I want to travel to London and the English <BR>countryside in October but uncertain about <BR>how much time I want to be travelling alone. <BR>Have not traveled much. The last time was <BR>20 years ago and if I could do it that way <BR>again I would be happy: flew to Greece with <BR>the Greek Theosophical Society (only for the <BR>cheaper plane fare), but on the plane met <BR>another single woman and we agreed to sightsee somethings together, and split up <BR>for other things....worked out well. I don't <BR>want to go to London with one of those planned guided tours, but also don't want to <BR>travel alone! Any suggestions? <BR>

If you don't want to do a "if it's tuesday, it must be Cornwall" tour, plan your own, then take an occasional "day tour" to, say, Windsor Castle or Bath. You'll be with a group for a while, and maybe meet another woman or couple that are doing the do-it-yourself tour also. Britain offers day passes (can't remember the name) for sightseeing buses to a variety of places. Even if you don't meet anybody, you'll have a few hours of companionship! <BR>And England is really easy for a woman traveling alone; the Brits seem to not think it's unusual for a woman on her own! <BR>

Just returned from a week in London by myself and it was fine. Although I like solitude, I know it's easy to feel alone in a big city so you may want to sign up for some half day tours - that way you'll talk to someone other than hotel staff and may meet people to have lunch or dinner with that day. Day trips are a great idea - last time I was there, I did Dover and Brighton (both easy to reach via Brit Rail and fascinating.) This trip I stayed in London, revisiting favorite spots; I highly recommend taking a walking tour. "The Original London Walking Tour" group offers a huge variety of tours, all day, all week. I took two evening tours (Jack the Ripper and Ghosts of London) since, as a single traveller, I find nights somewhat difficult to fill up. As Elvira said, women traveling alone are not treated any differently. <BR> <BR>Lucky you - October sounds like a great time to go! Think about going north to York - lots of history and beautiful scenery.

Joann, <BR>When traveling in the countryside, consider staying at B&Bs rather than hotels. The informal atmosphere of a B&B, more personal attention and interaction with other guests may solve your concerns about solitary travel. There are a number of websites for B&Bs. Among them, check out: <BR> <BR>www.beduk.co.uk - Accommodations in United Kingdom <BR>www.kgp-publishing.co.uk - B&Bs in London, Great Britain; self catering cottages <BR>

Joann - I traveled to Briton alone 5 yrs ago and loved it. I stayed in London and had a Britrail Pass and went to Oxford and stayed a couple of days and stayed in Morton-on-Marsh and took one day to just ride the rails and hop on & off the trains as I chose. I think if I had the opportunity to travel to London alone again I would probably sign up for one of the London Walks. I enjoy solitude and loved that I could change my itineray on my own whim. I also traveled the latter part of Septebet into October and had great weather. One thing I did do I carried a pad with me and made notes especially as I rode the trains. Have fun.

Joann, <BR>Since there's been references to some of the London walks in the previous postings, here's a list of websites relating to a number of them: <BR>www.london.walks.com - London walking tours <BR>www.walklon.ndirect.co.uk - London walking tours <BR>www.guided-walks-in-london.net - London walking tours <BR> <BR>You might find them of interest. You might want to consider the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London one evening, since one of the prior posters commented on the difficulty for a single person in finding things to do in the evening. If interested, Email me directly and I'll provide you with the info necessary to gain ticketing for the ceremony.

Thank you so much for all of your <BR>wonderful replies! You've offered <BR>great info. and ideas, and for someone <BR>like me who hasn't traveled, it's very <BR>reinforcing to hear that going solo can still allow you to connect with others. <BR>Speaking of solo, I heard of an agency <BR>in Connecticut called Solo-Flights, <BR>specializing in trips for those traveling solo. Has anyone ever had any experience with them? Thank you.

While we (my sister and I) were in England in May, we took several 1/2 day and day tours with BackRoads Touring which we enjoyed, particularly the evening pub tour. They use "minivans" that carry no more than 12 people. <BR>Their website is http://www.backroadstouring.co.uk/

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topping for Joann

I *love* to travel alone, so it's hard for me to give a good answer (I am 49, single, female, american). I just prefer to be able to go where I want, and do exact what I want to do, without worry or compromise about a traveling companion. So take the good advice given above, spend plenty of time planning for yourself on the internet and with guidebooks, etc. Enjoy enjoy enjoy!!

I spent a week in London alone back in November. Part of the time I was there on business, but I had a lot of free time. I had a great time. I saw what I wanted to see at my own pace. Each day, I checked with the concierge to find out how to get where I am going and what else I needed to know. This made things go very smoothly. <BR><BR>I would recommend a walking tour one day of your stay. You generally do not have to book them in advance. Check out Londonwalks.com