In recent years, single travellers have become travel’s fastest growing sector, Travelbag for example, reported a 68% increase in single bookings in just one year. Derek Moore, Chairman of the Association of Independent Tour Operators was quoted as saying 'We've seen a sea change over the last five years, people have become a lot bolder about travelling alone.'
There is also a growing demand for more daring, exotic holidays and the more adventurous the trip, the more natural it is to do it with a group of like-minded strangers, all sharing the experience. There is nothing quite like a challenge to bring people together - a night in a tribal village, dog-sledding for the first time, a trek over a high pass in the Himalayas or exploring the Serengeti, Brazil. And there is no social stigma attached to joining these groups for a splash of adventure and for making new friends.
Single women travellers are increasingly happy to go it alone on independent trips too. They are familiar with using the internet and so are confident about researching and planning their trips alone and there’s far less fear factor. Frequently, they will set off alone, but plan their trip to meet up with other friends who may be working or travelling abroad.
'Women today see being single as an opportunity to travel, rather than a hindrance,' says Judith de Witt of Rainbow Tours.
To feed this growing demand from independent women travellers, many travel companies now specialise in this market.
Speed Breaks epitomises a new style of trip aimed at the 25-45 age range. They cater for single travellers and include skiing, snowboarding, tennis, sailing, diving, horse riding, wine tasting and photography in their itinerary Whether this be for a holiday, weekend or just days out, there is plenty of fun to be had and new friends to be made.
Cold Fusion Chalets add a social dimension to winter holidays, providing luxury chalet accommodation and excellent skiing for independent travellers, plus a readymade group of likeminded individuals to ski with in the day and socialise with in the evening. Their exclusive chalets are located in Chamonix, in the French Alps, on the borders of Switzerland and Italy, and in Morzine, which is mid-way between Mont Blanc and Lake Geneva.
Sherpa Expedition Holidays are for people who enjoy walking, who want to enjoy the mountain ambience in the company of like minded travellers and who relish the prospect of exploring off the beaten track.
The guided walks will take you high into the mountains, with spectacular scenery, and there are trails to suit all levels of experience. If you want to get deep into the mountains you have to camp, but this can be done in style, with mess tents, tables, stools and as many creature comforts as can be mustered. You can even have a specially baked birthday cake at 20,000ft in the Himalayas if you so wish!
As we’ve already said, there is nothing quite like a challenge to bring people together, so before you even meet, you will have lots in common with your fellow Adventure Company travellers. They have a section for ‘Solo Travellers’ where there are no single supplements but the chance to experience the challenge of climbing Kilimanjaro, the noise and colour of India’s tropical south, the history of Nepal or the excitement of the Serengeti.
See the world in the good company of Just You Solo Holitdays a dedicated travel company for independent travellers. They offer fabulous escorted worldwide holidays, where you will discover new places and meet lots of people of varying ages and lifestyles. The friendships made can continue long after returning home and Just For You have a wealth of experience to ensure their solo customers come back again and again.
Tips for getting through Christmas as the Mistress
or ‘Other’ Woman.
Tis the season to be jolly… but it is not necessarily particularly jolly if you are a mistress, or ‘other’ woman having an affair with a married man and planning on spending the festive season alone. At the one time of year which is billed as being joyous, fun and romantic, when the shops bellow out the feel-good carols and everyone seems to be in the throws of festive fever and organising their special family day, the mistress stands alone.
Of course, the mistress chooses the role of mistress and presumably, spending Christmas Day alone, knowing that the man she loves is spending a ‘perfect’ present-giving day with his wife or is relaxing with his family on the ski slopes Chamonix , is the price she must pay.
But there are always two sides to every story and many reasons as to why any mistress finds herself in a relationship with a married man. A mistress will constantly trade loneliness and pain for the joy and ecstasy, but ultimately, the need to love and be loved can be overpowering.
So for every mistress who is beginning to dread the build up to the Christmas season, wondering how you will survive it and knowing that you can’t ask too many awkward questions about how he will be spending his time, we hope to be able to offer a few pointers in ways to emerge from this festive period with your sanity intact!
Make a Plan: Don’t just wake up and wonder how on earth you are going to fill your day. Organise yourself in good time, call up people and find out where the parties are taking place, buy a stunning party dress and go with an open mind. Or find out what events are happening in your local area, the theatre or a murder mystery weekend.
