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Any solo nomads out there?


cruisemom42
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I've enjoyed traveling all my life. Started cruising at age 9 with a family that also loved to travel; in fact, my graduation presents for both high school and college were trips (Europe and Asia, respectively).

 

I didn't travel much while married, ExH wasn't really enthusiastic. But since my divorce I've learned to really enjoy solo travel. For me, it's one of the most enjoyable things in my life and the one thing I do just for me.

 

I am hugely interested in ancient history (mainly Classical Greek and Roman), and I have traveled many places to see specific areas or sites -- either on cruises, on tours, or just on my own.

 

While my family understands about travel, others from time to time will try to make me feel I'm too adventurous for my own good. (Mostly these are people who've never traveled much outside the US or North America). They can't wrap their mind around how a woman can be safe traveling alone. However, I've learned not to pay much attention to their "concerns" but to go on with my plans.

 

I hate that there are increasing areas of the world where travel is increasingly risky. There are so many places that I still want to visit, even after a lifetime of travel. My life would feel extremely circumscribed and infinitely smaller if I wasn't able to continue my travels.

 

I'm curious if there are other solos out there with similar feelings about travel. Are you always thinking about/researching future destinations? Has anyone run across a forum for solo travel nomads like me? It would be great to find others that share my point of view and experiences.

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I completely understand where you are coming from--I'm very similar. Though as the oldest of 4 children of a high school teacher and a housewife, international travel was not part of my childhood--in fact I wasn't able to go to Europe until my mid-30s. (I've been making up for it ever since, especially since my divorce 10 years ago and empty nest status a couple of years after that.) But I've always just LOVED travel, and in fact one of the best things about my job, IMO, is that I get to travel a lot (though only within the US.) Although I do consider myself a pretty cautious person, all my experience traveling alone for work has given me a lot of confidence about traveling alone for vacations.

 

I also found places to move to in which I knew nobody, and moved myself across country twice since my kids were grown--first from Iowa to Florida, and then part-time to a summer cottage in Maine. It goes without saying that most of my friends and family questioned my sanity--but I'm very happy with my new hometowns!

 

One of my dreams for retirement, though, is to rent a place for about six months at a time in a place I want to visit...so I can really get to know what it's like to live there. Hopefully I can fund that through renting out my houses here. I'm a freak for medieval European as well as Roman stuff myself. There are SO many places I still want to see!

 

I wish I was aware of some great online resources for people like us! If you find some, please post them here, and I promise to do the same. :)

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I wish I was aware of some great online resources for people like us! If you find some, please post them here, and I promise to do the same. :)

 

Thanks for chiming in. It never occurred to me before to look for resources like that, but now I will -- and definitely will share if I find anything.

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I dont know if we are allowed to post links but if you google Solo Travel Society and Solo Traveler World you will find the website and facebook group for tens of thousands of solo travellers run by an awesome mature aged lady who is the queen of solo travel.

 

I am "nearing" 50 and have been travelling the world solo since my early to mid teens. To me its just a normal form of travel.

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Cruisemom and bf when I grow up I want to be like you.

 

I still haven't made it to Europe yet. I was planning a 2 week journey May 2015 but my dad got sick January 30. It threw our whole worlds into a tailspin. Thank God he's well now. Now I'm shooting for 2018.

 

I want to travel the world. Even thought about selling all my worldly possessions and traveling the world.

 

 

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Forums mobile app

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While my family understands about travel, others from time to time will try to make me feel I'm too adventurous for my own good. (Mostly these are people who've never traveled much outside the US or North America). They can't wrap their mind around how a woman can be safe traveling alone. However, I've learned not to pay much attention to their "concerns" but to go on with my plans..

 

Ha, I bet if you really quizzed those people who try to tell you not to travel, that many of them have never even left the state they were in, worse the really scared ones probably have never left the local region.

 

I live in Canada, and drive to Florida to go to my condo and to catch cruises to the Caribbean. Along the way I stop at restaurants, motels and local attractions and try to talk to the local people.

