TRAVELING ALONE: 25 Very Very Short Stories
We challenged YourLifeIsATrip.com writers to tell us their best solo travel tales in 25 words or less. But don’t let the small size fool you — at the heart of each of these very very short essays is an unforgettable adventure. Sometimes it’s crazy, funny, scary, surprising, meaningful, or disastrous, but never more than 25 words. Dive in and enjoy.
Solo Travel: A Collection of Very Very Short Stories from YourLifeIsATrip.com
1. Thirty-six hours on Amtrak to see a production of my play. Migraine headache. No relief. Pressed an expensive bottle of wine to temples and neck. Click clack. Click clack. Relief at last.
by Judith Fein
2. A hotel room of my own. What luxury! My music, my TV program. Read ‘till late. No toothpaste on the sink. I miss him.
3. Heightened senses and awareness – feelings I can’t seem to hold on to – send me on the road time and again into parts unknown like the Falklands.
4. Trusting strangers. Shedding the familiar like winter layers on warm Spring days. Learning the sound of the universe whispering, "it’s OK,I have your back."
by Ariel Bleth
5. Widowed early, dug for "Inner Resources." Fortunately they were there. Traveled the world as a journalist, published 20 novels. Next: A musical. Thank you, God.
by Gwen Davis
6. Midnight landing, Italy, no rooms left. Taxi takes me to no-name town. On a bench a man speaks rapid Italian. I understand: "dinner, beautiful, time". Should I go?
7. A contemplative poet, I always prefer to travel alone, to experience the world without distractions, as I did near Race Rock Lighthouse, off Fisher’s Island.
8. Chinese food, U.S. prairie style: sliced white bread, a cruet of vinegar & Karo syrup. "Mix your own sweet-and-sour," the waiter smiled.
by Paul Ross
9. "Tom's in an ashram in India," said Mary after the meeting. "We are worried about him." "Why?" I asked. "He's turned his back on Underearners Anonymous."
10. Flying solo. En route to Sicily. Elderly couple beside me horrified I am alone. Two days later I leave their home with hugs and kisses.
by Ellen Barone
11. Apparently, “local flavor” in New Orleans means me alone in a diner with bottomless Cajun Bloody Marys and a very long straw. Business trip, indeed!
by Sue Hansen
12. He follows me from the restaurant in the pouring rain near midnight. I don’t know if my tent is safe. Dodging strangers in the night.
13. It's 1 a.m. and the taxi driver says he's lost in Istanbul. An hour passes in circles. Fear rises like reflux in my throat.
by Elyn Aviva
14. He asked me for his passport from the drawer, and I found love letters to someone else instead. Lucky for him his flight was refundable.
by Kristin Mock
15. Traveling solo means never being alone. Empty seats fill quickly. But still... holding hands is nice.
by Andy Gross
16. Ida Pfeiffer, first published female circumnavigator and intrepid solo traveler (1840s) said, "I was never insulted by deed, word, or even look."
17. Worried about finding a taxi to a small Swedish town, when two men offered me a ride. I took a chance. Good company. Lovely time.
by Nancy King
18. Exotic voices float around me. Laughter punctuates their shared experiences. I travel inwards through the United Arab Emirates. Heightened awareness my unwavering companion.
19. Searching for heritage and grandfather's birth certificate. Dublin. Esteemed writers, lumpy beds, Nescafé, Jameson’s, Trinity, the Book of Kells ... Great-grandpa signed with an X.
by Kate Buckley
20. Seventeen and ready for the world, I visit my mother's sister in Chicago, the wise and successful one. Her first words to me: You look just like your mother. Oh boy.
21. Deep breath/no helmet/join the chaos/HOONNKKK!/I'm gonna die/eyes close/eyes open/still here/go with the flow/never slow/life in the know.
by Barbara Aman
22. At that time, arriving in Madrid alone at 2 am with no accommodation plans seemed like a perfectly sane idea. Twenty year olds are invincible.
by Gina Sampaio
23. America Central dissolving into chaos: Drug War, violence, guns, ubiquitous plastic, mammoth potholes, death squads, bitter hatred, avarice, guns, overpopulation, desperation … --- … --- … --- and AHHH, love!
24. New-fallen powder forms wings behind my skis as I draw a single undulating line down Matterhorn’s sun-drenched flank.
25. Travel alone because the pain of a secular nomad can only be assuaged by the experience of the new and impossible encumbered by the known.
Thoughts? Comments? Your Stories? We invite you to use the comment section below, our Facebook page, or to tag us on twitter to continue the conversation. We'd love to hear from you.
[photo credit: Ellen Barone]
15 Comments
Reader Comments (15)
Remind me to never show my kids my contribution to this list....
We hear ya, Gina. We'll never tell.
Ellen and Judie
These are fabulous, Ellen and Judie!
Kristin
The short-short stories were all fun, but it was Paul Ross' that made me squirt vinegar and syrup out my nose.
Marlan
Each a brush stroke on the canvas of my own experiences, I love reading these, reminded that our journeys are both unique and universal.
What a great reminder that so much can be said in so little words. Enjoyed the opportunity to explore the 25 word request and loved even more reading the other experiences.
What a wonderful trip around these talented writers brains! Cracked up at #20.......as only a daughter could!
What a great idea. Hope you'll do it again with a different subject, because I need to practice brevity.
Brides magazine assignment: Research romantic honeymoon resort in Mexico. No electricity, flickering candlelight, hard to read. Happily, I get extra drink for my nonexistent sweetheart.
Couldn't resist creating my own....
Wow, gang. We're thrilled to login this morning and see so many new encouraging, kind and creative comments to this collection.
We were amazed and delighted by the response to this project and especially proud to hear that you were too,
Thank you Kristin, Marlan, Maureen, Vera Marie, and Edie.
Looking forward to featuring your work soon in our next 25-word challenge. If you have a suggestion on a topic or theme, we'd love to hear it.
With gratitude,
Ellen and Judie
Thank you, Vera Marie, for alerting me to this site!.
Ellen and Judie, what a FUN assignment! I couldn't resist:
Alone in Costa Rica. Minimal Spanish, even less courage. Donde es el mercado centrale? Chaos rules! Sole tourist? Me. Sopa mariscos? Si, por favor.
Buenisimo!
Bravo! Wynne. We're right there with you in Costa Rica.
Shall we add you to the mailing list for our next call for submissions?
Ellen and Judie
What a great idea.
Riding the Tube alone in December, wearing black leather jeans, jacket, motorcycle boots. Weird man nearby asks to smell my gloved hands. I exit quickly.
Thanks for joining the fun, Bryn.
This leaves us wanting to know more!
Perhaps a future YourLifeIsATrip.com story? Hint, hint...
Ellen & Judie