I too love to cruise and have no problem doing that alone. Since I moved back to Florida last year I have all kinds of ports to choose from.

This will be my first land vacation alone and I will be honest since taking my first cruise oh so many years ago and only unpacking once and waking up in a new place everyday I got spoiled.

But the places I want to go and things I would like to see aren't really cruise friendly so I am opting to take a land vacation and looking at 3-5 days in London and 3 days in Paris. I am excited about the thought but scared and nervous about being alone.

My daughter did a tour with her college last summer and LOVED it! She really loved Prague and Switzerland more than Paris. The pictures of Prague and Switzerland amazed me. She loved London too.

Some singles were along on a Trafalgar bus tour that DH and I took through England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. It was a very friendly crowd and some of the younger singles became a group. We got to know some who were traveling alone when we ate together. From what I saw, they seemed to enjoy the trip.

I've been to London many times, Paris not so much. London is really easy to navigate on foot if you don't mind walking but you do need a map to get around. So if you are challenged in that way you'd likely be better served with a tour. There are daily bus trips that travel outside the city to just about anywhere you want to go (I like the Evan Evans tours). The pick you up at your hotel and drop you off within a block or two of your hotel at the end of the day. The London Underground or buses are really convenient and inexpensive to get around. You can take those to a lot of the major sites and take tours (Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, etc). And of course there are the free places - British Museum, National Gallery at Trafalgar Square, St Paul's, etc.

My dd's friend did a tour with Rick Steves (co.), England and Scotland, and had a marvelous time. She did not feel alone.

I would also look into a tour because traveling in a foreign country can be challenging when you don't know the language. Several years ago I travelled with a couple of women's tour groups. I don't know if they still exist but you could check them out. One is Women Traveling Together and the other is Women's Travel Club. Good luck and bon voyage.

I've been to London alone many times and never had a problem. It's pretty easy when one speaks the same language! I would go to Paris alone as well, but then I"m the independent type and don't like the idea of being herded around by some tour guide.

If you're energetic, adventuresome and have a sense of humor, you'll have a far better time on your own, in both cities, than on a tour. It will take a bit longer to see sights (since you'll have to figure out where to go and how) and it may perhaps be a bit more expensive but it'll be much more fun. A close friend, a female, just returned from solo eight day trip to London and had a blast. She's done the same to Paris.

Keep in mind that you'll be much, much safer with a much lower likelihood of having an unpleasant experience in these two cities than if you made the same trip to any US city (with perhaps the exception of midtown Manhattan). Sad but true and it has been for a long time.

We love Tauck tours and have taken 8 of them. They are expensive but worth every penny. Their trips are all inclusive so the price includes most meals, all tips (ex tour guide) and side trips. They do charge a premium for a single traveler, but there have been singles on the tours we've been on and it works out well for them for the reasons you mentioned. You get a built in community, you can make friends and go along with people on the various tours, and you won't have to worry about any of the logistics as they arrange all of that for you. Everyone we've met on the tauck vacations have been very nice. And tauck always has very special exclusives that other tours don't do.

Take a look here at london/paris.

I have been to London many times on my own and Paris fewer times, but always on my own. In both cities, the walking tour companies named London Walks and Paris Walks have multiple tours daily to choose from. I swear by those 2 companies. Just show up at the designated meeting place about 15 minutes before the starting time and the English speaking guides take it from there. I have done morning tours, then hook up with fellow walkers for lunch and then move onto the afternoon tour from there. Both companies also do day trips out of the cities such as to Bath or Fontainbleu and those trips are good as well. In London, also look into getting theater tickets....much lower priced than in the US - the Time Out magazine is a great resource for all things going on in London. You can almost always get same day single tickets.

