Disqus - Latest Comments for SoloFriendly

Re: The Garden of Forgetting — amy gigi alexander

Gray — Sat, 21 Jun 2014 22:12:09 -0000

Well, now I'm not going to get any writing done. All I'm going to want to do is read your blog. My God, this is a beautiful piece of writing. Wow. Brava.

Re: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – The Hub

Gray — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 20:26:02 -0000

"Their conversation doesn’t linger on Skye, however. Coulson asks May for help
in figuring out what happened to him after the battle of New York." Wow, thank you for saying that. I totally didn't get that from that scene. I thought he was asking for her help in figuring out what happened with Skye's parents and the dead SHIELD agent.

Re: Why I’m not going to TBEX

Gray — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:55:14 -0000

I can totally relate to this Christine. I've come to the same conclusion myself. I don't want to do this full-time. I have a good full-time job with great benefits and I'm glad that I'm not dependent on press trips to fund my travels. However, I am going to TBEX, because the creative part of travel blogging is still very important to me and I figure my skills can always improve. I haven't been to TBEX in 3 years, and it'll be fun to catch up with my blogger friends in person. But I doubt I'll ever be the person who goes to TBEX every year. I mean, that's travel money and one of my limited weeks of vacation time each year that I could be spending in a destination of MY choice, you know? Anyway, more power to you. The beauty of having your own website is that you can do things any way you want. Not all travel bloggers have to do things the same way.

Re: The Reluctant River Cruiser

Gray — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 12:07:15 -0000

Thank you, Amber! That's funny, I often get "adopted" by older couples as well. One of the perks of being a solo female traveler, I guess. :-)

Re: Books I read in 2012, and how I am a complete failure

Gray — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 12:32:20 -0000

If it makes you feel any better, you read more books than I did, Candice. And, as an English major, I join you in feeling devastated about that. The down side of blogging is that I don't have enough time to read books any more, I'm too busy reading online travel articles!

Re: The Reluctant River Cruiser

Gray — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 17:55:00 -0000

Thank you!

Re: The Reluctant River Cruiser

Gray — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 12:41:01 -0000

I've been curious to hear about your experience, Janice, because I've been weighing river cruises in Europe myself recently. My reluctance comes from what I perceive as an older (retirement age) customer base for river cruises. I'm afraid I'd feel out of place. Can you comment on that at all?

Re: Dining Solo: A Confession and a Discovery

Gray — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 21:28:23 -0000

I LOVE that! I wish all restaurants had such sensitive policies in regards to solo diners. Good for them! If I'm ever in Portsmouth, I'll definitely look them up.

Re: No More Worries About A Safe Drinking Water Supply

Gray — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 13:09:21 -0000

I LOVE this, Barbara! You approached the SteriPen exactly as I would have. You want to believe it works, but in order to know that it does, you have to risk possibly getting sick! :-) So glad to hear it passed the test.

Re: The Rewards of Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone

Gray — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 11:28:41 -0000

What a terrific story, Tracy!

Re: A Little Disturbing … No Officials Ask for My Minor’s Travel Documents

Gray — Wed, 30 May 2012 12:52:10 -0000

I'm with you, Shannon, I find this very alarming. And also more than a little annoying, when I think about the hassle people get from the TSA here in the US for NO good reason at all, but nobody bats an eye about an adult taking a child who is not their own out of the country? Our world is so screwed up.

Re: Reboot. A Solo Traveler’s Spirit Renewed

Gray — Tue, 01 May 2012 12:40:03 -0000

Happy anniversary, Janice! It's been fun going on the journey with you. For all your life has changed, I know you've changed other people's lives as well. I for one am glad to have met you in person. Here's to many more years of blogging!

Re: A Little Update…We’re Down to Days, Where Did the Time Go?

Gray — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:52:09 -0000

Aww. I can't believe it's almost over. I've so enjoyed reading your adventures together. What can you possibly do to top this experience?

Re: 9 reasons not to go to college

Gray — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:48:01 -0000

Okay, well, the title of your article threw me, Candice. It does imply that you're suggesting college is not necessary. I will agree with you that people need to ask themselves some serious questions before just jumping into college blindly--Do you want it, are you cut out for it, are you ready for it, should you take some time off before going to college to figure out what you want to do with your life? Knowing that you'll graduate with debt, do you need to go to the most expensive school or would a less expensive state college suffice? Would you be better off going to trade school? All good questions.

