Traveling On Your Own

“I can't think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything.”

Bill Bryson

 

Bunratty Castle, Ireland
A place we toured by car

 

My husband and I have traveled quite a bit over the years, and the majority of trips we have done on our own, with out being part of a tour group.  Yes, we have done some tours, we have done the "big bus" tours and we have done smaller tours with only a few in the group, but most the time we have preferred to go it on our own.  That quite often meant renting a car and exploring a countries back roads, getting off the beaten path.  But as we have aged (we are 65 now), my husband has expressed a desire to not do that anymore.  He is not as comfortable driving (or having me drive) in a place where he doesn't know where he is going, and he can't read the road signs, and doesn't always know all the rules of the road for that country.  So for that reason we are looking at other options.  But that doesn't mean that we have to get back on the bus.

George and I in Scotland
Off the Beaten Path

There are many ways that people can still travel on their own, without being completely on their own, and without having to rent a car.  There are quite a few tour companies who will now book your independent travel for you, including all your transportation.  They will either book you on the train, or provide a car and driver for you.  They will take care of hotels along the way, and even arrange city tours to orient you to the city when you arrive.  They will have someone available for you to call if you need assistance while you are traveling.  You are on your own with your travel partner, doing whatever you want to do, on your time table, spending as much time at a place as you want to spend, and going where you want to go.  But you have all the comforts of  being on a tour and having someone take care of you.  And your meals can be at local restaurants eating local foods which is what I prefer, or if you don't want to do that, you can eat McDonald's or at the hotel - although I don't recommend either of those things.  The point is, it is your trip and you plan it.

Another option is to go completely on your own.  Do not book through a tour company.  You might want to go to a travel agent, as they can help you with the planning and get you train tickets, ferry tickets, whatever you might need.  Quite often the train tickets are cheaper if purchased here in the states, than if you purchase them there.

Delphi, Greece

When we went to Greece a few years ago, I booked the trip in advance, but we were on our own.  I had the hotels booked, I knew what dates I would be in each place, I booked a mini tour which would take us from Athens to Delphi and Meteora and back to Athens.  It was a 3 day tour.  We were  picked up in a van, with several other couples, taken first to Delphi where we toured the ruins.  We spent the night there in a really nice hotel which was on the side of the mountain overlooking the Peloponeso Peninsula.  The next day the van took us to the city of Kalampaka, where we spent the night.  The next day we toured the monasteries on the tops of the rocks in Meteora, then we returned to Athens. 

The Monasteries Of Meteora
Town of Kalampaka below

Me, on the Island of Santorini, Greece

We also took a 3 day Greek Island cruise on that trip, which was booked in advance.  I booked it through the internet.  I wanted to see the islands, and some of them can be reached by ferry, but some take too long to reach that way.  The cruise got me to several islands in a short period of time.  And it was fun.  The time we spent in Athens was completely on our own.  And after the cruise we flew to the island of Santorini and spent several days there.  The cruise did not stop there, and it was on my list of places I wanted to see, so we explored Santorini and then it was just a short hop by ferry over to Crete, where we spent a week.  We stayed in a timeshare there, and had time to really explore the island.  We did rent a car there, but it was pretty easy driving on the island, not too much traffic.  We wouldn't have wanted to drive on the mainland. 

So we combined a trip on our own with a cruise and a small tour.  We were on our own,  We weren't stuck on a bus with a huge group of people, doing what we were told to do.  We didn't have a time schedule of how long we could be someplace - except while on the cruise and the tour.  We got to eat the local food (which I loved) and to spend as much time people-watching as we wanted.

So, next time you are planning a trip think about going on your own instead of taking a bus tour.  Be independent, and you can really get more of a feel for the place you are going to.  You may be surprised, it's easier than you think.  And you don't have to be too independent, you can have a little help. No one is saying you have to completely wing it, have the trip set, reservations made.  But with independent travel it is not all set in stone, you have the time to be spontaneous, and explore more on your own.  Happy Travels!