Meet Carolyn
About Carolyn
“Journeys, like artists, are born and not made . . . . They flower spontaneously out of the demands of our natures — and the best of them lead us not only outwards in space, but inwards as well. Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection.”
Lawrence Durrell, Bitter Lemons
Independent Travelers – Independent Women
The demands of our natures. That feels right. I also find that the “inwards” of travel is richest when I spend a lot of my time alone. Not all of it, but a lot, and that’s one reason that independent travel satisfies.
“Independent” travel without rules. What is independent travel, after all? It’s what you want it to be. To me, it’s the freedom to roam, change directions, meet local people, meet friends, link up with a tour group or just enjoy solitude.
It doesn’t mean I have to make all the arrangements, although I usually do. A good travel agent who understands me can help, too. Make firm plans or get on a plane and plan later – it all works. If you’ve pondered traveling spontaneously or alone but aren’t sure how, if I can do this, so can you!
My Travel Style
I’m a casual traveler. I’m not a professional traveler and don’t travel all the time. A lot, yes, but I also like visiting and hosting friends and family. And I like to cocoon at home.
I have adventures but don’t do adventure travel. When I do travel, it’s exciting but not “adventure” or unusually risky. Maybe my time for that has passed! Everything I do is completely accessible to anyone.
I travel alone, mostly. I like the alone time but I also have some good travel friends. So I like to meet up with them, too.
And I go a little off the beaten path, off the popular season. There are so many interesting places that aren’t “must see” sights, haven’t gotten popular yet, or are just a long way from home. As for the top destinations, of course I go, but usually off season. I’ve enjoyed pretty much everywhere I’ve been, even if that place seems unremarkable at first glance. As for the big tourist attractions, I’ll share only vignettes of these – there’s so much written about them already. All of the places and activities I describe are personal experiences, unless I tell you otherwise.
I follow local issues. Why do we travel if we don’t want to know something about economic, political and social issues at our destinations? It’s context. I’m temporarily relieved of daily challenges at home, but also don’t want to be naïve about what life entails even in places that seem perfect. I have opinions about my home country and when I travel, I form opinions about local issues along the way. I try to keep my opinions out of these pages – we all have our own insights.
One word about compensation – none. I mention a lot of commercial products in my posts, but I have never gotten any money or other benefit for doing that. If I do, I will tell you.
Time to go. . . I hope you enjoy my traveler’s tales and that they inspire you to try something new. Please get in touch. If you have a question, or a favorite place to recommend, let me know. A lot of my ideas come from other travelers!
Carolyn
