traveling alone - tips?
 

Hi All, I am travelling alone for the first time for fun (have done it for work) to Prague in sept. Anyone tips or suggestions?

Anyone alse going in mid-september?

My only minor hang up is eating dinner alone. I have done it many times, but don't love it.

It has its pluses and minuses. I suppose it depends on whether you typically can have fun by yourself when you're NOT traveling. If you're the type that always has friends around or gets bored/lonely otherwise, you'll probably hate it. On the other hand, if you sometimes enjoy the solitude, solo travel can be very enjoyable. I've taken a few solo pleasure trips (including Prague once, funny enough) and the best parts for me are the opportunity to do exactly what I want with the day and not follow anyone else's schedule. Also, there are certain activites I enjoy, like walking, peoplewatching and photography, which are great to do on your own.

I've got many years of primarily solo business travel, so the dining alone thing no longer fazes me. If you don't like it, I love going to local markets when traveling, so sometimes I'll dine in a park (weather permitting) with a camera, or in the hotel room, with a good book.

Agree that traveling solo has pluses and minuses. I love the see what I want to see when I want to see it. The worst is eating so agree there. I'd look for casual restaurants and make sure to take something to read like a travel guide. Sometimes, I don't want the hassle so I go someplace fast foody or quick.

I went to Prague solo in the middle of a cold winter and loved it. Have a great trip.

I love travelling solo- it's great for people-watching, and (depending on how outgoing you are, and languages obviously help too) you have more chances to get to know locals (normally I am not that interested in meeting other tourists- kind of misses the point).

For eating solo in PRG, try going to a pub, where the service is informal and where many people will only be drinking. The food won't be exquisite, but Czech cuisine is reasonably basic anyway...which is a good thing, because it's easy to get it right. :D

I also enjoy travelling solo- I love not having to follow anyone else's schedule and just do my own thing. I like practicing my photography skills on my solo trips, since I'm not holding anyone else up if I decide to take lots of photos of something. I also like walking around the city and watch the locals go through their day.

As for eating alone, I like to take a good novel with me and find a quiet resturant somewhere to enjoy a good meal and read.

I travel solo a lot. Occasionally I've met someone worth spending some time with - once, when an urchin threw up between us in the corridor of a train from Casablanca to Rabat - but more often not. A few suggestions:

1. Read up a bit on the place. Have at least a general plan: Pick some specific things you'd like to do and when you think you'd like to do them.

2. Weather and your physical condition permitting, go for a longish walk to get an idea of the city.

3. Bring a book to read during meals and so on.

4. Get Internet access to keep up with FlyerTalk.

5. Leave before you get bored, not after. If you have a trans-oceanic reservation that's still a few days off, take a train to somewhere. (For example: from Prague, not that boredom there is likely, Vienna is within easy range.)

6. Even if you don't speak the language, remember that the people you deal with basically have the same objective you do. For example, you want to buy a bus ticket; they want to sell a bus ticket. It will all work out.

7. Stay loose, be flexible.

8. Have fun!

Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.51 Beta (Microsoft Windows; PPC; Opera Mobi/1718; U; en))

Efrem... I agree with you on all points except keeping up with FT part...

I travel alone almost all the time. The hardest thing for me is the psychological barrier to start talking to people.

Overall I love travelling as a temporary local and mostly travel alone precisely for scheduling reasons mentioned above...and because most friends have a harder time deciding 'book now think later'

I love travelling and eating solo. Eating solo is great because I can have a tasting menu without involving others and I can quietly enjoy the food instead of talking. Social dinners are great but not always great for the pure enjoyment of the food.

If you really don't like eating by yourself in a restaurant, just get yourself a room service.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8330/4.5.0.77 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

I do a lot of solo travel and I really enjoy it for the most part. I can see what I want to see and spend extra time photographing something I like without worrying about holding someone else up.

However for the most part I dis-like eating alone because I am a social person. That said it can be nice because I can go to the restaurants I want to go to and not worry about picking a place someone else won't like or find too expensive.

Depending on your personality try eating at a bar / pub and strike up a conversation with someone. I have had some great meals with people I just started talking to.

Have fun!!

Thank you all for your great suggestions!

I will definately take a good book. I love the pub, picnic and bringing a good novel ideas. I will also make sure I keep up with flyer talk!

I am very excited to have found you guys.

Thank you!

P.S. Several people suggested Prague as a good city for non-coupled travelers, it is reassuring that several of you solo travelers have been there,too.

sorry - double post

^ One of the most valuable tips above IMHO is the “bring a book for eating” one. I travel alone a lot and therefore spend lots of time alone in restaurants. And I hate just sitting there and looking around doing nothing while I wait for my food.

