Planning vacation and feeling oh so relaxed to know that for the first time in my adult life, I was taking 2 weeks off work!
This lady needed a vacation badly, but how does a single person vacation? I had never thought of that my entire life. I was with my ex since I was 16. When we divorced, I immediately went on a road trip vacation with my son and his fiancee. It was fun to know that I could pick the place, the restaurants, and how to use my time instead of the old way which was often referred to as the "hostage situation."
Still, I wasn't sure how to be an individual and vacation. I don't even go to restaurants alone. I hate to sit at a table by myself.
Rule of single vacationing - pack a friend or a few friends. I was lucky Julie was willing to trek along this 10-day Appalachian frenzy of paranormal exploration and family reunion. Bless her heart. She had no idea just how much countryside I would drag her through and how many ticks.
It was somewhat of a business trip in that we were photographing and researching for our upcoming book "Abandoned Places: Abandoned Memories (Appalachian Edition)" and Julie came up with a wonderful travel guide book idea, as well.
I wanted to knock something off my bucket list, so we flew first class. I do not think I will ever fly again in coach. It was well worth it for me. I was comfy, distracted, had free drinks, good food, and time flew.
We had some unexpected adventures. A simple aerial tram ride to a fancy restaurant led to being stuck down there when it broke down. They fixed it by whacking it with a stick and then asked use to climb on and ride up in the dark.
Something has to go wrong on a vacation, but we were pretty lucky. Our mishaps were small and silly.
The interesting thing about vacationing as a single person is getting pictures of yourself alone in beautiful places. No one to have your arm around, smiling with like "wow, this is fucking awesome!"
It's interesting how I take photos on my own vacation compared to when I was in a couple. We would have to stand in front of something important that proved we were at that location and have someone photograph us with the landmark, posed, smiling tightly, and rushed.
Now, I just pull out the camera in a moment where I feel total bliss, and shoot a pic to remember that, at one point in time in my frantic life, I sat in a green forest near a lake and the sun dappled me. A moment in time, not a me-in-this-famous-place shot.
I also got to be playful, something I couldn't in my marriage
I thought vacations would be drinks and partying, relaxing in a natural setting. I do admit, we didn't miss out on having some drinks and a few moments here and there, we relaxed. But, like my regular life, it was scheduled with tons of multitasking and ambitious time lines. I wish I could just "be" instead of "do."
No problems with men hitting on me. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad one?? But, then I think a lot of the men in the hills of WV were wary of me. I'm a rather colorful character, like Dolly Parton. You look and you stare, but you don't know if it's real. I also didn't spend a lot of time lingering in social places, so perhaps that was why. I hate to think of the alternative explanation.
What do I think of single vacations? They're okay, but having a man around would be really handy when in exotic, beautiful locations, having drinks at night, walking a beach, and curling up in bed. I know there will be more single vacations in my future, but I seriously need to pack a party dress and kick it up in town from time to time. Vacations are meant to be shared and meant for romance too.
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