{"id":13628,"date":"2019-03-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/flashpack.preview.uk.com\/2018\/06\/28\/how-going-to-disneyland-alone-taught-me-solo-travel-is-great\/"},"modified":"2023-05-10T16:01:03","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T15:01:03","slug":"disneyland-alone-solo-travel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/solo\/travel\/disneyland-alone-solo-travel\/","title":{"rendered":"Going to Tokyo Disneyland alone taught me solo travel is great"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hi, I&#8217;m Gav and a few years ago my girlfriend and I booked to go to Japan together. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019d arranged all kinds of romantic excursions despite firmly believing that anything called an \u2018excursion\u2019 couldn\u2019t possibly be romantic. I\u2019d booked us into an exclusive sushi restaurant after spending two months on their waiting list, got us a room in an incredible retreat with a private outdoor spa and arranged a special evening at Tokyo Disneyland. It was going to be incredible. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And then we broke up.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BjfHkJqholJ\/\" data-instgrm-version=\"8\">\n<div style=\"padding: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.0% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;\">\n<div style=\"background: url(data:image\/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc\/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5\/p8\/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo\/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli\/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif\/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;\"><a style=\"color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BjfHkJqholJ\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">I look sad but I&#8217;m actually just wondering how much of their dahl I can squeeze into my mouth without looking mental&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\">A post shared by <a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/cymrogav\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Gav Murphy<\/a> (@cymrogav) on <time style=\"font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;\" datetime=\"2018-06-01T14:57:36+00:00\">Jun 1, 2018 at 7:57am PDT<\/time><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async defer src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After a brief period spent staring out windows hoping for rain and endlessly rewatching Jonathan Creek (series 1-3, I\u2019m not mad), I\u2019d finally managed to crawl out from under my duvet and have a wash. Then the realisation that our time in Japan was just over a month away set in. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019d never been on holiday on my own before and the idea of solo travel frightened the sh*t out of me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m not a huge fan of spending time by myself (I\u2019m sure anybody who\u2019s been in my company for more than ten minutes could explain in detail why that may be) and the notion of visiting a foreign country alone was not one I fancied at all.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Read more: <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.flashpack.com\/solo\/travel\/solo-travel-tips\/single-travel-group-strangers\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Reclaim your single life by travelling with strangers<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhat if I get lost on their tube and end up having to live there?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhat if I ask for the wrong type of milk for my tea and end up having to live there?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhat if I accidentally break into a building, get caught and end up having to live there?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Bracing myself for a solo trip to Japan<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-34452 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Japan4-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Little travel tip for you: it turns out lots of Japanese activities are aggressively non-refundable. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, I found myself looking at the prospect of losing a lot of money or sacking off every shred of doubt and fear that I had about solo travel and going on my romantic holiday by myself. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019d arranged to meet a couple of friends who were also on a trip to Japan out there so I wouldn\u2019t be totally alone for some of the holiday. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But there was still the matter of the lovely trips I\u2019d booked for my now ex-lady. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I could handle sushi on my own (meet me at an all-you-can-eat buffet and I\u2019ll prove it) and sleeping in a fancy hotel would be fine. But the one activity I was dreading was going to Tokyo Disneyland by myself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Read more:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/staging.flashpack.com\/solo\/travel\/solo-travel-guide-japan\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Why Japan is a dream destination for solo travellers<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Japan, they have a regular Disneyland full of the regular baby rides for babies and they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tokyodisneyresort.jp\/en\/tds\/\">also have Tokyo DisneySea<\/a>, which is more suited towards teenagers and adults and, from what I\u2019d heard, couples. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That was the reason I\u2019d booked it in the first place and now the idea of going solo made me feel more sadness than I\u2019d felt during the break-up. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I am, however, fantastically cheap and, having spent a good bit of money on Disneyland tickets, I decided to venture to \u2018<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Happiest Place on Earth\u2019<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by myself. Solo travel, here I came.