Customer Reviews

Solo Traveler: Tales and Tips for Great Trips, 1st Edition (Special-Interest Titles)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As someone who frequently travels solo --both personal and business trips-I found this book insightful and helpful. Solo travel can be fun and rewarding (not something to be advoided at all costs as so many otherwise adventurous gals and guys believe) but you need strategies to overcome the dreaded "table for one" and other fears that plague solo's on the road. Lea Lane tells you how do it with flair. It's a must for anyone who has been timid about taking off alone.

This is a delightful, readable book that got me excited about travel. I've done some "partial" solo travel, so I could really relate to the author's stories. I especially loved her tales, some sad and some laugh-out-loud funny. She had many useful ideas for dining alone, packing your bags, dealing with strangers and loneliness, planning ahead and so much more. Her many experiences (some were amazing) just whetted my appetite to get on a plane. Can't wait to read Ms Lane's next book (while I'm enroute to some exotic destination!).

This book was given to me as a gift while I was deciding if I would want to go on a long trip alone. It is a wonderful book. It convinced me that traveling alone is worth the adventure. I loved Ms. Lane's writing. I enjoyed this book so much that I am currently ordering three more copies of it from amazon to give to other solo friends as gifts. It is well worth the money, and all around a delightful book. I highly recommend it.

I thought this book could have been better. Felt it was slow and that she went into detail about places but not tips. She didn't use her stories as illustrations of her tips which is what I thought she would do. I didn't like how she had pages and pages of tour companies or other companies. I wonder if she got a kick back. I didn't think she listed enough restaurants or hotels or anything. I felt that she tried to explore too many issues and not really covering any of them. However this was a good book to get started on.

This book is a great blend of practical advice for the solo traveler and inspiring travel stories from the author's myriad of fascinating trips. The book covers where to go, all the way through the trip. The tips and advice are even useful for accompanied travelers. "Solo Travel" makes you want to grab your passport and go. Don't read this if you can't take a vacation anytime soon.

This funny and practical book got me out and travelling again after the death of my husband. I was nervous about trvalling alone and I got so much information as well as confidence from reading this book. The book contains so many good ideas for when you are alone or even for a girl get-away trip.

I liked it so much I have bought another for a friend. Once in awhile a book comes along that really stands out. Kudos to the author!

This lady really knows her stuff!

I had a wonderful solo vacation and her wisdom has changed my life. I strongly recommend this book to everyone contemplating adventure.

I make a practice of paying special attention to books that win awards from credible/prestigious organizations. The judges, typically, know their stuff; it's to my advantage to respect their opinions. That's what motivated me to get a copy of Lea Lane's Solo Traveler. It was recognized as Best Travel Book of the Year by the North American Travel Journalists Association. And they were right on the money! Ms. Lane is an adorable writer. She gobbles up travel experiences with the kind of excitement and good humor that gourmands bring to delectable meals. As she bustles across the globe, Lane occasionally trips into a bit of trouble, and even danger. But she charms and laughs her way through it, and manages to get back on her feet, high on her toes, every time. Reading Solo Traveler, one feels like a very fortunate tagalong. How lucky to have Lea Lane leading the way! This book is superb, highly informative, and great, great fun.

If there's one thing I can't stand, it's authors who use a book as a source of bragging. This book is no exception. Frankly, I didn't find the book that amusing-- many stories were so anectdotal and it's one of those "funny at the time" afterthoughts. That's one main issue I found with the book: many anectdotes with few actual tips, as one reader already noted.

For someone actually fearful of traveling alone, sure, pick up this book. For those already brazen enough to go out and explore new places, I'd pass on reading this book. I, for example, enjoy dining alone sometimes and didn't think highly of the section which attempts to hold your hand into a solo dining experience.

What's more is that despite making the distinction between a tourist and traveler, she still mentions a fair amount of coddling on each trip (and at the slightest mistep, expects the readers to "ooh and ah" while admiring how 'brave' she is). When she goes to Thailand, stays in a hostel and drives on a moped with the locals I think then I'll be a little more impressed with her. Instead, the reader is supposed to be astounded by her advice of haggling with the locals. When she does speak of the few times she does something seemingly "exotic" it comes off with an air of condescension that people actually live such a life on a day-to-day basis.

Essentially, I think the best audience for this book is the divorced, 35-year old woman with a ton of alimony who is desperately trying to find herself outside of her protected lifestyle.

The best solo travels are ones that can't be planned. Skip the kitsch, ride in public transportion, eat at the local restaurants, and basically, "when in Rome." Interestingly, solo traveling is one of the most unselfish experiences since the primary focus is to absorb as much culture as possible. Despite what the book asks you to do, place your pre-conceived notions aside and live a life as far from your own as possible while traveling solo.

I give this book three stars in hopes that it has indeed inspired a few identy-crisis ridden people to go out and see the world through their own eyes and on their own terms. For everyone else, use the local newspaper of wherever you go as the best guide of what to do and what to see while on your own.

Waste of time. Waste of money. This book is a compilation of tips for the single traveler, but does little more than spew common sense and websites at you. It's ridiculously simple and unnecessary. I can't imagine that anyone who has ever traveled (alone or with a group) would need this book.