Friends: If they’re good friends, they won’t want you to be on your own at Christmas and they might worry if you cut yourself off entirely. Resist the urge to wallow under the duvet with a packet of Kleenex waiting for a call or text message that is unlikely to come. Instead, be with people who really care about you, whether it’s family or close friends. Go somewhere, warm and inviting, play with the kids, eat too much and laugh at the silly TV reruns. You may even enjoy it and remember, it's only one day.
Have a Hedonistic Pampering Day. Start the day with a long relaxing bath, surrounding yourself with gorgeous smells by adding a few drops of bergamot oil to water in an oil burner. Its light, fruity scent can gently lift melancholy. Give yourself a manicure and pedicure with expensive nail varnishes. Luxuriate in your own guilt-free company and looking great will boost your delicate self-esteem.
Have a Film Fest: Make a list of all the films you would have liked to see, but never quite got around to. Old black and white musicals are great, so too the silly kids movies like Shrek, Over The Hedge, The Incredibles or Toy Story. Or pick a TV series and get the DVD box set, for hours of uninterrupted enjoyment.
Turn the music up loud and Dance Like No One’s Watching. In fact, do everything like no one’s watching you. Lounge around in comfy old PJs, or dance wild and crazy in nothing but a warm pair of socks!
Unlock your inner chef. Buy in some exotic ingredients a day or two beforehand and let your imagination run wild in the kitchen. Make a mess, lick the bowl and experiment. But don’t forget to have a stand-by just in case things don’t go entirely to plan!
Make a list of all the things you would like to achieve in the coming year. Look into joining a swimming club, theatre club, wine tasting club! Are there places in the world you would particularly like to see, a language you would like to learn, a book inside you waiting to be written? Spring clean and re-organise over-flowing cupboards. Acknowledge your personal value, your accomplishments, and the friends and family you love and who love you in return. Keep your mind busy.
Find out who else may be spending the time on their own and hold your own party. Invite the neighbours or colleagues from work and stick a big bird in the oven for all. Alternatively, have a ring around on the day and wish fellow singletons a merry Christmas. Not only will these people welcome a friendly and caring voice, but you will benefit from reaching out to others.
Help others. Giving your time will feel like the best gift you could give. You’ll be around people to ease your own loneliness, and seeing those around you who have no family to go to even if they could will put your own situation into perspective. In London 3,000+ volunteers help Crisis run shelters for the homeless during Christmas week. Open 24 hours a day, they provide food and companionship and a range of services including workshops from plumbing to yoga. The charity also needs help after the New Year to clear up. Basic accommodation can be provided for volunteers who live outside the capital and there's also a party afterwards. For more information call 020 7426 3872. Local branches of Age Concern make Christmas better for older people. Call 0800 009966 to find your local branch.
Get away from it all. Book a holiday to a far off destination or somewhere that doesn’t traditionally celebrate Christmas - Morocco, Tunisia or the Far East. Travel with a company that specialises in independent solo holidays and go skiing with a readymade group of likeminded individuals to ski with in the day and socialise with in the evening. Or be truly adventurous - explore India’s tropical south, Nepal, the Serengeti or South America.
Make your Christmas as fun as it can be. But remember Mistress… don’t let your lover make you feel miserable at this festive time. Don’t drown your sorrows in the vodka bottle or in an orgy of retail therapy and don’t ring or text him late at night after too many mulled wines or pay him an unexpected visit! . And finally, Christmas alone can be a harsh wake-up call for the mistress or ‘other’ woman, so promise yourself that next year you will not be sitting home alone, pining for a man who is happily ensconced in the warm bosom of his family and blissfully unaware of your sad Bridget Jones Christmas.
Of course the preponderance of spouses that
cheat on their significant other do not intentionally take a job hoping to
start an extramarital affair but that does not stop it from happening. If
familiarity breeds contempt, it can also give birth to temptation.
Long
work hours which occur with alarming regularity are regarded as one of the
classic signs of a cheating spouse. What makes it so hard to pin down however
is that in this day and age with money being too tight to mention, it is at
times an absolute necessity to put in overtime, go in on weekends or even your
day off. Most families just to make ends meet require that both spouses work.
But whether good times or bad, the office has always been one of the prime
meeting places for singles and married alike. In his article, "The Ugly
Side of Office Relationships", Francis K. Githinji writes, "An office
is always a fertile ground for working colleagues to hit it off in a
relationship. It is a place where you are bound to meet new people who will
always be within your proximity."
Proximity is the key word here. If familiarity breeds contempt, it can also
give rise to enticement. The majority of spouses that cheat on their partner do
not consciously take a job in the hopes of having an extramarital affair but it
happens anyway. Working closely with someone allows you to observe them under a
whole host of circumstances. How they react to high pressure situations, how
they communicate and treat others, their attitude and professionalism toward
their job and well as other factors.
