tag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-1471190 2009-11-10T21:35:25-05:00 How to set out solo, but not travel alone: Trips, tips and ideas for the active traveler. TypePad tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a66c043f970b 2009-11-10T21:35:25-05:00 2009-11-11T12:17:02-05:00

Anyone who knows my friend Bob knows how much he loves all things Japanese. He's been studying the language for years in Washington, with Japanese language partners and in classes. He's even learning how to write kanji, one of three Japanese alphabets. The most complicated one from what I can tell. Every time I turn around, Bob's off on another trip to Japan, including the time he rented out his apartment in Washington a few...

Ellen Perlman tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a6474a13970b 2009-11-05T20:58:03-05:00 2009-11-05T20:58:03-05:00

Because I couldn't bear the thought of staring at the four walls of my hotel room and eating a dreary dinner in a hotel restaurant, I pushed myself to stick with my original plan: Dinner at Garrido's. A casual Mexican restaurant somewhere in Austin. The result? An action-packed night filled with squeaky bats, soft tacos, and a stroll through the Sixth Street Warehouse district of Texas' capital city. I'd decided on Garrido's before I arrived...

Ellen Perlman tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a6481c67970b 2009-11-01T22:32:06-05:00 2009-11-02T22:00:59-05:00

Feliz Dia de los Muertes. That is, happy Day of the Dead (hm, maybe "happy" isn't part of the greeting?) The holiday is celebrated in Mexico in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day on November 1 and All Souls' Day on November 2. It wasn't until after I returned from Mexico that I learned about the National Museum of Death. Sounds real enticing, right? You want to see human skulls encrusted with...

Ellen Perlman tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a672dc6f970c 2009-10-29T22:07:22-04:00 2009-10-29T22:12:36-04:00

I hadn't ever put my finger on this before, it struck me as I read this post: I prefer to travel solo in a foreign country than here in the United States. Why? The writer says that despite being fluent in the language and culture of her own country, it's more daunting traveling in the U.S. than in a foreign country. Citizens of other countries are more welcoming, she believes. And "one often feels a...

Ellen Perlman tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a66d238e970c 2009-10-22T20:49:28-04:00 2009-10-22T21:05:40-04:00

A recently married women wrote a piece for CNN.com about what she'd do differently in life if she had a "single do-over." That is, if she could relive her single life. Number three: She'd travel more. She held off while she was single. She'd hear about her coupled friends' vacations and swear she'd do similar trips. Some day. When she was in a good relationship. She could have joined those friends. She could have put...

Ellen Perlman tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a5cb30af970b 2009-10-17T15:21:54-04:00 2009-10-17T15:25:38-04:00

I visited San Juan de Dios market on the first day I arrived in Guadalajara. My Mexican "mother," Titi, with whom I was staying for five days, took me to on Sunday when most stalls were closed. I returned the next day, remembering the route she and I had walked from the IMAC school. She took me there by bus so I would know how to go to my Spanish lessons on Monday. Whoo-ee. The...

Ellen Perlman tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a5d79099970b 2009-10-10T18:44:23-04:00 2009-10-18T16:18:11-04:00

Today I went with a group of travel writers to Tlaquepaque and Tonalá, two artisan villages in Jalisco, Mexico (the state that Guadalajara is in). I find I have to separate myself from people to shop the way I want to. If fellow travelers want to chat or show me things they like, time flies too quickly and I've lost out in terms of seeing everything there is to see. I prefer to wander at...

Ellen Perlman tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a62562eb970c 2009-10-08T15:37:32-04:00 2009-10-18T16:10:35-04:00

Yesterday, I said Guadalajara, Mexico, isn't a particularly pretty city. That said, many cities around the world have their rundown sections and unattractive blocks. A friend here at the school says it's really beautiful when you get a little above the city and see it as a whole. More important, Guadalajara is alive and busy. I love walking down the city streets and seeing how the locals shop and eat. There are tons of stores...

Ellen Perlman tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a621cee3970c 2009-10-07T20:40:13-04:00 2009-10-18T16:02:41-04:00

I don't even know where to begin. So much happens in a day let alone two. My mind races but I´ll never be able to spill all those thoughts. Today's try: - Animals available for sale at the San Juan de Dios market downtown include parakeets, parrots, pigeons, chicks, guinea pigs (at least they don´t eat them here like they do in Ecuador), ducks, doves, you name it. Do that many people go to town...

Ellen Perlman tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a616608e970c 2009-10-05T17:57:23-04:00 2009-10-18T17:17:20-04:00

If ever there were an example of setting out solo but not being the least bit alone or lonely, my trip to Guadalajara is it. Today was my first day of Spanish classes. The school is right in the center of town, within walking distance of the historic section. I'm living with a woman named Titi, her daughter Ani and her brother Luiz, in a two-story house outside the city center. I have my own...

