Iain Banks, on travelling alone.

[randomness]

"You travel fastest by yourself for a start. And you're more exposed to what you're doing....You are more open to the actual place, much more involved in the place around you: you haven't got someone else to talk to in your own language. Obviously you might meet people in youth hostels, but it does expose you more to the country: it's a comprehensive experience of the foreignness of a place, if you're by yourself. And also I decided where I wanted to go, and wasn't trailing around with someone who wanted to go and see yet another bloody cathedral."

From an interview with Isobel Murray, in Scottish Writers Talking 2.

Comments

[roozle.livejournal.com]

Yes! That's exactly how I felt off by myself for a couple of days.

(granted, Burlington VT isn't that foreign, but all the rest of it...)

[rosminah.livejournal.com]

Amen.

[nafe.livejournal.com]

As a former and current solo traveler, I will also add my assent, and even to expand on the comment. Not only does solo travel allow you to take in the country more thoroughly and genuinely, but it also opens you up to the dynamic and thriving expat community, which is like a sub-level of the overall cultural exchange. For example, had I not been on my own 8 years ago, i:d have never fallen in with the pack of travelling aussies that I did, and would have been quite the poorer for it, as I had an amazing short term time with them. Also, youre a more aggressive traveler when alone, because lets face it, if youre alone and youre not constantly running yourself ragged seeing and doing things, that:s when the lonliness comes. And that blows. Ok, that my 2 Yen.

P.S. Thank you so much for posting the Sciortino victory results! My flight to Osaka left so early in the morning that I couldn:t go vote, and was feeling awful about it, and now I hate myself that much less. GO carl!