Have you had occasion to travel alone? I have, many times. But it took quite a few trips until I recognized the pitfalls to be avoided as well as the pleasures inherent in being completely on your own in an unfamiliar location. .

 

I’ve read and heard people say that the destination hardly matters as long as they’re traveling with someone whose company they enjoy. By and large, I agree, but that needn’t mean that if circumstances prevent you from traveling with someone you don’t go, as there are ample rewards for striking out as a lone voyageur. Do you think you could do it?

 

There’s surely something to be said for being able to go where you want to go, see what you want to see and do what you want to do, when and how you decide. And as I can well remember from the first of my solo trips, there’s a feeling of great satisfaction at having succeeded in such an undertaking.

 

Preparation is particularly important for the single traveler. Most important of all is making sure that someone—family member, friend, neighbor—knows where you’re supposed to be every day. If your cell phone isn’t the type that enables you to make overseas calls, rent one. And do contact the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (www.iamat.org) to get their pocket-size directory of U.S.-trained physicians practicing overseas.

 

I could go on and on listing preparations that range from essential to good idea to paranoid, but you probably have your own pre-departure routine, whether going solo or with someone. If there’s something on your list that you think others may not think of, let us know about it. There should be an association for single travelers, don’t you think? Let’s start one!

 

Paula Gifford

Cities all over the world have one thing in common – the opportunity they offer to become invisible. By that I mean regardless of how accommodating the hotel staff or the restaurant servers or the museum guides or the sales clerks are to you, chances are they never really “see” you. The moment you’re gone, you’re forgotten. Of course it’s possible to make a new friend in a city where you are a visitor, but not likely.

 

Maybe it’s more descriptive to say one can be anonymous in a city, rather than invisible. For me, this kind of anonymity is one of the city’s great attractions. I love to find a café with sidewalk tables, order a glass of wine and just watch. European cities are best for this, but it’s an intriguing way to pass an hour or two wherever you might be – intriguing because of all that comes to mind as you watch people passing by.

 

Walking is another of my favorite city activities. Many cities have printed walking itineraries that take you to places you’re not likely to find on your own. You can find these itineraries on the Internet, in good travel bookstores or at the respective cities’ visitors’ bureaus.

 

I remember my first trip to Geneva, Switzerland. I planned to spend an afternoon walking. But not knowing which direction would be most interesting, I asked my hotel’s concierge where I could find a good bookstore. Once there, I tried to buy a city map. My French was very poor, so I found a clerk and cobbled together a question. “Avez vous une carte do la cite?” asked very haltingly and with an atrocious accent. The clerk answered in flawless English, “Yes, we have many. Let me show you where they are.” Chagrined at my feeble effort to speak French, I said, “You speak English! Why didn’t you stop me?” He answered, “You need the practice.”

 

Have you any city cafés you favor for people watching? Or any walking routes you can recommend? Let us know about them, please.

 

Paula Gifford

Let’s talk about resorts. Here’s what I like about a resort environment, and by the way, I put cruises into the resort category. They’re really floating resorts, aren’t they?

 

I like not having to decide where to go for dinner each evening. I like not having to wear “city” clothes. I like the friendliness of having the reception and service staffs know my name and my knowing theirs. I like having my breakfast juice and coffee and my evening cocktail placed on my table in the dining room, without having to ask for them. I like the convenience of adding one generous tip to my bill when I check out. I like meeting new people and making new friends (some of these have remained friends for years). At island resorts, I like being able to swim, try reef snorkeling and wind surfing, play tennis or golf and have a massage without having to go very far. And I like the option of spending an entire day reading under an umbrella at poolside or the beach. At ski resorts (I’m not a very good skier), I like the opportunity to get chilled and invigoratingly exhausted outdoors, and then coming into the warmth and coziness of the lodge.

 

I don’t go to resorts that are primarily intended for golfers or tennis buffs because I’m not good enough at either sport to spend several – or even a few – days in an environment geared to one activity. But I think if one or the other of these sports were more important to me, it would be fun to spend time with others who have the same interest.

 

And one more thought – Whenever I decide to take my nieces (no nephews) for a treat away from home, I always take them to a resort – one that keeps them so busy with planned programs, I don’t see them from breakfast to dinner.   

 

Does any of this strike a chord with you? Or maybe a discord? I’d like to hear your opinion, as I’m quite suggestible.

 

Paula Gifford

As news outlets survey ski resorts (watch for Passport Newsletter’s feature next month) to forecast whether the economy will do them in, the results are not so bad. At least one resort says their higher-end rentals and suites are booking up earlier than usual, although reservations for mid-range rooms are somewhat slow. Have affluent travelers figured out that crowds might be smaller on their favorite mountains this winter? If ski suites are your style, it may be best to book earlier rather than later this year.

 

Resorts that get most of their business within easy driving distance (a tank of gas or so) expect to have busy seasons, as long as the snow cooperates. (I learned to ski by driving to Iowa of all places – a state with a corn-row to ski-run ratio of at least a billion to one. But that’s another story.)

 

Big resorts that rely on large numbers of skiers to fly in are looking at a single-digit drop-off in the number of American customers, but that’s nicely offset by a double-digit increase in the number of foreign visitors. (The exchange rate in Aspen is so much better than Chamonix this year.)

Dads, beware: If you hit the slopes with your family this year, there’s a fair chance your teenage daughter will meet a 20-something ski-hunk from France, Italy, or Brazil. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

 

Will you be skiing locally, or do you plan to take the family somewhere more distant for skiing and snowboarding this winter? And I wonder, are your winter vacation plans affected by recent economic events, or is it still too early to know?