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Plea for a Solo 40th Birthday Trip
*This message is also posted on the Solo and Europe forums.
Well my dear Fodorites, it’s time to admit the truth. While many of you know me as a solo woman traveler in my “early to mid 30s,” the plain, unvarnished truth is that I’m actually 39. And I’ll be turning 40 in less than 3 months. Solo. Only recently did I come to acknowledge this grim truth about myself – in the face of incontrovertible evidence - so it is only now that I can admit it to you, fair readers. The real turning point for me came after my most recent solo trip this past week to Amsterdam (separate trip report to be posted this weekend), where I had a serious identity crisis related to lost carry-on luggage, which culminated in the acceptance of this imminent birthday fact. This crisis was the result of seeing (again, I gasp) numerous trip photos of myself in which the lines on my face were uncannily similar to satellite photos of the myriad peaks and valleys of the Grand Canyon. I am no longer 22. While viewing said photos, it suddenly occurred to me that my lost carry-on luggage <i> may have actually fallen from the overhead bin into the large furrow on my forehead while I was sleeping on the in-bound flight </i> - and that the disappearance of my luggage was, in fact, not the fault of KLM (my head DID feel kind of heavy, but I thought it was just the jetlag). Now I owe a letter of apology to the airline. (Insidious furrow! Perhaps all the socks that I thought were lost in the dryer are actually floating somewhere in this vortex as well!.......But wait...maybe I should try to look on the bright side: I no longer need to wear a money belt). I suppose that, in both a philosophical and practical sense, <i> having </i> this birthday is better than the <i> alternative </i> (e.g. NOT reaching 40) But still….I struggle. <b> So now I need your help </b>: I want to turn things around – I want my 40th birthday to be a <i> memorable </i> (and hopefully positive) experience, so I’ve decided that I want to take the trip of a lifetime in celebration of this milestone. I have 12 days at the end of May to travel anywhere in the world. Solo, of course. <b> If you were turning 40, traveling solo, and had 12 days to go anywhere in the world with no restrictions, where would you go? </b> Let’s make it memorable. IDEAS: I have been toying with the idea of spending my 12 days in Costa Rica, Argentina, Greece (where I have never been); OR the south of France (I’ve been to northern France, but never south of Paris); maybe Scandinavia. CRITERIA: I should say that I tend to enjoy cities - historical places with nice museums and beautiful architecture and landmarks and tons of good food, but I’m open to something new and different. I’ve never been to a relaxing place with beaches – as I tend to get horrible sunburns – but if it was a place where there are also a lot of OTHER things to do, I’d definitely consider it. N.B.: While I love beautiful places, I’d like a place that’s good for a SOLO traveler – I want to avoid any place that is overly associated with honeymoons or that has tons of couples walking around hand in hand, smooching and making lovey-dovey noises at each other on every corner. Having to deal with this type of thing for 12 days on a solo trip would undoubtedly send me over the edge (and I mean wayyyy over the edge). If anyone out there has ever taken an amazing trip (particularly a solo trip for a milestone birthday) - I’d love to hear from you – Actually, I’d love ideas from anyone. Thanks for all the tips the encouragement over the past couple of years! :D Magellan |
Oh to be forty again. From the distant vantage point of 61, it looks so beautiful. Get thee to Argentina! Have a wonderful trip. See it all, life is short and forty is still on the front end of the good times! Happy birthday
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Oh, to be 60 again! LOL!!!
Argentina, OF COURSE! After all Magellan was around here CENTURIES ago! LOL!!! More seriously, do some more research and consider us. |
Puerto Vallarta Mexico is a place I often spend a couple weeks solo. It's very comfortable, yet still authentic. Depending on the type of hotel you choose, you can avoid the family/couple/honeymoon thing entirely. There's loads more to PV than beaches.
Honolulu/Waikiki is the other place I frequent as a solo female. Again it is comfortable, safe, yet exotic. Plenty of people around to mingle with, or not, as you choose. There's loads more to Hawaii than beaches. My milestone birthday trips have been: 40 first trip to Europe & 50 just a quicky to Waikiki because I was on a new job. My suggestions may not be unusual enough for your pleasure, but I focused more on the 'where is a good place to go as a female alone where you won't freak out' angle to your inquiry. |
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To sweeten the Argentina deal, I promise to arrange a forum members' dinner for you, if you come. LOL!!!
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avrooster - you are totally cracking me up!!! Thanks for the plug for Argentina - LOL
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That was the general idea. LOL!!!
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I did Spain solo for one of my milestones. This was before the dollar turned to merde. I'm not sure how affordable it is now. But, Spain (in May) would be wonderful.
Great food, great wine, great beaches, great castles, great art. Barcelona was the highlight. |
Sounds like AVRooster is making an offer that will difficult to pass up!