 

I have lost count of the number of people I have meet who have not even left their town to visit the local big city that often is less than an hour's drive away.

 

Worse, hearing what foolishness some of them think about Canada (where I live), Cuba (which I have visited a number of times) or England (where I was born) tells me that a large percentage have no idea of how people live in other countries.

 

And to make it worse, a few don't even know/understand how people live in different parts of the USA. I have meet people in the US who think life in New York is the same as Ohio or that Florida does not get that hot during summer.

 

The worse I have seen was in Florida, a friend and I was walking in a Everglades park, off to the side alligators were sunning themselves, a woman with a Texas accent walked right up to a mother alligator which a number of young ones hanging around her, then less than a foot from the gator she turn her back to it, crouch down and insisted her friend take a picture. Meanwhile, everyone else was whispering loudly to get away but she stayed until her photo was taken.

 

When these people talk about the dangers of travel, they don't seem to realize they themselves are the ones causing the dangerous situations.

 

Sensible travelers keep their eyes open, don't do stupid things and get rewarded by seeing and doing the stuff that 90% of the world's population never get to do.

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I dont know if we are allowed to post links but if you google Solo Travel Society and Solo Traveler World you will find the website and facebook group for tens of thousands of solo travellers run by an awesome mature aged lady who is the queen of solo travel.

 

I am "nearing" 50 and have been travelling the world solo since my early to mid teens. To me its just a normal form of travel.

 

Thanks, I will check into these. I agree that traveling solo seems normal to me, and while I enjoy occasional company, I find I really appreciate things best when I see and experience them on my own without distractions from others.

 

Best of all are museums. So many people don't like them or only want to spend limited time. But when I'm on my own I can spend all the time I want in front of an exhibit or work of art that interests me.

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Cruisemom and bf when I grow up I want to be like you.

 

I still haven't made it to Europe yet. I was planning a 2 week journey May 2015 but my dad got sick January 30. It threw our whole worlds into a tailspin. Thank God he's well now. Now I'm shooting for 2018.

 

I want to travel the world. Even thought about selling all my worldly possessions and traveling the world.

 

 

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Forums mobile app

 

Don't give up. When the time is right, hopefully you'll be able to travel.

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Cruisemom42, I can relate to your post. Like you I love to travel, and I always travel solo. My history is similar to bottomfeeder's as I didn't really start traveling until I was in my 30's. Once I started I just couldn't quit as I enjoyed it so much. I used to do a lot of land tours as I enjoyed getting to see the area I was visiting that way. The last few years I switched to cruising as my choice of travel, as I did like not having to pack and unpack each day, like you did with the land tours. With cruising the hotel moves instead of the bus or train, so you pack and unpack only once. That is what I love about cruising.

 

By the time I hit 40, I had been to all 50 states, and then started branching out more overseas. Since then I have been on 6 different continents and multiple countries. I also enjoy the history aspects of traveling and enjoy seeing some of things that have been around for centuries instead of just years. There are many more places I would like to go, but with the current violence in some areas, I don't know if I will get there, plus getting to be a member of the older generation, I don't travel as well as I used to.

 

As far as friends and family they all know that travel is my true passion in life and have been very accepting of me disappearing for a few weeks from time to time. I hope you keep traveling and enjoying yourself as long as you can. Safe voyages.

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It's really interesting reading everyone's replies.

 

One comment brought to mind something that an acquaintance from England shared with me last year. We were talking about travel and getting older. She remarked on how in America the cultural norm is to wait until you are older (e.g., often retirement age) to travel. Whereas, in many parts of the world, especially in Europe, people are encouraged to travel at a younger age -- the "gap year" before university or taking a year after university, plus having longer vacations throughout one's working life... That way, she said, you can get a lot of the more 'intensive' travel done while you're still young enough to handle it easily. Plus, I'd imagine, it sets the pattern for a lifetime of travel.

 

I wonder why the US developed such a different mentality? It can't be merely distance, as Aussies are more like Europeans in taking time off and taking long vacations. Then again, they have such a LONG way to go.....

