I travelled to Paris alone without my husband and three kids six years ago for just three days. It was the most amazing experience - to do whatever I wanted, at the pace I wanted, without strollers, car seats, bathroom breaks, "I'm starving and I hate the food", etc. I am a stay at home mom and at that point I needed a real break. I walked all over Paris for two days, and had a car take me to Giverny for half a day. Truthfully, I was thinking the whole time "Oh my God, my kids would love this and this and that" and Paris is a very very romantic city, so I felt a little lonely at different moments, but it was so wonderful anyway and I saw so much in such a short time because I could keep moving. My husband travelled all over the world when he was little and I don't think it was the best experience because he just is not interested in travelling now. I think his parents made it miserable. But anyway, the only problem I had was that my car driver hit on me. Of course, now that makes a funny story but at the time it was uncomfortable. You should go and enjoy every minute. Where are you thinking of going?

By the way, I am finally taking my kids to Paris in February!

This one has pretty much run the gamet with so many wonderful answers for you. I'll just take up my little space here.

One long UK & Ireland solo when unmarried and while married, I went once alone to Eastbourne with trips to London and South Downs area; coming up in Feb. I'm going solo to Paris. Each married solo trip was/will be one week: my son joined me for a second week on the England trip.

Bad: Others haven't said this so I may be in the minority but there's no denying it, for me at least, alone has had it's wierd and lonely moments. Didn't Jim Morrison sing,"people look strange when your a stranger, faces look ugly when you're alone"...? And solo for me sometimes runs along those lines. Sorry to report it isn't all peaches and cream for me, but you asked, and not everybody experiences this.

But I go! And this is why:

Good: The feeling of getting away from everyone you know (your hub, fam, friends - anyone who knows you) combined with getting far away in a different country of your choice is priceless! You are free, free as you've rarely experienced. Do what you want. I just love that part and you will too, I bet. It's cool.

Great thread!

Answers: Yes. Europe lots as a solo. Have gone with hubby too. As another poster said, I have way too many other solo trips to list.

Europe is cool but I have gone all over the world solo, with hubby or with the family or with a friend or two.

Length 6 months to 6 days solo.

Went with one tour group decades ago: UGGGHHHHH.

I get all kinds of responses, comments, advice, love, jealousy, hate, fears, cheers etc.

I spend all kinds of money, I save some, I spluge some...I dine fine and I dine casual. I dress up and I dress down. I never eat in my room or eat early.
I go dancing, drinking, exploring solo without a pause. I am cautious, curious and can say that while being alone I am not lonely. Homesick? you bet but I get homesick at times when I travel with hubby and the family too.

If you google you will find many travel boards for solo women travellers.

Enjoy!

My DH and I started having separate vacations back in 1972. I recall the neighbors in my "small town mid-America" being totally flabbergasted with the very thought of it all.

I have not been to any European countries on my own, but I have been to all 50 states, he has not. I have been to Australia and the south Pacific 5 times. He hasn't been once! I've been to places in Thailand and SE Asia that he hasn't seen yet.

The running joke became... are you taking your husband this time??? The answer is, yes, we did travel together during holiday times (spring break and Christmas vacation). Now I am newly retired from teaching elementary school, and we are traveling more together. We both enjoy seeing new places and old favorites. When we are there, we often go our separate ways for shopping and photo taking.

Traveling alone has its benefits. I'm glad I did it for so many years. And I still will!

tedgale wrote: "Most men -- straight or gay -- cannot manage alone and are petrified by someone who can."

What a cute, but totally out-dated notion. This is not the 1950/60's.

I travel solo all the time - Canada, all over the U.S., Scotland, England, Japan (a particularly comfortable place to be a woman solo). I highly recommend it. When "friends" raise an eyebrow and comment on how odd this is for two people who supposedly love each other I show them my 35th wedding anniversary gifts and they leave us alone.

do any women out there struggle with guilt because they feel pulled between the older generation attitudes and more modern attitudes of society. Particually women in mid forties range.

Of course! I often travel for business and always try to squeeze a vacation in either before or after the trip...I've been solo to Vienna (several times), Copenhagen, Stockholm, London, Paris, Milan and the lakes, Switzerland and so on.
At the moment we're sort of in a forced traveling apart mode. We recently moved to the UK, but my husband is still doing a lot of work back in Brussels, staying there for days at a time, so I head down to London twice a week on my own.
One of my best friends thinks it's very odd and sad that we're separated so much, but both my husband and I grew up in families where the father was away for long periods...my dad was a mining engineer and was often off for weeks at a time in Africa or South America (and seldom to places that my mother wanted to visit); my husband's dad directed major construction projects (i.e., he was in charge of building the Citibank Tower in Hong Kong, the Equitable complex in NYC [better known among Fodorites as the place where Le Bernardin restaurant is located], the Charlotte Coliseum, etc.). He spent several months in Indonesia on a project while his wife and kids lived in Perth, Australia.
Anyway, for us, while traveling separately isn't ideal or what we'd choose to do, it doesn't feel all that strange either.