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>On my own in a theme park \u2013 a thrill ride<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-34473 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Japan1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With jet lag on my side, I arrived at Tokyo DisneySea a good two hours before the park opened. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ve not tasted melancholy until you\u2019ve waited outside a Disney park for it to open by yourself for two hours. If I was worried before, at least I\u2019d have a nice bit of time for my mind to replay the series of bad decisions that had led me up to this extremely low point. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the park finally opened, I would say \u2013 conservatively \u2013 it took me about 20 seconds to realise I\u2019d made a mistake going there. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019d just spent my morning lamenting an 18-month relationship and then made my way into a theme park almost entirely filled with happy couples \u2013 all dressed the same. I didn\u2019t know what \u2018twinning\u2019 was before but apparently, some couples like to dress exactly alike then go cut about Tokyo Disneyland together, it\u2019s a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">thing<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Read more: <a href=\"https:\/\/staging.flashpack.com\/solo\/travel\/why-japanese-men-choosing-single-life-japan\/\">Why Japanese men are embracing the single life<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I mean, good luck to \u2018em, that is lovely, but it just sort of hammered home the ugly truth that I was slinking about DisneySea all alone for the day. That\u2019s not on them though, in fairness. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The other thing about DisneySea, which makes it better than most Disneylands, is the fact that at 8:30am you can buy yourself a beer, if such a thing takes your fancy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It feels slightly wrong walking around the Magical Kingdom with a pint in your hand, but it didn\u2019t take long (two pints) for me to feel comfortable with the idea.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Solo travel = positive vibes<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-34466 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Japan3-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the best things I found about going to a Disney park by myself was that most of the big rides have a \u2018Single Rider\u2019 queue. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some people will tell you that having to walk directly through the middle of loads of canoodling couples, all dressed the same, to get to the front of a line might accentuate the melancholy of a sad single man. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But I\u2019d hazard a guess those people have never been on the Tower of Terror three times in ONE hour. I was starting to see the upside of this whole situation. Solo travel had its perks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Read more: <a href=\"\/insights\/2017\/09\/11\/why-japan-is-a-dream-destination-for-solo-travellers\/\">Why Japan is a dream destination for solo travellers <\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I might not have had the shared experience of queuing for hours with a loved one but I did get a high-five from the Disney lad in charge of the front of the Indiana Jones ride THREE times, so\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It became extremely apparent that I was having an incredible time. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I realised the main thing that had been holding me back, and the source of my anxiety about solo travel, was a weird feeling of embarrassment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-34459 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Japan2-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019ve spoken to a few friends who travel alone or go on solo group adventure holidays about my \u2018Sad Disney Day\u2019 and turns out this unease is pretty common. It soon drips away though and I felt strangely empowered \u2013 something else these friends confessed to feeling. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019d done something that had properly scared me. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alright, I know it was only, \u201cgo to Disneyland on your tod,\u201d but it still felt huge to me. And the fact that I managed to get over my own stupid stigmas about solo travel \u2013 going out and doing something by myself \u2013 was a massive learning experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s left me with an incredible sense of accomplishment. I would wholeheartedly now encourage anyone else thinking about trying it to do it. Get out there. Embrace your independence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, I look fantastic dressed as Sully from Monsters Inc. so\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Photos: Gav Murphy, Shutterstock<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Try Japan out for yourself (with ready-made non-monstrous friends)<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-33707 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Japan-foodie-925x600-1.jpg\" alt=\"japanese noodle bar tokyo\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" \/><\/p>\n<p>13 days of Japanese adventure include ninja school, lunch with a sumo wrestler, whisky-tasting, hiking in the Hakone mountains, rejuvenating in the hot spring onsens of a traditional ryokan, a foodie foray through the market stalls of Osaka, sea-kayaking around the sacred shrine that \u201cfloats\u201d on Hiroshima Bay and much, much more.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.flashpack.com\/adventure-trips\/japan-another-world\/\">Show me the details<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hi, I&#8217;m Gav and a few years ago my girlfriend and I booked to go&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":69235,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9033,9029],"tags":[107,108,109,110,92,148,424,4941,131,1069,957,505,133,4942,93,351,407],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13628"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13628"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13628\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.flashpack.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}