Solo trip with anxiety

[PattySwind]

OK, I'll try to make this short cause I could go on and on.
I've been going to WDW for many years. Honestly, I've been over it for the past 3 years. Not all of it, but most of it. It's the same old stuff. I do love Epcot but I lost interest in the other parks. I guess I've been there/done that to many times. My DD(23) even worked at Epcot so I got free admission.
I keep going back to WDW/Orlando area because it's in my "comfort zone". For those that have anxiety you'll get what I'm talking about.
So...my daughter has informed me that she will be going in May with her boyfriend and that leaves me with no one to go on vacation with. I just can't accept the fact that I'll have to give up my yearly vacation.
I've been going through a seperation with my DH, a job thats a bit stressful and my winter depression/anxiety is so bad I'm still struggling to come out of it. Also, add menopause into that. Wow, guess this post isn't so short after all.
Anyway, I'm thinking of going by myself for 3 nights/4 days. My family thinks it's a bad idea. I would love to go see something different such as the Bahamas or California but I have no one to go with. I'm thinking going to Florida is better than no vacation at all and I love Florida!
For those that go alone, do you ever arrive at the airport and have an overpowering sense of loneliness and feel sorry for yourself? Have you ever arrived in Orlando and had to turn around and go back home? I would really like to take this trip since I need to get used to being alone but I'm a bit apprehensive. Would love to hear how you spend your time or if you get nervous being so far away without any family. Thanks for reading.
Patty

 

[Stacy's a freak]

Patty, go for it! If you feel comfortable with WDW then you are halfway there. I think the hardest thing for a solo on vacation is knowing how to get around without getting lost. Well that is a cinch since you already know the ins and outs of WDW. It sounds like you have also picked a good time span (3 nights/4 days). This is just enough time to try it out and see how you feel.

I have gone solo a few times and I would definitely recommend it. And my very first WDW solo trip was a bit after my husband and I separated. It was actually VERY therapeutic. Not only did I have a great time, I realized that I am strong enough to do things on my own ... and I actually liked it!

My one tip is to have your cell phone with you. Just call your family and friends whenever you feel lonely or, more likely, when you are having so much fun that you have to share it with someone.

 

[alrightguy]

patty, when in may will you be there im going to be there from the 1st to the 7th and i have never been there or anywhere solo but i got divorced about 5yrs ago and just started to enjoy life so i if you want a park buddy while you are there just let me know i would be happy to hang out with you. i will be staying at pop century so if you want to meet up just let me know whwen and where k. i might need some directions ive never been there. but anyway if you go solo and we dont meet have a great time anyway k.

 

[PattySwind]

Alrightguy, very nice to meet you.
If I do go I'm thinking of going at the end of April. I didn't book airline ticket yet cause I'm still a bit unsure of my plans.
My sister in law lives in Alva,wyoming. Are you near that area?

 

[alrightguy]

hello patty, nice to meet you to i live in newcasatle,wyoming and work in gillette,wyoming im not sure where alva is ive never heard of it. well if you still want a park buddy i would still like to hang out with you unfortunatly i cant change my dates cause i already put in for those dates with my employer i hope if you go you might overlap my dates that would be cool. well let me know k.

 

[tiggergirlinMI]

Patty, go! i went on my first solo trip in Feb and I got there and got checked in and I would say for about 10 minutes felt bad not having my 2 grown boys with me. I missed my hubby but he hates Disney.I suffer from anxiety and the worst part was flying alone for me.
I will be there April 25 thru May 5 staying at 3 different Disney resorts, 3 at Beach Club, 3 at Wlodge and 5 at Contemporary Tower.
If you are there when I am and want to meet for drinks or hang out, let me know!
Go on the trip, its amazing going solo, doing what you want, when you want , it was SO much more relaxing....
Kristine

 

[mecllap]

I've traveled solo a lot, and with various family and friends, and on balance, altho I enjoy the trips with others, the solo ones seem to be the most peaceful/restful, and a lot of fun. Don't be afraid to ask people questions if you need to (most people like to be helpful, (so much so that you occasionally get a wrong answer, so you have to use some judgment also), but if you get one who isn't, just ask someone else).

Traveling solo gives you lots of freedom, less stress/hassles -- it's great being in charge of the decisions about where you're going and when, and what you're going to do. (I'd certainly say that 3 or 4 days is nowhere near enough).

Follow reasonable safety precautions, have your plans made, be flexible (something annoying will happen, but you'll just adapt and handle it).

Read thru the threads here, and you'll find lots of encouragement and helpful tips.

Have a great time! (If you relax and plan to have a good time, you will!)

 

[PattySwind]

Thanks Tiggergirl and Mecllap. I think whats holding me back right now is the anxiety. I just don't feel "right". When my DD was working in Epcot I flew out twice by myself and did OK. Of course thats with the help of xanax, dramamine, and more xanax. This was 2 years ago.
Tiggergirl, I'll have my laptop "if" I go, so I may meet ya for a drink! I like to sit at Downtown disney and people watch.
I saw pretty good airfare for May1 but by the time I make up my mind it may be gone. I'm thinking of booking the ticket and then when the time comes I'll go with how I'm feeling. If I'm not up to it, I lose the ticket.

 

[Missytara]

Do it.

I traveled solo for the first several years and now a lot of friends have asked me to take them.