But instead of a book I generally bring a magazine (Time, The Economist, etc.). A magazine is easier to put on the table next to your plate and read while eating (having both hands free). With a book I always need one hand just to keep it open. (And also, if I drop some sauce, I’d rather drop it on a magazine that I will throw away anyway... :D)

You can have a big breakfast, and therefore, a late lunch, which can also be substantial. Hence, you can just have a snack for dinner, like a sandwich or something -- take away that you can eat in your room, a park, etc.

Central Prague is likely to be pretty crowded, especially with tourists.

I've been to Prague once. One thing that might be good there for a solo traveler is to take the walking tour of the city. I did this and had wonderful conversations with the guide --there were only about 6 of us on the tour. My guide was a young college student and such individuals may have helpful tips on things to do in and out of Prague.

Eating at pubs is a great idea, as is eating once or twice in the hotel (if you are staying at a hotel that has a restaurant). When I have traveled alone I try to find a restaurant or pub that is not packed; if I feel comfortable there I may go back--why not if the food is good, etc?

Prague is also a great place for concerts--all over the place and these can provide occasions that interrupt the sense of "aloneness" that sometimes creeps up.

I travel alone a lot and really enjoy it, and Prague is a great place for a solo
traveller. The walking tour is an excellent idea. Both pubs and restaurants
are fine - take a small phrase book (and amuse the locals). I also like to take a notebook and pen to dinner
with me, as novels tend to take me into their world and away from what is
probably the very interesting place that I am actually physically in at that moment. Writing a description of the room and the food and the other diners
might seem trivial at the time but it's nice to look back on.

I also do a lot of solo traveling and enjoy it. As others said, eating alone is not one of my fave things. Sometimes the bar works well but in Europe this is not a common arrangement. However, in some beer garden type restaurants, of which you should find a few in Prague, you can sit on big tables with other people. Just ask if you can sit with them. Conversation almost always comes up unless you behave in a very reserved way.

When you travel alone the barrier for others to talk to you is lower; that's good. I also find that having a certain item of clothing or equipment, for example crazy glasses or a funky jacket or shoes, is a good ice-breaker.

Personally, I love to go to museums. I can do them completely at my own rhythm. What happens often is that there is one person who comes into the museum at about the same time I do. They have the same rhythm and we will find ourselves in front of the same works very often. This has resulted in many nice museum visits and perhaps a coffee or even dinner afterwards. It is a great place to start a little flirt whether you are a man or a woman because you can have something to talk about and can check out character and taste compatibility in a very subtle yet efficient manner.

I also love a concert. You can meet people during the intermission.

Efrem's tips were excellent. I like to have a real plan of attack with places to visit. But I also love the fact that I can just as easily discard that plan and do something spontaneously since I don't have anyone else's desires to deal with.

Enjoy the trip. Prague is wonderful!

Till

I love you guys!

It is so wonderful to share thoughts and experiences with serious travelers and explorers. Thank you for all of your great ideas!

I feel like part of the explorer club, even if I am traveling alone.

make a virtue
 

The walking tour is a great idea!
Yes, get a phrase book--'how do I get to" and "can I please have..." and "where is..." and of course the most important 'please' and 'thank you'-- will get you a long way, and will immerse you in the life and culture.
Walk across the main bridge up to the castle--or take a taxi to the castle and slowly walk back down hill, crossing the bridge. Walk up the tower on the bridge--great views.Don't miss St Vitus chapel.
Take some paperbacks, and possibly get a newspaper to read.
ENJOY being alone--no-one to argue, no-one saying 'I'm too tired', no-one who wants to go in another direction, no-one who is annoying. Be footloose and fancy free.
Think of it this way-traveling alone is the classic way to travel, encounter people, have adventures, and to be open to new experiences of all kinds.
Make the most of it.

I travel alone for pleasure. One thing I like to do is to get out and walk. There is so much to see and experience that would otherwise be missed. Extra things to amuse yourself when you are in your room is also a good idea. It is more pleasurable to have a general plan rather than something more rigid.

I almost always travel alone, and am one of those people who hate eating alone!

Are you completely stuck on the idea of staying in a hotel? I always stay in a hostel, and voila, instant friends :) People of all ages and nationalities stay in hostels, many of them lone travellers seeking companionship.

I'm a female who oftens travels solo on company business, and I always make sure that when I'm out and about in the evenings I look as much like a local as possible. A solo female traveler puzzling over a map in the late evening can open the door to unwanted advances, both of the amorous 'let me help you, oh lost lady traveler' sort and of the more nefarious type. I load local maps onto my iPhone to avoid constantly checking a paper map, keep my earbuds in to look like I'm occupied by mp3s (sometimes with music on, sometimes just for show), and try not to carry obvious tourist things around with me (big camera around the neck, guidebook tucked under arm).

