A smartphone or tablet will keep you occupied, while also looking important. Photo / 123RF
Megan Singleton navigates the danger and delights of solo travel.
1. Pretend you're a travel writer
For those moments when "Singleton, party of one!" is shouted through the restaurant PA system (I'm sure they think I've made up my name), I follow the waitress to my table, sit down, pull out my notebook and pretend to be a travel writer. Either
that or a novelist. I use the moment to browse the menu and the people. It's actually quite a productive time, whether you're working on a novel or a postcard.
2. Take your smartphone
This is one of those times when you'll be grateful to have a phone that can access the internet. Snapchat to your heart's content, browse your friends' Facebook pages, read the Herald, write tomorrow's to-do list. Whatever you do - in between sips of your margarita - look important.
3. Talk to strangers
This is the best part of travelling alone, especially for females, because we seldom get misconstrued for trying to pick up said stranger. I like to sit at the bar rather than on my own if I'm in a talkative mood. If the barman is too busy mixing drinks to chat, someone alongside you won't be. It was in this situation in Huntington Beach, CA, that I was encouraged to try the poutine, thanks to two Canadian girls eating it beside me. I'd never heard of it before and now I'm hooked.
4. Keep safe
While talking to strangers is something our mothers warned us against, I'm not silly about it. I take my safety and security seriously, but it doesn't keep me from going for walks alone. Take your cellphone out and pretend to be speaking on it as you walk at night, hold your handbag securely under your arm to avoid pickpockets in markets, take a business card with your hotel name and address in the local language for taxi drivers.
