Finding my way

as a solo female traveller

My first foray into solo travelling was nearly ten years ago.  Prior to that I’d travelled for business; with a friend or a lover; or on a small group tour.  In 2015, a couple of years after my partner died, I decided to spend five weeks in the City of Light:  Paris – my favourite city in the world.  This wasn’t my first trip to Paris, but it would certainly be my longest.

When planning my trip I decided to stay in an apartment and split my stay between one in the Marais and one in Montmartre.  I didn’t know either area well, but this would be my chance to immerse myself in life in the city and be une flâneuse. 

I arrived in Paris in early October to be greeted by the rich colours of autumn and brisk, clear weather.  I came equipped with a simple compact camera, an early iteration of the iPhone and my trusty Paris Mapguide.   This was long before the days of sophisticated cameras with lots of pixels and Google maps to steer me in the right direction.

My memory is a little hazy, but I believe I had discovered an organisation that offered walking tours to local markets and art galleries.  I signed up for a couple of those hoping it would be a way of meeting other solo travellers.   I hadn’t planned any sort of itinerary for my stay. Rather I took each day at a time to discover an area I hadn’t been to on a previous trip, navigating the Metro and practising my rudimentary French.

The covered arcades of the 9th arrondissement

What did I discover in those five glorious weeks of solo travelling?

1.     Look carefully at the photographs of the apartment you are renting.  The bed in my first apartment was situated in a tiny alcove with barely enough room to get in and out.  The apartment itself was in a good location, but the bedroom was nothing like the photo on the website. 

2.    Be prepared to engage in random conversations.  I struck up a conversation with a woman on a market tour and she invited me to join her and some friends on a walk in the 13^th arrondissement to see the street art and huge murals on the buildings there.  Something I would never have found on my own.

3.    Don’t be afraid of getting lost.  It does seem strange in the era of Google maps that one can get lost but before that, for me, it was a possibility.  I’m not a proficient map reader but it seemed there was always a Metro somewhere near or a familiar landmark from which to orient myself.

4.    Avoid restaurants that are romantic or populated by twosomes.  Find a welcoming bistro or café with a lively crowd in it.  Don’t take the first table you’re offered if it’s near the kitchen or the restrooms.  One of my favourite restaurants was in the 5^th arrondissement where I was seated at the window and given a selection of magazines to read while I waited for my meal to be served.

5.    Write in your travel journal.  While you’re sitting in the restaurant you can keep a record of the things you did that day and interesting places to revisit.  It’s much more rewarding than looking at your phone.

6.    Step out of your comfort zone.  Go to places you haven’t been to before.  Discover unusual little art galleries, bookshops, parks and antique markets.  On this trip I found the covered arcades in the 9^th arrondissement which were popular in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.  They were charming and like taking a step back in time.

7.     Treat yourself.  Don’t be intimidated by going into a glamorous five-star hotel such as The Ritz on your own.  Throw on a fabulous scarf with your coat, walk through the door and admire the décor, then take a seat in the bar and order une coupe de champagne.  This will come with some bar snacks.  You can sip your champagne and indulge in some serious people watching.

8.    Travel light.  It’s so much easier than hauling a large suitcase around, particularly if you’re staying in an apartment without an elevator.  If you are tempted to buy something that doesn’t fit in your bag, post it home.

9.    Be prepared to change your plans.  If the weather isn’t great go to a gallery rather than for the long walk you had planned.  If it’s a longer trip, spend an afternoon reading and venture out for the walk later in the day.  Every minute doesn’t have to be packed with doing things.

10. Have fun!

Vignettes of Paris

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