facebook
linkedin
rss
twitter
google_plus
pinterest
  • Home
  • About
    • Updated Solo Travel Knowledge Base
    • In The News
  • Travel Packages
  • Solo Travel Pricing Tracker-No Single Supplement
  • Blog
  • Contact

Blog Post

Five Tips to Avoid Being Home Alone for the Holidays

Dec 04 2018
0 Comment
Elizabeth Avery

Enjoy This Post? Share the Love!

  • google-share

Every year when summer is nearly two-thirds over, I start to think about making plans for the holidays. For the solo traveler, there is no need to find yourself “Home Alone for the Holidays”, but it does take some planning. It is a perfect time to dust off your bucket list and revel in the prospect of exotic adventures that you will dine out on for years.

My holiday odysseys have covered the globe from hearing Big Ben ring in the New Year in London to going upriver in the Brazilian Amazon. 

London IHG     

     rsz_1christmas_tree_village_2_better Medium sized

One year I booked  a 2 week solo journey to Bangkok where I spent several days in that other “City of the Angels” and then connect with a river cruise through Cambodia to Vietnam. 

        SONY DSC

I have had some memorable trips with just an occasional glitch like spending part of the holiday rummaging through the lost luggage room at a local airport hunting for my missing bag. From my lessons learned, I have come up with the following tips to not only survive but thrive during the holiday travel season.

1. Dust off your bucket list.  The best option is to treat yourself to a really exciting trip you have always relished taking.  The more remote and exotic the better!  One Christmas when I returned to the US and was queried by Passport Control/Customs  why I had been abroad, I immediately responded: for an “Amazon Christmas”. The official appeared confounded.  I hope to encounter him again this year to puzzle him further with a “Cambodian Christmas” as my response.

However, when selecting such a distant destination, do consider how you will feel being so far away  from home during the  holidays.  Once I traveled alone to Egypt for my birthday.  After a number of days in Cairo, I connected, as planned, with a Nile River cruise.  Although this was my big gift to myself, it felt a little odd to not have a birthday cake or anyone to wish me “Happy Birthday”.  (On most tours, you can indicate that you are having a birthday, anniversary or other event, and they can help you find a way to celebrate the day.) Last year on Christmas Day I swam in an Amazon River tributary and had a festive lunch with my fellow river cruise travelers. I did miss hearing the traditional carols so this year chose to celebrate on Christmas Eve and fly out on Christmas Day, hopefully on a less than packed airplane.

3. Some sights may be closed during holidays so check ahead of time. One spring I traveled to Spain and Morocco arriving in Madrid Easter week when many tourist venues were closed. One Christmas in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I planned to ski nearby in Taos only to find that the local van services were not available during the holidays.

4. Even if you are comfortable eating alone, be aware that many restaurants may be closed or fully booked and not enthusiastic about accommodating solos at the holidays’ height. I have had this experience on a Saturday night in a top US ski resort and again during the holidays in a 5 star hotel where I was a guest. I was able to negotiate a table for one at an early hour but ask about this when you book your room.

5. There are many ways to travel solo but become part of a group.

With the proliferation of social media’s usage for business as well as leisure networking, you may be able to identify contacts who are located in your destination and could connect with you there or offer suggestions for the time you are there.

Another option which I often choose is a river cruise.  Having been on the Amazon, the Nile and the Yangtze, I highly recommend this approach for solos whether for the holidays or throughout the year. The reason? You can have the privacy of your own cabin but also have a ready-made group for meals and sightseeing. In remote and/or politically challenging locations, this can solve security issues that may result from commuting to a hotel after late night dinners.  In many parts of the world, such as the Amazon, there may be no access other than by boat. Lastly, river cruises include accommodations, meals and local transportation, if needed, for day trips, making it easier to know your major costs upfront.

Some river cruises have no single supplement or provide a roommate option. (If you are in a solo cabin, be sure to ask if there are bunk beds. If so, see if they can be replaced by a single bed. On one trip, I had to duck repeatedly to avoid bumping my head and to read I had to sit on the floor.)

Volunteer for a short-term project. This is a great way to give back and to have the camaraderie of fellow volunteers.

Take a class to learn how to ski the top of the mountain. These small groups provide another opportunity to meet fellow travelers. I have also found from Australia to Quebec City that joining minivan tours from my hotels was also an effective way to make new friends.