I was in europe by myself for two weeks last year. This was my fourth time traveling to europe alone. Couple things that work but some depend on where you are staying.

Hostels - You WILL find people traveling solo looking to get something to eat with you.

Reading a book at a cafe or restaurant IMO makes you stick out to would be con artists and pick pockets.

The best part of eating alone is sitting outside table facing road/piazza etc and just watching people, cars, buses, businesses. You wont need a book.

There are free city tours in most european cities, while they are free, they hit you up on the end of the tour for a "tip". Ive met many people that after the tour ended up going out with that evening for dinner and drinks.

Ask any expats at hotel/hostel/ where the expat bars are if your are getting frustrated with the local language. After a week and a half of the trip I was in Paris, stopped in because I was getting frustrated with French and cheared me up. this is a great spot to hear native speakers, talk about REAL football. Dont stay too long because you will miss out on real pub/bar experiences.

Most of all let people know where your going back home, when you get there, how long flights, trains etc should take. Set up a blog/facebook group, post pics, thoughts, funny stories etc.

Just a couple thoughts. Have fun, go with the flow.

Interestingly, when I travel alone (usually for work), eating alone is the least of my worries. I have no trouble with the idea of reading a book or (particularly at breakfast or in a less formal place) a newspaper. I see nothing wrong with doing that, tbh.

The only places that seem to frown on lone diners are what I might term the "trendy" places, but in hotels, ordinary restaurants, and cafés it always seems to be fine.

I can see that it might be different and more difficult for a woman dining alone, especially in some settings and in some cultures, although these days women travelling alone, whether for business or leisure, are seen really very frequently.

Sightseeing when alone can be great, because you can do what you want at the speed you want and stop when when you've had enough. The downside, of course, is that you have no one to discuss it with afterwards. But when I've been away on business and have had a chance to squeeze in some tourist things, or have extended my trip to include a weekend, I have not regretted it.

My main problem when travelling alone has usually been the actual travel part: it's much harder, for example, to make enquiries at a busy railway station or work out which stop your bus or coach will be leaving from if you have to negotiate luggage and so on — much easier to be able to send one of a party of two or more to do the scouting while someone else minds the luggage.

I love travelling alone. I also love travelling with mates and i also love travelling with my girl. Each is a totally different experience.

Advantages of travelling alone is you set your own beat. Go where you want when you want. If your single, travelling alone is awesome. You meet so many people and it is easy to get dates if that's what your after.

I have travelled alone a few times and eating alone has never been a problem as I rarely do it. My routine is usually a muffin and a diet coke or something like that in my hotel room for breakfast (bought the night before) and that's usually sufficient until 2-ish, when a bar of chocolate and some fruit (purchased in a supermarket and consumed as I go about my business) should keep me going until evening. I then buy a takeaway or order room service for my evening meal. I tend to pack a lot into the day and I'm usually spent around the time I have dinner, so being back in my hotel room then suits me.

The only time it comes up is in hotels that have buffet breakfast included in the price. Then I take a book with me, but I usually book places without this option if I know I'm going to be alone.

I'd love to go to Prague - this has got me thinking, I may do a trip there before the end of summer as I've got a bit of leave left...

I have never traveled alone but I always have such admiration for those who do. I think it would be an awesome way to travel and what an accomplishment to have relied on one's wits to see you through to the end. I think you are all very brave.

I travel a lot myself because living in Manhattan most people I know do not have the money primarily but the time or desire as well (you would be surprised at the number of New Yorkers who act like their world would come crashing down if they left Manhattan for a week).

For dining, try an outdoor cafe where people are often more interested in the people going by. Bring a book or other reading material.

Now a few other suggestions. First, always make the time and effort to make a good presentation of yourself. A well groomed and dressed man or women with a proper height and weight will get a much better response from others than a slob with ill fitting and worn out clothes (no tee shirts that elude to drinking copious amounts of beer or big breasted women). Second, always have excellent manners, poise, and grace. Third, go with the flow and learn to curb expectations. Take the best out of each experience. You may go to a city and not meet a sole but find that the museums were excellent.

Good tips. I agree.

FWIW, if you want to meet a "sole" there are plenty walking around in cities, even locally, no need to travel. Otherwise the aquarium or harbor and fish market would be great places to meet a sole. In museums you can look at still life paintings for "sole encounters". But obviously it is not a single traveler's sole purpose to meet others. :)

Till

I truly believe you can never have too many books on a trip. Also, I like to make a list of things I wish to do during my trip as well as times they can be done. Beyond that, I don't like to have an itinerary opting instead to take things as they come. I hope you have a wonderful trip.

I have traveled alone in both the US and EU. I do not mind eating alone. However, I do mind when I am immediately escorted to a table by the restrooms. I will usually request a different table.

Your problem is not that you're alone but that you're carrying too much luggage :).