Quite frankly, I wish that my next trip is solo; I really, really miss those days.

This past year, I took two wonderful girls that work at the local watering hole I frequent. They are college age; I work in construction management, so I am used to getting up and out early. Gosh, sleeping in until 7:30 am is a luxury for me.

If they didn't sleep until eleven every morning, they were grumpy. They would take an hour to get ready; I was ready in fifteen minutes. Then it would take an hour to make up their minds where we ate, because they were so hungry by then. We would get to the parks around 1:00 pm in the afternoon.

We had ADR's for 5:30 each night and by 6:30 pm, they were ready to hit the bars. It was amazing.... geez. We had about four hours in the parks. And then they complained that they didn't get to do anything!

Gosh, I miss those days.

 

[PaulaSB12]

OK, I'll try to make this short cause I could go on and on.
I've been going to WDW for many years. Honestly, I've been over it for the past 3 years. Not all of it, but most of it. It's the same old stuff. I do love Epcot but I lost interest in the other parks. I guess I've been there/done that to many times. My DD(23) even worked at Epcot so I got free admission.
I keep going back to WDW/Orlando area because it's in my "comfort zone". For those that have anxiety you'll get what I'm talking about.
So...my daughter has informed me that she will be going in May with her boyfriend and that leaves me with no one to go on vacation with. I just can't accept the fact that I'll have to give up my yearly vacation.
I've been going through a seperation with my DH, a job thats a bit stressful and my winter depression/anxiety is so bad I'm still struggling to come out of it. Also, add menopause into that. Wow, guess this post isn't so short after all.
Anyway, I'm thinking of going by myself for 3 nights/4 days. My family thinks it's a bad idea. I would love to go see something different such as the Bahamas or California but I have no one to go with. I'm thinking going to Florida is better than no vacation at all and I love Florida!
For those that go alone, do you ever arrive at the airport and have an overpowering sense of loneliness and feel sorry for yourself? Have you ever arrived in Orlando and had to turn around and go back home? I would really like to take this trip since I need to get used to being alone but I'm a bit apprehensive. Would love to hear how you spend your time or if you get nervous being so far away without any family. Thanks for reading.
Patty

When I get to the airport my only feeling are gladness 1 that the flight is over (I don't like flying) and 2 I am back at disney. Don't go thinking I am alone be aware of other people I find that all sorts of people in lines want to talk to you and be friendly. If you are eating at table service restaurants try the ones with dining bars so you can talk to your neighbour. If you see people taking pictures of their family offer to take a picture so that the whole family can be in the picture, people seem to like that. Enjoy yourself and be happy, its really up to you to make it either a happy holiday or a lonely one.

 

[SydneyFalco]

I'm a near forty year old male, contentedly married (and not menopausal, obviously) but otherwise depressed and anxiety-prone. I've been Effexor or Pristiq for approximately four years, mostly because of work stress. My situation doesn't strike me as being as serious as what you desribed for yourself, but it is chronic and persistant, and I can definitely relate.

I don't give advice when it comes to stuff like this. I don't even think it's a good idea to solicit advice in this manner from e-strangers. I'll limit myself to my reactions as I read your post.

I wondered, as I read:

Is Disney World tied together emotionally with family in the poster's mind? It certainly is in MY family, especially for the women.

Are the memories of the poster's marriage heavily tied up with Disney World? Would they surface and sour the experience?

Has the poster ever dined alone or would she just not dine in sit down restaurants?

Is the poster's intent in going to be buoyed by Disney magic or to "recover" old feelings? That first paragraph is worrying.

Questions like these are what you have to ask yourself. Running away to a safe place, a battery-charging place is a good idea. Running away to the past or seeking another state of mind entirely through relocation would be a bad idea, I think. If you do go, I suggest radical altering what would for you be "a normal trip". Don't tour the parksas much, say. Use the resort pool more or do the odd things you never did before.

As for your questions, I've never gone alone. With the wife soured on going back again and again to Disney, I've often wondered if I would enjoy a Disney vacation if I went alone. Frankly, I don't know. I suspect not. I would definitely have to "change it up a little" if I did, I know that.

 

[PattySwind]

Sydneyfalco,
No marital memories whatsoever. Husband barely leaves the state of NJ.
My memories of previous trips are happy. All the trips were with my daughter and my mother in law. Whenever I get off the plane and step into the Florida air, or humidity, depending on the day, my mood is lifted. I am happy in Florida. It's been a rough winter here in NJ. I just need a few days to relax and get some mental rest. I plan on going to Epcot, the beach and a day at the pool. A few visits to downtown disney to people watch/shop, my favorite superwalmart and of course the Golden Coral! I have no problems eating by myself.
I just booked my trip an hour ago!! May 1-4. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[tiggergirlinMI]

Patty, I will have my laptop with me, where are you staying, onsite? or offsite?
Im excited for you, you will see how much your head clears being there....I had a rough winter and went back at the end of Jan and came back so refreshed and it was great.
Would love to meet up for a drink........glad you booked your trip!

 

[PattySwind]

Last night, about 9pm, I cancelled my reservation. Continental gives you 24 hours to change your mind. I sat there thinking about the trip and I felt no excitement. Thats how I know I need to go someone different, I just don't have anyone to go with. I was going to stay off property on 192 near Old town. I also sometimes stay at Downdown disney Best Western LBV. If I do change my mind...again...I will look you up!