OUT ON YOUR OWN
Solo travel offers unique opportunities
According to a survey by Fodor’s, about 40% of Americans vacation alone, not because they spurn the company of others but rather they enjoy the freedom a solo trip affords for coming and going whenever they want. If that’s the adventure you seek, here are a few of the country’s great solo travel options.
NEW YORK CITY
Given its myriad of museums, Broadway shows, shopping opportunities and parks — all things a tourist can easily indulge in alone — the Big Apple could be the ultimate solo travel destination. One of the latest trends is visiting the outer boroughs for authentic New York experiences, in places such as the hipster Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn or leafy Brooklyn Heights, Little Athens in Astoria or Italian-flavored Arthur Avenue in the Bronx.
ROUTE 66
The 2,448-mile highway between Chicago and Santa Monica is strewn with museums, music places, classic roadside diners and other pieces of Americana. Rent a car in the Windy City and cruise the Mother Road, stopping along the way at places as varied as the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill., the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the new Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Okla., Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico and Bearizona Wildlife Park near Flagstaff, Ariz.
NORTHAMPTON
This funky town in central Massachusetts is a longtime favorite of LGBT travelers. Browse the local arts scene that includes private galleries and several of the nation’s finest college art collections at Smith College and Amherst College. Bike or hike the rambling rail trails or get lost in the Berkshires.
NATIONAL PARKS
Whether hiking, biking, boating or driving, national parks are made for solo travel. Whether you crash in a tent or a posh wilderness lodge, there are plenty of options for single accommodations.