All PostDay 1
Since my business is centered around organizing small-group trips for women, I frequently engage with women looking to travel alone—whether entirely solo or with other women they’ve not met before. So, I decided it was time to experience solo travel myself.* I had the opportunity to do this on a small-ship, island-hopping cruise around the Croatian Islands in the Adriatic. Although this cruise would have other passengers, I was joining it as a solo female traveler. Given the travel distance from Philadelphia to Croatia, I added two nights on either side of the cruise—first in Dubrovnik, where the cruise was departing, and then in Split, where the cruise ended. I committed to documenting my travels in this blog series, so here goes.
Day 1 – Dubrovnik
I arrived in Dubrovnik around 4 PM on a connecting flight from Rome and headed straight to my hotel in the picturesque Lapad area, just a short drive from the Old Town. My hotel was lovely, though a bit convoluted and confusing in its layout, as it was built into a stone hill rising from the water. It had several beautiful patios on different levels facing the Adriatic Sea and an intriguing Cave Bar—an actual stone cave—on the property’s lowest level. The “classic” room I had booked was upgraded to an amazing sea-view room which was spacious and very comfortable. (All rooms in this hotel can be arranged as a single with a king-size bed or a double room with separate twin beds—perfect for women traveling together who want to reduce costs by sharing a room).
To recover from my travels, I headed straight to the patio deck near the water to sunbathe and enjoy my first gin and tonic of the trip. Decadent! The hotel is situated along a small peninsula with no beaches per se, but a rocky coastline peppered with little areas and alcoves reached by stone stairways. In these alcoves, there were flat rock surfaces where you could sit or lie down, and they were small enough (and plentiful enough) that just a few people could settle into any one of them to enjoy the sun and swimming with some privacy.
Later that evening, I decided to walk to the nearby town area for dinner and found a spot at a highly-rated restaurant with outdoor seating. I don’t particularly enjoy dining alone on vacation, but in line with my solo travel experiment, I pushed myself to do it. I must admit, it was pretty comfortable. My table was at the front near the promenade with great open space and people-watching. About halfway through my meal, the waiter approached me and said, “There is a gentleman who would like to buy you a glass of wine.” I hesitated for a moment, then accepted the offer, which got me a second glass of the lovely Malvazia Croatian white wine I was drinking. I turned and waved a thank you to the man who bought the drink. I had noticed him sitting alone a few tables away when I walked in, guessed him to be in his late 60s, and assumed he was traveling solo, as I was.
Now, I had a slight dilemma. While I was on this trip solo and on reconnaissance for a new women’s trip, I’m married. I felt a bit guilty for accepting the drink under these circumstances. I also felt I owed this man a proper thank you and explanation, so after finishing my meal, I walked over to his table to explain. The first thing he said was, “This is the first time I’ve done this. My wife of 40 years passed away 10 months ago, and I’m on this European trip on my own,” which I took to mean he was new to buying drinks for strange women and figuring it out as he went. As we talked, I realized how similar his story was to many I’ve heard from the women I speak with about my trips. He had found himself alone after losing the love of his life and was now in the process of a reset, with travel as part of that process. Although our circumstances were different, we had quite a bit in common, including parallels he had with the women who travel with me, and it was eye-opening. I later thought that one of the women I’ve traveled with might be a good match for him, and vice-versa – think I may need to introduce them.
In any case, it was a great first day in Dubrovnik.
*I should clarify that have traveled alone on many work trips in the past, across the US and Canada, Europe, and spots in Asia and South America, but there were always work activities and engagements associated with these. I have not previously done a solo personal trip or vacation before this.
