Paul Theroux stopped in Seattle last week to promote his latest book, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, and was interviewed on KUOW’s Weekday with Steve Scher.
As a travel writer, Paul’s an advocate of solo travel. He even devised a rating system (with Pico Iyer) to judge travel writers based on whether they’ve traveled solo or with others. His point was that you can’t travel with someone else and be open to having certain experiences because it hinders you from from taking advantage of spontaneous opportunities. It’s the times when you are on your own (and also not connected by phone/computer/Blackberry) that lead you to being a traveler (and not a tourist) and allow you to fully experience your environment.
Despite the occasions when I have felt lonely in my solo travels, I do love being out in the world on my own. It’s an opportunity to rely solely upon myself each day – to figure out the train schedule in Delhi, to order my meal in French, and to talk my way through a Central American border crossing. It’s all up to ME!
And there’s nothing more empowering than knowing you can indeed do something on your own, particularly in another country or in another language.
Whether you’re a travel writer or not, do you enjoy traveling solo?
Travel Well!
Beth
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The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo
 
Related links:
5 Reasons to Travel Solo
5 Tips for Solo Dining
Reality Travel: Solo in India
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I love traveling solo. Some of my most memorable trips have been while I was traveling alone. There is something freeing about being “on the road” alone doing what I want, not having to worry about appeasing someone else.
I look forward to reading Paul’s latest book.
I find that the people most adamant about this are the ones that have had the most failed relationships or are permanently single. I don’t know many happily married travel writers that insist solo travel is the only way to get material for a good article or book. And if you ever write about family travel, it’s idiotic to go somewhere without your family!
As someone who travels on assignment about 50% solo and 50% with someone else along, I think the answer is “it depends.” Yes, you’re freer to come and go as you please and not worry about another person, but the social opportunities open up immensely when you’re with others. You have social dinners with groups of people and learn a lot, for one thing. Plus you get to continually see things from another’s eyes. With a child, this is especially enlightening. I have real conversations with far more local women when my wife or kid is along than I do when alone. Maybe that’s why there aren’t many women in Theroux’s books…
Traveler, I had to laugh at your comment.
I’ve actually been in a LTR for more than 8 years and I still enjoy traveling on my own for the reasons I talk about above. (Though travels with my sig’o are thoroughly enjoyable and I love traveling with him.)
Solo travel isn’t the ONLY way to get material for a good article, but I certainly receive more invitations to join an activity (and I’m not talking about those with sexual overtones) when I’m on my own. The fact is that as a solo traveler, you’re more mobile and more accessible to others. But this is my experience as a woman.
As a man, you might indeed receive more invites when you’re with your wife. AND, I’ve spoken with many traveling moms who say the experience of traveling with their kids opens up a world of opportunities that don’t exist otherwise.
Beth
True, traveling with children does give one an entirely different perspective on the world, but as a mom who has traveled frequently with her kids, the one thing which stands out to me about traveling solo is the blessed solitude 🙂
As you say, the self-reliance and independence are great. Imagine how you’d feel if when you usually travel it takes you 10 times as much time to even leave your hotel room in the morning. I love being able to get up and go. Of course, once I’m out and about, then I miss having my kids around to share the sights, sounds and experiences with.
I’m with you, Paul, as I said in the frontespiece of my travel memoir, “Madam, Have You Ever Really Been Happy? An intimate journey through Africa and Asia.” But something that I find happens when you travel solo. You’re hardly ever alone. However, it’s YOUR choice. People are friendly and open wherever I’ve traveled and there’s nobody telling me what to do, where to go, and what NOT to say. However, I have a couple of friends with whom I’m very comfortable traveling as well, but they are not as eager to backpack and definitely want better sanitary facilities than you find in many Third World countries (I hesitate to use that nomenclature, especially in the light of our present economic situation…perhaps less developed, economically, would be better. But both are said without judgment).
I traveled extensively in this country and backpacked through Europe with five children when I started out, but now I find real freedom and exhilaration exploring on my own. It’s those spontaneous adventures that are so gratifying and I agree that you get to know a place well when you mingle with the locals. It’s been years since I thought of myself as a tourist.
In the last few years I have finally been able to do some of the travelling that I’ve always wanted to do, and most of it has been solo travelling. I like the freedom to do what I want, when I want, however what I miss is having someone to share in the experiences — that’s the only time I feel lonely.
One of my favorite travel experiences was when I was traveling solo – It was actually Valentine’s Day, and I was in Nova Scotia, Canada, away from my loving boyfriend! It was negative-something degrees Fahrenheit, but absolutely beautiful outside. I walked along the snow-lined streets to a nearby pub – this charming, historic brick building – sat myself down next to the crackling fireplace, and had a lovely dinner with warm apple cider, fish & chips, bread pudding and a good book.
I’d recommend it to anyone – So fulfilling! 🙂
Don’t get me wrong–I do see the benefit of traveling alone and I’ve done it plenty, from nearly two months in India and Nepal for pleasure to plenty of week or two trips on assignment. It’s not an either/or thing though, which is why I get irked when travel writers say it’s the only way to get an “authentic” experience or to meet new people. Baloney.
Most people choose to travel with one or more companions because they think it makes the trip more fun. I can’t help but remember when I was at the top of a pyramid at Tikal and this Dutch guy talked our ear off for 15 minutes and we had trouble getting away to see the rest of the park. “I’m so sorry,” he said. I’m traveling alone and when I get to talk to people again I end up making up for lost time.”
Great discussions subject. I’ll go with the answer: it depends. I personally have no problem to be alone, but since I have the best hubby ever, I appreciate much more to go together with him 🙂
I still do have the freedom to do what I want, when I want, because we’re so much alike that we almost every time wanna do the same thing! Amazingly enough. I think that I’d miss sharing the experiences.
But if you’re not on the same level as we are, I’d alternative between solo travel and together with others I always wanna have it all 🙂
Hmmm. This is a tough one, I could argue either side. I traveled alone in Morocco– speaking neither French or Arabic– and had an amazing time. Part of it was just waking up alone, feeling myself in my own skin, having the day unflod before me and reveal itself to me… without having to worry about anyone else’s needs. And how affirming it is to get off a bus (or get out of a taxi) in the middle of God-knows-where Morocco and manage, somehow, to work it out anyways. I never felt stronger in my life.
However, to argue the other side… I recently traveled to Beirut. Though I went alone, there was a friend of a friend there awaiting me… and he took me out with his Lebanese friends, and I saw a side of Beirut I would have never seen if I’d gone alone and stayed in a hostel. Then again… I guess I wasn’t really TRAVELING with him. The point is, when you’re with people, you can tap into their social networks. I could, of course, argue that being with people makes you insular, while being alone makes you open to experience… but in this case being with someone is what gave me the “real” Beirut experience.
It’s a tough– if not impossible– call to say which is better. The truth is, I prefer to travel alone, but I’ve had rewarding experiences in all circumstances– completely alone, with people I’ve met on the road, or with travel companions.
And there is, of course, a difference between traveling with people you meet on the road vs. someone you know from home… but I’ll save that for another post. 🙂