Does this sound familiar? You hear about a cute beach town, a quirky national landmark, a hike with views to die for — and you’re ready to hit the highway. But wait — you’ve got no one to go with. Do you forego your wanderlust? No, say a host of travel writers and bloggers, who specialize in solo travel. Traveling alone, they say, can be an especially exciting and fulfilling experience. All it takes is a little nerve, a bit of moxie, and a few tips for getting around the hurdles.

Common questions and fears:

• What if my car breaks down?
• I hate to eat alone in restaurants
• I’ll get lonely walking around all by myself
• I can’t afford hotel rooms on my own
• Will I be hassled?

Clearly I’m not alone in this dilemma. Many of the questions I hear most commonly from friends and followers, particularly women over 40, have to do with the joys and anxieties of traveling alone. It seems many of us gals are in the same boat; we’ve got itchy feet and either we’re partner-less at the moment or our partner doesn’t have the time or inclination to join us.

I could start in offering my own tips, but instead I thought I’d share with my readers some of the great blogs I’ve found on this subject. These folks specialize in this topic, and they’ve have answered my questions, inspired me with ideas and built up my confidence about traveling solo.

1. Solo Traveler Blogger Janice Waugh’s motto is “A Ticket to Freedom at Any Age,” and that sassy and savvy attitude prevails throughout. She offers tips and tricks gained from many years in the travel and conference trade, lots of itineraries, and stories from guest bloggers. She also has an email newsletter you can sign up for.


2. Solo Friendly With posts like “Solo Travel Confessions” and “Loneliness and the Solo Traveler,” blogger Gray Cargill doesn’t pull any punches. She talks about the challenges that come up when you travel alone — then tells you how she handled them.

3. Solo Female Traveler  Sabina Lohr is young, but don’t let that put you off; she has lots to say about traveling the world alone, and her words carry weight because she’s done it all – or as much as you can do when you’re just a few years out of college. One of my favorites is 10 Solo Travel Myths Debunked. In it she pokes holes in many of the thoughts and fears we have about traveling alone.

4. Journeywoman One of the first to tackle this topic was the wildly adventurous Evelyn Hannon, whose Journeywoman newsletter now has 65,000 subscribers and has garnered her mentions in People magazine and Newsweek. If you need to prove to friends that women travel alone safely and happily, Evelyn and her followers are the role models you’re looking for. What I love best? Her guides to packing and “what to wear” — definitely the gals’ take on travel.

5. Solo Woman Traveler Kelly from Quebec doesn’t post often, but her can-do attitude shows up in tips on handling exotic destinations like Morocco and traveling with an infant. As @TravelOptimist on Twitter she shares travel tips as well.

6. The Art of Solo Travel: A Girls’ Guide. In this eBook for the solo woman traveler, Stephanie Lee sets out all the tips and tricks that stood her in good stead during a solo round-the-world adventure. It will be available June 1 as a podcast.