Traveling Solo, Tips and Tales (Part 2 of 3): Worst Things May 20, 2009
Posted by Onely in single and happy, Singles Resource, solo travel.Tags: exhaustion, luggage, pros and cons, solo travel, strength in numbers, worst things about traveling alone
7 comments
So, although I am genuinely glad to have explored the UK by myself, I must admit that traveling solo internationally definitely presented a few challenges that would have been easier to overcome if I hadn’t been alone. So, never being one afraid to admit that shit really does stink, I present to you Part Two of Three of my solo traveling series:
Lisa’s Worst Things about Traveling Alone: (more…)
Traveling Solo, Tips and Tales (Part 1 of 3): Best Things May 17, 2009
Posted by Onely in Great Onely Activities, Secret Lives of the Happily Single, single and happy, solo travel, We like. . ..Tags: england, international travel, isle of man, liverpool, solo travel, traveling companions, UK
9 comments
View from Castle Rushen, Isle of Man
Hello Copious Readers!
I’m back from my two-week adventure in the UK! I visited the posh university town of Cambridge; then traveled by bus and ferry to the Isle of Man, located in the middle of the Irish Sea; then met up with a friend in Northern Ireland for two and a half days and visited the Giant’s Causeway, among other beautiful sights; and ended my trip in London.
As you know from my earlier post, some of my experience was a bit more adventurous than I would have liked (my wallet was stolen in London), but overall, I am so happy that I decided to make this international trip a solo one. I’ve traveled through a lot of the US on my own, but traveling abroad – even to the UK, which in some ways felt like “cheating” because there was no language barrier – presented both a unique challenge, as well as a very rewarding experience. For those of you who are dreaming of taking this kind of a trip yourself, I’ve composed a series of lists detailing the best and worst aspects of traveling alone, as well as a set of tips for anyone planning an international trip alone. Here’s Part One of Three:
Lisa’s Best Things about Traveling Alone: (more…)
Onelers Gone Wild: Lisa Does Great Britain May 10, 2009
Posted by Onely in Bad Onely Activities, Everyday Happenings, Great Onely Activities, single and happy, solo travel, We like. . ..Tags: isle of man, london and cambridge, lost passport, lost wallet, singles travel, solo travel
13 comments
Copious Readers, Lisa posted via email from her solo travel adventure:
Hello from Cambridge, England!
So my first Onely international trip is going pretty well — except for one thing: My wallet got stolen. In the restroom (or toilet, as the Brits call it) of a London bus station during a two-hour layover between buses (from Liverpool, to Cambridge). It only took a few seconds — I left the bathroom and realized almost immediately that my wallet was not in my hands – and by the time I turned around, the wallet was gone. I lost my passport, my debit card, about $75 (US equivalent), my KY driver’s license, a UK-unlimited bus pass worth $160 or so, and 25 postcard stamps (worth £15 or about $25!) with which I was going to begin mailing postcards today.
Luckily I followed the advice of my Let’s Go! travel guide and had made a copy of my passport before I left, and also took along another credit card, as well as about $100 in traveler’s checks, all of which I kept separate from my wallet, and which are the only reason I was able to get to Cambridge and also did not have a complete breakdown in London.
The friend I am staying with here in Cambridge pointed out that it was probably because I was alone that I had the momentary lapse of concentration and left the wallet behind. The bus from Liverpool to London was overnight, and so I was drowsy and frazzled, ready to get to my next destination — not to mention that I had a gigantic bag to manage as I maneuvered the tiny bathroom stall! My friend travels internationally all the time, and says that this specific problem is the thing that bothers her the most about traveling alone — there’s no one you trust to wait outside the bathroom with your bags. 😦
Oh well. A trip to the American Embassy in London is now in order, bright and early Monday morning. Luckily I had plans to finish the last few days of my trip in London anyway — I just hope that this small excursion doesn’t detract from what will otherwise be a fun last few days of my holiday (also another UK phrase). Besides this rather upsetting glitch in the plans, my trip so far has been excellent — and I have only been truly alone a few days, thanks to having two friends to visit… I have been to the Isle of Man, all across Northern Ireland and parts of Ireland, and spent a very full and wonderful day in Liverpool.
I’ll be back soon to add my regular two cents to Onely — in the meantime, hope all is well!!!
Cheerio!
— L
P.S. Christina here. My stomach just plunged when I read this story. But Lisa handled the situtation so well! My version would have incorporated far more tears and swear words. (Maybe she edited those out; I don’t know.) I definitely agree with Lisa’s friend that having to haul all your bags into those bathroom stalls is soooo annoying, as well as a germophobe’s (me) nightmare. Does anyone else have travel horror stories? Were you travelling alone? How did your status as a solo traveller inform the incident?
Single? Don’t Sweat It! May 1, 2009
Posted by Onely in Food for Thought, single and happy.Tags: benefits of being single, Dr. Howard LeWine, person smells like cheese
6 comments
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In this eye-opening Men’s Health article, Howard LeWine, M.D. advises and comforts a woman who says,
“My husband has started sweating profusely when he is asleep. His sweat has a strong cheesy smell and I can no longer tolerate it.”