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I dont know if we are allowed to post links but if you google Solo Travel Society and Solo Traveler World you will find the website and facebook group for tens of thousands of solo travellers run by an awesome mature aged lady who is the queen of solo travel.

 

I am "nearing" 50 and have been travelling the world solo since my early to mid teens. To me its just a normal form of travel.

 

for the ladies- www.journeywoman.com

 

Thank to both of you, these websites have so much info, will be extremely useful to me.

 

I have only traveled to English speaking places, have not done Europe yet but really want to. May start with London, however I heard that the food is much more expensive then in other countries.

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It's really interesting reading everyone's replies.

 

One comment brought to mind something that an acquaintance from England shared with me last year. We were talking about travel and getting older. She remarked on how in America the cultural norm is to wait until you are older (e.g., often retirement age) to travel. Whereas, in many parts of the world, especially in Europe, people are encouraged to travel at a younger age -- the "gap year" before university or taking a year after university, plus having longer vacations throughout one's working life... That way, she said, you can get a lot of the more 'intensive' travel done while you're still young enough to handle it easily. Plus, I'd imagine, it sets the pattern for a lifetime of travel.

 

I wonder why the US developed such a different mentality? It can't be merely distance, as Aussies are more like Europeans in taking time off and taking long vacations. Then again, they have such a LONG way to go.....

The US does seem to be an outlier on many issues, not just travel. I'm glad I bucked the norm on that.

 

I started out by taking students to Europe and staying behind on my own. That worked quite well. Then, I graduated to just going on my own. I spent several summers in Spain learning Spanish and living with a Spanish family. You're never too old to be an exchange student.

 

I traveled extensively through Ireland doing genealogy research. No one wanted to go with me and I was interested enough to want to do the research, so it was solo or not at all.

 

I never thought it odd to travel solo. I rather enjoyed it because I didn't have to juggle my interests with someone else's. I have traveled with others, some more successfully than others. My sister and I are very compatible companions, but she doesn't have the time off work to go with me all the time. I have some friends that I love dearly, but would never travel with them again.

 

I always said I didn't care about the ugly kitchen cabinets because I had the memories of all my trips. Seeing Antarctica is much more precious than granite countertops. Immersing myself in Spanish culture or the summer I spent in France are more important to me than some object. Yes, I'll put my money into travel any day!

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Thank to both of you, these websites have so much info, will be extremely useful to me.

 

I have only traveled to English speaking places, have not done Europe yet but really want to. May start with London, however I heard that the food is much more expensive then in other countries.

 

Food can be expensive in Northern Europe (UK, Scandinavia) but if you do some research and planning, it's bearable. Some tips I've used:

 

Breakfasts often are not included in London hotels. Oftentimes what I've done is to stop by one of the food halls on your way back to your hotel in the evening and pick up something for breakfast. Even if you don't have a refrigerator in your room you can get some scones or rolls, jam, cheese, fruit, etc. Most hotels do have an electric kettle in the room so you can make tea or coffee.

 

I like pubs for lunch. Usually reasonable (avoid the ones on major roads or that look very touristy) and filling.

 

For dinner, maybe think of ethnic food (if you like it) -- Indian, Pakistani, etc. are very good and not too expensive. Plus ever expanding new cuisines and options. Some ideas here: https://www.timeout.com/london/food-drink/londons-best-cheap-eats It's funny when I think back to my first visit to London (the year Diana married Prince Charles) and how bad and stodgy the food was then....!

 

As a solo, I try to challenge myself not to eat in my hotel ("taking the easy way out") except when breakfast is included...

 

One other solo tip for big cities -- I find it's better to have a small (sometimes tiny!) room in a very central area than to have a bigger room (or nicer hotel) in an inconvenient location. It's much better, for example to have a good selection of restaurants nearby your hotel at night for dinner than to have to travel a distance (and then travel back again to your hotel, possibly at a late hour.....)

