(Not to exclude men, but they’re more likely to…)

• There is nobody to say — when you’ve been walking, walking, walking, looking for the Saturday night walking market that appeared much closer on the map, and you all-of-a-sudden feel a sweat coming on, the drizzle starting somewhere in the forehead region and slowly but surely turning into a downpour that dampens then drenches your hair — “You’re sweating.”

or: “Why are you sweating?”

or: “Are you sure you’re OK?”

And you don’t say: “I’m sweating.” The verbalizing of which can turn it from a wet fact into a complaint. Or a concern. Ar at least, an issue.

And you don’t feel uncomfortable knowing, given you’ve become the monsoon you were concerned about, you’re looking a rare sight.

Because when you’re on your own, you just deal with things as they come up.

• 

  Solo traveler Wanda Hennig at brek in Chiangmai.

  There is nobody to say “You want to do WHAT?”

or: “What do you want to do today?”

or: “What are our plans for tomorrow?”

or: “It’s lunchtime.”

or: “I want to stop for a beer,” when you don’t.

or: “When are we leaving for… (fill in the gap).”

or: “Let’s take a tuc-tuc.” Or: “Let’s not take a tuc-tuc.”

or: “I need the loo.” And then you wait for half an hour for them to return.

• I look across at a pair at a table in the restaurant. At another pair on the Mekong slow boat (coming in six or seven blogs time). At numerous couples. And see them looking gloomy. Grumpy. OK. This is a generalization. But it keeps happening.

Alone you can be constantly entertained, never disappointed. You have the most interesting company. Your own. You can journal, do things on your iPad, take pictures, strike up conversations with whoever you feel like, write blog posts, get really curious about people, WhatsApp friends (just about everywhere has WiFi these days).

Share what you’re doing on Facebook or Instagram if you want to connect. Tweet even.

What are you waiting for? Boomers. Singles. Get your arse into gear…

This blog post will be expanded at a later date into something that might be called: “Fifty good reasons solo is the way to go for singles and boomers.”

Or 100 reasons.

Or it may even be expanded into a book.

Because traveling with someone is the norm. Many people travel with someone who is not fun to be with because they feel they cannot travel alone. And many people don’t travel because they don’t have the right (or wrong) person to travel with.

And that’s a real shame…

© Wanda Hennig 2016

Coming up — Thailand travel 13. Was my inmate masseuse a killer or an addict?

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