Why This Mother and Wife Travels Solo

February 24, 2013

If you knew me you would know that I absolutely love my husband, sons, friends and family. If you knew me you would know that connections are important to me. So why does this mother of 2 and wife leave behind my family to travel solo?

WHY THIS MOTHER AND WIFE TRAVELS SOLO

I travel solo because sometimes there are places I want to go that others don’t.
I travel solo because it is such a feeling of accomplishment. I research the places I want to see. I choose the accommodations, the activities, my transportation and my meals. I go from one end of the city to the other, from one city to the next and from one country to another.
I travel solo because I get to meet like-minded individuals from all over the world who are also travelling. It is amazing to learn of where they have just come from and where they are going next. It makes the world feel smaller and more connected.
I travel solo because it gives you space. Space to reflect, breathe and appreciate.
I travel solo because there are places all over the world that I want to experience for myself.
I travel solo because there are people all over the world that I have yet to meet.
I travel solo because it gives you time for yourself and to come back home more renewed than ever. Often when you travel with others, it’s a series of compromises. Sometimes I just want to take a while longer while photographing something or to really be present.
I travel solo to take care of myself. Some people shop, I travel. Travelling is so much a part of me that when I don’t travel I am itching to get back out there. It is much more than just a destination, it is all the experiences that come with it. It is living life.

Solo travel gives you as much or as little time as you want, to see, to listen, to touch, to smell and to taste. It’s only up to you to decide how much. All your senses truly come alive.

SOLO TRAVEL QUOTES

The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready. — Henry David Thoreau

Solo travel not only pushes you out of your comfort zone. It also pushes you out of the zone of other’s expectations. – Suzy Strutner

Loving life is easy when you are abroad. Where no one knows you and you hold your life in your hands all alone, you are more master of yourself than at any other time – Hannah Arendt

Traveling alone doesn’t mean living lonely. It is when you travel alone you are most open to others. – Salil Jha

LONE TRAVELLER EXPERIENCES

Sometimes I just want to sit a while longer with my vin chaud (mulled wine) and people watch at the café in Paris.

Vin Chaud in Montmartre district in Paris, France — sipping vin chaud and people watching in Montmartre – Paris, France

Sometimes I want to enjoy the views a little longer.

Neuschwanstein, the fairy tale castle in Bavaria — Neuschwanstein, the fairytale castle in Bavaria

Sometimes I want to take more time to photograph what I see or wait for a shot I envision while listening to the calls of the wild in the Kruger National Park.

Sometimes I want to enjoy the culture of the city I am visiting and go to a ballet in Vienna or opera in Prague at the historic theatres.

Yes, you are physically alone when you travel solo and sometimes I feel lonely for a spell, especially missing my family, but I never feel truly alone. As a solo traveller, it is easy to meet people, mostly without even trying. I feel that the connections you make with yourself, the people of the world and nature can only be genuinely experienced while travelling solo.

If I didn’t travel solo I wouldn’t have had an opportunity to travel to and spend time in a village in the Eastern Cape to witness a Sangoma (traditional healer) graduation ceremony in South Africa.

An amaXhosa elder in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

If I didn’t travel solo I wouldn’t have taken Djembe (African drum) lessons with a Master djembefola at a neighbourhood cultural centre in Dakar, Senegal and be invited to watch his group practice for a performance after. I was the only foreigner amongst 30 drummers, dancers and local children. We also chatted about life over mint tea after the lesson.

djembe lessons in Dakar, Senegal, solo traveller experiences — still photo of me drumming in Senegal (from a video).

Watching a local Djembe group practice in Senegal, solo traveller experiences — watching a local Djembe & Dance group practice in Senegal

If I didn’t travel solo I wouldn’t have been invited to sing Christmas carols with 5000 locals against the backdrop of Table Mountain under starry skies and the shimmering lights of Cape Town in the background.

Carols by Candlelight - Cape Town, South Africa — Carols by Candlelight – Cape Town, South Africa

THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAVELLING SOLO AS A MOTHER

One of the biggest reasons I travel solo as a mother is for my boys. I want to show them that I am not just a mother, but that I am a woman that has dreams and that dreams do come true.

I want them to know what living life to the fullest is all about. They can’t always come with me, but with technology, I can share my travels in real time (FaceTime or photos) or when I get home.

I want them to learn that there is more out there than just our neighbourhood or country and that the world is not a big bad scary place as some make it out to be.

I want to inspire them to find things they love, to follow their hearts and go after their dreams.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly as I am raising men, I want to raise them to respect, encourage and support women in their dreams. The best way to do this is by example and what better way to learn what it takes to be a man than witness their father support my dreams and travels around the world.

I am grateful for my dear husband, but I know that is not the reality for many. I hope for a near future where “let” and “allow” are replaced with “encourage” and “support” when it comes to mothers, wives, girlfriends and daughters in following their dreams of travels around the world.

