Thanks FainaAgain and Madison for the support!

You might want to read the new and very interesting post by Marzipan about her less than thrilling solo recent trip to London, Paris, etc.

titled "my travel tales/updates..."

I travelled alone to Europe last year for two weeks and had a great time and felt very safe. I think alot of people thought I was taking a real chance going by myself because I'm a woman. Some people just out and out said that I was crazy and why would I want to do something like that alone and how unsafe it is for a woman alone. I don't always have any one to go with me and I don't want that to stop me, so off I went anyway with lots of encouragement from this board. I think if your wife is fine with your travelling alone to London and Paris, go for it. You're very lucky to have a wife like that and you should feel blessed. What other people think is really irrelevant as long as your wife has given you the thumbs up. My daughter also travelled around Europe for two weeks on her own and loved it. If you're not the kind who can be alone, then it might be a little hard, but then there are always tours you can join, which I did, and be around people and make friends that way. Go and do this and have a great time. This can only make your marriage stronger. We so appreciate a spouse who is so understanding and supportive. Good Luck!!

I just finished a two week trip to Europe by myself and had the trip of my life. Look up my trip report. I am already dreaming of my next trip.

DH doesn't love travel, I do. I go alone, he looks at my pictures, wishes me well and enjoys hearing my stories. Works for us. Ignore the critics, do it!

Suze I read marzipan's post, it is a shame she had a less than desirable time. savannah300,cmcfong Thanks for the relpies about your experiences. I am blessed to have a wife like mine, She is being great about this, she know how much i have always wanted to do this. she knows last year was a hard one for me, my grandmother who lived with me from the time I was born till I moved out and got married and was more my mother than my mother passed away. It has been difficult, she used to come on vaction with us and the kids ( my in laws hate to travel and my mother only travels 1st class with my step father and did not like doing "kid" stuff when i was a child so it is even less now). I remember she loved Elvis Presley and as a child I told her I am going to take you to elvis's house one day, 2 years ago me my wife and my 2 sons went with her to tennessee and we took her to Graceland she was so excited. Sorry for the long aside, mama's (what I called my grandmother) death made me realize life is short and you have to do those things you want to do. I have one friend who along with my wife has been supportive she says mama is smiling down on me and how excited I am about this trip, she said mama would rather me go and enjoy myself and think of her then when I am happy and not in saddness. This one friend is actually considering going someplace alone. Everyone else thinks I am crazy! But like everyone says here If my wife is ok with it everyone else's negative comments can go in one ear and out the other!! anyway I am going to get my wife a day at a spa when I come back and will take the kids for an all day outing. I also found a jewllery store in London I am going to get her earings at, and my sons have a list of things they want. My wife is helping me plan stuff to do while in London and Paris and is insiting I see stonehenge for her. It is funny almost every place we have gone in the USA we went for the first time together and after we had kids with them. But the only places we have gone outside of the usa were cancun, cozumel, the ruins of chinchenitza (all in Mexico) and I went there first in college and after we were married we went together and I showed her around. I have a feeling It will be like that with europe. Oh someone had a journal Idea I am definately going to do that and I am going to email daily and let them know what I have done. Lostmymind I read your trip report sounds like you had quite a trip!! I am so glad I am not alone in travelling alone!

I think your wife has the right idea!

The first trip anywhere, no matter how much research you do beforehand is always the hardest.

This way you get to do the advance legwork for a family trip in a few years time and this trip will make it easier to decide where to go, what to see and how to get around.

Have a wonderful time, BTW quote "I am getting her a day at a spa to use when I get back"

Hmm.... a DAY???? How about a long weekend with a girlfriend? :-)

Oh and rd1,

We want a trip report! [-o<

I'm single, so I've almost always travelled alone and never found it a problem. Only you know the people who are teasing you about this, but just tell yourself they're jealous. If it's more than affectionate teasing, those are people who don't get a postcard or a share of whatever goodies you manage to bring home.

I agree, it would be nice if you eventually extended the same privilege to your wife that she's so graciously extended to you. The day at the spa and the day with the kids is a great start. That said, she might not be interested for a few years, if your children are young.

rd1 - I am also planning my first solo (international) trip and like you the question that pops up the most (or just irritates me the most) is what if something happens to you!

