I have not checked it out myself but Lonely Planet's BB called the Thorn Tree has a "Traveling Companions" branch. www.lonelyplanet.com

What about adding some kind of organized activity like a cooking class or a hiking or biking tour? Even a guided tour thru a museum if you made a point to chat with others and mention the possibility of dinner if you found a single or couple you liked?

As I often do! I agree with P_M and her tips for successful solo dinners.

Funny, in one restaurant, the waiter took my order and then came back with magazines and papers for me. I guess he didn't want me to be bored.

Barb, I've had similar experiences! It's kind of awkward when people ask you to join them for dinner when you're sitting alone, to kindly say thanks but you really are enjoying yourself just fine -LOL.

I was thinking about traveling solo to Italy and after reading many postings about single female travelers I was wondering if there was a website where people can meet and maybe agree to travel together or simply meet up if they happen to be in a certain country at the same time. I would love to meet other people who, like me, have a such a passion for travel that they are willing to do it on their own.

Traveling alone can be very liberating, but I still find dining alone to be difficult. Wouldn't it be great if there was a way for all these solo travelers to meet up for dinner and a drink to share some stories?

Any ideas?

I am going to Costa Rica in July. Has anyone done the Crocodile Tour? I would love to see alot of animals close up.

I don't know about the crocodile tour but we did see crocodiles in a river. The array of animal life in Costa Rica is outstanding. Be sure to take binoculars or even a spotting scope (although they may bring a scope along on a tour) for bird viewing. We even enjoyed watching the leaf cutter ants. <BR> <BR>It can be fairly dark under the forest canopy so, if you're taking photos, you might want to take along some faster film.

<BR>To my knowlwedge there are no crocodile tours in Costa Rica. In the town of Tarcoles where the river empties into the Pacific there are salt water crocs. I don't remember the name of the restaurant/bar in Tarcoles but every now and then someone throws a live chicken in the water so that you can watch the fun. There are lots of Cayman in the area and I know that there are other areas in Costa Rica that have crocs and maybe someone else will pick up n this and give the the info. Hasta - Dennis