One Is No Longer the Loneliest Number

A friend of mine told me that survey says the number one fear is the fear of traveling alone - it even tops the fear of public speaking.

My ears burn and cheeks flush if I have to speak to a large audience. It makes me anxious. In fact, I'm already stressing out about having to present at our company sales training in January - and it's more than a month away!

Traveling alone, however, is something I enjoy thoroughly. But it does have its inconveniences - not being able to share the cost of hotel stays, for example, is one of them. A New York Times article today perked me up - apparently, the travel industry has taken notice and expanded their offers to attract more solo flyers. Now THAT's good news.

I should also add that the comments are much more interesting than the article itself. I'd like to meet all the solo travelers out there! :)

Added on December 6, 2007:

Thanks for your comment, Bill. :) Nairobi, Kenya is definitely the most unusual. I'm not sure I'd even brave a visit, not to mention LIVE there. But like you said, people fear the unknown and the unfamiliar.

Here's my comment on the NYT article:

"It's so nice to read through the comments here and find people who are as addicted to traveling alone as I am. Some find it intimidating, but for this group it's an absolutely freeing and elevating experience. To be on your own, navigating through a new city or country, do whatever your heart desires, and make no comproises.

I had the best experiences in Sydney, London, and Kyoto. I agree with what most of you said here, that booking independently allows you more freedom AND saves you money. We have the Internet now - just go to the travel sites and start comparison shopping. Alternatively, if you have impromptu change of plans, get help from the local tourist information center. Those guys helped me get last-minute hotel rooms in Venice, Brussels, and Amsterdam, all for very reasonable prices.

The adventure, the risk, the uncertainty, and the chance meetings are all part of the allure. It's nice to have the option of pairing up with other solo travelers.... but those elements ARE the core of traveling alone. That's what makes it addictive.

— Kristen, San Francisco, California"

Visual Reality

Watched Dreamgirls the other night. Effie White is denied the chance to super stardom because she's overweight. Overweight doesn't sell records. Beauty does - in the form of Deena Jones.

We all love beautiful things. And beautiful people. Do good-looking people get better treatment? Sure they do. When I went to a flower shop with a girlfriend a few years ago - she got half a dozen roses from the shop owner for no reason, and I got....nothing. Men buy drinks for pretty girls at bars. Us mere mortals? We gotta buy our own.

But sometimes good looks can backfire. Look what happened to Ms. Segolene Royal in the French election. She received only 48% from the women voters. I'm not saying she lost because of her astonishingly good looks. But her beauty perhaps cost her a few votes. A San Francisco radio station took calls earlier this week to see if/how a political candidate's appearance impacts the way people vote. The confessions were mixed. Some callers admitted that they simply didn't trust too-good-looking politicians, suspecting that they had it easier because of their looks. Others said - "Sure, if they're equally smart and competent, I'd vote for the hotter one 'cause I have to watch them on TV for the next few years!"

Men are not immune to this type of scrutiny. A recent New York Times article revealed that "a 5-foot-8 man was just as successful in getting dates as a 6-footer if he made more money — precisely $146,000 a year more. For a 5-foot-2 man, the number was $277,000". Ouch.

Fair? No. Reality? Yes.