Flying solo: tips for taking a vacation by yourself

(All photos: Susan Levin)

By Susan Levin

Traveling solo is grand. You can go where you want, when you want. If you want to eat Cheetos in the hotel for dinner, you may (although you probably won’t want to). When you are done with that museum exhibit, it’s on to the next one — no schedule to worry about. Last-minute theater tickets? Easier to get a single than a pair.

This fall, I took the best solo vacation ever — an organized bicycling tour in Moab, Utah (4400’ elev). Being from Chicago, at 700’ altitude, I was nervous about cycling in the mountains. I took a flight to Denver a couple of days before the tour started to get used to the altitude.  I rented acar at the airport, made a last-minute stop for cycling stuff at REI (saved on sales tax, too!); then I headed west into the mountains.

A friend suggested I stay in Salida and then Montrose, cute towns with shopping and dining, walking trails and quirky museums. Along the way — again, no one to argue about spending too much time in one place — I toured the Leadville Mining Museum, sipped coffee at a small cafe in Gunnison, had a bathroom break at Monarch Pass and shot too many photos the Blue Mesa Dam. Sometimes you just have to stand in wonder at the history and scale, both human and natural.

For the two nights, I stayed in national hotel chains — Comfort Inn Salida and Econo Lodge Montrose. I find that winging tourist sites and meals is one thing, but I needed reassurance of knowing where I was going to stayeach night. Besides, breakfast was included at both hotels, and I got an early start for the next round of scenery.

On the last leg to Moab, I followed my map to a curvy mountain road hoping for more scenery, but had to turn around when I saw the “Pavement Ends” road sign. I was bummed and headed toward the interstate instead, and vowed to rent an off-road vehicle next time.  (Also, no one to argue with about who read the map wrong!)  But it was all good in the end, when, on the last road into Maob, I saw the sign “No trailers next 27 miles” and I knew I had the right route.

The bike trip itself was magnificent — you run out of words to describe the scenery and wide sky. The vacation was well organized and was very accommodating to solos. The company matches you up with another solo traveler, unless you spring for the single upgrade. On most of its cycling tours, you stay in different cities each night, so you are never “stuck” with a roommate. But my roommate was great — we had a lot in common, not least of all cycling.

The drive back to Denver to catch my return flight was just as scenic — Interstate 70 goes right through the White River National Forest. I got to Denver just in time to check in at a hotel near the airport (again, pre-purchased). It also turned out that a couple of women I met on the tour were staying at the same hotel, so we breakfasted together and I drove us all to the airport in the morning.

Based on my experience, here are some hints for traveling alone:

• Reserve as many nights’ lodging as you can before you leave. Send the hotel locations, contact information and dates to your friends/family for emergencies.

• Bring a book wherever you go. If you’re not comfortable eating alone, you can always read. But be ready to chat with strangers. Sometimes you learn about things that only locals know.

• Don’t be afraid to turn around if you miss an exit or point of interest. You might not be back the same way!

• Do bring a cell phone and charger, just in case.

• Chat with the hotel staff about things to do in the area, as well as neighborhoods to avoid.

• Don’t be afraid to try something outside of your comfort zone, but do check around for reviews.

Related Orbitz resources:

• Flight
• Hotel
• Vacation
• Active/Adventure vacations

Susan Levin is a senior operations analyst at Orbitz.

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