BTilke, our friends and family also think it's sad we do not vacation together more often. We don't think it's sad at all, and I wish everyone else would just get over it and stop making comments. As I said in my earlier post we have very different interests, plus he has so little time off. It makes a lot more practical sense just to do our own thing, that way neither of us is deprived of doing what we enjoy.

P_M, don't you love the way some people critique other peoples marriages when maybe their own needs some attention.

I sometimes took trips on my own, my late DH went off with the fellows for "deer hunting" (NO he never even tried to shoot a deer) for about 10 days every autumn. None of the fellows did, just an excuse for a "guys time away".

He played golf once a week and also played in golf tournaments. I had no interest in golf

I went on overnighters to SF with girlfriends for shopping etc.

We had a fantastic marriage. And always had interesting and fun things to talk about.

Most of the people that had raised eyebrows were so bored (and boring) in their marriages. It is funny but sad. I personally wouldn't have changed a thing.

BTW, our shopping trips, dinners out and vacations were fantastic together. Also our time at home, chatting over a glass of wine will dinner cooked etc.

I truly hope that no one worries about what "others think". Do what works in your marriage. That is all that is important. ((*))

thanks loveItaly thats is what I feel too, people are quick to judge, its disappointing.

enjoylife,
(my thoughts on this )
There is always someone who will have an opinion on how <i>You</i> should do this or that.
I have in the not too distant past had a couple of people (single women) who made disparaging remarks because my husband and I do everything <i>together</i>! When invited to go on a trip with someone I hardly knew, I said I would take that trip with him, I was critisized..
So my attitude on this is do what You and Your Husband are happy to do and who cares what so-called friends have to say!! ( My real friends are just happy for me to be happy, they never give me advise on how to live my life)

adviCe...sheesh..:)

<i>Never take on a trip anything you can't afford to lose.</i>

My only solo travel was in Montreal, but that didn’t really count. Tony was up in Montreal for some training and I flew up, stayed with him in his hotel and went out into the city on my own during the day and enjoyed the sights alone. I even dined alone for dinner, expect the one day he was off.

I have plans to travel to the Baltics on a 14-night cruise with 4 nights pre-cruise in London in May with my Mom Dorothy. However, she was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and will soon start chemo and radiation therapy. She and I are hoping she'll be done with the treatments prior to May so she can go on this trip, but we won't until she starts all this. We’ll have to see what the Dr. says. And of course, we won’t know the results of the treatments until about March or April when she’ll have x-rays to see if the cancer is gone. If so, then no more treatments - if not, then another round. We also won’t know how she’ll be feeling in May – if she’ll be up to a busy cruise schedule.

Mom offered to pay for my single supplement on the cruise knowing how much I want to go (and how much I love to travel) and all the planning I’ve done, but the cruises charge 200% for a single passenger! I told her, &quot;Thanks for the generous offer, that’s just too much for you to pay.”

Tony, my husband, has vacation scheduled for October (the pilots get their vacations based on seniority) and may not be able to move it, plus he would have to take some of the days without pay (18 day trip versus 12 days of paid vacation). The other problem is if USAirways goes bye-bye in the next 2 months, which he thinks will happen, he doesn’t know if that will include Midatlantic, USAirways subsidiary who he flys for. So he may be out of a job … again!

Up to today, I plans were “Mom or cancel completely.” After reading some of these posts and the one quote that I copied here, if Mom can’t go with me, I’m going to splurge and pay the single supplement. This IS a trip of a lifetime. There will be several couples on this trip that I met on my 2003 Med. cruise. With my cruise friends, I won’t be completely alone. And paying the single supplement will be less expensive than Tony coming.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Mom will be feeling wonderful and ready to go on the trip with me.

Monica ((F))

Good Afternoon!
I thought I would bring this post alive again....can anyone recommend a good Women's Travel Club?

Three weeks in Provence, two in Paris, One week to London.

There is no alone like being married and feeling alone.
Such was my case. I divorced him and my world almost immediately opened up. No children in that marriage, but I did get custody of the friends.
Once the doors and windows were all opened, I was free.
I go out to dinner here at home guess how? ALONE! The theater (one can often get GREAT seats because there is only 1!)
Then I started to earn more so I travelled. My joy was my one week to Paris. And it was my joy. I was so proud of me.
In a few weeks I am getting married.
Already, he and I've been to Europe so that I could meet his family in Germany.
He travels for work anyway and just loves it!
I'm blessed.
And as to the posters above, Scarlett has the right of it..why do people care sooooo much what others think?

Hello again....thanks Cigalechanta, for the travel itinerary, and congratulations, SusieC on your up and coming wedding. However, can anyone out there recommend a Women's Travel Club that offers various, active itinerary in a variety of countries...age group 40-65ish? Thanks...

Welig, LOL that's not my itinerary but where I've traveled alone through the years but I found this for you:

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/