I recently read two articles online that were so amusing to me, I had to share them.

In Venice calls — and to hell with explanations, author Wendyl Nissen writes “And then there were the looks. From people searching for signs of a marriage break-up, a terminal illness prompting me to get out my list of 100 things to do before I die, or an assignation with a lover of indeterminate nationality, but most probably Italian.” Nissen offers a great glimpse into what solo travelers must endure from friends, acquaintances, and family when we announce that we plan to go somewhere…alone. As she points out, even someone with a built-in travel companion (read: spouse) might have reasons to travel alone. Lots of married people take separate vacations–not because their marriage is in trouble or they’ve grown apart, but because they want to do different things once in awhile. It’s just their way of nourishing their individual spirits. Or, in Nissen’s case, research for her novel.

In this StarTribune article on Puerto Rico (you will need to sign up for the free 7 day pass to read it), Jodie Valade describes how she tried to keep the fact that she was traveling alone to Puerto Rico from her mother, who would be sure to freak out. The article is primarily about Jodie’s firsthand account of her trip to San Juan, which was of interest to me, because it’s on my list of places to go, too. But her reference to her mother’s worry was something I could relate to, and I’m sure many other solo travelers or would-be solo travelers (especially women) can, too.

Have you ever had to explain or excuse your solo travels to others? I’ve had some interesting reactions from people. “Why would you want to go alone?” being one. My reaction to that is “Well, what’s the alternative?” I’m single and unattached and I know almost no one who loves to travel (or can afford it) as much I do. If you have no travel companion, your choices are travel alone or don’t travel at all. I’ve already explained on my About Me page how I feel about traveling; if I thought I couldn’t ever travel again unless I had someone to go with, I might as well put a bullet in my brain right now.

Another response I’ve gotten more than once is “I could never do that!” I even had a man I was dating once tell me that. When I asked why he would not travel alone, his deadpan response was “Oh, safety reasons.” We were talking about Las Vegas at the time, not the Sudan. I mean, come on. It doesn’t take Richard the Lionhearted to travel alone. If I can do it, pretty much anyone can. Others have indicated they wouldn’t enjoy a trip as much if they didn’t have a companion to share it with. Okay, that’s fair. I’ll admit, there have been times when I wished I had someone to share the experience with on a trip. But really, wouldn’t you rather travel alone than with a terrible travel companion? Especially if the alternative is that you don’t travel at all….EVER? I’ve had to endure some annoying personality quirks of a travel companion (bossiness, snoring, picky eating habits, insisting on staying at 4- and 5-star hotels while not paying his fair share of expenses, etc.), and believe me, I would rather travel alone than with that person.

It makes me wonder how many people out there would love to travel alone, but are not doing so because of what other people think or say about it?