{"id":3451,"date":"2010-01-14T08:00:34","date_gmt":"2010-01-14T14:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=3451"},"modified":"2016-12-16T22:45:55","modified_gmt":"2016-12-17T04:45:55","slug":"flying-solo-tips-for-taking-a-vacation-by-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2010\/01\/flying-solo-tips-for-taking-a-vacation-by-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"Flying solo: tips for taking a vacation by yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"vacation\"<\/em><\/em>

(All photos: Susan Levin)<\/p><\/div>\n

By Susan Levin
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Traveling solo is grand. You can go where you want, when you want. If you want to eat Cheetos in the hotel<\/strong><\/a> for dinner, you may (although you probably won\u2019t want to). When you are done with that museum exhibit, it\u2019s on to the next one — no schedule to worry about. Last-minute theater tickets? Easier to get a single than a pair.<\/p>\n

This fall, I took the best solo vacation<\/a><\/strong> ever — an organized bicycling tour in Moab, Utah (4400\u2019 elev). Being from Chicago, at 700\u2019 altitude, I was nervous about cycling in the mountains. I took a flight<\/strong><\/a> to Denver a couple of days before the tour started to get used to the altitude.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

A friend suggested I stay in Salida<\/strong> and then Montrose<\/strong>, 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<\/a><\/strong>, sipped coffee at a small cafe in Gunnison, had a bathroom break at Monarch Pass and shot too many photos the Blue Mesa Dam<\/a><\/strong>. Sometimes you just have to stand in wonder at the history and scale, both human and natural.<\/p>\n

\"hotel\"For the two nights, I stayed in national hotel chains — Comfort Inn<\/strong> Salida<\/strong><\/a> and Econo Lodge<\/strong> Montrose<\/strong><\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cPavement Ends\u201d road sign. I was bummed and headed toward the interstate instead, and vowed to rent an off-road vehicle next time.\u00a0 (Also, no one to argue with about who read the map wrong!)\u00a0 But it was all good in the end, when, on the last road into Maob, I saw the sign \u201cNo trailers next 27 miles\u201d and I knew I had the right route.<\/p>\n

\"vacation\"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 \u201cstuck\u201d with a roommate. But my roommate was great — we had a lot in common, not least of all cycling.<\/p>\n

The drive back to Denver to catch my return flight was just as scenic — Interstate 70 goes right through the White River National Forest<\/a><\/strong>. 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.<\/p>\n

Based on my experience, here are some hints for traveling alone:<\/p>\n