baydolphin

I am planning to travel to France in October and do not want to be part of a group or with couples. I am late 40's from New Zealand and have been to only to Paris and do not speak French. I would love to go to the south of France, maybe a bit of cooking school involved but a relaxed time out for a few weeks. Other option (or may do both yet!) is a cruise that includes Croatia. Is this suitable for a woman travelling alone as don't want to feel isolated!
Any suggestions including anything in between these countries would be greatfully received and I am happy to advise anything about travelling in New Zealand!

bilboburgler

I think traveling alone in France where you don't speak the language might be a bit tiring, but going on a course for part of it would be very sensible. Certainly cooking, painting, arts etc courses are available.

English is spoken in most tourist areas and if you chose somewhere with a good tourism levels you will have no problems.

October is not yet too cold either. Have a look at Toulouse, Carcassonne, Arles, Avignon, Nimes, Lyon, Dijon, Auxerre all of which cover a fair bit of land but also give you an idea of cities, towns etc.

You can do this by reading a good guide book or surfing on this site for those towns.

Kirkesgaard

Okay, two very different options I guess.

Croatia cruise you'd have to check offers. If you go for a bigger cruise you could think about departing from Venice. There is going to be cruises that would go into the Adriatic Sea and the Mediteranian. So Croatia, Italy, Greek islands and so on. Mind you, October the weather will be a little unpredictable.

For cooking classing, quite a few of my friends have been looking at options it Italy (eg. Tuscany).

Southern France is a nice idea as well (not sure about cooking classes, but why not). How about Provence? Area between Avignon, Aix and Arles. Les Alpilles is a very nice area.

I am assuming you would take a rental car. You should be fine then. Great options in that area to go out and have great dinners and great wine. We were in that area a couple of years ago mid September and had nice and warm weather most of the time. With English and a dictionary you should be fine.

Italian Lakes (Garda, Como, ..) is another option.

If a bit of rougher weather is fine, combining PAris with Normandy and Brittany, maybe with a couple of days on one of the Channel Islands is an option. Ferry from St Malo to Jersey or Guernsay (with that combining French and Brittish aspects).

Just some thoughts. Generally speaking you should be getting by with English in most areas and if not: hands and feet and a dictionary. One just has to be willing to try and ususally you'll find people wanting to help. With a cruise from any of the mediteranean ports, English will be at least one of the languages spoken on board.

If you are thinking cruise: how about starting it from Malta? As a former British colony?

bilboburgler

Just a thought, while Paris has a lot of English speakers, like any capital city people tend to be rushed and so speak fast and get frustrated with monoglots etc, you will find that outside the cities the locals are happier to slow down and work with you, so as long as you have the hello and goodbye bits sorted you will be fine.

There is guidance on this site about manners in France. They are a bit more formal (once above 25 ) than Kiwis and if you adjust that can make for a lot of help

MarnieWDC

This thread should provide some useful, and interesting, information for you. Bon Voyage !

http://www.fodors.com/community/trav...collection.cfm

isabel

I have traveled all over Europe, sometimes with my husband or daughter or friends but many times solo and in fact I'm leaving in four days for a month long solo trip to Europe. I do not'speak' any language but English although I know basic words in Italian,French,Spanish -and that is very useful in those countries where you do encounter people who don't speak English. Countries like Croatia which has a less commonly spoken language you usually find most people can speak some English. The only thing I won't do when I'm traveling alone to a country that doesn't speak English is rent a car. There is just too much that could go wrong -break down, run out of gas, get lost, etc - that you might find yourself off the beaten tourist path and need to communicate and couldn't. If traveling by train you can always read the schedule, or write down the name of where you are going and show it to people who work in the station, etc.

But you could certainly put together a nice itinerary for France that you could do by public transportation. I was in Nice (solo) a few years ago and did many day trips by train and bus. Same would be true for a base in Avignon or Aix, etc.

Croatia is also great but I would think being alone on a cruise would be kind of lonely. Seems like all the things they offer are geared towards doing with other people you are with. When you are visiting towns and cities by yourself you can sight see, wander, shop, etc - none of which requires the presence of a companion, but on a cruise ship you are stuck there except for when you do shore excursions. I'm not really into cruises but seems like if I were to do one I'd want to do it with someone. Whereas like I said, I've traveled solo lots of times and find it just as enjoyable as traveling with someone else. There are pros and cons to both.

Ackislander

You have time between now and October to learn a good many of the French polite phrases that they expect and that will ease your way everywhere.

People talk funny in the south but are much more laid back and relaxed than Parisians. I love both.

In Croatia, English is more or less universal among people under 35. I assiduously studied basic Serbo-Croat before visiting and except for saying good day and thank you, never remotely needed to use any of it.

A cruise would be nice, though you might be young for some of them, but many of the best parts of Croatia are inland. Have you seen a land-based tour you might be interested in? Entering/departing through Venice and spending a few days there and in the Veneto is a really good suggestion above. Much of the coast of Croatia was ruled by Venetians for centuries, and you will see many commonalities beyond statues of lions everywhere

adrienne

This cooking course looks like fun - it's in Julia Child's former house. I ran into a couple of women in Paris who had done this course and they enjoyed it.

I've traveled solo several times to places where there is little or no English spoken and I did not speak the local language. I got on fine. Many people in southern France and Croatia speak English and people dealing with tourists certainly speak English.

Why do people think that English is not spoken in European countries when it's the second language for most of the world? That's a question that I would love an answer to some day.

Stay in Chambre d'Hotes where you have communal dinners and you'll have an opportunity to chat with others.

I've been to both southern France and Croatia and southern France get my vote by a million to one. Rent a car so you can get out and see the small towns.

littlejane

For a single traveller Croatia (not on a cruise, but just on your own) is one of the best destinations IMO... It's a real backbacker destination so you get a good few solo travellers who are happy to chat... Rather than tables for 2 quite often the restaurants will have big tables for 8 or more and you are seated right next to another group / couple and end up having a conversation with them. Dubrovnik is just wonderful, one of my favourite places on earth.

Of course a cruise is also a great way to travel on your own.

Southern France would also be fine for a woman travelling solo but I suspect will be more solitary i.e. in general you will not find youself surrounded by people open to conversation. If you are happy with that, then you should enjoy whatever you choose.

kja

I've been to both France and Croatia as a solo female - wonderful! I'm a firmly committed solo traveller - I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. It is truly an indulgence for me. Learn a few basic words (thank you, please, WC, maybe wine) and you should be fine. Enjoy!

baydolphin

Thank you all so much for your comments and advice - this has given me much to think about and research and I too am committed to becoming a happy solo traveller after travelling with partners, children & friends it is time to explore on my own!