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spending time solo

I have seen questions on social media asking how to handle doing things alone. As an introvert, I never questioned this and seeing the questions surprised me. I've been dining alone sometimes as far back college in 90's. Circa 2008, I had one night a week when I would leave my family at home and hang out in Panera, the only local place with free wifi at the time, just to have a meal someone else made for me and some peace to do my own thing for a while (sometimes digital scrapbooking!). In 2023, I took a several day vacation alone in Boston and had a fantastic time walking around at my own pace and according to my own whims. I think the first movie I ever watched alone was Titanic in 1996, and I've been to at least one other movie alone that I can remember for sure. I love to walk and hike with friends, and do so regularly, but often I walk/hike alone too. I listen to podcasts, wander at will, and think my own thoughts, sometimes stopping to write in my journal. So, yes, doing all of these things alone is easy for me.
 
Introvert here too. I got used to dining and vacationing alone on business trips. I wasn’t going to miss out on seeing some amazing cities just because I was on my own so I would tack on a couple days in interesting places for myself. I toured London alone and some other spots and dined alone quite often. I’ve never planned a full vacation alone - I’d probably go on one of those tours that bring solo travelers together. I have occasionally gone to a movie alone if it was something I really wanted to see and no one else was interested.
 
dawnmarch said:
Introvert here too. I got used to dining and vacationing alone on business trips. I wasn’t going to miss out on seeing some amazing cities just because I was on my own so I would tack on a couple days in interesting places for myself. I toured London alone and some other spots and dined alone quite often. I’ve never planned a full vacation alone - I’d probably go on one of those tours that bring solo travelers together. I have occasionally gone to a movie alone if it was something I really wanted to see and no one else was interested.
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Yeah! That's another good reason. I don't want to miss out on something just because I can't find someone else to join me.
 
I have no problem doing things solo. I've even done Disney World and Disneyland by myself. I take trips to the Oregon Coast on my own quite a bit. Sometimes I feel bad when I go to a nicer restaurant and take a table for two, knowing I'm not a big revenue generator for them, but I still do it! And I love to go to movies by myself, although there haven't really been any movies in a long time that I wanted to see in the theater so badly that I've gone alone. I guess I like my own company, and I really don't like planning around other people's schedules or whims. I don't want to plan something and then be able to tell they're disappointed or not having a good time. I'm fine to go with others if they plan things, because I'm not that picky...I will make it fun no matter what.
 
I do my own thing quite a bit. My hubby isn't as active as I am and doesn't enjoy many of the activities that I do so I go alone or with friends. When we travel I often join in on a group tour or go off on my own. I go into Calgary quite a bit and just wander the streets by myself, taking photos and exploring shops. I like having company with me but I also enjoy just doing my own thing, not having to adjust my schedule to suit someone else.
 
Another introvert and being single, I do spend a lot of time alone!

It's been almost 30 years since I've gone to a movie and that was usually with a friend. I've gone out to eat a few times alone but not at fancy restaurants. One time I remember was at a Bob Evans around lunch time and I sat at the counter (when they still had it) so as to not take a table. Then I left to go to a scrapping retreat weekend from there.

As for travel, I have traveled by myself but was usually going to visit family. Other times I've traveled alone when going to a scrapbooking retreat. When I stayed with a cousin in Orlando for a week once, I was leaving on Sat to come home but my cousin's wife and daughters had to leave to go to Miami on Friday since the girls were in a wedding that weekend. Grandma went along to watch the grandkids during the rehearsal. "Mimi" (as the grandkids call her) dropped me off at Magic Kingdom in the morning and I spent the day there. My cousin joined me in the evening after he got off work. It was nice to spend time with just him alone.

Although, now that I did a bus tour with a friend and saw how friendly people were especially to those who were traveling alone, I didn't hesitate to sign up for a couple last year. Although on one of them, the tour guides were the same ones from the previous trip (one was a high school classmate). My college friend went on the next trip with me and there were people on it from one or both of the previous trips. There was also a guy I knew from his being a speaker at my genealogy society meetings on this trip and he was traveling alone. My 3rd trip last year was again alone and lo and behold, people that had been on previous trips were also on it. The guy I knew from genealogy was again on this trip, in fact, we ended up sitting together on the bus for a couple days then he became friendly with someone else and moved to sit with them. I had no issue with it since I was getting tired of hearing the same stories every day ;)

This year I'm again going on 3 trips... all as a solo traveler. All are tours through this same agent in town so I will at least know her and her husband. A couple from one of the trips last year will be on the trip in June. I think another couple that was on 2 of the trips last year might be on the last one but genealogy guy did say he was going on that trip as well.

