Been on a trip abroad solo?

[DiegoDiego]

I would like to out myself as somebody who has travelled solo in South East Asia.

[velo army]

17 minutes ago, DiegoDiego said:

I would like to out myself as somebody who has travelled solo in South East Asia.

For some tea related noncery no doubt.

[invergowrie arab]

After the AZ game I stayed on in Amsterdam from Friday to Monday on my own.

Not my choice as I had lost my passport but absolutely class nonetheless.

30 degree heat, beers by the canal, some train trips to the Hague and Leiden.

I just to text the wife each day to say what a horrible time I was having without her. 

 

[Fullerene]

Restaurants can be a problem when travelling solo.  Sometime the waiters ignore you because they assume you are early and the rest of your party has not arrived yet.  When the waiter asks you if you want to order a drink, tell them you want to order food as well.  It catches them out but it works.

On the plus side, people on their own eat quicker so you might get a table where a couple or a group would not.

Also they have no way of knowing if you might be a food critic in disguise!

[Bairnardo]

Restaurants can be a problem when travelling solo.  Sometime the waiters ignore you because they assume you are early and the rest of your party has not arrived yet.  When the waiter asks you if you want to order a drink, tell them you want to order food as well.  It catches them out but it works.
On the plus side, people on their own eat quicker so you might get a table where a couple or a group would not.
Also they have no way of knowing if you might be a food critic in disguise!

Alternatively, if when you arrive you say, table for one please, then all parties are fully briefed

[doulikefish]

11 minutes ago, Bairnardo said:

18 minutes ago, Fullerene said:

Restaurants can be a problem when travelling solo.  Sometime the waiters ignore you because they assume you are early and the rest of your party has not arrived yet.  When the waiter asks you if you want to order a drink, tell them you want to order food as well.  It catches them out but it works.
On the plus side, people on their own eat quicker so you might get a table where a couple or a group would not.
Also they have no way of knowing if you might be a food critic in disguise!

Alternatively, if when you arrive you say, table for one please, then all parties are fully briefed

In Italy I always got punted up the back when I asked for a table for 1, I always used to have a wee chortle to myself when I was getting shown to my table 

Ps I didn't care I was quite happy with a bottle of the house red and some pasta 

[Sergeant Wilson]

11 minutes ago, Bairnardo said:

19 minutes ago, Fullerene said:

Restaurants can be a problem when travelling solo.  Sometime the waiters ignore you because they assume you are early and the rest of your party has not arrived yet.  When the waiter asks you if you want to order a drink, tell them you want to order food as well.  It catches them out but it works.
On the plus side, people on their own eat quicker so you might get a table where a couple or a group would not.
Also they have no way of knowing if you might be a food critic in disguise!

Alternatively, if when you arrive you say, table for one please, then all parties are fully briefed

I was away for work and not that hungry. Stated about for a couple of hours and starvation set in. I noticed a Brazilian buffet place and went in asking for a table for one. All was going well until I remembered it was Valentine's night. Too late though and just dug in avoiding any eye contact.

[Bairnardo]

4 minutes ago, doulikefish said:

In Italy I always got punted up the back when I asked for a table for 1, I always used to have a wee chortle to myself when I was getting shown to my table 

Ps I didn't care I was quite happy with a bottle of the house red and some pasta 

Yeah, once you lob your food order in and secure a litre or so of wine, the waiters attention is neither here nor there. 

 

That said, I was once in a restaurant in Dubai on my Jack, and the waitress handed me a magazine to read

[Melanius Mullarkey]

9 minutes ago, Bairnardo said:

Yeah, once you lob your food order in and secure a litre or so of wine, the waiters attention is neither here nor there. 

 

That said, I was once in a restaurant in Dubai on my Jack, and the waitress handed me a magazine to read

Fiesta?

[Fullerene]

29 minutes ago, Bairnardo said:

36 minutes ago, Fullerene said:

Restaurants can be a problem when travelling solo.  Sometime the waiters ignore you because they assume you are early and the rest of your party has not arrived yet.  When the waiter asks you if you want to order a drink, tell them you want to order food as well.  It catches them out but it works.
On the plus side, people on their own eat quicker so you might get a table where a couple or a group would not.
Also they have no way of knowing if you might be a food critic in disguise!

Alternatively, if when you arrive you say, table for one please, then all parties are fully briefed

That assumes the person who takes you to your table talks to the waiting staff.  Not always true.