Otis. . .I remember you used to post with regard to Costa Rica. Are you the person who gave such a great report on driving the route between Samara and the southern Nicoya Peninsula (Malpais area) during the dry season? Someone really spelled that out well a few years ago, and I've not been able to remember who it was! :) |
Don't cry for me Argentina! Hard to top a week and a half in and around Buenos Aires imho!
congrats on celebrating 40 cheers AndrewDavid |
Thanks so much to everyone who responded to my post!
Otis - yes, I loved Spain - I went there last year for my 39th birthday. It was wonderful! I studied Spanish for several months for that trip, so now if I go to BA I can put it to good use again. *For AVRooster and AndrewDavid: I'm really excited about the idea of Buenos Aires! I went to the book store and had a look, and I have some questions for you (below). This would be my first trip ever to any part of South America - and BA has been on my "must see" list for awhile (I'm a huge Borges fan, so I'm hoping to find some sights having to do with him). *My family is a bit nervous about me traveling alone there, so that's why I've put it off - but it seems to me that it would be perfectly safe for a solo woman, as long as I exercise common sense. True? *I'd like to ask the both of you about itineraries. How many days would you recommend in BA? Would basing myself in BA for 10 days or so be too much time there? *My ideal scenario would be to have BA be my home base, and then take several day trips to the surrounding region (I'm assuming this would be by bus, not train?). Can you suggest any day trips? Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you! |
Hi, M!
About your questions: 1) "it would be perfectly safe for a solo woman, as long as I exercise common sense. True?" Emphatically YES! 2) "How many days would you recommend in BA? Would basing myself in BA for 10 days or so be too much time there?" You said you have 12 days. Certainly at least 2 for the Iguazú Falls. Maybe 3 or 4 in Salta, in our NW. But these are not day trips and would be by plane. The rest in BA, with maybe a day trip to an "estancia". 3) "Can you suggest any day trips?" If you believe you would enjoy riding, take a look at: http://tinyurl.com/3xna57 Save one evening for that forum members' dinner! LOL!!! |
hi magellan, Bs As is certainly the safest of cities aside from Victoria where I currently live that I have recently visited. We were not kidnapped on the occaisions we stumbled into a non radio taxi at 3am nor did we notice rampant pick pocketing on the Florida pedestrian mall. fyi there is a visible presence of police and what appear to be rent a cops.
Whilst we had the luxury of just shy of 3 weeks on the ground we did spend 11 days in Bs As and aside from our excursion to the delta via the exceleent waterbus sysytem beyond Tigre ( train from Retiro 1 hr or so) we wre not bored. As we adopted the hours of the city ( dining at 10 or 10:30 and a jazz club or dancing after, we were not up and out on the streets early and we are happy roaming , gawking and having cafes and cervezas inthe cafes that seem ubiquitous cheers AndrewDavid |
Magellan_5
If you do go to BA, try to get up to Iguazu Falls. It's an incredible sight. Shillmac "Otis. . .I remember you used to post with regard to Costa Rica. Are you the person who gave such a great report on driving the route between Samara and the southern Nicoya Peninsula (Malpais area) during the dry season?" That was us. We had a great trip and loved Montezuma especially. Can't wait to go back. Magellan - that would also be a great place to go if you just want to get "lost" for a while. Otis |
Peru - take the southern gringo trail and don't forget Arequipa. Or find a hot guy to take with to the beaches of Brasil.
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Thanks Otis. . .lucky guess on my part! I knew it was someone who hadn't posted for a couple of years now. . .
If you can find that post, would you mind topping it, please? Thanks! |
Tigre is a great day trip, but you need a nice, sunny day to really enjoy it.
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avrooster - thanks so much for answering my questions - these side trips sound very alluring! and yes, of course I will reserve time for the dinner :D
AndrewDavid - I'm very glad to hear that you weren't kidnapped. That would be so inconvenient! Wow, it sounds like I could potentially spend most of my time in BA with plenty to do. Thanks to Otis too! Question for all of you: Ok, I've rounded up some guide books from the library, and they are all very vague about the weather conditions in May (though they spend an inordinate amount of time on the month of April for some reason). I will be traveling in the last 2 weeks of May, which I understand will be the end of fall/beginning of winter. What type of weather should I expect at that time (lots of rain?) - will it still be humid and warm enough to pack light cotton clothes, or should I instead pack jeans and sweaters? thanks so much for all of the help! |
Hi, M!
Late May is mid to late fall here. Argentina is NOT a tropical country, but the Iguazú area is sub-tropical. You would need light cotton clothes if you decide to go to the Iguazú Falls (which you shouldn't miss). If you'll just stay in BA, temperatures should be mild and rain is a matter of luck (we don't have a rainy season). No reason to expect lots of rain. So, I would suggest jeans and sweaters, but with the possibility of layering, in case you get some warm days. Keep the questions coming!! LOL!!! |
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