I geared up this summer with two big city domestic solo's and can't wait for Paris!

Why you choose to travel by yourself is nobody else's business and don't feel you have to justify your desire to your Mother or anyone else. As you have seen, people jump to all sorts of "conclusions" when anything that might make them "uncomfortable" (or, more likely, they wouldn't dare do on their own) is suggested and it is probably their way of justifying their own negative feelings. And, unfortunately, that sometimes happens right here on this board.

As most here have said, "Ignore them" and, furthermore, take any and all trip reports for what they are: not necessarily indicative of what you will encounter but usually offered in good faith.

I'm sure you'll enjoy your trip.

Hi
Thanks again for the replies! I told my wife if she want she could go away longer with a friend or her sister, but she says she is not sure she is ready to do that, but I did offer,and told her whenever she wants to let me know and I would stay with the kids, I am encouraging her to do that as I think she would have fun if she went away with a girlfriend or her sister. the spa day is something she has wanted for a long time, that and a coach purse, so I will probably get her both. I am just choosing to ignore the people that say negative things! It is true too People who are negative will get no gifts! I do take the trip reports for what they are peopl'e own experiences, I am sure I will have a great time and be very busy!
Thanks again

Boy, aren't people just plain stupid sometimes. My husband and I have totally different interests. Sometimes we take vacations together, sometimes separately. Just depends what each of us wants to see and do and how much overlap there is. Go and have a great time. Then let her have her great time at the spa when you come back. I agree that it can occasionally get a little lonesome when you're used to a spouse and kids to share things with, but the experience will trump any fleeting loneliness.

RD, I can see you are a relatively new poster here, if I can make a suggestion.

When you post, please break the text into paragraphs for easier reading.

Our eyes get tired and not easy to "hold a line" when the text is long.

budzilla thanks! I am sure I will feel a bit loney at times, but i know the experience will be great!

FainaAgain i see what you mean, sorry! I will definately do that in the future. Thanks for the suggestion!

rd1, it's very easy to phone your family anytime that's convenient when you are in Europe. Just buy a phone card from a corner store type place, and ask the clerk the best one to get to make calls to the USA. He or she will help you out with a good choice. Then go to a payphone and give them a call, considering the time zones of course!

Your wife and kids can get phone cards or a long-distance calling plan and call you in your hotel room also.

Thanks WillTravel, I heard from several people that London Hotels charge a large service fee to use the phones in the room so I definately will be using the payphones. There is not a charge to recieve calls in the room is there?

Also I found out I can use my cell phone internationally, the rate is .99 a minute but it will work out great for quick calls like I got here, I just saw the tower of London and ok I am in the room call me now!

I just have to make sure I do not run out of batteries. The adapter and converter would run me like $50.00

rd1, it's interesting you should mention about London hotels. I've stayed at several Holiday Inns in London. They do not charge for receiving calls - BUT so far they all do have a front-desk number that has a 0870 prefix. These 0870 numbers, which are common to many UK companies of all sorts, unfortunately, are somewhat more expensive to phone from the US or Canada than a "regular" UK number. For example, my family was using a phone card that cost about 3-5 cents per minute to phone a regular number in the UK, but more like 40 cents/minute to phone this 0870 number.

I got around this problem by asking the hotels for a number my family could call that was not a 0870 number. So take a look at what the front-desk number for your hotel is, and if you do see the 0870, use the above strategy.

Other than the fact you have to stand around, it's not bad to use payphones, and at least you know you won't lose any more than the value of the card. You're right about the exorbitant charges for any sort of call from the room.

Whatever you do, don't fall for the scam you sometimes see plastered at payphones where you use a service that requests your credit card number. Many people have reported prices for these that are simply outrageous, like $20-40/minute.

If you don't have a phone card, it's a simple matter to put a coin into the phone and just dial direct like this:
001 (your 3-digit area code) (your 7-digit number)

I'm not sure of the exact rate, but you can have at least a brief conversation for one pound.