I will be traveling alone in London and Paris in the near future. I have never traveled solo before so I am a bit nervous. Does any one have any advice on this? I will be spending about a week in each location and would like to go as budget as possible. any suggestions??? <BR>Thanks in Advance..

hiya miguel..i didnt want your post to go unanswered..i hope i can be of some help to you. <BR>i have travelled alone to both paris and london..and have always enjoyed myself. <BR>if you could make your concerns a little more specific,ie, hotels, transportation,what to see..it would make getting a help a lot easier...i will check back to see what you have come up with.

Lisa, <BR>Let see...places to stay in London, places to eat, transportation, things to see, markets...or any thing else that you think that I would find useful.. As far as traveling alone, I'm not worried about safety or anything like that(i've lived in large cities all my life) it is just something new to me. Did you find it easy to meet other travelers or locals? <BR> <BR>Also sorry for the double post. my computer has tendences to act weird...

hiya again! <BR>ok...that makes it a bit easier. <BR>since i am more familiar with london..lets start there. i prefer the bloomsbury area as far as hotels go..i usually stay at the morgan..but if that is not available.. there are tons of other hotels close by. there is easy access to 2 tube stops. i arm myself with a tube map,city street map..and a britrail pass if you plan on travelling out of the city...the tube is very easy to negotiate..just plan on LOTS of stairs. <BR>what to see? first..get a good travel book or 2...see what interest you there. <BR>lots to see in the city,westminter, the tower of london,st.pauls,more museums than you can count..i really enjoyed the national portrait gallery...too much to list really. <BR>where to eat? that depends on your budget..inexpensive?..most pub food plus lots of other places i have stumbled into. there are so many resturants..it depends on what you like to eat.expensive...rules, simpsons,ivy,resturant at the savoy hotel...i could go on forever! <BR>if you like..i can email you with addresses etc. just give me a shout. <BR>by the way.. what is the PDX in your email address? <BR>hope this helps <BR>lisa

I've done some traveling alone, including Paris and Brussels a few weeks ago. It's a "different" experience, but kind of spiritual, introspective thing. To tell you the truth, I was really looking to meet anyone there and I was more of an "observer" on this trip. I did some train travel and there are lots of "incidental" contacts in any given day. It's a great way to enjoy things like art museums and things like that. I always met people in restaurants, etc. In London, the best time I had alone was in a little breakfast place where a lot of the neighborhood painters, plumbers, carpenters, etc would hang it. It was one of those places where you just slide up to the table with whoever else was there. Very interesting conversations! Sports pubs are also a sure-fire way to meet people. Happy trails! <BR>

You don't say how old you are Miguel. I too like Bloomsbury for both location and value. If you are young 20s the Lancaster Gate/Paddington Station area has many inexpensive hotels and there are lots of younger folks (I'm in my 30's) around there and it is near Imperial College. Pubs are an easy way to meet others and good place to get a cheap meal too! <BR>I find Paris easier to travel alone in than London especially for eating in restaurants, Parisian waiters just don't seem to take notice if you're alone or part of a crowd. Again if you're in your 20s I'd suggest hotels in the Latin Quarter. Again, young people many inexpensive hotels and lively at night. If you're older you may want a quieter areas like the 7th. The Marais, (4th) is a great area too. <BR>Traveling alone is great. I find it easier to talk to strangers while traveling than at home. The farther you get from home the smaller the world seems. The common experience of traveling seems enough to start wonderful conversations. Eat at outdoor cafes, listen to talk around you. Don't hesitate to approach fellow travelers. Another way to meet others is through daytime tours, like a biking tour of Paris, for example. <BR>Have fun, <BR>Betsy <BR>

Since you want to go budget and are alone, I suggest youth hostels. In London, I stayed at the International Student House, which is about $17USD a night, and is probably the nicest hostel I've been in, but it's pretty quiet. There are more 'party' hostels. <BR> <BR>I stayed at Le Village in Paris, I also really liked it, but there are many more in Paris. I think that was about $16 a night. <BR> <BR>By the way, you don't have to be a youth to stay at youth hostels - some travellers there are over 60! <BR> <BR>Check www.eurotrip.com - there's a bulletin board on that site that will give you more info as you formulate your plans. <BR> <BR>Have a great time!

I am sure others can fill you in on where to stay or what to see. I've travelled alone frequently to Paris, Dublin, London, Brussels, Amsterdam etc. I've never had any problem, in fact travelling solo allows you to change plans without consulting anyone, to spend as much or as little time at a location as you want. If you want company, you could always post your plans on this web site (or FlyerTalk) and I'm sure someone will be able to meet up with you for a meal or a drink.