All these reasons are why this mother and wife travels solo.

SOLO TRAVEL RESOURCES

BreatheDreamGo – http://breathedreamgo.com/2013/02/ode-to-the-lady-traveller-wegosolo/

Mariellen Ward has travelled solo to India for a total of 17 months of the last 7 years. Find out about why she started the WeGoSolo movement. Mariellen is a great resource for solo travel in India. As well, you will find countless posts, tips and resources by other woman solo travellers.

Journeywoman – http://www.journeywoman.com/

Evelyn Hannon of Journeywoman has been travelling solo for more than 30 years and has inspired women from around the world to do the same. Her site is a fantastic resource for woman travellers.

Solo Traveler – http://solotravelerblog.com

Janice Waugh began travelling solo after a loss and hasn’t looked back. Her site is another great resource for solo travellers.

Data Plans + International travel + the iPhone

August 2, 2012

airplane raindrops — Lufthansa flight from London Heathrow to Munich

If you are like me, you want mobile data when you travel internationally and don’t want to have to pay the incredible roaming prices your wireless provider charges. Personally I like to and need to stay in touch with family at home as well as tweet, facebook and instagram my way around the world. Since March 2011 I have tried 3 companies that specialize in providing data for international travel. In my case, travel was to the United States, the UK and Europe as I am in Toronto, Canada. I am going to discuss my experiences with each of the companies and the service they provide. Since pricing is fluid, I won’t discuss that, but will say that it is much cheaper than what your home wireless providers charge.

I generally go for the data only option as there are a number of apps that I use for video calling, phone calling and texting so I personally don’t need the phone or texting options. I won’t discuss the travel apps I use in this post but will do so in coming days. Stay tuned.

The first company I used for travel to London, UK was Tep Wireless, previously known as Fonmigo. In March 2011, I travelled to London and was there for 2 days. I had a locked iPhone 4 at the time so I could not use another sim card. I had 2 choices, I could either rent a smartphone or rent a pocket wifi device. I went with the pocket wifi since I wanted to be able to use my own iPhone that was already loaded with my preferred apps.

With Tep wireless you could either pick up the device or have it delivered to your home or destination. I went with the pick up option as there is a pick up location at Heathrow. Upon pick up I found that the battery for the unit was completely drained and there wasn’t a ‘storefront’ so I couldn’t get another device or battery. Once that was resolved, the unit worked very well all over London. I was also able to get data in Bath, Stonehenge and Windsor. With a portable wifi unit you can connect up to 5 devices so my friend that travelled with me also had data. Once you are finished with the device you put it in the mail with the pre paid envelope they provide in London. I did voice my concerns about the drained unit after I returned home and they were quick to respond and remedy the situation. Great customer service on their part.

In March 2012, I travelled to 8 cities (Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Munich, Innsbruck, Paris and London) in 6 countries in Europe. This time I went with iPhoneTrip. I now own an unlocked
iPhone 4s so I could use any sim card. IPhoneTrip provides sim card rental for all over the world. If you don’t have an unlocked device you could rent a portable wifi unit or iPhone from them. With iPhoneTrip they mail you a sim card as well as a back up sim card. Rental is for a minimum of 7 days. Since I was going all over Europe I went with the Europe option to have a seamless connection. Upon arrival in the UK I found that they had some technical problems which meant a significant delay in service. Fortunately once that was resolved the connection was fantastic and was indeed seamless from country to country. I did call iPhoneTrip while in London and their customer service was great as well.

In May 2012, I travelled to New York City and used iPhoneTrip for that visit as well. This time service was without a hitch and the data connection was great.

In July 2012, I travelled to Washington state and Oregon. I was only going to be in the United States for 3 days so I didn’t want to use iPhoneTrip as their minimum service is 7 days. I went with a Canadian based company called Roam Mobility. They provide a few different options but since I have an unlocked phone I went with the sim card option. With Roam Mobility you can purchase a sim card for $19.95 CAD in a number of locations around Canada. I was in British Columbia at the time so picked up a sim card at a store in Abbotsford where I was staying with friends. Their service is a ‘pay-as-you-go’ type service with 1, 3, 7, 14 and 30 day options for talk, text and data, talk and text or data only. I went with the talk, text and data option for 3 days. The talk and text was unlimited and you get a US phone number. I had no issues signing up and activating online. I did have a minor problem connecting to data but was able to call customer service to get it resolved easily. Unfortunately if you have an iPhone you are currently limited to 2G or Edge service while in the United States as their data partner is T Mobile. As a result it was slower than the 3G service I’m used to but was still okay and workable for light surfing, email, facebook and twitter. I tweeted to them while in Washington and learned that T Mobile will be making changes and should have 3G and 4G by the end of the year. Again, great customer service with Roam Mobility both on the phone and on twitter.

Until next time,

Andrea… and my wandering iPhone

iPhone data