A coworker will also see that person when they are relaxed and more than likely
will also be exposed to that person's sense of humor. That goes a long way to
forging a bond. It many ways a good sense of humor is allowing people into your
world. If a spouse and one of the co workers have the same sense of humor, than
the connection becomes that much closer. A few generations ago office romances
were not only frowned upon but actively discouraged. That of course didn't stop
them from taking place. Now it seems the work environment has changed one
hundred eighty degrees. In a CNN study done earlier this year forty percent
acknowledged that they have had an office romance at one time or another. The
astounding part of this survey was that sixty six percent felt there was no
need to hide the relationship.
Unless they want a divorce, it's practically a given that a cheating spouse
will not come forward and declare publicly their extra marital affair. But in
some ways they don't have to. The old saying "what happens in Vegas stays
in Vegas" can also apply to the office. Every work environment has a
unique culture of its own with different levels of loyalty. Many coworkers may
know what's going on but they don't feel it is any body's concern; including
the offended parties. The motto whether spoken or not is if you don't work
here, then it's none of your business. In other words their first loyalty is
toward their coworker.
The majority of spouses go to work to work. They maintain their professionalism
and save intimacy exclusively for their marriage. They also take seriously
their wedding vows as well as the trust they have in themselves and their
partner. Unfortunately for many others, the temptation is too great to resist.
Being around someone they find physically and emotionally attractive 8 plus
hours a day for 5 days out of the week puts their significant other at an
unfair advantage.
Have you ever
gone through an intense experience of falling in love with someone? Love is
such a wonderful thing that cannot be learnt or done thoughtfully. There are
certain signs of being in love, which could help you understand your feelings.
Love is a holy,
wonderful feeling, which is deeply rooted in your mind. It is an expression of
intense feelings for another person. It makes your life cheerful and full of
enthusiam. Sometimes it happens that you know a person very well. He/she is
your best friend. And suddenly you start feeling that you are in love with
him/her. Sometimes you get introduced to a person and as you start meeting
him/her frequently, you realize that you have developed some special feelings
for him/her. You experience loneliness, restlessness without that person. You
don’t understand what is it? It’s nothing but a great, heavenly feeling what is
called love.
Signs of Being in Love
Love cannot be learnt or taught. Sometimes, you are not even aware when it
happens. Falling in love with someone is an exciting, wonderful experience. It
may also be bit confusing, if you are unfamiliar with this experience. You
don’t understand what is happening with you. If you know the signs of being in
love, it will help relieve your confusion and understand your inner feelings.
When you are in love with someone, you remember
him/her all the time. You go on thinking about that person and the happy
moments spent together. You are not even able to concentrate on your work.
When you are in love, everything in daily life
reminds you of him/her. When you see anything or do anything, you tend to
recall the related memories of the moments that you spent with him/her.
If you concern a lot about someone, then it
indicates that you are in love. You always care about his/her safety and
happiness. You experience an overwhelming urge that he/she should be happy
and comfortable and should not be troubled by anything. It becomes your
number one priority. You always try to protect that person.
When you start loving someone, you become more
cautious about your appearance. You naturally wish that you should look
more attractive to him. You become attentive about your clothes and
hairstyle, so that you would get an appreciation from him/her. You look
more attractive and cheerful and it’s because of your romantic mood. You
also try to impress him/her by updating your knowledge about the current
issues.
When you love someone, you feel that no person
is more attractive than the individual you love. You even don’t notice the
presence of other people. Your whole attention is concentrated on that
individual only.
Now you deny spending much time with your
friends. You want to spend more time with him/her. You want to be alone
and think more about your special person. Even though you are surrounded
by your friends, you will find yourself constantly thinking about being
with someone special.
When you find someone interesting, you wish to
know more about him/her. You want to know about his interests, likes and
dislikes and career. You are eager to understand every detail of his/her
life. You also try to do the things that he/she likes.
There was a time, when you were cautious about
time or spending the money. But when you are with someone special, you
even don’t think about time or how much money you spend to buy a gift for
him/her.
Loyalty is another name for love. You want to be
loyal to him/her and expect the same from that person. He/she becomes the
only concerned person for you.
When you love someone, you tend to think about
his/her expectations. You think about his/her views and needs and learn to
compromise.
You share some beautiful moments with him/her.
You feel happy and excited when you plan about going to a party or
picnics, attending a ceremony together. You start discussing about the
future plans.
