Month: March 2023

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Tips for International Solo Travel

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Have you wondered about solo travel?

I began my journey toward traveling alone by first enjoying getaway weekends on my own in nearby cities. Then I branched out, traveling solo domestically to cities in the US.

I long held the dream, however, of traveling solo to Scotland and other international destinations. Last December, that dream became reality with a trip, on my own, to Edinburgh, Scotland.

If you’ve dreamed of such an adventure, check out these tips for international solo travel.

Tips for International Solo Travel title

Tips for International Solo Travel

For a smooth international solo trip, save this post or jot down these tips. And although it’s not listed as a tip below, examine at your mindset first.

Some believe they could never travel alone, much less travel solo internationally. And if it’s not something you’d absolutely enjoy, don’t go. I believe there are so many wonderful reasons for experiencing at least one big solo adventure. However, this isn’t a “have to” experience. Solo travel falls into the “want to” category.

If it’s fear that holds you back though, or a feeling of incompetence, don’t let that stop you. Use these tips to create a trip you’ll never forget. You’ll not only have fun, you’ll come back different from the person who left. Solo travel allows us to see who we really are and how capable we are as well.

Plan, Plan, Plan

Before heading out on a solo international trip, plan. And then add to your plans. Do lots of research about your destination.

  • What’s the weather like? Temperatures? Sunrise and sunset times?
  • What clothes are appropriate for the season?
  • What currency is used? How does it compare to the US dollar?
  • Are there restaurants that fit your dietary needs? Make a list of them.
  • Which accommodations work best for your needs? What location is best?
  • What transportation do you require? Will you need  a flight to get there? Should you rent a car, ride a bus or take a train once you arrive?
  • Is the destination easily walkable?
  • Are there activities you’ll enjoy there? Tours to book? Experiences to participate in? What do you MOST want to do while there? Make a list.

With your notes, you are ready to book flights, accommodations and a rental car, if needed.

Add to your planning notes to check your cell phone provider for an international plan. And contact your bank with your travel dates and locations so they won’t lock your account because of suspected fraud.

Finally, decide whether you can travel with a carryon, or if you need a larger suitcase. A practice packing before the trip can help you make decisions about what really needs to go!

Schedule Flights with Sufficient Layover Times

When scheduling flights to your international destination, make sure you have plenty of time during layovers for connecting flights. Allow at least an hour and a half for connections within the US. For the international flight, allow at least two to four hours.  When traveling through huge airports, such as London Heathrow or JFK in New York, allow for extra time as well. You may need to move from terminal to terminal or take a shuttle to get to the proper gate.

You often go through security again, before boarding an international flight and customs when you arrive at your destination. And when you return to the US, you go through customs again. I never book a flight with a short layover times, to ensure I don’t miss a connecting flight.

Make sure your passport is with you at all times, along with your airline tickets. You can download scannable tickets on your phone or print out the tickets once you arrive at the airport.

Tips for International Solo Travel O'Hare Airport
Tips for International Solo Travel – give yourself time at airports, to get to connecting flight. Shuttling to a different terminal at O’Hare Airport, Chicago.

Familiarize Yourself with Your Destination

Once you know where your accommodations are located, what restaurants you’d like to try and which activities you want to experience, turn to maps. Use Google maps or a paper version to really get to know the area you’ll be in.

This is important because even if the destination is a new one to you, studying maps, plotting out routes and locating sites of interests brings familiarity when you actually get there. You won’t be surprised to find the little shop you planned to walk to is 10 miles away. Instead, you’ll have an idea of the layout of the area and ways to get to where you want to go.

I use online maps. And I travel with a fold up map of the city I’m visiting. I’ll mark locations I want to visit, find the neighborhood grocery market and trace routes on the map. Every evening I study the map for the next day’s activities and plans. Plus I carry my travel notebook with me, with all my notes in it.

Book Activities in Advance

Before traveling, check to see if the activities and experiences you desire are available for booking online. This saves time and prevents disappointment.

I almost missed my beautiful afternoon tea experience in Edinburgh in December because I didn’t realize the restaurant would book up so far out. If an experience is important to you, do deep research on it and book accordingly.

Many locations offer history and ghost tours that can easily be booked online. And often pre-booked tours are cheaper when reserved and paid for in advance.

Tips for International Solo Travel tea time
Tips for International Solo Travel – book tours and activities in advance.

Stay Aware of Your Surroundings

While out exploring, stay aware of your surroundings at all times. However, keep fear in check. This tip isn’t meant as a warning. It’s more about raising your awareness.

Watch people. Stay near people, without necessarily joining their group. Don’t enter any area that looks or feels unsafe such as a dark alleyway. Use common sense. If something or someone makes you feel uncomfortable, move away and talk to a person that appears safe. Ask for help. Join a group. Enter a restaurant or museum.

I’ve never felt unsafe on any of my travels and I explore a lot. I don’t travel to sit in a hotel room or apartment. And fear isn’t going to stop me from enjoying adventures. It won’t stop you either, if you don’t let it.