I've met some nice people on these trips and they don't hesitate to let me hang out with them. But then I'm also able to do my own thing when we are at one of our stops. One of our stops on the last trip was in Stowe, Vermont for an afternoon. After walking around and checking out the stores for awhile, my back started to hurt so I found a place to park my behind and I people watched until we could get back on the bus. I'm very willing to let someone else do the planning, driving and booking of hotels/attractions... I just get to sit back and relax and enjoy my trip!
 
I used to dread going out to eat alone but now I’m ok withit. I have never gone to a movie alone because I don’t care to watch movies. I don’t care to vacation alone; that intimidates me.
 
scrapchyck said:
I have no problem doing things solo. I've even done Disney World and Disneyland by myself. I take trips to the Oregon Coast on my own quite a bit. Sometimes I feel bad when I go to a nicer restaurant and take a table for two, knowing I'm not a big revenue generator for them, but I still do it! And I love to go to movies by myself, although there haven't really been any movies in a long time that I wanted to see in the theater so badly that I've gone alone. I guess I like my own company, and I really don't like planning around other people's schedules or whims. I don't want to plan something and then be able to tell they're disappointed or not having a good time. I'm fine to go with others if they plan things, because I'm not that picky...I will make it fun no matter what.
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That reminds me of the time in 2018 I went to Kings Dominion (an amusement park with roller coasters and other rides about 40 minutes from me) alone. We had a family pass that year so I'd taken the kids several times and in October I decided I wanted to go alone and just ride my favorite rides over and over. It was a lot of fun!
 
bcgal00 said:
I do my own thing quite a bit. My hubby isn't as active as I am and doesn't enjoy many of the activities that I do so I go alone or with friends. When we travel I often join in on a group tour or go off on my own. I go into Calgary quite a bit and just wander the streets by myself, taking photos and exploring shops. I like having company with me but I also enjoy just doing my own thing, not having to adjust my schedule to suit someone else.
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Oh yes, the freedom of taking a zillion photos without having to make family or friends wait!
 
HavaDrPepper said:
Another introvert and being single, I do spend a lot of time alone!

It's been almost 30 years since I've gone to a movie and that was usually with a friend. I've gone out to eat a few times alone but not at fancy restaurants. One time I remember was at a Bob Evans around lunch time and I sat at the counter (when they still had it) so as to not take a table. Then I left to go to a scrapping retreat weekend from there.

As for travel, I have traveled by myself but was usually going to visit family. Other times I've traveled alone when going to a scrapbooking retreat. When I stayed with a cousin in Orlando for a week once, I was leaving on Sat to come home but my cousin's wife and daughters had to leave to go to Miami on Friday since the girls were in a wedding that weekend. Grandma went along to watch the grandkids during the rehearsal. "Mimi" (as the grandkids call her) dropped me off at Magic Kingdom in the morning and I spent the day there. My cousin joined me in the evening after he got off work. It was nice to spend time with just him alone.

Although, now that I did a bus tour with a friend and saw how friendly people were especially to those who were traveling alone, I didn't hesitate to sign up for a couple last year. Although on one of them, the tour guides were the same ones from the previous trip (one was a high school classmate). My college friend went on the next trip with me and there were people on it from one or both of the previous trips. There was also a guy I knew from his being a speaker at my genealogy society meetings on this trip and he was traveling alone. My 3rd trip last year was again alone and lo and behold, people that had been on previous trips were also on it. The guy I knew from genealogy was again on this trip, in fact, we ended up sitting together on the bus for a couple days then he became friendly with someone else and moved to sit with them. I had no issue with it since I was getting tired of hearing the same stories every day ;)

This year I'm again going on 3 trips... all as a solo traveler. All are tours through this same agent in town so I will at least know her and her husband. A couple from one of the trips last year will be on the trip in June. I think another couple that was on 2 of the trips last year might be on the last one but genealogy guy did say he was going on that trip as well.

