Trip Alone

[utiladude]

First time this happends to me since I started diving in 07:

2007 Utila, big group of 8 friends.
2008 Belize, group of friends and wives about 10 people.
2009 Cozumel, group down to three my self included.
2010 lost job no trip. Two buddies went to Roatan.
2011 got a job, one friend and his girlfriend want to go to Florida (I don't).

So now I have a new BC some $ saved not sure if should go South by myself.

How many divers just go on a diving trip by themselves? Pros and Cons?

Thanks in advance any kind of input (jokes are welcome).

 

[craracer]

I've done countless trips on my own, mostly due to scheduling conflicts between my wife and I.

The interesting thing is that, if you are a reasonably outgoing type of person, the dive community is a rather friendly bunch. On every single trip I've made, I was basically "adopted" by at least one group of people. I rarely ate alone, and was often invited to join in with social gatherings after diving.

A few weeks ago I went to Grand Cayman by myself. I met a ton of great people, and have a stack of business cards/email addresses sitting next to the computer.

Some of the drawbacks would be:
Aside from photos, I don't get to share my experiences with my wife. When wandering around sightseeing, I always run across something I know my wife would love to see. (on the flip-side, I think it's a good thing to have some "me" time. I'm sure that, despite some jealousy regarding me being in a warmer climate, my wife also appreciates "her" time.)

Travel with others can be helpful when going somewhere you haven't been before. Two pairs of eyes double checking flight schedules and times is better than one.

It seems like every time I holiday alone, some catastrophic event occurs at home. Like the time I was in Jamaica and a tornado hit our house. Nothing like hearing about it on CNN.

 

[AndrewA]

I often travel alone, and so far have not had a bad experience. I think the important thing is to be fairly self sufficient and to have done good research about your destination (accomodation, dive center etc). If you are worried about the buddy you may have, I have found that combining a course with the holiday works well.

 

[cardzard]

First time this happends to me since I started diving in 07:

2007 Utila, big group of 8 friends.
2008 Belize, group of friends and wives about 10 people.
2009 Cozumel, group down to three my self included.
2010 lost job no trip. Two buddies went to Roatan.
2011 got a job, one friend and his girlfriend want to go to Florida (I don't).

So now I have a new BC some $ saved not sure if should go South by myself.

How many divers just go on a diving trip by themselves? Pros and Cons?

Thanks in advance any kind of input (jokes are welcome).

Join the Invasion and meet Scubaboard members from around the world. You will make tons of dive buddies there.

 

[vladimir]

How many divers just go on a diving trip by themselves? Pros and Cons?

90% of my diving has been on solo trips. The pros? Even if you're not the most outgoing person in the world, you will meet people in the best possible circumstances: on vacation, sharing an activity you all are passionate about. You will generally feel welcome, and you will make friends, some close . Cons? It can be more expensive, depending on how you travel.

 

[RJP]

My favorite trip ever was traveling alone for three weeks to Truk Lagoon. Two of the weeks were on the Truk Odyssey, which as a liveaboard provides a dozen or so instant best friends. But even the land based part of the trip was great; as Truk is not only a dive location, but a very specific dive location (wrecks, lots of wrecks, lots of deep wrecks) you instantly have a lot in common with everyone you meet.

I'd have no problem traveling by myself to any dive location, but would probably focus on liveaboard, or a dive resort like Roatan, Bonaire, etc where you'd be sure to be able to fall in with a group of folks.

 

[Midget]

I've been on many trips by myself! I actually prefer it. It is really easy because you don't have to run the energy of another person or many persons. You can do everything on your own agenda.

A minor inconvenience with solo travel is not having someone to watch your carry on bag at the airport when you go to the bathroom!

One drawback is that many resorts want to charge a single supplement rate, so I have to do a lot of research on where to stay that I don't have to pay 50% more as a single.

The locals seem to gravitate towards me more when I'm alone. I enjoy chatting with the staff where ever I am.

 

[scuba nube]

I think lots do. I am going to Bonaire in April by myself. I am going with a dive shop though so there will be a group of other divers. It's all about the diving!

 

[Lunahippo]

i'm off to australia and png by myself in july and went last july to hawaii by myself... i loved it enough to book the next trip plus i realized since none of my other friends are divers i'd never get beyond the carribean if i didn't go it alone.

 

[vladimir]

You can do everything on your own agenda.

i'd never get beyond the carribean if i didn't go it alone.

These encapsulate the best reason for traveling alone. Even if you manage to find a good buddy, if you are really passionate about diving it's difficult to find somebody else who, for example, a) is willing to travel to Papua New Guinea and sleep in bunk beds, with no air conditioning, b) is willing to drop $5,000 for the privilege, and c) has a schedule that allows him to do it when you are able to. I'd guess most people who have a buddy that can satisfy a), b), and c) married him or her.