[Bairnardo]

1 minute ago, Melanius Mullarkay said:

Fiesta?

Na it's was fucking shite. Some in-flight bollocks off one of the airlines. 

[welshbairn]

34 minutes ago, Fullerene said:

Restaurants can be a problem when travelling solo.  Sometime the waiters ignore you because they assume you are early and the rest of your party has not arrived yet.  When the waiter asks you if you want to order a drink, tell them you want to order food as well.  It catches them out but it works.

On the plus side, people on their own eat quicker so you might get a table where a couple or a group would not.

Also they have no way of knowing if you might be a food critic in disguise!

I got put off a trip to South Korea by someone telling me they refuse to give a table to someone on their own, not sure if this is standard practice there. Ordered a bottle of wine with a meal in Savannah, Georgia and they seemed like they'd never seen the like before, are you sure you wouldn't just like a glass sir?

[doulikefish]

7 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

I got put off a trip to South Korea by someone telling me they refuse to give a table to someone on their own, not sure if this is standard practice there. Ordered a bottle of wine with a meal in Savannah, Georgia and they seemed like they'd never seen the like before, are you sure you wouldn't just like a glass sir?

I was 3 years working in South Korea never had a problem 

[UsedToGoToCentralPark]

I got put off a trip to South Korea by someone telling me they refuse to give a table to someone on their own, not sure if this is standard practice there. Ordered a bottle of wine with a meal in Savannah, Georgia and they seemed like they'd never seen the like before, are you sure you wouldn't just like a glass sir?

I was on a flight from LA to San Francisco and when I asked for a beer and a G&T the reaction from the cabin crew was 'you want a beer AND a Gin and Tonic?'. Yes, was my reply.

[welshbairn]

30 minutes ago, doulikefish said:

I was 3 years working in South Korea never had a problem 

Aye, they might just have been busy or snotty staff at one restaurant. 

[Sergeant Wilson]

27 minutes ago, UsedToGoToCentralPark said:

50 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

I got put off a trip to South Korea by someone telling me they refuse to give a table to someone on their own, not sure if this is standard practice there. Ordered a bottle of wine with a meal in Savannah, Georgia and they seemed like they'd never seen the like before, are you sure you wouldn't just like a glass sir?

I was on a flight from LA to San Francisco and when I asked for a beer and a G&T the reaction from the cabin crew was 'you want a beer AND a Gin and Tonic?'. Yes, was my reply.

In the alternative universe of Bradford. I asked for a pint of John Smith's as it was only £1.50. The girl on the bar was amazed I didn't do the same as everyone else and get three and save myself getting back up.

[Detournement]

8 hours ago, ICTChris said:

 

Going to South East Asia on your own is the reddest of red flags.

I spent a while in South East Asia alone after travelling with friends for a few months. They were going to Australia to work and I didn't want to work and didn't have enough money to travel there so I stayed in Asia until my cash ran out. It was great, it's very easy to find people to drink with at night on the backpacker trail if you're staying in a hostel.

 

 

[Melanius Mullarkey]

1 hour ago, UsedToGoToCentralPark said:

1 hour ago, welshbairn said:

I got put off a trip to South Korea by someone telling me they refuse to give a table to someone on their own, not sure if this is standard practice there. Ordered a bottle of wine with a meal in Savannah, Georgia and they seemed like they'd never seen the like before, are you sure you wouldn't just like a glass sir?

I was on a flight from LA to San Francisco and when I asked for a beer and a G&T the reaction from the cabin crew was 'you want a beer AND a Gin and Tonic?'. Yes, was my reply.

I had a different experience on a BA flight back from Abu Dhabi. When the cabin crew bloke heard me asking for a whisky, he brought me 8 and said “saves you asking me again”.

He was also Scottish.

 

[welshbairn]

3 minutes ago, Melanius Mullarkay said:

I had a different experience on a BA flight back from Abu Dhabi. When the cabin crew bloke heard me asking for a whisky, he brought me 8 and said “saves you asking me again”.

He was also Scottish.

 

I got given 2 breakfasts to try and get through on a short flight from London to Belfast back in the day when airlines were competing with each other on freebies.

[DiegoDiego]

it's very easy to find people to drink with at night on the backpacker trail if you're staying in a hostel.

When I was in the region there were almost no hostels (think I stayed in one in Hanoi and that was it) as you could get a double room in a hotel for about £1.50.