Hi Catriona,

I’m travelling to the USA soon and I want to hit the ground running when I get there. Do you have any suggestions for women like me who are seeing the world on their own?

I’ve been in your shoes, so I’m compassionate. Before I share my tale, I just have to pass on one contact that I always refer solo/single travellers to: Two’s A Crowd. There are many wonderful travel agents who cater to solo travellers, but not knowing your age (Contiki rocks, but not if you’re over 40), so you may like this site to gather some info. Their tagline is “Travel solo but never alone”. We interviewed Diane Squires for our website here, and in a recent podcast called “How to get the best out of travelling solo”, and I’d suggest having a quick listen to that as well, simply to be inspired. They’re a wonderful conduit.

When I started out in TV, I saved enough money to fulfil my dream of going to Iguazu Falls and Rio, in Brazil. I was all set to go with my friend Sibby, when she had to pull out, so I just thought “No dramas. I’ll go on my own”. But I was basically talked out of it by everyone, even the travel agent, as they didn’t think it was safe for a young girl to go there alone. I was devastated and felt this sort of unrequited love until I could finally go with “Getaway” a few years ago.

Point being, I wish I’d had a company like Two’s A Crowd back then. The fact is, if you’re going to a challenging area, you do have to listen to the expert advice around you, but where there’s a will there’s a way. Please send us a postcard, Irene.