I am off to travel Asia and dive Asia…Thailand and the Mergui Archipelago is my destination in March 2014! I will be posting about each leg of my trip, and I look forward to sharing it with you!
It is February 28, 420p in Tokyo, Japan, but my body seems to know that for me, it is 130am in the morning. I just finished a 12 or 13 hour flight from Dallas to Tokyo, and another 7 hour flight from Tokyo to Bangkok awaits. I will start walking to the gate from the Admiral’s Club (American Airlines) in one hour. I hope writing will keep me awake! I arrive Bangkok at 1115pm, have to go through customs and immigration, then catch a shuttle to my hotel. Yes, I know it is a long trip, but don’t feel too sorry for me, I’m traveling first class and business class. I get 8 hours to sleep, then I leave Bangkok for Phuket. Then I will have more than 24 hours before the next leg of the trip…7 days in the Andaman Sea!
For the first time ever, I set off gongs going through TSA cleared security. Never could figure it out….but had two body searches in Dallas, then two more when I got to Tokyo! In Tokyo they also found my dive knife (and scissors, for cutting line), and now I have no dive knife. I did not have my thinking cap on when I packed it in carry on.
So, here is why I wanted to write a blog…I have so many women friends who tell me how “brave” I am to travel alone, but I really do not understand that. I would rather be traveling with my husband…but he is still recovering from a double lung transplant last September ( I know, crazy right?)…so if I want to travel, I travel solo. Of course, I have traveled alone many, many times. I’ve never really thought it was a big deal until I traveled to Africa in 2012 by myself, and did volunteer work for 3 1/2 weeks. Now that was a journey! Randy joined me afterwards, and we did a fabulous safari through Tanzania. I felt empowered by the fact that I managed perfectly well by myself. Well, with mishaps. But that is always the case.
The last thing I would have ever expected would be that Randy, of all people, would become seriously ill so young. Yes, young, at 56. Midlife was kind of thrown for a loop when he began to get ill, and we spent 2013 canceling almost all of our trips. Then he became critical, quickly. This has been a very challenging time for my family…and you know, we all have to adapt to circumstances. I am fortunate that my adaptations have not included financial hardship…we have been very lucky in our life together. So what to do with all of those midlife adventures we talked about? Well, some of them I will just have to do on my own. I don’t know if Randy will ever scuba dive again, but I truthfully doubt it. That is a blow for us because it is an activity we have always enjoyed doing together. Randy likes to dive, but I am passionately crazily in love with diving. So here I am, on my way to the Mergui Archipelago to dive on a liveaboard. I’m sure Randy and I will enjoy snorkeling together in the future.
So why am I considered brave by other women for taking trips on my own? Really, we are all capable of going and doing and accomplishing whatever we want to. What is it about traveling alone that seems to alarm so many women? I am asking this question: why not travel solo? If you really want to do something or go somewhere, and there is no one to accompany you, why would you let that stop you? Talk to me! I really want to know, and I think it is a great discussion to have! Why do you travel solo? Or why won’t you travel on your own?
Hi Tammy. I went travelling several times in the last year on my own and I feel like a stronger more whole person as a result. It was fantastic to see that I could do anything. I could travel and explore and I was amazed at how much easy and natural it was.
I was also struck by how many amazing women like me were out there travelling and how easily we recognized each other. There is a strange easy connection between women who travel solo. I had some real quality wine-fueled conversations and excursions with perfect strangers from all over the world.
I wish you great times and I hope that your husband joins you soon….however that looks. 🙂
The title of your blog says it all! Try New Things! Amazing how good it feels. Still waiting for your Belize blog!
The title of your blog says it all! Try New Things! Amazing how good it feels. Still waiting for your Belize blog!
Bravo, my friend! What an amazing journey you are on! Sorry about your knife. So glad you posted the “travel alone” bit. People never understand me either. First trip alone was in 1983…..Or 84?! Guadalajara and Mexico City. I was still naive and slightly insecure, but dared myself to go. That’s when I worked for an airline and received great flight passes and hotel discounts. Why not? Those were the days! Given the solitary nature of a writer, being alone provides creative time to explore and record, and I find that I meet many more interesting people that way. I’ve made several trips by myself and getting ready to go again spring break. Let’s get together soon. In the meantime, I hope Randy is getting stronger AND that you discover some new sea creature on your upcoming dives. Safe travels!
thank you! I would love to catch up. I used to be a travel agent back in the late 80s…I was bitten by the travel bug and haven’t stopped since!
I admire women like you who travel the world on their own. I haven’t had the guts yet…I even got lost in airports. I wonder how one acquires the brave gene.
There’s no gene…just a desire to go. I have a “fall down” gene, an ADHD gene, a “lose everything” gene, and as my family would tell you, a “kooky” gene. I lost my passport in the Nairobi airport (actually, I think it was stolen) and my husband was even with me on that adventure. I don’t think I am in any more danger traveling by myself than I am right in my house, where I fell over a pet gate 6 months ago and ended up with 15 stitches in my face. Read about my trip to Mozambique http://tamtravels.wpengine.com/category/adventures/adventuresinmozambique/page/2/ in 2012, and you’ll be planning your own adventure! If I can do it, any woman can do it. Trust me on this!
Bon voyage! I haven’t traveled for a while because my kids are still pretty young and don’t drive (so I have to stick around to play taxi). But I didn’t get married until my mid 30s, and before that I traveled alone. It gave my mom a heart attack, but I wen’t going to wait for some man to escort me around. I just used good sense and didn’t walk through dark alleys by myself or stop to pump gas in high crime areas. You have a good time and take lots of pics! And all my best to your husband as he continues his path to recovery.
Thank you! I’m so proud of my daughter, she arrived today and traveled solo all the way to Thailand.
I enjoy traveling alone. I don’t have to accommodate anyone else’s itinerary and can spend as much time doing what interests me. It sounds like you have a wonderful trip planned. I look forward to reading about it. Enjoy.
I agree, Kyle! Still on my trip, still having fun!
I led a pretty sheltered life as an only child and was never allowed to travel alone. Then after college I married my sweetheart and he always accompanied me. He had traveled extensively as a military brat when he was growing up. I didn’t even fly until I was mid-thirties! In 1991, however, I was given the opportunity to join a delegation of educators from all over the country (none of whom I knew) and as the Gulf War was getting started, I took off on a solo adventure to Moscow, Novosibirsk, and Budapest. Truly an adventure of a lifetime, working with gifted children in other countries. So, I was hooked on travel, especially knowing that I could, in fact, negotiate foreign countries and airports on my own!! Now in our 60’s, my husband has developed a passion for diving so we are feverishly trying to visit as many good dive sites as we can before he gets to a point in his life where it is hard to travel. I’m not a diver myself but just LOVE accompanying him and his brothers ( his dive buddies) on every adventure. Here’s hoping that Randy will be putting his snorkeling mask back on very soon! Love reading about your adventures! Thanks for sharing and baring your soul!