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Food can be expensive in Northern Europe (UK, Scandinavia) but if you do some research and planning, it's bearable. Some tips I've used:

 

Breakfasts often are not included in London hotels. Oftentimes what I've done is to stop by one of the food halls on your way back to your hotel in the evening and pick up something for breakfast. Even if you don't have a refrigerator in your room you can get some scones or rolls, jam, cheese, fruit, etc. Most hotels do have an electric kettle in the room so you can make tea or coffee.

 

I like pubs for lunch. Usually reasonable (avoid the ones on major roads or that look very touristy) and filling.

 

For dinner, maybe think of ethnic food (if you like it) -- Indian, Pakistani, etc. are very good and not too expensive. Plus ever expanding new cuisines and options. Some ideas here: https://www.timeout.com/london/food-drink/londons-best-cheap-eats It's funny when I think back to my first visit to London (the year Diana married Prince Charles) and how bad and stodgy the food was then....!

 

As a solo, I try to challenge myself not to eat in my hotel ("taking the easy way out") except when breakfast is included...

 

One other solo tip for big cities -- I find it's better to have a small (sometimes tiny!) room in a very central area than to have a bigger room (or nicer hotel) in an inconvenient location. It's much better, for example to have a good selection of restaurants nearby your hotel at night for dinner than to have to travel a distance (and then travel back again to your hotel, possibly at a late hour.....)

 

Thank you for the tips and the link that you gave me, will be very helpful. I am actually looking at hotels and flight right now. I feel like I am ready to take the plunge. I found this hotel: Parkwood at Marble Arch, it seems like its in a nice neighborhood and the price is right.

 

I do have a question, in London can I find outside stands like here in NY? Here we have them all over and you can eat very cheaply for like 5-6 bucks that includes rice and meat. Do they have something of that sort in London, also very cheap meals like that?

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Thank you for the tips and the link that you gave me, will be very helpful. I am actually looking at hotels and flight right now. I feel like I am ready to take the plunge. I found this hotel: Parkwood at Marble Arch, it seems like its in a nice neighborhood and the price is right.

 

I do have a question, in London can I find outside stands like here in NY? Here we have them all over and you can eat very cheaply for like 5-6 bucks that includes rice and meat. Do they have something of that sort in London, also very cheap meals like that?

 

https://www.pret.com/en-us

 

Pret a Manger is a sandwich shop with what I might characterize as healthy fast food--they are like on every 2nd block in London and inexpensive by London standards. I'd highly recommend them if you are looking for decent inexpensive meals!

 

I don't remember seeing food trucks but it's been a couple of years since I was in London and I may just have forgotten them.

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https://www.pret.com/en-us

 

Pret a Manger is a sandwich shop with what I might characterize as healthy fast food--they are like on every 2nd block in London and inexpensive by London standards. I'd highly recommend them if you are looking for decent inexpensive meals!

 

I don't remember seeing food trucks but it's been a couple of years since I was in London and I may just have forgotten them.

 

Excellent, thank you!

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Hi Cynthia:) I can't believe I missed this thread!.........I love to travel (well, I love to cruise more:D) but as for going solo?

It is very normal to me as well. It is the only way I go.......you mentioned your X not being a travel person? I have been

divorced for over 30 years and for the last 15 I have been cruising. It is a good way for me to see places in a way that

is comfortable for me. If I didn't go on my own? Well I have nobody to travel with (not complaining) just stating that

staying home is not an option.

I have a cruise booked for August from Barcelona to Rome.....the areas of Spain and Italy on the itinerary are all new to me:)

 

As for family understanding what I do? I have a sister and bil who both love to travel.......they have never had any issues

or questions for me about why I go........they "get it".:)

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It's really interesting reading everyone's replies.

 

One comment brought to mind something that an acquaintance from England shared with me last year. We were talking about travel and getting older. She remarked on how in America the cultural norm is to wait until you are older (e.g., often retirement age) to travel. Whereas, in many parts of the world, especially in Europe, people are encouraged to travel at a younger age -- the "gap year" before university or taking a year after university, plus having longer vacations throughout one's working life... That way, she said, you can get a lot of the more 'intensive' travel done while you're still young enough to handle it easily. Plus, I'd imagine, it sets the pattern for a lifetime of travel.

