Traveling SOLO, but want Company too

[JCWDCW]

I have just become a solo. Did the southern US this past November. As long as I had an agenda (going somewhere with a purpose; be it friends or bucket list) I was fine, but traveling from destination to destination is lonely. I always did the driving and my wife did the "lookout!!!" bit, so that part of solo is not an issue. I will be looking forward to our unit rallys this year. Even if it isn't a travel companion, having someone to look forward to seeing helps. I'm ambivalent about the matching bit, but traveling with someone in a mini-caravan would be interesting.
Thanks for opening up the topic Ray
JCW

[bayoufrank]

I generally travel alone, for several reasons - My wife is still working and I am retired. She enjoys traveling with the camper, but we have two different agendas - She likes a schedule of places and things to do, I am more of a random traveler. I will have several firm destinations for the summer, usually a few weeks apart, and will wander in the general direction of the next one and explore a little. Lots of cool places out there that don't make the top 25 of the list. On a summer trip, she will meet me for a couple of weeks at a predetermined destination and we will cover a large area doing the tourist deal. She heads back home to work, and I continue my general wandering to my next destination. If circumstances permit, she will join me again before the summer ends. Headed out in July to Oregon to visit my son, working on the route now -

[Barretta2]

I travel solo because I Like my own company, love the freedom and the ability to be spontaneous. I'm a professional artist...and I stop whenever and wherever scenery happens. Bella ( my AS FC) is my mobile studio. AS are roomy but IMO not roomy enough for hundreds or thousands of miles with someone who might, after a few hours together start riding the raw side of a nerve you never knew you have. My husband is good to camp with but only for a few days at a time...and because the AS is mine, only I really know how it works and what its foibles are. Absolutely agree that meeting people where you camp is super easy, almost always enjoyable, and occasionally memorable.
All that hot air blown, I will also say that having an AS Thread for like-minded people who would be interested in meeting up en route to share activities (Plein air painting, tennis, fishing, etc) would seem a terrific idea.
See you along the way....

[3wd67rg]

If, (God Forbid!), something happened to my love, I'd continue on the road solo. Why not? I use to backpack solo, hike, fish, camp solo not too many years ago. I'm pretty cool, I totally enjoy my own company.

[Murry57]

I am fortunate enough to be retired early and was always a dream of mine with my husband to travel in an AS from one end of the US to the other. Unfortunately he acquired something younger if you catch my drift.
Fortunately I did buy that AS, a 65 Caravel. I travel mostly to Wis. and Indiana and meet my friends who are tenters and 1 camper. The farthest I've gone alone is from Chicago where I live to meet my daughter in the Smoky Mountains. We had a wonderful time. I would love to meet someone that shares my desires because I am ready for some longer trips but do not feel it would be as much fun alone.

Ready in ChiTown

[NY24]

Hi Ray! I started RVing in 2010. I was solo then and, am still solo. I too would like to find a suitable partner (female) but, there's NO easy way of finding that special person that I know of. The women I've met to date are still "anchored" in some way (children or grandkids they don't want to leave, still working or, retired but went back to work part-time). I figure that, when the time is right and the stars align, I'll meet the right gal. As long as I'm healthy enough to drive (I have a Super C diesel puller), I'll continue to go it alone. Sure beats sitting home growing old! Good luck in your search!

[OldVwHunters]

Drop the trailer off'n them blocks of cinder, I done found my match on the Air Forums Tinder!

[CAV]

I'm a solo female with 10months AS-ing under my belt! Have learned a lot by reading forums and AS classified; going to RV shows; and asking lots of questions. Even attended Alumapalooza before I had a trailer, just to learn from others. I grew up trailering in a '58 Aljo and longed for being on the road again.

Planning for retirement, I realized I could sit at home waiting for someone to take me camping, or I could make it happen myself.

A vote of confidence to all women, "you can do this! Bought a new truck with a backup camera; found the size AS & floor plan I wanted; a hitch I could handle alone.

Solitude and nature is wonderful. Meeting new people or traveling to meet friends or family is great.

I'm learning patience and how to hand glitches as they come and to take it in stride. I feel accomplished when I can figure it out.

[ColoradoLady]

RVing solo by choice. Comfortable with my own company, and do like to meet likeminded new friends. My little dog is a nice travel companion....always willing to go where I want, and just be happy to be....quietly.

