Solo Traveler Blog

If you travel alone or would like to do so, a good source to consult is www.solotravelerblog.com. I have mentioned this information source before, but it has expanded a lot since I first became aware of it.

The blog is written by Janice Waugh, a middle-aged Canadian who went on the road after she was widowed and sold her business. Now she speaks and writes about the travelling life in an effort to inspire others to put their travel dreams into action.

One item I found particularly interesting is a detailed breakdown of the costs of two recent trips she took, one from Vancouver BC to Los Angeles CA, and the other to London and Paris. Her blog isn't specifically budget-oriented, but as a small business person she has to count her pennies. Some ways she saved on the West Coast trip were by sitting up overnight on a train, using Aeroplan miles and by staying part of the time at hostels. On the European venture she walked a lot and used public transit, stayed in hostels and watched her food costs.

In addition, she saved on the air fare to Europe by acting as a mystery shopper. This allowed her to fly for half-price. She works for an organization, www.SQM.ca, that hires part-time mystery shoppers in North America only. The group is based in Canada and has recently expanded into the United States and Mexico.

Mystery shopping--reporting on various shopping experiences--isn't a job that will pay the rent, but it certainly sounds as if it has some great perks.

Incidentally, I noticed on my blog stats that page views averaged more than 1,000 per day last month. Thanks very much, and I would like to welcome readers in countries I have not seen represented before, Thailand and Saudi Arabia.