A few years ago I went to London for five days alone before meeting up with my partner. I had travelled alone on business to North American places but never on vacation. There are upsides and downsides to travelling on your own.

The downside was not being able to turn around and say What do you think of that? My single room also cost about 2/3 of the cost of a double. But the upsides were many.

For starters, there's no schedule to adhere to and you can change your plans as often as you want.

Couple of things I did. First, I arranged to take evening walking tours with London City Walks, so I wouldn't find myself in my room at night watching television. Second, I booked a room in a bed and breakfast in a neighbourhood that I knew (I'd been to London before).

Every morning, after breakfast, I'd walk for about 1/2 hour just to get comfortable with being on my own. I found Londoners very accommodating - say hi, ask them how they are today. talk about the weather. It's important to start conversations when you're on your own because it's very easy to fall into a silent mode. I made a point of dropping into the same pub every afternoon for a break and the bar staff remembered me after the first visit. It paid off when strangers came up to me - the staff were quick to ensure that I wasn't bothered.

One interesting thing about travelling alone, is that you become very alert. As a result, you remember so much because you don't have the luxury of relying on someone else to fill in the blanks. I also found that restaurants were very, very accommodating for a single diner. It may not be everyone's preference, but I generally sat at the bar of the restaurant for dinner so I didn't feel so out of place and the staff were always very considerate of my needs. Lucy (who may try travelling solo again)