Comments on: Dealing with Loneliness on the Road (Part 1)

By: anon

anon — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:11:11 +0000

Loneliness is being safe, remember not to meet with strangers if you come to me country which is Turkey, read what happens to foreign travelers who interact with strangers.

By: Joe Pirrelly

Joe Pirrelly — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:15:20 +0000

sometimes all you need to do is read a blog like this and be on the same page as people who feel like you. Thanks.

By: Jon - The DC Traveler

Jon - The DC Traveler — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:39:33 +0000

No need to be lonely on the road, just reach out to other people, especially other travelers, and start a conversation.

By: Family Smudge

Family Smudge — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:47:10 +0000

I can complete relate to Maryam. As a woman who has travelled extensively alone (and contributes a little in Part 2), there have been definite moments where I have felt unease. In Thailand, Tunisia, Japan and even Arizona, I have found myself in situations where I wonder “should I be in this part of town alone?” However, so far I have found that my ‘get out there anyway, walk in a focused manner and try to keep an eye on what’s happening around me’ attitude has, thus far, kept me out of any truly worrying situations. That said, it is an issue and I believe more so for women, especially in certain destinations, so I agree that I series about security would certainly make an interesting addition to this site.

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 02:42:15 +0000

Maryam, good point, although the other posts had a few more women sharing their perspective, particularly part 2. I like the idea of a series about security, perhaps even specifically for women. I’m sure that would generate some interesting discussion!

By: maryam in marrakech

maryam in marrakech — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 07:31:36 +0000

This is an interesting series but I do hope that you will be featuring more thoughts from women. With the exception of Lara who travels almost always with her husband, I see only guys chiming in. As a woman who travels extensively on assignment (I am off to Rwanda next week – country 71), I do get lonely. Women face very different constraints that men do – principally harassment. I do not feel comfortable going out to restaurants by myself at night outside the hotel b/c the harassment is non-stop, esp in cultures where women traveling on their own is a complete oddity:-( I have had men waiting outside my hotel room, men following me and calling my room in the middle of the night (including hotel staff), etc. By day, I am fine but by night, it’s a whole different world out there…..It would be great if you did a series on bloggers talking about security when they travel.

By: Lil' Boozie

Lil' Boozie — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:36:05 +0000

I agree with Lara – there are some extremely thought-provoking notions here. In my opinion, the only way to compensate for lonely feelings is to be active, embrace your alone time, and really try to get to know yourself on a different level.

When I was abroad a few years ago, I had a week left in Paris all by myself as my program was a bit different than the others in my group. At first, I was terrified, but it really gave me a chance to demonstrate my confidence in my ability to really handle my own in a foreign country and apply everything I’d learned over the past 5 months.

By: Travel Muse

Travel Muse — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:37:30 +0000

I get lonely when I travel for business. To cope I usually choose a restaurant I’d like to try and go out for a nice meal. I find that I can always talk with my waiter and then I don’t feel so alone anymore.

Great post.

By: Peter Daams

Peter Daams — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:51:47 +0000

Great tips! My personal view is that the best way to avoid loneliness is by getting out there and doing something interesting – finding places to meet strangers and strike up a conversation is a good way to quickly kill any insular moments.

By: lara dunston

lara dunston — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:17:49 +0000

Such thought-provoking stuff here. I love the juxtaposition of responses and ways of thinking about loneliness and being lonely and travelling.

What a wonderful idea, Eric! Thank you! Thank you for the coverage and thank you taking it to a new level. I did a little post and linked back to you also.