Have you already posted your wisdom on another blog? Let us know.

I asked:

• What do you like most about solo travel? See “The Top Ten Reasons You Love to Travel Solo” for the answers to that.
• What do you like least about traveling solo? Dining alone in a restaurant tied with the single travel supplement.

The supplement issue was discussed in the last post. Now, five ways to deal with dinner alone.

1. Eat at the bar while reading a very funny book. One that makes you laugh out loud. You’ll be talking to people in no time.
2. Choose a casual restaurant. The tables are more likely to be communal or very close together — conversation will happen naturally.
3. Ask the host/hostess whether there is another solo diner who they think would like company. They can check and make the introductions.
4. Scan the restaurant for the most likely people to invite you to join them and come up with a good question to ask them. If you’re in a foreign country, it may be a translation of a menu item.
5. If all else fails, there is the classic — read a book

Do you have other ideas? Please share them in the comments.

Keep smiling. Keep traveling.

Tied in first place for a downside (I’ll mention the twin in another post) is the single supplement.

I have a notion that, if our numbers are substantial, we can gain the market clout needed to beat it.

I’ll take it on. If our solo travel community is large enough  (please sign up to the right and/or on the Facebook fan page), I’ll go to the tour companies and offer them free advertising on the Solo Travel Society site in return for them waiving the single supplement.

Please share this post. Spread the word. Let’s gain strength in numbers.

Dealing with the supplement issue now.
While the single supplement can be the bane of the solo traveler’s life, this weak economy is causing some tour companies to waive it.

If you Google single-supplement-waived, you will find more options than you did a year ago. Here are a few that popped up of interest to me.

• Solo cycling and solo walking tours by Breakaway Adventures.
• Classic Greek Tour – luxurious – Butterfield and Robinson.
• Tauck has cut the single travel supplement from 22 itineraries and over 100 departures.
• National Trust for Historic Preservation has many tours without single supplement.

Keep smiling. Keep traveling.

• Participate in the  Solo Travel discussion on Facebook fan page.
• Fast bites of info on travel, film and life on Twitter @solotraveler.

Casa del Musica de Centro Habana is one of the city’s most popular Salsa clubs. It’s very large, attracts some of the best bands in the country and hundreds of locals every night. When I went, I saw only three obvious tourists in a massive line up — it made the idea of entering the club solo a bit intimidating. So, I approached those tourists as if they were long lost friends and joined the line.

Unfortunately, my new companions were Hungarian. They barely spoke a word of English. Fortunately, they eventually understood that I was on my own and wanted to join them — at least until I got in the door and ‘sessed out the situation. They were quite accommodating.

Inside I stuck with them. We found a table and then I had the greatest of luck. Their local tour guide caught up with them. Exhausted from a day of strained communication, he practically leapt across the table when he realized that I spoke English.

We had a great night.

The band was fabulous. The dance floor was a spectacle. And the guide taught me how to Salsa.

How do you manage to go dancing solo? Please share your ideas in the comments section.

Here’s how it works. Put an inexpensive memory card in your camera and take some photos. Name the card and place it and a note explaining photochaining into a plastic bag. Then leave it in a public place and see what happens.

The person who finds the bag can choose to leave it for someone else, add more photos and put it back in motion or play with the photos on the card. At any point, the photochainer can post photos to photochaining.com.

Your card could stay in the same city or travel around the world. With luck you can track your card on the photochaining facebook fan page where people can post where they left a  card.

The results are fabulous. Have a look at the photochaining site.

1. Independence. No need to compromise on the schedule. I’m not dragged to uninteresting places and I’m able to go to places of personal interest.

2. Because I’m not talking with a travel companion, I’m more likely to talk with locals and learn how they live.

3. I’m less likely to be treated like a tourist. Going solo raises curiosity, respect, concern, interest… from locals. They’re more likely to go out of their way to enhance my experience in their home town.

4. I enjoy long periods of quiet time for reading, painting, thinking…

5. Tendency to stretch my skills and learn more because it’s all up to the me to navigate culture and logistics.

6. Discover new self-confidence.

7. Less to pack and organize. There’s no one to judge the planning process or the plan.

8. No one to distract from the atmosphere. I’m free to soak it in.

9. The trip is more about the destination and culture.

10. It’s all about me.

Do you have other reasons? Please share them in the comments section below.

For discussion on topics like this one join the Solo Travel Society facebook fan page.

After your physical and emotional safety, the next most important things to guard carefully are your travel and personal documents. Your passport, visas, driver’s license, credit cards…

Carry your wallet in your front pocket. Use a money belt or the hotel safe for things that you don’t require easy access to. And keep a digital copy of your critical documents tucked away some place safe.

Before you leave, scan your passport, visa, credit cards. etc. And, while you’re at it, create a document that contains your medical information,  all the prescriptions and over the counter medications you take and supplements that you know are safe for you. Store it all on a USB memory key and keep it separate from your documents.

Hopefully, you never require the information on the key, but if you do, you will be able  to replace documents more easily and get medical care that considers all health issues.

• Make Skype-to-Skype calls to other Skype users anywhere in the world
• Send/receive instant messages to/from individuals or groups
• Make Skype calls at low rates to people on landline or mobile phones
• Receive calls to your online number on Skype
• See when your Skype contacts are online/available to chat

Will keep you posted.

Skype is a service that provides free text, voice and video communications over the Internet using VOIP – voice over internet protocol.  Many of us have been using it to stay in touch with friends far and wide from our computers. Now it can be done from our mobile/cell phone on the road.

With a free download from the iPhone App Store, and access to a wifi connection, you can connect with other Skype users or make low-cost calls to landlines with pre-purchased Skype credits.

Download Skype

iPhone App Store

Skype long distance rates

It’s simple. Open Skype on your phone and dial any number. You can see all your skype contacts and you can see who’s available. You can also see your entire phonebook to make a Skype call to landlines.

Travel and stay in touch!