 

I wonder why the US developed such a different mentality? It can't be merely distance, as Aussies are more like Europeans in taking time off and taking long vacations. Then again, they have such a LONG way to go.....

 

We seem to think about alot of things differently than other countries.........

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I was a single mom until I was in my 40's (well technically I still am) so travelling was generally out of the question as my salary went to supporting our family of three. But I got bit by the travel bug big time in 2007 when a friend convinced me to try an all inclusive. After two more all-inclusive resorts, another friend suggested a cruise in 2011, then in 2012 we decided to do a back to back one week in St. Lucia with a one week western Caribbean cruise. Unfortunately she fell on a bike trip in Cuba and I ended up travelling solo. It was terrifying at first having to navigate on my own as I didn't feel confident - but I did it.

 

Since then I've done one or two cruises a year, sometimes with friends, sometimes on my own. My friend and I did manage our trip to St. Lucia, and later visited Hawaii for 10 days. More recently I've been travelling in Canada as well...one more province and two territories left on the list.

 

All this to say I can't imagine not travelling anymore and agree wholeheartedly with others who have said the earlier in the life the better. I've seen places that I never dreamed I'd see, experienced other cultures, and opened my life and mind to different ideas. I always say the same thing when I travel somewhere new - I'm a lucky, lucky woman. It makes my friends laugh but I truly feel blessed to be able to travel and I hope I never take it for granted.

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We seem to think about alot of things differently than other countries.........

 

I think part of it, too, may just be that we have such a large, geographically (if not culturally) diverse country that there is a lot to see here without going to another country. I know several people who like to travel but whose attitude is "why go to another country when there is so much to see and do in this one."

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I love to travel solo too! I'm a 35 yo married woman with 2 kids (8+5). I grew up in a poor, rural area where most people didn't take any vacations at all, let alone to foreign countries. It wasn't until I got to graduate school and post-doctoral fellowship that I really started traveling throughout the US and internationally. I didn't get married until I was almost done with grad school, and by that time I had become completely used to (and in love with) traveling by myself. These work trips have allowed me to exercise my navigational skills and "street smarts", broaden my cultural horizons, and feel confident that I can handle most situations that will arise in a solo trip.

 

My husband does not like to travel as much as I do. He particularly hates boats and water (which is why I cruise solo!), but also isn't overly fond of flying. He doesn't even have a passport. There have been other posts in this sub about the weird attitudes that solo travelers encounter when they express their love for solo adventure. As a married woman, I find many people just think it's strange for me to go without my husband. I just shrug it off. I'm an introvert with a demanding career and a family. I rarely have the opportunity to fully recharge my batteries, and my DH understands this about me. He knows that in order for me to keep meeting my daily responsibilities, occasionally I need a break. He takes an annual golf trip with his buddies, and we usually do something as a family as well.

 

I try to cruise solo once a year (more if I can manage, but DH's patience has its limits! LOL). I have occasionally considered trying something different like an AI, but the convenience, itineraries, and cost always bring me right back to cruises. I usually take 4-6 work trips each year as well. Some of them I can choose, others are outside of my control. I like to take one international trip per year, and will usually try to go somewhere I haven't been before (except Dublin, because I'm just in love with it!). No plans to slow down anytime soon!

 

Travel on, solos!

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I love to travel solo too! I'm a 35 yo married woman with 2 kids (8+5). I grew up in a poor, rural area where most people didn't take any vacations at all, let alone to foreign countries. It wasn't until I got to graduate school and post-doctoral fellowship that I really started traveling throughout the US and internationally. I didn't get married until I was almost done with grad school, and by that time I had become completely used to (and in love with) traveling by myself. These work trips have allowed me to exercise my navigational skills and "street smarts", broaden my cultural horizons, and feel confident that I can handle most situations that will arise in a solo trip.

