Who wants to travel on their own?
Just when you thought our society couldn’t stoop any lower, comes news that a goldfish in a Scottish museum has undergone surgery because visitors complained it was too ugly.
The harmless lump did not distress the fish, which was on display at the Royal Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, but was removed after an undisclosed number of complaints.
As a nation we have become so obsessed with appearance that perfectly healthy and attractive young women feel the need to go under the knife in a vain attempt to gain perfection. Now, we are projecting our superficiality onto goldfish, for heavens sake!
But are we any happier, better off or more popular now that we can banish anything that is unsightly?
I was pondering this thought when I came across some statistics that would indicate that we most definitely are not.
According to the research firm, Mintel, an incredible 15.4 million Britons will travel alone this year and Internet agency Opodo claims that 70 per cent of those will be female.
Meanwhile, travel agent Just You claims that 19 per cent of women prefer travelling on their own and 31 per cent are considering a solo trip.
Personally, I find both those numbers a little hard to believe (statistics are often exaggerated for a story), but even if they are half true, they are frightening.
I understand that these days people do not settle down as quickly in the past and, quite rightly, it is easier to get out of a bad relationship.
Companies like ‘Thelma and Louise’ have done well catering for women who want to travel with other women. That’s perfectly understandable.
But why would so many people choose to travel alone? Haven’t they got any mates to go with?
I’ve been lucky enough to travel to some fantastic places at other people’s expense, as part of my job. But that also means I’ve seen some incredible sites, such as Niagara Falls or the Great Barrier Reef, either on my own or with a bunch of complete strangers. I can remember thinking that, wow, this was unbelievable, but I wish that x or y were here to share it with me.
What’s your take on this? Would you choose to travel on your own and, if so, why?
Guest Article by Jeremy Skidmore
Friday, May 18th, 2012
My name is Alan Potts and I'm the Editor of the UK Ferry Tickets web site and Managing Director of BUYability Limited. You can connect with me or keep up to date with new posts on this blog via the following social media sites: 