Don’t Dress Like a Tourist

While this tip may sound funny, the point is to not stand out. In some cities or areas, pickpockets or people trying to sell items look for the tourists, the ones with cameras around their necks or their phones tucked into a back pocket.

When doing your planning research, look at images or use Google. How do the locals dress? What is considered touristy in that destination?

During my first trip to Scotland, my cousin and I asked that question. Answer: white sneakers, camera around the neck, graphic t shirts, tie dyed anything and not dressing appropriately for the weather were all giveaways.

Tips for International Solo Travel me
Tips for International Solo Travel – don’t dress like a tourist

Conceal Your Phone, Cash, Cards

Again, so as not to draw unwanted attention to yourself, conceal your phone, cash and credit or debit card. Why tempt anyone to snatch what’s yours?

If the weather is cool or cold, it’s easy to wear a small crossbody purse or travel bag beneath your zipped up coat. Tuck your phone securely into an inside pocket. Leave important docs and your passport back in your hotel room.

In warmer weather, consider only carrying a card and your phone. There are travel belts that can be worn beneath a shirt. At the least, wear a small crossbody bag as they aren’t as easy to snatch.

Continue Your Health Practices

Don’t toss aside your usual health practices while traveling solo. This isn’t the time to throw your body out of alignment by changing your routines and your diet.

If you follow a particular diet, continue to do so. If you take supplements at home, bring them with you. And if you do yoga every morning, do so during your trip.

A healthy body will support you, energy wise, while you explore, have fun and walk miles and miles. Support it with your continued health practices.

Tips for International Solo Travel stay healthy
Tips for International Solo Travel – continue your usual health practices

Stay in Touch with Someone Back Home

Have a contact person back home, either a family member or friend, and stay in touch with him or her.

Before traveling give that designated person your flight info, the name of your accommodations plus a phone number for there and a general idea of your expected itinerary.

Check in at least once a day, to reassure him or her that you are fine and having so much fun, if fun is your goal! And send some photos too so that person can share in your joy.

Have Fun

Whatever your intention for your solo trip, do that. Have fun. Relax by a pool. Explore a city. Visit museums. Eat at different restaurants. Make unforgettable memories.

Remember why you chose to take this particular trip and do all the things you want to do so that you don’t take home any regrets. Buy the memento. Take more photos than you think you need. Stay open to possibilities and opportunities.

And remember to express gratitude for the adventure and thank yourself for your courage and boldness in going solo. You’ll discover that you are so capable.

Tips for International Solo Travel - have fun

Where to Next?

I hope these tips are helpful! They are born from my own experiences.

So where to next for a solo adventure, for me?

I have lots of solo trips I want to experience: ocean cruise, European river cruise, travel by rail across a country or a continent, historical cities in the US and many destinations I’d like to visit on my own.

Where to next, for you? Have you experienced a solo adventure yet? Do you want to?

If I can assist you, I’d love to! I’ve discovered that I REALLY love planning a dream trip and then experiencing it. So much so, in fact, that I recently became a travel agent so that I can help others plan their amazing trips.

Contact me if I can offer my expertise in helping you create that dream trip…solo, with family or friends or a group. Click my links below for more info.

Beyond the Open Door Travel

Beyond the Open Door Travel website

Where to Next Form

 

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Touring Mary King’s Close

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Like snapping photos from the Vennel and walking along Circus Lane, it took four visits to Edinburgh to do this activity…touring Mary King’s Close.

On my first visit, my cousins and I toured underground vaults instead and didn’t make it to Mary King’s Close.

Two visits ago, while in Scotland with my mom, sisters and niece, we tried to book a tour of this famous close. They were booked up beyond our stay date.

Last visit, my sister and I didn’t even try. We stayed busy with the Maitland Clan Gathering.

This trip, I felt determined to finally see what this popular attraction on the Royal Mile is all about. I’m glad I did!

Touring Mary King's Close title

What is a Close?

Closes are narrow covered alleyways that branch off the Royal Mile. The city of Edinburgh is built on an extinct volcanic, with the Mile moving down the spine of rock. It’s a wide, beautiful street.

When the city first grew, beyond the cluster of small houses near the castle, closes and wynds fell away from the Mile, connecting the main thoroughfare with other sections of town. Businesses and tenements, as tall as eight stories, sprang up along these narrow closes.

All classes of citizens worked and lived in these stone townhouses. The wealthy occupied the top stories while merchants lived and worked in the middle levels. The poorest in the city lived at ground level, where sewage and waste, mud and muck were real problems.

Touring Mary King's Close barries close
Barrie’s Close is a good example of a close that still exists in Edinburgh today.

Who Was Mary King?

Closes were often named for the activities along that lane. Bread was baked in Bakehouse Close. Lawyers lived and worked along Advocate’s Close.

And some closes bore the names of influential people who lived there.

Mary King was born near the end of the 1500s. Her marriage to Thomas Nemo is recorded in 1616 and together they had four children. Thomas died in 1629, leaving Mary to raise their four offspring alone. She moved her young family into what was known then as Alexander King’s Close or simply, King’s Close.

