Travel confession

As much as I enjoy my little slice of heaven in the country, I do appreciate a change of scenery from time to time.

And as much as I enjoy little side trips and diversions, I feel strange doing it by myself. It has taken me a few years to feel comfortable dining alone in restaurants, but I still feel out of place taking vacation alone. If I have my dog along with me it doesn't seem as bad, but many of the places I would like to visit are not conducive to having a constant 4-legged companion, especially one getting up there in years.

Case in point, I took an overnight business trip this week to a part of the state I've never been to before. There are some beautiful state parks in the area that offer trails, boat rentals, fishing, even guided nature hikes. Park amenities include a lodge with modern hotel accommodations. The lodge is at the top of a bluff overlooking one of the best bass fishing locations in the region, and my room (with balcony, I might add) was on the lake side of the building. Even though the trees were all naked, I immediately thought this would be a good place to take a vacation. In fact, I had this place on my wish list for a few years.

The last vacation I took by myself was not long after I got here. I spent two nights in a resort area not far from here. I brought three books and my swimsuit, and left my laptop at home. I rented a bike and spent one day covering the "loop" through the golf course, gardens, and woodlands. Along the way I would stop to read, visit one of the garden spaces, or stroll down one of the foot trails. I spent an hour out by the pool and a morning on the lake-side beach. I did more reading in those two days than I had in the last year (work materials aside, of course).

Apparently people in this part of the world do not often take vacations by themselves. Not one time during that trip did I see another solo traveler. Then there are the implied cultural issues in some areas of this state, where it is not proper for a single woman to vacation by herself. A few years ago I was invited to a wedding, and I scheduled a few hours into my travel to visit some historical sites on my way to the wedding venue, which was tucked into a very conservative corner of the state. I'm sure the docents were just trying to make small talk, but they seemed to be taken aback when I said I was by myself. Though maybe it was because they were more accustomed to families and school groups than adults sans children.

My point is, it's not easy to take a vacation alone. First there is the self-consciousness issues. If you can get over that, I find there is at least one service provider that somehow manages to make you feel out of place (whether they intend to or not). And finally, I've noticed that my most memorable vacations usually involve sharing the experience with someone else.

I guess I just have to practice more. There is too much of this beautiful world to visit, and there won't be enough time if I'm waiting for the right circumstances.