 

My husband does not like to travel as much as I do. He particularly hates boats and water (which is why I cruise solo!), but also isn't overly fond of flying. He doesn't even have a passport. There have been other posts in this sub about the weird attitudes that solo travelers encounter when they express their love for solo adventure. As a married woman, I find many people just think it's strange for me to go without my husband. I just shrug it off. I'm an introvert with a demanding career and a family. I rarely have the opportunity to fully recharge my batteries, and my DH understands this about me. He knows that in order for me to keep meeting my daily responsibilities, occasionally I need a break. He takes an annual golf trip with his buddies, and we usually do something as a family as well.

 

I try to cruise solo once a year (more if I can manage, but DH's patience has its limits! LOL). I have occasionally considered trying something different like an AI, but the convenience, itineraries, and cost always bring me right back to cruises. I usually take 4-6 work trips each year as well. Some of them I can choose, others are outside of my control. I like to take one international trip per year, and will usually try to go somewhere I haven't been before (except Dublin, because I'm just in love with it!). No plans to slow down anytime soon!

 

Travel on, solos!

 

 

 

Bit by the travel bug hard in early 40s. (Also female.)

 

Lifelong fear of flying met Xanax and a newfound confidence brought on by life/circumstance changes.

 

I jumped in with both feet in 2015 on 7-day solo cruise, booked with five days or so notice, and almost couldn't believe how crazy I was being. I was barely flying at that time, and I'd never been on a cruise. Fell in love.

 

My BF likes vacations, but not for more than 3-4 days. He can do about one short cruise a year. (I think 3 cruises a year is a good number.) we are both introverts who value our alone time.

 

I haven't been on a solo trip since last October, and I've had an extremely rough couple of months, including the death of my father. Every fiber of my being is longing to be alone, so I have a solo booked next month.

 

And yeah, sometimes I daydream about packing up and moving across the country. I've done it before.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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For various reasons, my solo cruising has been put on hold for the moment, but I certainly do solo travel. I grew up in a family of travelers, even if just armchair travelers - but it meant I have a global awareness when my friends had no clue. My mom spent time in her 50s doing bus trips in Europe (without my dad) and I took my first solo trip (a cruise) at 19. My husband supported me traveling without him, particularly as he traveled for work. He was happy running the household while I was away, though it wasn't often. Then 'life got in the way' and it wasn't until I was in my 50's that I could consider traveling again and I spent 6 years doing the biggies on my bucket list. This lead to my first volunteering stint at 56 - working with a woman's sewing group in Tanzania. My daily return commute was 3 hours by public transport or walking.

I always discuss with my kids and after me updating them on safety and plans, they are cool with it. Now friends and family expect me to do the 'exotic'. If I haven't seen someone for a while, the first questions is 'where are you traveling to now?' I get comments that are more envious, or from women whose culture would react negatively if they did the same thing - they still want to know how I do it, however.

The blogs mentioned above are ones I have subscribed to for a long time. I have become a little less mainstream since 3 stints in Africa, but I still get something out of them.

There are some websites that support women who want to be a little more sociable in their travels (like exchanges) but they have an annual fee. Another source is cstn(dot)org which has a one time nominal cost. It lists solo friendly travels or you can post for a travel companion if you wish.

I think I'll have to wait until the Cdn$ improves before I sign up for a cruise but I am organizing 3 weeks in Spain for my 60th birthday this year - so travel keeps on happening.

The American concept of the 'rest of the world' being unsafe is narrow minded. If you poll the world about countries they are afraid of, 75% of the world is afraid of USA. (there is a map that shows these results) Only in Alaska and Texas have I seen signs reminding people that guns are not allowed on buses or in restaurants. The 'right to bear arms' scares the bejeebers out of a lot of the rest of the world, because USA is portrayed for their gun related incidents. Perhaps because of all the violence in their own country seen daily on their TVs, those that don't travel become fixated that everywhere else must be worse; so they are afraid. Ignorance is NOT bliss....imho

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