Roam Alone: Inspiring Tales by Reluctant Solo Travellers

by Hilary Bradt (Editor), Jennifer Barclay (Editor)

Overview

A unique title from Bradt, showcasing a brand new collection of remarkable travelers’ tales with a different slant. All the contributors were initially reluctant solo travelers, apprehensive about taking the plunge to go it alone after years of travel with a partner or friend. Some have embarked on the trip of a lifetime, walking or cycling alone through potentially hostile countries, but finding only kindness and hospitality – with a few hairy adventures thrown in. One story is by Bradt founder Hilary Bradt, who confronted her fears and set out to fulfil a childhood dream to ride a horse through Ireland shortly after her marriage broke up. Others are widows and widowers in their later years who were anxious about joining an organised trip on their own or who wanted to make a difference in the world by volunteering their experience and knowledge. Many ages, many personalities, one goal: to travel, and one stumbling block: anxiety.  Part literature, part guide, with tips for successful solo travel. Reassuring, entertaining and inspiring.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781784770495
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	06/01/2017
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

This book was partly inspired by Hilary Bradt, founder of Bradt Travel Guides, who describes her solo travels as ‘certainly reluctant’. She made her first trip through South America alone when her travel companion dropped out at the last moment; the subsequent journey through the Andes was unfortgettable and set her up for the solo trip of a lifetime, described in this book, of riding a pony a thousand miles through Ireland. The anxiety of planning the journey was offset by the serendipity of being able to take each day as it came and the intensity of the experience. Of travelling alone, Hilary Bradt says ‘there’s no doubt that it’s more fun to plan a trip with a like-minded companion, but I have learnt to confront my fears and indulge my passion for travel, knowing that the solo traveller will be richly rewarded, from meeting the locals to discovering a new inner confidence.'
Jennifer Barclay is an editor and writer who has enjoyed travelling alone in many countries. She has written three travel books about travelling alone: Meeting Mr Kim, which details her adventures travelling solo around South Korea, and Falling in Honey and An Octopus in my Ouzo, both of which describe her move - on her own - to a Greek island.

Table of Contents

Foreword Jan Leeming
Introduction Hilary Bradt

THE FIRST STEP
India - Really? On my own? Sandra Reekie 
USA - Short Notice Helen Brown
Gabon Confidential Ian Packham
Berlin - The Unexpected Consolations of Getting It All Wrong Kirsty Fergusson
Australia - Of Red Earth and Fruit Bats Amanda Lumley

BRIEF ENCOUNTERS
Eight Hours in Fiji Matt Dawson
Gibraltar and Tangier - Abroad  Janice Booth
Australia - The Ghan Debbie Parrott
A January Jaunt to Jordan Zoe Efstathiou
Russia - Taxi Ride in Vladivostok Nicole Teufel

FACE THE FEAR
Darkness in Laos Ian Oliver
Unenlightened in Nepal Claire Davies
Morocco - Tea and Oranges Kelly Dignan
Philippines - Finding Freedom Hannah Stuart-Leach

SAFETY IN NUMBERS
Thailand - A Coconut with Three Candles Ian Douglas
Himalayas - The Start of a Passion  Jane Vincent-Havelka
UK - The Social Mobility of Cycling Hazel Pennington
Cruise - Not so Solo at Sea Phoebe Smith

TRAVEL WITH A PURPOSE
France - Getting Going Again  Elspeth Cardy
Ecuador - Where Everyone Knows Your Name Vicki Brown
France - The Wandering Goose Janet Rogers
Australia - The Pet Project Jennifer Barclay
Mallorca - Doing a Shirley Valentine Christine Green

CONNECTING
India - First Night Michelle Kennedy
Cuba - A Sack of Beans and a Sun-Bleached Chair Mandy Huggins
'slo - Alf Matthew Pointon
USA - Guns and Canyons Gillian Gain
Mongolia - When the Ice Melts Suzy Pope
Ireland - Mollie  Hilary Bradt

WHAT AM I DOING HERE?
Cycling Shetland Pat Smith
Italy - The Mountain Retreat  Martha Hales
Solo Ways in Sulawesi Ella Pawlik
Colombia - My Daughter’s Laugh  Dom Tulett
Beijing - A Night in Room 13  Sarah Pope
A Thaw in Naples  Claire Morsman

A BIG ADVENTURE
USA - What If You Get Lost and Die? Katie Grayson
Madagascar - Beginning Anne Axel 
Mexico - No Way Back  Graham Mackintosh
Kashmir - The Road to Srinagar and Beyond Sheelagh Reynolds
Asia - Going it Alone  Sally Watts