It took me until I was 50 to realize that I've been holiday wrong all my life.
I went skiing for the first time back in 2004. And whilst I loved the holiday, I've never been back to skiing. I think that says enough.
I went trekking in Morocco in 2005 and climbed Mt Toubkal. I enjoyed trekking a lot, but my next trek wouldn't be until many years later (2017) when I went to Slovenia and climbed Mt Triglav. There were treks in the UK (Lake District and Snowdonia) also, but not regular.
I've been many times to Thailand since 2004. To be honest, most of the holidays have been very boring. I have had relaxation, been running, had good food, but mostly boring. Stay in a hotel, often the same hotel again and again and again.
With my wife (since 2020 and girlfriend since 2010), we did go to Cambodia and see Angkor Wat, but I felt she simply was not interested. I was a bit disappointed in her. If someone pays to take you on a holiday and you remark "I could have seen the same at home on TV", then it doesn't make that person want to take you on holiday again.
I don't want my wife. I care about her, but I have no desire for her company. I have no desire for anyone's company. I like being alone. Being with people, I simple don't feel right, I don't feel like me, I feel suffocated, I feel like a trapped animal and need to escape.
Which leads me onto my August 2026 discovery.
Glamping by myself with a photographic doll. The best holiday I've ever had. So memorable. And when I'd finished the holiday all I could think about was when and where I can go glamping again (so many excellent locations.)
And it made me realize, I've been holiday wrong all my life. And I don't want to go back to my old way of holiday - my old way of holiday was a waste of time - I want to have memorable and varied holidays.
1) I like holiday alone (without human company). I don't like groups.
2) I hate the hassle of flying. Thailand for example: Travel to the airport (1h). Park you car (1h). Arrive at the airport 3 hours before your flight (3h). Queue for check-in (if you have bags to check-in). Queue for security. Queue to board the plane. 12 hour flight - 12 hours in cattle class (honestly, it's okay). Queue to leave the plane. Queue at passport control. Wait for your bag on the carousel. That's about 20 hours travelling before you exit the airport and then you probably still have 2 hours more travelling to get to your holiday location. 1 whole day just travelling and repeat for the return journey.
3) I don't care for super luxury. Glamping, with outdoor toilets, outdoor showers, cold, and potential for some hardship, is perfect. And glamping alone is a little scary (because you are all alone) but that also makes you feel alive.
My realization is that my perfect holidays are:
- Glamping solo
- Self-guided holidays
- + Anything else that is solo-able and gets me away from it all (gets me away from humans and gets me away from human civilization)
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| Keep Calm and Travel Solo |
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| Don't be scared to walk alone. Don't be scared to like it. |