Ellen Perlman tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a5ba2526970b 2009-10-04T11:30:00-04:00 2009-10-04T11:30:00-04:00

I'm guessing that much of my blogging this week will be via Twitter, now located at the top right hand side of this page. I didn't bring a computer to Guadalajara because I was told there would be computers I can use at my Spanish language school, IMAC, and at the hotel where I will end up on Thursday for a Society of American Travel Writers conference. My host family has an email address which...

Ellen Perlman tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a60e40c4970c 2009-10-03T21:27:55-04:00 2009-10-03T21:40:20-04:00

Uh, that solo traveler would be me. I've given myself the challenge of sparing my bags from the hands of the airport suitcase tossers who frequently have routed my precious belongings to cities I have no intention of setting foot in. Not nice. I bought my 21-inch bag last night. I'm leaving Sunday at 6 am. (Does everyone operate like this or is it just me? This last minute thing, that is? I seem to...

Ellen Perlman tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a601e1e7970c 2009-09-29T21:36:51-04:00 2009-09-29T21:41:53-04:00

Backroads, an "active travel company," is ending its singles and solos trips next year. The owners found that more of their solo travelers ended up on regular trips than on solo ones. There weren't getting enough people to make the singles and solo trips fun. After doing some of Backroads solo trips years back, I realized I prefer a mixed group anyway. It's more relaxed. Less of that meet market feel. Along with the change,...

Ellen Perlman tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a576a036970b 2009-09-24T18:29:12-04:00 2009-09-28T15:43:24-04:00

I was in a supermarket aisle in Buenos Aires staring at the boxes of yerba mate tea. I'd drunk a fair amount of it during my vacation and I wanted to take a box or two home. But I wanted tea bags, not loose leaves, and since I didn't know the words for that I couldn't tell what was inside the colorful boxes. A woman came down the aisle doing her shopping and I asked,...

Ellen Perlman tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a5c04e24970c 2009-09-21T00:30:00-04:00 2009-09-21T10:15:17-04:00

Fodor's recently ran a blog post on "Luxury for Less." They described five tips for budget spa visits. So why did they include Mandarin Oriental's "Signature Spa Treatments" that cost $450 to $470 for 110 minutes?! (Coincidentally, I've already written about one of the cheapest places they include - BodyHoliday at Le Sport, on St. Lucia. No single supplement.) Fodor's, what exactly is your definition of "less?" Less than a million dollars? Anyway... I liked...

Ellen Perlman tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a57fe42c970b 2009-09-18T10:06:56-04:00 2009-09-18T10:07:31-04:00

Interesting story on single Americans. The percentage is up to 43 percent of the population versus 28 percent in 1969. Tell me again why tour companies focus mainly on couples and families? Particularly when "the average American will spend more of her adult life unmarried than married?"

Ellen Perlman tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a5681108970b 2009-09-17T00:30:00-04:00 2009-09-17T09:37:45-04:00

Most travel writers, and many other adventure travel lovers, have read a story or two of Tim Cahill's. The adventure writer is "famous" for being one of the founders of Outside Magazine and for having what some consider one of the best jobs ever: traveling and writing about fabulous places around the world. New West recently ran an interview with Cahill and he was asked what lessons his travels have taught him. I must quote...

Ellen Perlman tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a5c119fd970c 2009-09-14T00:30:00-04:00 2009-09-14T11:10:51-04:00

I biked to the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., early this morning so I could see the swimmers in the Nation's Triathlon. Having just done a (shorter) triathlon, I was curious to see how racers would get into the water and where the course was. What a crazy scene. 4,700 participants. Waves of swimmers starting every three minutes or so from 7 am to 8:30 am. Men and women of all ages. While spectating, I...

Ellen Perlman tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a559d0eb970b 2009-09-10T00:30:00-04:00 2009-09-12T20:33:39-04:00

Hosteling sure has changed since the days I was bumming my way around Europe. I carried a ratty little book listing where the hostels were and counted on outdated information that was printed probably once a year at most. You'd have to write letters to make reservations at a hostel, or just show up and potentially be shut out for the night for lack of space. Now, at hostelworld.com you can find videos and podcasts,...

Ellen Perlman tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e54eff332988330120a5a9f0db970c 2009-09-07T12:06:02-04:00 2009-09-07T12:31:50-04:00

Seeing the flashes going off at the bottom of a Metro escalator the other day reminded me of two things: what a big tourist attraction my home town is and how hard it is to capture an escalator on "film." (At least for us amateurs.) The reason people try to capture our escalators for posterity is because of how long they are. Picture, say, a department store escalator and then multiply it by four. If...

Ellen Perlman