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A revelation for this lone voyager: it really can be fun to travel with other people. It adds to the wonderment of being in a foreign land. Yep, I have to admit, the camaraderie enhanced my experience. | |
I am a solitary traveller. I like the complete independence. I do only what I want. I sleep/eat/walk where I want. I recall my first "big" trip after college. I travelled across the country on a Greyhound bus: it was called the "Ameripass". Thirty days for, gee, I think it was something like $75. At that time, it was the best way to see America. I didn't have the guts to hitchhike, although I certainly had done so many times along the West coast. I could be alone when I wanted. If I wanted company, I had no choice but to strike up a chat with the person sitting next to me. Or, with the locals in whatever city I happened to visit. That first real voyage set the tone for my subsequent travel. Even if I was not solo in my "real" life, I chose to be so in my "travel" life. Shoot me rather than put me on one of those tours with strangers. Istanbul changed that! I had the absolute, unequivocal joy of being with 24 others, most of whom I had never met before. Did I love every one of them? Of course not. But, I found each one of them fascinating to talk to. Lives unlike mine, experiences completely different than my own. Each person had his/her own reason to be on that trip. We had one thing in common: Monroe, the birthday boy who had the grand plan and generosity to produce this unforgettable experience. I never feared who I was sitting next to. Every conversation brought something to my life. Yes, this solitary traveller may be changing her ways, thanks to this Christmastime trip to Istanbul with strangers. | ||