After Alexander King died…he was not related to Mary at all…and his heir did nothing with the property or close, the name gradually changed to Mary King’s Close.

She became a merchant, to support her family, selling fine fabrics and sewing garments for others. Mary now occupied a house near the top of the close. She also rented a small shop on High Street, the upper section of the Royal Mile…a very desirable location, so we know she did well.

When Mary died in 1644 she left a will. Her belongings included silver spoons, gold rings, furniture, cushions and pillows, fabric, sewing supplies, velvet trousers, bedsheets, cloth napkins, wine and beer, tartan plaids and ruffs.

Touring Mary King's Close home
Touring Mary King’s Close – an illustration of a home in the close, from the Mary King’s Close tour book

A Foul Pestilence Strikes

Three months after Mary’s death, plague erupted across the city. Outbreaks were common during this time in history, with the sickness carried from port to port on ships. Flea infested rats inhabited those ships and those tiny parasitic insects carried the plague.

This pestilence became the last great plague outbreak in Scotland. The city elected a plague doctor to try and control the spread of the disease. Wealthy city dwellers fled to the country to escape however the poor and working class had no where to go. And in their crowded and unsanitary living conditions, many died.

Contrary to myths, the sick inhabitants of Mary King’s Close and the other closes were not walled up to starve to death. The city did what it could to care for people, creating quarantine houses and providing families with food and drink.

It’s estimated that at least a fifth of Edinburgh’s citizens died during this plague. Some push that estimate closer to two-thirds. Councilmen died as well. Merchants and bankers and children died. Doctors dressed in long coats and gloves and wore bird shaped masks with herbs in the beak portion for protection. And yet, doctors died too until the disease finally ran its course.

Mary King's Close book
No photos are allowed while touring Mary King’s Close. I purchased this book to help me remember all that I learned and for the photos in the book.

Hidden Below

By the 1750s, many of the closes needed repairs. Rather than improve the area, the city built an enclosed building over several closes, including Mary King’s, in hopes that merchants would move their businesses there.

The plan didn’t work. People preferred living and working in the now covered over closes. By 1850 most of Mary King’s Close lay in ruins. One family chose to stay in the close, operating a saw shop and living there. The city began buying up the property that included the hidden closes and finally, in 1930, that last family was bought out.

During World War II, Mary King’s Close became an air raid shelter. Although it was used infrequently, there’s still a generator and equipment in one of the below ground rooms of the close.

Air raid shelter during WWII
Touring Mary King’s Close – it became an air raid shelter during WWII. Photo from the tour book.

The Ghosts of Mary King’s Close

Of course such a historical and ancient place houses a few ghosts. After the plague residents of Mary King’s reported ghosts of the unfortunate dead roaming the closes.

One story published in Edinburgh in 1685 told of a haunting in a couple’s home in Mary King’s Close. Apparently they were terrorized by a disembodied, floating head, a small child and a variety of spooky creatures. A few short weeks later, after reporting the haunting, the husband died.

A worried looking man and a woman dressed in black are still seen today, wandering the closes. Is the woman Mary?

And the most famous ghost in the close is Annie. Years ago, a Japanese physic found a room off of Alan’s Close troubling. She reported the ghostly presence of a sad little girl named Annie, who couldn’t find her family. And the wee girl had lost her doll as well. The physic had a doll brought into the room for Annie, to keep her company. Today that somber room is full of dolls, stuffed animals and toys as visitors from around the world bring Annie gifts, to show her love and respect.

Annie's Room
Annie’s room, full of dolls. Photo from the tour book.

My Experience Touring Mary King’s Close

I enjoyed this delightful, educational tour. First, I deeply appreciate the ongoing research being done at Mary King’s Close. As the researchers learn more about the inhabitants of the close, and the city itself, they flesh out the stories told.

And second, the tour is fun. Costumed tour guides lead visitors through the labyrinth of underground closes. Although the pathways and rooms are well lit, the floor is uneven in places and there are quite a few stairs to climb up and down. Walk with care.

Displays set up in rooms and computerized presentations make this tour unique and interesting. I learned a great deal about life during Edinburgh’s younger years.

As an intuitive, I felt that familiar tingle of energy across my back and scalp several times. And when we entered the home that contains Annie’s room, I felt a very strong presence there before I realized where we were. There is sadness and grief in Annie’s room, in spite of all of the dolls and toys.

If you plan on touring Mary King’s Close, book online HERE or purchase tickets as soon as you arrive in the city. It’s likely you’ll have to book a day or two in advance. Tour groups are purposefully small because those rooms and tunnels are small with low ceilings in many areas.

I highly recommend a tour of Mary King’s Close. Would you visit?

Me in Mary King's Close
They take photos of each guest, in the close, that you can purchase after the tour. That’s a “ghost” of a plague doctor creeping up behind me!

 

Traveling to Scotland this year? I highly recommend a lightweight waterproof jacket like this one. Click photo to order.

 

 

Cindy Goes Beyond is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate program provides a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, all at no extra cost to you.