Saying G'Day

However outgoing and confident you are, travelling alone can occasionally be a little bit awkward … sometimes simply because your fellow travellers don’t quite know how to react
to you.

As a mature-aged solo traveller you will have thought long and hard about where you are going, what you want to do, and what you want to get out of your trip. However, your fellow campers are not always sure about how to interact with you. Will you be offended if they ask you over to their van for a drink or a bite to eat? Do you want to be left alone? As with most things, an open, friendly approach is the best way to put people at their ease. Whether you are travelling alone or as part of a couple or larger group it is always nice to at least say a quick ‘G’Day’ to the people camping next to you. Chances are they will feel a little bit more relaxed … and so will you.

While some grey nomad couples may be a little tentative about the social niceties or dealing with solos, the vast majority of course, are not. They show the same generosity of spirit and genuine warmth to solos as they do to other couples. The bottom line is that most single travellers who want a bit of company will certainly not find themselves short of invitations.

Indeed, the issue of travelling alone has been one of the most popular topics on the grey nomads forum … and not all contributions have come from solo travellers or wannabe solo travellers.

Long-time forum member Dave probably has the soundest advice for solos. “If you are on the road alone - male or female - and see a campfire with a few people there, don’t be afraid to go over and say G’day,” he says. “Take your chair and a drink, you will be made welcome.”

Dave is eager to point out that the next person you meet on the road may be your best friend for life. And that once you have said ‘G'Day’ you have already broken the ice.

“There will be no excuses … you will be a part of the group, you will enjoy yourself as that is the law around our camps,” says Dave. “We will not let you be lonely … you will be accosted with a ‘good morning’ and ‘do you need anything’ and a helping hand will be on offer day or night.”

And the best thing about it is that there are thousands of fellow grey nomads just as friendly and as eager to make your acquaintance as Dave. Actually the term travelling alone is probably something of a misnomer. When you are a grey nomad travelling in this wonderful country of ours ... you are never truly alone. You are part of a wonderful and welcoming community.

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