I hope that poor man doesn’t have one of the serious conditions that LeWine mentions. But I am also sort of allowed to make fun of him, because I too went through a phase where I smelled of Muenster cheese. It emanated from my elpits–you know, the insides of your elbows. I couldn’t move my arms without catching whiffs. So having smelled Human Muenster myself, I know how terribly that poor woman must have suffered, inhaling the huge slag of sweaty cheese all night, with the odor pooling in particular under the sheets like a fart.
Copious Readers, what other exposures to terrible bodily emanations do we avoid by being single?
Christina
Onely Adventures! April 30, 2009
Posted by Onely in Great Onely Activities, Secret Lives of the Happily Single, single and happy.Tags: great britain travel, international travel, single adventures, single and happy, solo travel
10 comments
Hello copious readers,
Just wanted to write a quick hello to let ya’ll (we say ya’ll in Kentucky!) know that Christina’s going to be holding down the (hypothetical) fort for the next two weeks or so. I’m headed off on my first solo international adventure in a few short hours — to Great Britain! (more…)
Why Date When You Can Write? April 29, 2009
Posted by Onely in Dating, Great Onely Activities, single and happy, We like. . ..Tags: being single, finding a boyfriend, Microsoft Word, relationship priorities, time-consuming hobbies, writing is hard
8 comments
I realized why I have so little interest in finding a boyfriend. It’s because I am already in a relationship. His name is Mike Rosoft Word. Yes, I am dating my writing. It is an emotionally exhausting relationship. I often feel I don’t deserve to be with Mike. I sometimes think about breaking if off. But I can’t. When we get along, it’s wonderful. When we aren’t meshing, though, I cry and gnash my teeth. I spend chunks of every weekend and several weeknights with Mike. You see, the more time I spend with him, the greater the chance that we’ll have one of our rare good spells. Last Saturday I told my friend Jess I couldn’t meet her for a movie because I was already planning to be with Mike that evening–even though I had just seen him the night before, and the night before that, too. I want to learn to garden, but Mike doesn’t like that (grit gets in his cracks), so I stay inside with him. (more…)
Colorado (Accidentally) Passes Pro-Single Law April 27, 2009
Posted by Onely in Heteronormativity, single and happy, We like. . ..Tags: Beyond Straight and Gay Marriage, colorado law, designated beneficiary, law supporting singles, Nancy Polikoff, redefining family
5 comments
Colorado: more than just heteronormative ghosts!
The state has passed a law allowing “any two unmarried people to designate each other as entitled to numerous legal consequences usually reserved to married couples”, says Nancy Polikoff, author of Beyond Straight and Gay Marriage, in her 15 April 2009 article about the new legislation. (more…)
Honorary Onely Award: The Bronx State Supreme Court April 21, 2009
Posted by Onely in Honorary Onely Awards, single and happy, We like. . ..Tags: bronx state supreme court, dead fiance, harvesting sperm, posthumous sperm, single and sperm
6 comments
Onely is happy to report a refreshingly pro-single bit of news:
A New York woman has won a race-against-the-clock legal bid to harvest her dead fiance’s sperm.
Did you catch that? A SINGLE woman was allowed to harvest her fiance’s sperm after his sudden death!
This was so surprising to us, in fact, that when Christina sent me this article a few days ago, she (ever-the-singlist-vigilant) wrote: “This would never be allowed if she were single.”
But … luckily for singles everywhere, Christina misread the article!
And so, we’re happy to grant the Bronx State Supreme Court an Honorary Onely Award for listening to UNMARRIED Ms. Marrero and allowing her to harvest her fiance’s sperm after his death (which, okay, we both find a little bit gruesome, but to each her own, right?). (more…)
Some Like It Single: Singlutionary April 3, 2009
Posted by Onely in single and happy, Singles Resource, Some Like It Single.Tags: independent single women rule, secular sabbath, singles expert, singlution, singlutionary
6 comments
Welcome to the latest installment in our new series, Some Like It Single, where we profile (relatively) small, independent blogs dedicated to exploring what it means to be “single” in American culture and, we hope, around the world.
This week, we’re happy to feature Singlutionary, 
who has only been blogging since the beginning of the year, but who has already made quite a mark on the pro-single blog-o-sphere. Not only is she a regular contributor to Onely’s enlivening comment forums (she’s even made our Quote Board!), but she updates her blog frequently and entertains us with deep thoughts about the merits of dating, her search for a BFF-with-benefits on Craigslist, her remarkable house-maintanence skills, and her commitment to what she calls a “secular sabbath,” a day she thinks all singles should observe. (more…)
Tag-team Blogging March 24, 2009
Posted by Onely in Food for Thought, Great Onely Activities, Secret Lives of the Happily Single, single and happy, We like. . ..Tags: blogging as a team, importance of friendship, single friends, single people, we love being single
11 comments
When I told a friend of mine about Onely, he said, “Does anyone ever mention how funny it is that there are two of you writing a blog together about being single?” No, no one ever does. In fact (says Christina), the irony hadn’t even occurred to Lisa or I until that friend of mine mentioned it.
And it is ironic–on the surface. While Lisa and I are jumping up and down on our respective couches yelling about the benefits of solo living, behind the scenes we’re running Onely sort of like a marriage: we are a small team, bound together through common interests and goals, but also through logistics (shared copyrights and creative license, server bills, etc). (more…)
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