wow factor!

Hi, i have done the desert adventure and the Inca Trail. They were both awesome. Getting to the sun gate after four hard days was a massive sense of acheivment! I have booked to do Everest Base Camp leaving on the 15th April next year. Travelling solo again and looking forward to the challenge and some new friends.

I booked on the mainstream dates. Not solo ones and got on great. have done the same for next year. :)

Rutha: I am now booked on my 4th trip ~ I travel solo but have never been on a solo branded trip. "Eating on you own for 2 weeks ?" Never in my experience. Our groups have always tended to party together in the evenings ~ the social side has been a big plus factor.

I steer clear of "really active" trips. These I guess attract more of the younger fitter types. For me however the composition of the group has never been a problem: variety of ages (21 to 70). If you are going solo you will usually be paired with someone of the same sex as most accommodation (tents or hotel rooms) is in 2 person units.

Wow factors are personal ~ we all need different experiences. For me....

African sunsets and wildlife.... I just need to keep going back. Try camping ~ the sounds at night ( they seem very near) !
Spotting Tigers in India ~ the Taj Mahal at sun rise
Music, dance, history, culture, the countryside & Mojito's in Cuba

Even with a spread of ages the group shares a common interest ~ the country we are visiting . We are adventure travellers ~ we share experiences ~ we overcome the unexpected. You come back with new ideas of where to go next !

Go for it.

I've just come back from the Serengeti Explorer - great trip! Especially if you are going on you own as you don't have much free time and you are all together everyday for all your meals/travel in jeeps together. And the game drives were amazing. Strong stomach required for a couple of the campsite facilities though.....Lots of shared experiences though -we bonded as group through buffalos gettign stuck in tent ropes in the middle of the night!

I'm trying to book another one know for summer 2011. I was thinking Sri Lankan Discovery or the Atlas. Marrakech and Sahara trip. But both have free time, which as a solo traveller makes me nervous. Anyone been on either of these two trips? I know the Sri Lanka trip in August has a group of 7 and a group of 2 on it which would make me the only solo at the moment and I don't want to be billy no mates!

Mine wasn't. I was a bit nervous about it at first as I was told a couple of friends and a couple had booked on and there was only one solo traveller bar me but it was great. Personally, I am just checking what the group profile is like for the trip I want regardless of whether it is marked as a solo holiday. I think the more active the trip, the less important it is to know the group profile as you spend so much time together due to the nature of the activity. I'm just a bit more wary on the ones I want to do next as there is more free time and you have to get more of your meals yourself - don't fancy eating on my own for 2 weeks!

[quote=countrygirl]I have never gone on a solo holiday, and im tired of waiting for all my friends to free up from prior commitments. I was wondering does anyone have any ideas of holidays that have the wow factor. That i could prepare myself for a challenge and at the end of the day be proud of the achievement.

Thanks everyone![/quote]

From the trips I've been on the Annapurna Circuit has the "wow" factor for me. By all accounts the 2nd half of the route has changed considerably because of a road that is being put in along the old route. Apparently the new route takes you closer to Daulaghiri though, so should be pretty spectacular.

Every trip I've been on there are always at least 30% people traveling by themselves.

hi countrygirl,
im also tired of waiting for friends to say if they can go on holiday! so im going it alone....have no idea where yet though...what are you thinking? im not totally adventurous but looking to see some sights...and relax a bit...
sarah

Hey there! I've just signed up for the Everest Base Camp Trek in March next year! I'm 26 and recently single, I figured why not get out there and give myself a little challenge. I've not got much experience of trekking and I'll be doing it by myself, but I'm thinking 9 months is plenty of time to prepare and the views/experience will definitely be worth the hard work. So why not take a peek at the challenge and see if you fancy it...

Those trips sound great! Did you guys book on the trips that were promoted as specifically 'solo traveller' friendly or just the mainstream dates, which they say are fine for solo travellers also? I just ask because am keen to get away but the 'solo traveller' trips does severely limit the choice of options that are available.

Thanks :-)

Sounds good. Thanks :-)