Last spring I traveled to Europe for 10 weeks—by myself.
My family and friends were surprised. While I’ve traveled a lot, I’d never ventured away alone for such a long time. But I wanted to test my belief that there’s a quality of life in Europe that we North Americans miss out on. And to prove to myself that I could survive.
Anyway, I love to travel. And for other older women contemplating a similar trip, I offer the following suggestions:
Plan ahead. Know roughly where you want to go (though don’t carve it in stone). By thinking about where to go, you’re deciding why you’re going, which is more important. I was interested in urban Europe. So I chose to wander around London, Paris, Marseilles, Vienna, Brussels and Amsterdam. I’m also interested in art, so the great galleries—from the National Gallery in London to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam—were top of the agenda. I spent several days in both the Louvre and Musee d’Orsay in Paris, and already want to go back.At the same time, don’t embellish your expectations. I never expected to have “fun” (though I did have some). Rather I hoped that my travels would be “interesting”—that my everyday observations would be rewarded. I was never disappointed.
Travel light. It’s an old adage, though I’ve never followed it. I love clothes, and I like to take a lot. I don’t want to look like a tourist when I’m ambling down Amsterdam’s shop-lined Kalverstraat, even if I’m quite alone. On this trip, I began with an overly bulky suitcase, and had to abandon both the luggage itself and some of my clothes in Paris, and replace it with a smaller more maneuverable model.And I have to reveal that in attempting to balance a suitcase on wheels, shoulder bag with laptop, camera bag—and, stupidly, a cup of coffee—on an upward-moving escalator in a Vienna train station, I fell backward (with all my possessions). A young woman caught my hand as I tumbled, and I didn’t roll to the bottom. But it was an alarming mishap. In the end, the best advice I can offer when it comes to carrying “stuff” is just do your best.
Don't think you have to stay in pricey hotels. I booked hotels about a week in advance as I went along—knowing roughly where I’d arrive, usually the train station, and when I’d be there. It worked well. I used budget hotel websites such as booking.com and venere.com. Single room prices (always with bath) ranged from $45 (for an impossibly remote pension in the London suburb of Stratford—not recommended) to $120, at the well-situated and elegantly appointed Best Western Apollo Museum Hotel in Amsterdam.
Some of the sixteen hotels I stayed in were a little down-at-the-heel. Maybe the shower didn’t work that well, or the “free Wi-Fi” service was more myth than reality. And to my perverse delight, the Residence Grillon (hotel) in Marseilles turned out to be in the red-light district. But I was never cheated, robbed or badly treated. And I always felt safe. Never was lack of security an issue.
Be prepared for bumps in the road. I got around mostly by train, and it wasn’t always easy. Europe’s railway system—while vast and wonderful—is complicated. In attempting to travel from Marseille to Vienna, I discovered—in transit—that the non-stop trip involved a 2 a.m. transfer in Venice for which I wasn’t prepared. Luckily, a Dutch businessman on the same route came to my rescue, dragging my suitcase up and down a series of railway platform steps in the small hours of the morning. Travel by train requires that you keep your wits: station transfers can be unnervingly short on time and potentially confusing. But, hey, that’s travel.
Go to some restaurants. We women fear eating out alone, and I understand that. But times have changed: European waiters are no longer surprised by single women and, in my experience, treat us nicely. If you’re having a timid day, you can always buy a take-out dinner.
Value your time alone. Read about the places you’re going. I still carry guidebooks—and novels and other tomes—and they weigh a lot. Go the route of apps if you must. But stay informed. Watch the local TV stations at night—or the BBC. Immersing yourself in the places and issues of the day is travel at its best. Don’t promise copious e-mails or frequent phone calls. You’re away for a few months. No big deal. This is your time. Live another life for a bit. And don’t feel guilty about it.
Was I ever lonely or low? Maybe for a few minutes in the south of France, but it passed. Did the trip make me want to pack up my apartment and move to Europe for good? Not really. Am I happy I did it? Absolutely.
Alison Appelbe writes frequently about travel.