Don’t wait too late. Figure out where you want to be when the New Year dawns. Whether you choose to go independently as a “Group of One” or connect with other travelers, there are multiple alternatives to being “Home Alone for the Holidays”.  Now is the time to make your plans!

About the Author
Elizabeth Avery founded SoloTrekker4U.com in 2012, to connect single travelers with top solo travel deals and those with no single supplements. In 2020, she launched the free, user-friendly SoloTravelPricingTracker.net with 1,000+ tour/cruise and lodging providers offering 20,000 trips. It is the only search tool that allows those traveling alone to find solo vacation packages based on whether there are no single supplement deals. Elizabeth has visited all 50 US states and more than 68 countries around the world.

Enjoy This Post? Share the Love!

  • google-share
Get tips sent straight to your inbox, and become a better solo traveller.

Sign Up for our Newsletter

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Recent Posts

  • 20 Tips for Traveling on a Budget without Sacrificing Quality
  • Hidden Europe -The Road Less Traveled By
  • Top Solo Travel Deals-France-No Single Supplements
  • 10 Tips to Make Vacation Travel Easier | Solo Trekker 4 U
  • Costa Rica Tours for Solo Travelers | Solo Trekker

Categories

  • #Navidad
  • 18 to 30s Solo Travel
  • Active Seniors Are Traveling The Globe
  • Adventure Travel
  • adventure travel packages
  • Africa
  • Animal Rescue
  • Australia
  • Avoiding Travel Hassles
  • Believe it or Not Adventures of Single Travelers
  • Best Vacations for Singles-Solo Travel Packages
  • Best Vacations For Singles/Solo Travel Packages
  • Budget Travel Tips
  • Business Travel
  • Canada
  • Caribbean
  • Castle Hotels
  • Christmas
  • Christmas 2015
  • Christmas Travel
  • Costa Rica Solo Travel Packages
  • Costa Rica Solo Trip
  • cultural travel
  • Dogs – Activities with Pets
  • East Asia
  • Eco Tours
  • Europe
  • Fashion
  • Fashion Around the World
  • Great Britain
  • Green Travel
  • Guest Posts
  • Halloween
  • Happy Hannukah
  • Happy Hanukkah
  • Historical Tours
  • Holiday Travel
  • Holidays 2015
  • How to Stay Healthy on Travel
  • How to Travel Better
  • India
  • Latin America
  • Luxury Travel
  • Middle East
  • Mideast
  • New Year's
  • News & Contests
  • Pacific Islands
  • Pack to save
  • Packing
  • River Cruises
  • Safety Travel Tips
  • saving on travel
  • Senior Travel
  • Senior Traveling Discounts
  • Single Traveler Destinations
  • Single Traveler Tips
  • Single Traveler Tips on Safety
  • Single Traveler Tips on Saving
  • Single Traveler Tips-Airport Advice
  • Singles Travel Tips
  • ski travel packages
  • solo adventures
  • Solo Female Travel
  • Solo Travel Asia
  • Solo Travel Canada
  • Solo Travel Destinations
  • Solo Travel Safety
  • Solo Travel Savings
  • Solo Travel Tips
  • Solo Travel Trips
  • Solo Travel USA
  • Solo Vacation Destinations Off-The-Beaten Path
  • South Asia
  • Southeast Asia
  • Staycations
  • Top Solo Travel Deals
  • Travel in Style
  • Travel in Times of Crisis
  • travel insurance
  • Travel Savings
  • Travel Style & Fashion
  • Travel Trivia Just for Fun
  • Travel with Dogs and Service Dogs
  • Travel with Pets
  • Travel with Your Dog
  • Uncategorized
  • United States
  • Unusual Stories from Around the World
  • Viajar Solo
  • Volunteer Opportunities Abroad
  • Wellness
  • What's on Your Mind When It Comes to Leisure Solo Travel?
  • Women Travel
  • Younger Travelers

Menu

  • Home
  • About Us at Solo Trekker 4 U
  • Travel Packages
  • Solo Travel Pricing Tracker-No Single Supplement
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Service-SoloTrekker/SoloSherpa
  • Privacy Policy-Solo Trekker/SoloSherpa
Want to become a packages partner?
Email us Today

Sign up for our newsletter

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Get the Solo Sherpa Mobile app today
Get it on Google Play
© 2017 SoloTrekker | Powered by Intuitive Digital