. This should be interesting....
If you read my earlier post, the little 2-night getaway I planned for a beach town in Massachusetts with an old friend of mine began unraveling in the past week.
Things just got too contentious with all the special accommodations for his dog, who would travel with us, and my friend can be very stubborn and inflexible, IMO. I felt like I was making so many concessions about how I would spend my time, and this little trip is SO important to me, after all the stress with my mom, and not having any other truly fun time off this year. I didn't want to spend time dog-sitting, sitting in the car longer to accommodate multiple dog pit stops or relying solely on take-out because Ron couldn't go to a restaurant with the dog (I did locate a few outdoor places that did allow dogs but Ron doesn't eat good food anyway, just fast food.)
Anyway, we agreed it might be best not to take this trip together after all, and he suggested I try cancelling his room.
Instead, I decided to try to find someone else who might like to join me there so first first I tried one friend, and then another, both of whom were tied up doing other things, and I'm asking on very short notice, as we'd be leaving in a few days. Then I even asked my 82-year-old father (!) who is always up for an adventure. He was interested but he called me back today and said he was going to have to pass as he's got a bunch of stuff going on, 2 doc appointments during the time we would be away and he's trying to put in a new shower at his new apartment up here and nothing seems to be getting done.
So to my surprise, I am going on vacation alone, the first time ever in my life, if you don't count a few one nighters on business.
I'm feeling a little trepidation. It is a 3-hour ride up there, skirting Boston traffic, but at the same time, I'm also the adventurous sort and I see several advantages to traveling alone. Mainly, that I can do exactly what I want to do and not worry about accommodating someone else. So that would mean lots of long walks, maybe renting a bike and pedaling around to explore with my camera and stopping in at the many shops. I already have a print-out of some great hikes in the area.
The only thing I wouldn't be comfortable doing is having a nice lobster dinner at a restaurant, party of one. I will have to settle for a good lobster roll at a takeout place. Not the end of the world. And since my room will have a microwave and fridge, I plan to bring my own granola and some rice milk and teabags, etc so I don't have to spend extra for breakfast. I can enjoy my breakfast on the private deck overlooking the ocean and then head out on bike or on foot. SWEET. The only other thing I probably wouldn't do is venture out much past dark. The room has cable, and I go to bed early anyway. The hotel is right on a beach, but I doubt I'll spend much time there.
No doubt I will be worrying about my 2 kitties, but my neighbor will be coming in once daily to feed them, so they should be okay. I guess I could always plan on leaving early on Wednesday morning to head home.
I called the hotel and let them know the one room wouldn't be taken, and since they only charged my credit card for one room, one night,she said she wouldn't charge me anything for the last minute cancellation of the 2nd room, for which I am very grateful. (I am sure they would charge me $228 if I tried to cancel my own room as well.... so I HAVE to go, because I've been DYING to get away and I'm not one to waste my own money!)
So my bill will be about $450 for my room for the 2 nights, plus whatever I spend on lunch and dinner, and maybe a bike rental and if something catches my fancy in a shop. 
My Honda gets about 45 mpg on the highway, and with current low gas prices, that expense will be minimal.
It sounds like FUN, I just hope I don't feel lonely.
I'm very comfortable with alone time but I've just never done it before on vacation.
How about you? Have you ever vacationed before by yourself?
Going on vacation...by myself
August 27th, 2015 at 03:44 pm
August 27th, 2015 at 04:17 pm 1440692274
August 27th, 2015 at 04:29 pm 1440692949
August 27th, 2015 at 04:37 pm 1440693477
August 27th, 2015 at 04:38 pm 1440693491
August 27th, 2015 at 06:18 pm 1440699500
August 27th, 2015 at 06:40 pm 1440700852
August 27th, 2015 at 07:01 pm 1440702073
If you're in a tourist zone, it's pretty easy to strike up a conversation with another solo traveler if you like.
August 27th, 2015 at 07:01 pm 1440702080
August 27th, 2015 at 07:12 pm 1440702774
August 27th, 2015 at 07:16 pm 1440702976
Sweet Magnolias restaurant in Gloucester is a great breakfast / lunch place with generous portions for another meal.Okay to eat alone there.
Enjoy!
August 27th, 2015 at 08:23 pm 1440707004
August 27th, 2015 at 08:48 pm 1440708526
I've been taking solo trips since my senior year of college, and in fact, I have very little experience traveling WITH someone, although many of my trips, especially during my un/underemployed times, involved visiting someone who could put me up for a few days. Now that I am gainfully employed again, I am back to more frequent solo travel--a B&B stay in July and I'll do one more before year's end (although last weekend's trip to the Adirondacks involved staying over with two couples, but doing all the driving alone). The only thing that I DIDN'T enjoy about my 5-day trip was insufficient alone time.
I enjoy my visits with other people like I enjoy my chocolate--smaller doses of quality, rather than mass quantities of lower quality. As a fellow introvert, once you get used to the idea of solo travel, you may feel the same.
August 28th, 2015 at 01:38 am 1440725937