. Works best for me when the games are in a timezone the same or west of the hotel.

Andy Big Bear

Learn to make friends quickly as a skill. I picked this up from a friend of mine who is just a natural at it. It's the art of striking up a conversation without seeming creepy.

pkoo

Not sure where you usually travel but I feel the stigma of dining out alone only in anglophone countries. Anyways, I still do it, as I tend to splurge when it comes to food. Even though I may have a balance of over 1 million miles on one account, I fight to redeem the cheapest economy seat but don't think twice about eating a $100 meal when I get there, alone of course.

mandolino

haha! I always choose "invisible" because otherwise some work wingnut in Houston or Bakersfield will try to call me about something inconsequential at 11pm my time in Europe or Australia. (and ask me "what time is it there?" How about you LOOK IT UP before calling me?)

Like many said, I find it relaxing to be on my own, catered for and away from immediate domestic concerns. So much for the "stress" of travel. I don't mind eating out on my own but always take a book/Kindle because staff will often leave you sitting for ages (as if you have someone to talk to!)

I really try to avoid room service unless really busy. A hotel room feels like a prison cell to me at the best of times, and room service only compounds that.

As for other hobbies, in apartment hotels I enjoy cooking dinner for myself some nights and another clue is in my handle. Quietly of course.

zigzagg900

Goby app locates events that are harder for out-of-towners to find like local theater, food fairs, comedy clubs, art exhibits, etc. Yelp helps me find dining options near my hotel. I also check out the Travel Channel website. I've gone to several places featured in Man vs. Food (but never took any of the challenges) I might be hungry but not crazy