As long as my stamina holds up, I'll RV in my trusty little BAMBI. I am in no hurry to sit at home when there are so many places to go to...so much to experience. I'll leave that to my daughter...to manage the home front while I'm away.

[MelGoddard]

Traveling Solo?
Before I got into RVing, I hiked and backpacked a lot, and have spend weekends and weeks solo on various trails, (Inc. the Long Trail), and it was great!
I could set my own timetable, And travel at my own speed, looking at and taking photos of things of interest to ME.
I could cook what I wanted to, fart when I needed to, and bother no-one except the odd raccoon or skunk.
Now, i travel with a wife who goes with me to humour me, and perhaps enjoy some of the things that I do..
What a difference.

[ijustlee]

I was surprised, at first, that this forum seems to be lacking a meet up page until I thought of all the clean low mileage RV's that you see for sale. Spending a lot of time together in a small space shows how compatible with each other you really are. Society pressures people to pair up but when you are squished into an RV all your personality quirks are on daily display, sort of a rolling couples workshop! Congratulations to those who know what they want from a relationship, did your RV help you find out about yourself? I have attended more than one spiritual development workshop put on by a person of high attainment and was shocked that the majority of questions were about how to fix their relationships! It seems that a whole lot of couples stay together just because they don't like to be alone even though their partner upsets them constantly. I'd like to have somebody to travel with but I know that the odds of finding someone I'd like to wake up to every day are slim. Wow, look at all the responses this subject has generated. Hmmn... I think I see a business plan of Couples Therapy in an RV environment workshop!

[mandolindave]

I have a two part road trip planned for after I retire. ( or semi retire )
The first part has a music theme, hitting the meccas of American music. Country, Bluegrass, Rockabilly, Blues, Delta Blues, Dixieland, Cajun, Texas Swing.
The second part is a desert/canyon boon docking trip.
I might separate them. I have been planning for years.

A few friends, both genders have asked, " Need a co pilot ?" I could most likely get along with any of them…for a while. It would be good to have someone to help with costs, maybe driving. Nice to have someone to share the highlights, and have someone to talk to.

My point is….It depends on the length of the trip. I could handle anyone for a week or so. Then again, on a long trip where loneliness could be an issue, it could get dicey spending 24/7 with someone.

[mandolindave]

Maybe people that you cross paths with along the way, might be more apt to befriend a couple, than they would a lone " drifter ".

[Lily&Me]

I think that could be true, but it does happen.

Doug & I offered to share meals with a number of solo guys we came across in campgrounds, who were tenting and friendly, near us, etc....so why not?

If you are making pot roast, French toast, pancakes, bacon and eggs, etc., how hard is it to set an extra plate and feed someone who is otherwise alone?

I don't think the offer was ever rebuffed, and we had great conversations with interesting people.

But then...I like to feed people, too.


I have to say, I am a bit flabbergasted at the attention and participation this thread has generated.

Good for Ray!


Maggie

[rubyredskies]

Hi there..this is my first time on the Forum. I so enjoy reading everyone's posts...I am selling my home and buying a 1950 Spartan to live in full time..I have no fear of traveling alone and am so looking forward to getting on the road! I will be traveling around the country stopping for periods of time where I have family and friends and places I have never been! I am a 63 yr young woman and have lived alone for a while now..I take great comfort in the fact I am enough when I am alone..in fact, I don't even have TV! I have wonderful relationships with friends and family and pets..and I love meeting new people and hanging out with others doing new things! I am looking forward to the rally's! But there is something to be said for going back to my home, and enjoying the solitude! My hat is off to those who can enjoy close quarters with another! I think the key for any of us is to be happy with who we are and make the most of enjoying the life you have! If not, change it!

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by ijustlee

Hmmn... I think I see a business plan of Couples Therapy in an RV environment workshop!

I think this would be ordeal therapy along the line of Nietsche "that which does not kill me makes me stronger".

[Ray Eklund]

Basics 101 for Solo Encounters of the Third Kind:

You like to fish, go to those fishing spots and find that Solo fisher"person".

You like water and boating. Stay out of the deserts of the Southwest.... Well... Lake Powell and Lake Mead are exceptions.

You like to camp Off the Grid. Camp at National Forest Service campgrounds and look busy.

You like to Bird Watch. Go where Bird Watcher's go.

