FAMOUSUNCLEART...

as a direct answer to your question: yes, i would and do occasionally travel alone. my wife is a teacher and this restricts joint trips to two basic times of the year. sometimes, i need to get out of town and on my own. she understands.

that said, i like to travel with my wife. she is funny and perceptive and she lights up like a little girl at each new discovery. i miss this a lot when i'm flying solo.

Hiya Suze: We are alike. You are the first person who said she likes post office buildings. They fascinate me. The markets also. I have a series of photos of small grocery stores. buildings--especially in Rotterdam-- and open air flea markets.

Also, the home exchange gives me an excellent chance to see what and how the people live. (That sounds a bit snobbish but I don't mean it that way)
In Amsterdam, I had a washer but I took my laundry to a shop on the corner. Did my laundry there, met people who lived in the neighborhood, and chatted them up a bit. There's nothing like dirty laundry to bring out the best in people
be it NYC or Paris or Amsterdam.

My wife, Susan, (Notice how many Susan's there are replying to this) was pretty much like your wife, Subcon, and in many ways..some very minor..I would like someone to be with me. I just wanted to extol the joys of going it alone. To steal from Ol' Blue Eyes'.."I did it my way". lol

Suze, You nailed the one thing I consider an inconvience about solo travel. Watching the luggage while you run to the bathroom, buy train tickets, etc. Other than that, Uncle Art pretty much sums up my experience perfectly.

Kascha92.There is so much I can tell you about Amsterdam. In one week, you can cover pretty much the highlights of the city. Obviously, the Van Gogh Musuem is a beautifully designed building, and you can spend two hours in there very easily. So is the Rijksmuseum, a stately building, the famous Night Watch by Rembrandt, but I found the history of the Netherlands much more interesting.

The Anne Frank home is a must. Don't be put off by the modern front. I had been to Amsterdam twice before and skiped it since I thought might be too commercial for such a tragice event. It isn't.

It's in an area called Jordaan which is a wonderful place to walk, lots of different buildings, small cafes, and a beautiulf church. Bring your camera!

I think the Martitime Museum is a must, and the Nemo building is awesome, the science part is okay.

I am not sure if you are in a large city, but you can get information from
the Netherlands Tourist bureau.

Some suggestions, get a stipticket for the trams and buses...very helpful. Watch the bikes. Very dangerous and make sure you are not in a bike path.

If you have time, I suggest a day trip to Delft. I thought the Delft factory was a real revelation.

Also Enkhuisen and Madurodam. You can find out more about them by looking up my postings here. Look at Den Helder for Enkhuisen and there is one specifically about Madurodam.

I know you'll enjoy Amsterdam. The people are great and if you are there try to get to open air food market and eat the herring, pickles and onions>
Enjoy

I travel as often as possible, and really like to travel alone; you can certainly learn a lot about yourself. I like the annonimity, plus find that I am much more resourceful. On the other hand, there are moments that would be wonderful to share, and those I make note of in a journal. I tend to walk, read, rest more when alone. I have made trips with others and will certainly say that you find out things previously undiscovered. One reason that I travel with others now is that it can be prohibitively expensive solo. However do have one travel pal that has similiar interests yet is very independent; we often go separate ways during the day and meet for a drink and dinner. Perfect. I am at a stage of life that I don't have one grain of extra sand in my hour glass; so if going alone or not going at all were the question, there would be no question.

As a younger woman (before the current DH!), I loved traveling alone!

I met so many great people in my travels - had so many "romance novel" experiences - it was all great!

In my experience, a single person has a much greater chance of being welcomed into a family or group when traveling - almost everywhere I went in Europe I met people who invited me to parties or to their homes to meet their families.

Like others have said, when you travel alone you are on your own schedule - you can eat what and when you want, see what you want and hang out where you want - it's a great way to go!

I have never been lonely when traveling alone - I have always felt lucky to have so much freedom of choice!

I so agree with you. I am an up late person, J is in bed early. So Alone I can do my own schedule and meet more people when solo. A few of my best trips have been when I was travelling by myself.

Someone mentioned flea markets, etc. in foreign cities. I love poking through them, while many of my friends are appalled at this habit. They're generally not the first place you think of going when you're in a new city, but i have always had a great time and have found brilliant things. Rome, Paris, Amsterdam and many other cities all have their local open air markets. I even do this in the US. Grocery and drug stores are another favorite stopping place.

Indytravel - You're right, single and in your 40's is an awkward age. Too many married friends who are caught up in their children's lives to be able to do anything. I always hope that they're jealous that i can take off and travel.

The Joy of Travelling Solo is that your plans are not changed at the whim of your friends!

I love this phrase: "I am at a stage of life that I don't have one grain of extra sand in my hour glass." How true for all of us no matter what our age.

It is nice to have a special person to share things with but if life-changes happen and they are no longer around or even if they can't travel with you, your grains of sand are still dropping away, so don't waste them by waiting and wishing for a travel companion.

I traveled alone to Italy for the first time earlier this year and had the time of my life. I would have never thought I would enjoy it at all, but I grew as a person and accepted and conquered challenges as they happened and became more interesting even to myself.

This past trip to Italy (I just returned on Monday) was comprised of three couples and one single man and we had a really wonderful time too. We all compromised and got along well, even though one couple would go along with an idea only to speak out later that they would have rather been doing something else (!)...

Now that I have traveled alone, I have learned so much about myself and have learned to be honest with myself and this effects my relations with others in a positive way.