Solo travel

(I realise after two and a half weeks I am not an expert. These are just my thoughts),

If it hasn't been obvious, I am travelling solo.
Many people were surprised when they learnt that not only was I going on my own but that I wasn't doing a tour.
I like my "alone time" as my nephew used to call it and always have. I seem to need more than the average person (or I just never learnt how to live with other people - ask my sister 😀).
I never had any hesitation in setting off solo.

I am a people pleaser by nature and travelling solo means I am not spending a lot of mental energy making sure the other person is having a good time, often to the detriment of myself.

The good parts:
The obvious one is that I set the agenda and can change plans whebever I want or need to.
The other day after the walk to Gaisalm I had planned to go on to Scholastika to the museum but as the walk took it out of me and the timing would be tight I gave it a miss. If I'd been with someone else I would have felt pressured (by me not them) to keep going.
Want to sit by the lake for half and hour and just look at it? No worries.
To me spending the extra money to travel first class on the trains has been worth it, not everyone would see it that way.

No one is there to see my stuff ups, yesterday I got on the tram for the Tirol Panorama, went two stops and realised I was going the wrong way. I go the wrong way a lot when using google maps. I now get that the sun travels across the southern sky but I still have to stop and get my bearings - if that is south then north is this way.

There is no one to watch me take forever to get myself settled on the train. I watch other people just sit down. I put my backpack up on the shelf, then take it down again, get something out, put it up again, pull something out of my handbag, put my handbag down, pick it up again to check the ticket.

There is no one to roll their eyes when I spend half an hour playing pokemon at Zurich train station (I had wifi and was within two pokestops that had lures).

It's a lot cheaper, for experiences anyway. I presume the accommodation is more expensive.
Overspending on the dinner budget because you walk into a fancy restaurant and sit down before you look at the menu is cheaper when it is only €20 more than you planned instead of €40 or more.

I can be as cautious as I need to be without driving someone else nuts. Want to be at the train station half and hour before the train leaves even though 5 minutes is more than plenty? Go for it.

Lastly - I'll still be talking to all my friends and family when I get home.

The not so good parts:
There is no one to watch my stuff so I have to take it with me.
Trying to squeeze myself, a suitcase and backpack into a toilet cubicle is sometimes easier said than done.
The other day at the gasthaus I had to order at the counter and give my table number. While I was inside ordering someone else sat at the table. Fortunately I was able to sit at the table next door.

The looks you get from restaurant wait staff when you eat on your own. Usually I pull out my phone but sometimes the place is too up market for that.
Having no one to talk to over a meal at a restaurant.

The language. I'd probably be more confident to try out french and german if I had someone with me. I've managed to comminicate fine, even on the very few occasions the person hasn't spoken english. I haven't spoken a lot of it though.
I did absorb more german than I realised though. Today I found myself looking for "ausgang" (exit) signs at the Dijon train station rather than "sortie".
I also want to say "danke" instead of merci.

The vague concerns of what if something goes wrong. One of the reasons I check in so much on facebook is so people know where I am/last was.

So far do I regret it? No way!

Today:
I left Innsbruck at 7:40 this morning for Zurich. There was another train at 9:40 but that only gave me 14 minutes to change trains. We were 25 minutes late into Zurich so I am glad I played it safe.
What I saw of Zurich was lovely. It sits on a huge lake. Makes the Achensee look tiny. I saw quite a few Swiss flags flying from buildings, not something I saw in Munich or Innsbruck.

After two hours at Zurich train station I boarded the train for Paris. It was quite empty until we got to Basle, then the carriage filled up. I got off at Dijon and a lot of people got on. The train was non stop from Paris to Dijon.

My first impression of Dijon? It's an old city. Innsbruck has it's Old Town but that, as beautiful as it is, has had regular maintenaince to keep it looking bright and old. Dijon's buildings (what I've seen) are old (not run down, just showing their aga).
I'm in a gorgeous hotel not far from the centre of Dijon. My travel agent may not have been able to book train tickets but she did book good hotels. So far they have all been within walking distance of the main train station (except London but that was by the tube and buses).

Photos:
Austrian village
The farms had these little sheds, at leadt one per field in some areas
It's hard to tell but the rivers are an icy green colour
Swiss village
Cathedral in Dijon
Dijon streetRead more