Re: Ramblin' Bess: Sunset Sam's

Gray — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:43:51 -0000

I've been wanting to go to the Gaylord Palms for years. The atrium area with all the different aspects of Florida and the restaurants all look so great. I'm a total sucker for cheese, apparently. :-)

Re: 9 reasons not to go to college

Gray — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:10:34 -0000

I wouldn't go so far as to say people shouldn't or don't need to go to college. Statistics will bear out that those with an undergraduate degree earn about $1 million more over their lifetime than those without one. Of course, if you don't care how much money you make, feel free to do what you want. I can honestly say, from the position of someone who has been on the hiring end of things, I wouldn't even look at a resume of someone who doesn't have a college degree for a white collar job. Sorry, but that's reality. The education system definitely has problems, the biggest one being cost, but it's still very important to get that education. I do think most people would benefit from taking a couple of years off between high school and college, though. Most 18 year olds don't know what they want to do with their lives. Forcing them to choose a career path at that age is crazy and results in a lot of them winding up unhappy in their career paths. Let them get some real life experience--working, traveling, volunteering--before they go to college, and they'll have a better idea of what they want to do with their lives. People who know what they want get more out of the college experience than those who are only there because mom and dad are paying for it. Now, having said all that...I don't think there's anything wrong with going to trade school if that's where your passion lies. God knows plumbers and electricians make more money than a lot of us.

Re: My A-Z of Travel

Gray — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 11:19:22 -0000

Thanks for playing, Janice! I enjoyed reading this. Sometimes I feel like I know you really well, because I've been reading your blog from the beginning, but I did learn new things about you from this. So I think it was a worthwhile exercise. Have fun in India!

Re: The Ghost of Christmas 2011

Gray — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:16:47 -0000

Wow, you have a very busy year, Jason! I'd have been happy just publishing a book, but look at what else you did! I have a feeling 2012 will be a big year for you too. Happy New Year!

Re: Please nominate your favorite travel blogging personality

Gray — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 11:28:43 -0000

LegalNomads.

Re: Que Caro Es Ser Pobre/How Expensive It Is To Be Poor – Buying Power

Gray — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:17:59 -0000

No, it didn't have anything to do with me deciding to travel. I was living in NY state at the time. Actually, it convinced me to return home to Vermont.

Re: Que Caro Es Ser Pobre/How Expensive It Is To Be Poor – Buying Power

Gray — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:20:54 -0000

This reminds me very much of the "rent-to-own" business. I worked in a store like that for about 6 months when I was 18-19 and nearly had a nervous breakdown because I was just so appalled at how ripped off poor people were by these stores. Just because they didn't have decent credit, they would wind up paying 3 times what a piece of furniture or an appliance was worth IF IT WERE NEW, only they were paying that for a piece of furniture or an appliance that had been rented by numerous families before them, and were often scuffed up and on their last legs. I would have to watch these people bring in bags of pennies and count them out to try to cover their payments, because if they missed a payment, the item would be repossessed and they would have to start the payment cycle over from scratch. It was awful. And this was in the US.

Re: A Little Adventure … Six Things I Hope She Learns

Gray — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:50:12 -0000

This is so cool, Shannon. What a great adventure for her (well, for you both, really)!

Re: Que Caro Es Ser Pobre/How Expensive It Is To Be Poor – Time and Infrastructure

Gray — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 07:20:55 -0000

This is a wonderful idea for a series, Adam. I'm sure we all have an idea of poverty, but it certainly bears reminding of all the ways daily life becomes more difficult when living in poverty. And travelers/tourists need to have a better understanding of what that life is like in places they visit. I can imagine a tourist becoming impatient with the lettuce seller if they don't have change. Knowing why really puts in back in perspective.

Re: Berlin's Relexa Hotel Stuttgarter Hof

Gray — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 21:57:32 -0000

Boy this post brings back memories of my hotel stays in Europe. It really is a lot different from the US, isn't it? But then, that's why we travel....

Re: Niagara Falls on $26 a Day

Gray — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 16:27:37 -0000

Great report, Barbara! That hostel looks clean and tidy. I could see myself staying there, even though I'm not a hostel person. I can't believe I only live a day's drive from Niagara Falls and I've never been. I think this is going on my bucket list.