Blog 13: EW Travel – A River Cruise, a Solo Traveler, and Jet Lag!
In September I was on a Uniworld Rhine river cruise from Amsterdam to Basal.
Uniworld, a privately owned company much less known cruise than Viking, was truly excellent. The service, food, amenities, the room, and staff were all wonderful.
Amsterdam
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I joined my good college sorority friend and her husband. My one and only previous river cruise was almost 10 years ago, and I had convinced myself that it must have changed.
Cruises still pose an interesting dilemma for singles. We must pay the single supplement, so yes, we do have a cabin all to ourselves, but cruises are set up for couples. I was very blessed to be with my good friends who kindly included me in everything We told stories and laughed until I had tears running down my face through many of our meals and walks. Yet, I felt obviously uncoupled.
Waiting for my taxi at the cruise conclusion, I listened to a conversation between 3 couples, who were congratulating each other on their long marriages. Keeping a long marriage going- as both people change and deal with the challenges those many years will present, is a HUGE accomplishment and deserving of a toast. I was married for 23 years. But as I sat in my chair, a solo sipping my tea, I wondered about all the divorced women or widowed women. Where is our cruise?
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Basel, Switzerland
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Should this be my last attempt to make a cruise work as a single person? Scandinavia really interests me. My grandmother was first generation from the Stockholm, Sweden area and I want to get a feel for the country before making a commitment to a solo trip. Therefore, I might try one more cruise if it has loads of stops with interesting excursions. Yet, I’m not sure.
Will cruises ever change? Yes, there are some now that are called adventure cruises where you’ll travel to more remote places and have excursions that require physical strength and fitness. But our generation have already traveled globally, whether through work or leisure, so I wonder if we ask for more, what will change? The middle-aged single population keeps growing, as well as technology, global experiences, interests so I hope will improve cruise options for solo travelers in the future.
I arrived in Amsterdam a few days early and alone. Solo travel requires more planning. You really do have to decide what works for you, what you’ll do with down time, how you are going to handle meals, where will you read or entertain yourself?
Last December I went to Alsace with Girls Guide to Paris, founded by Doni Belau. It is now called Girls Guide to the World because they will arrange travel trips for you anywhere in the world. I can’t recommend them enough. Great experiences, lovely women, and fabulous conversations over yummy meals. Listen to my podcast conversation with Doni here.
But there may be an opportunity here for more unique travel opportunities that are comfortable for singles as we go forward? Extraordinary Women like you have buying power and want elegance, great food and wines, and significant cultural learning experiences.
Let us all know if you have recommendations! It’s time to share!!
Jet Lag….
My friend and her husband really struggled with jet lag on this trip. At middle age and beyond, I think that time difference becomes a bigger issue. Because I go between Paris and Boston several times a year, I regularly deal with shifting time zones, and I’ve found a few habits that work for me.
This is what works for me. But remember, I’m no expert and certainly not a doctor, so do your own due diligence.
First, begin to shift your time zone a week or two before you leave home. If you are flying east, start to go to bed earlier and get up earlier. Nothing drastic but make tiny adjusts each night to try to move yourself towards bed by 9pm. It will help!
Second. Charlotte’s Web makes a gummy that has CBD with melatonin. I’ll chew half a gummy on the plane to help me to sleep for a couple of hours yet coherent for customs. On the first full nights in my location, I’ll have one gummy before pulling up the covers, and I usually do this for 3-4 nights. You shouldn’t take melatonin on a regular basis, but this particular brand works really well to help you get over the exhaustion created when your brain is struggling to adapt to the new time zone. The container says take two gummies, but I found two makes me groggy the next day.
Last, I have, Dan Gibson’s, Solitudes album on my phone. I have used this album for years- so many years that I’ve become like Pavlov’s dog…. I almost immediately fall asleep when I hear the first song. You can train your brain!
Whether on a plane, in a hotel, dealing with jet lag, or just have a lot on your mind that keeps you tossing and turning, if you regularly use a CD like this to train your brain relax, it’s amazing.
What are your thoughts on solo travel? If you have any stories you’d like to share, I’d love to hear them.
Happy traveling … and please do share your best advice, especially for gals who want to travel solo, whether coupled or not!
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