If you like the Albuquerque, NM Balloon Festival... watch and discuss whatever subject that enters your mind. Maybe the Balloon's might, as well, part of the conversation.

My wife and I are on that far end of the spectrum of enjoying the company of our Blue Heelers and ourselves exploring the dusty back roads of the West. The responsibility of saying... "get ready Monday, got some place to check out", and off we go... is mine. Nancy is not a "hunter and gatherer" as I am. She tolerates my motivation to be out... hunting and gathering, while she will take a break and can sit under the awning and read a good mystery book. I prefer a Western Americana Indian scout non fiction book, or a US Geological Survey professional paper on a 100 year old Mining District, looking for obscure mention of what I am seeking.

You do not have to be 100% compatible in interests. A mix is good for both. I like to vacuum our Heelers, and Nancy brushes them. Win / Win. See?

Politics is a big hurdle to overcome. Religion, some times.

Thrifty versus Spendthrift is a big obstacle. We race to pick up a dime laying on the asphalt in a parking lot. Coupons are big in Nancy's timing of purchase of things needed. Following Costco's sales prices against what we just purchased and getting that... refund difference credited back. Ding, ding, ding. Gas money.

Personality Type A, B and... to Z... need compromising from time to time, but time mediates these non lethal flaws in developing friendships. Some just cannot compromise, but as we ferment new views of people over time... it is easier.

[streaminwild]

Finding a honest person is more difficult than you think. I can count on one hand, how many people I trust with 10k cash in the trailer. Now bump that up to 100k in checking account, and I could amputate that hand. Over the years, I've loaned family and friends money when in need. It's amazing how much value that people place on your friendship. As their guilty conscience grows 99% ''friends'' and 33% family the phone calls fade. I would never, not return something that I borrowed. I would never ask someone a favor, that I wouldn't do for them. My last 35 yr relationship I was..... ''worth more dead than alive'' I want to be valued because of me instead of my bank account. People tell me that I will find someone when I least expect it. I asked the marriage counselor ''What are the odds at my age 50, with these values?'' The silent answer was, the tears that formed in her eyes. Sorry if this sounds like a rant... but I'm being honest. Maybe I'm asking too much in humanity. I like to give candle lit... dinners, massages, baths, and The problem is.... it's one way... Over the years I've learned ''actions speak louder than words''.

[batman]

Great topic Ray,
I like the responses from so many folks. I especially like the story from KWN306.
I think, "Traveling Solo?" would be an appropriate thread for the forum. Why not?
The wife (37 years) and I enjoy traveling and camping together. Like you, we both have our own agendas as well.
I hunt, fish and backpack. She has a hip issue now and would prefer to sit in the sun and read or gather firewood, listen to music.
The AS is the perfect base camp for us.
However one never knows what is waiting around the next bend of the trail.
So many folks that had someone to share the adventure with, are now alone, by choice or circumstance.
I say go for it!

-Dennis

[ColoradoLady]

Ray, as usual, you have a gift for coming up with "the right" subject for a thread. This one ,as the the others...is really hitting a mark.

Most of we solo travelers do so because family members or friends do not share the wanderlust. Whatever the circumstances, we find that, eventually, if we desire to travel, see the country...and if those close to us can't or won't go...we end up as Solo travelers.

Of course, there are still many who hope....one day...to find that kindred spirit....to fill the void of loneliness or to build a lasting relationship with. For them...I wish them all the luck in the world, and hope you do find that One who completes you.

Then, there are others of us, who are farther along in years and life experiences...who want to travel, camp, go where we want, when we want, involve ourselves in activities that others may not enjoy. There is some value in that independence and we have earned it. All that being said, that does not exclude us from the need to socialize and find new friendships.

I will not be adverse to making new friends...ever. We Human Beings, are by our genetic makeup...social creatures who need each other...if only for a few days at a time...then move on to our next adventure. As comfortable as we are with our own solitude, we all need others in our lives. As we grow older, I think we all get settled in our ways, and like being the master of our own fate.

So, if you ever find yourself near my campsite...come on over...introduce yourself...join me for a cup of coffee or tea, or, later in the PM...a glass of wine...and a good conversation and sharing of prior adventures and a few laughs. We both can benefit by the encounter.
I'll be the lil' ol' white hair lady with the little yappy dog in the 2015 BAMBI 16' Sport.