I've met some nice people on these trips and they don't hesitate to let me hang out with them. But then I'm also able to do my own thing when we are at one of our stops. One of our stops on the last trip was in Stowe, Vermont for an afternoon. After walking around and checking out the stores for awhile, my back started to hurt so I found a place to park my behind and I people watched until we could get back on the bus. I'm very willing to let someone else do the planning, driving and booking of hotels/attractions... I just get to sit back and relax and enjoy my trip!
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I think it might make it more likely to meet new friends when we're going solo than if we are with other people. All your traveling sounds wonderful.
 
umyesh said:
I used to dread going out to eat alone but now I’m ok withit. I have never gone to a movie alone because I don’t care to watch movies. I don’t care to vacation alone; that intimidates me.
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Yeah, I'm not very interested in movies anymore. The last time I went to one alone was in 2018 and it was not so much for the movie but because it was an event to support a local candidate.
 
Other than work and scrapbooking, dh and I spend almost all our time together. I wouldn't want to dine alone or go to a movie or a vacation by myself. We've been together since high school and I would feel incomplete without him.
 
HeatherB said:
Other than work and scrapbooking, dh and I spend almost all our time together. I wouldn't want to dine alone or go to a movie or a vacation by myself. We've been together since high school and I would feel incomplete without him.
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Ah, at last! I was starting to think I posed a silly question with everyone so far agreeing that it's fun to do things alone.
 
I go to lunch by myself every now and then but I’d rather go with my hubby or a friend. I have never gone to a movie by myself and don’t think I ever would. I’d just wait for it to come out on streaming. I do fly by myself to go visit the grandkids but prefer to fly with my hubby. I don’t think I would go on vacation by myself but I have gone off to a parade or ride at Disneyland on my own while the rest of the family went on a ride I didn’t want to go on.
 
I love doing things solo. I've traveled, gone to movies, dinner, all the things. My hubby doesn't like going out and doing as much as I do, so I just go! I've always really loved my alone time, too, so doing things on my own is sometimes exactly how I like it :)
 
michelepixels said:
That reminds me of the time in 2018 I went to Kings Dominion (an amusement park with roller coasters and other rides about 40 minutes from me) alone. We had a family pass that year so I'd taken the kids several times and in October I decided I wanted to go alone and just ride my favorite rides over and over. It was a lot of fun!
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That sounds awesome!
 
Another introvert here! I really enjoy my alone time and my own company. That said, I don't do it very often. There have been a few times over the years where I just wanted a break from all the home and kid responsibilities, and I got a hotel room in town for one night. I have no problem going to eat on my own. I went to a movie on my own one time - I was kind of worried it would feel weird, but it was great! I'm not sure how I would like traveling alone... maybe for a few days but I don't think I would like doing a big solo trip.
 
I wish I could do more things on my own.
I’m shy and anxious. It took me ages to stop feeling so nervous about going to the gym. I can’t bring myself to go for a walk on my own ; I always imagine the worst. Every day, I walk to pick M up from school, but I can only manage it because I know I won’t be alone on the way back (and it’s a short walk). It’s almost a hindrance not being able to do things on my own.
Before I was in a relationship, I only went out to do the shopping ; never to the cinema or any other activity.
 
I absolutely love going places with my husband. He just retired, and I was petrified about him being home. I am a putterer, and although I do things, it isn't in a planned and organized way. I used to do all the errands alone, have lunch out by myself, or go to places alone. We had kids, lots of them, and I was never alone. Then they all flew the coop, and I had major alone time. I loved it.
His coming home full-time scared me badly. We discussed it, and it has been so much fun. He took on some of the chores that are just hard for me. Sweeping and the mop! lol He cleans one of the bathrooms(barely used but needs a wipe down).
The absolute best part is that we do errands together on purpose, with our spoiled little dog. I enjoy just popping to his workroom (he does have a business still), and it is in the house.
but,
ONCE a week, he goes fishing for the day. That is a cherished day for me. I do need a day with no one. NO one! lol, jammies, and puttering around the house.
 
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