http://www.walks.com/

http://www.paris-walks.com/index_m.html

http://www.timeout.com/london/free-mag

My sister and her husband have gone on several of Rick Steves' tours -- France, Ireland, and Italy. This year they'll be going on the England & Scotland tour. They have enjoyed every tour and highly recommend them. You pay for your own transportation to and from the country (e.g., France, England, Ireland, etc.), but all group transportation on the tour is included. Sleeping accommodations, all breakfasts, and half of your dinners are included. Tips for the guides and drivers are included. All tours and admissions are included. You also get a credit in the "Rick Steves Store" (travel bags, guidebooks, blue-rays and DVDs, accessories [money belts, shirts, hats, coffee mugs, etc.]). So, when you add everything up, it's probably less expensive to do a tour than to "go it alone." Also, the tours are limited in the number of people -- 24 to 48 -- so you won't be lost in a huge crowd.

Another vote for Tauck! They take care of all of the business, and let you travel in comfort and without worry. Perfect for singles who want to travel, but don't want to do it all totally solo.

I totally agree with Fran.

I used 2 tour companies. I agree that a single woman traveling alone is best on a tour. There are tour companies for every price range.

The higher the price, you will find the much older crowd. There are alway certain companies that seem to attract older people.

I know you want to go in August but this could mean lots of young student and/or families.

If I was in your position, I would not want to be with young families or mostly couples. I would want to be with other single woman.

My personal experience: after taking a tour to Hawaii with Perillo, a company that attracts an older crowd, we decided on Trafagar for our trip to Italy.

I was happy to see a mixture of families, younger couples and older. Buy. Here is what happened. The families stuck together and didn't mix, same with the young couples. I was with my DH and we both would have liked more of a social atmosphere.

Research companies and best time to travel for your optimal experience. It may mean going after or before your birthday.

I'm perfectly comfortable in both London and Paris alone. I speak the smallest smattering of French, but with translation apps for the phone, you don't need much. I usually choose a centrally located hotel and set up any day tours before I go...like to Giverny or Versailles. Most museums within the city can be visited successfully with just a guidebook. If you are comfortable traveling to Manhattan alone, then you will do fine in London and Paris. I do agree, though, that I would never ever go to western Europe in August as it is holiday time for many there and the weather isn't too pleasant.

Having said all that, I think you might have a lovely time being part of a tour as you would have a ready-made community around you as other posters have mentioned.

Oh you MUST look into Overseas Adventure Travel. It is ideal for solo travelers, although they don't go to London or Paris. I went on my first tour by myself to Italy with OAT. They do not charge a single supplement, so there are always several singles on each tour. They also limit the group to 16 people, which is really nice. I have signed up for my third trip with them. They are very active tours, so if you are not up to moderate hikes, you may not like it although some folks sit out the hikes and that works out fine.

I have traveled alone to Europe many, many times without problems and LOVE IT. I do not take tours. I don't want to spend my vay-cay on a bus trapped with other Americans. Sorry--I could do that at home. It's great. I totally disconnect from my real life and immerse myself where I am. I indulge all my interests and get plenty of rest too.

I've been only to England once for a week on business for the company that i worked at. The best part bout England is there is no language barrier. There are some different descriptor words, but won't cause confusion if you are aware of this. Example are: Lift for elevator; Lorry for a truck; Bonnet for the hood of an auto and the upper class do have afternoon tea. Study up on etiquette for tea. Heathrow airport is no more difficult to navigate than any US one. The only difference is that upon landing, you are a foreigner and must pass through a customs inspection station. I found their officials stern, but courteous. Do have your passport ready and in order. If you need to show an immunization record, keep that with your passport.

I was there for only a week and was not brave enough to attempt driving on the left fearing that my ingrained instinct of a lifetime of right side driving might get me in trouble. I left the driving chores to others. There is plenty to see in London. One place is the natural history museum if you enjoy that sort of thing. Its a good place to explore on a rainy day. The underground (subway) is an efficient way to get around the most popular spots in London. It also connects to the surface electric train system that can take you to surrounding towns.

A tip about train tickets.

On my return trip from Bedford to London, there was a two tier ticket cost. A full fare bought you a guaranteed seat; The half fare allowed you to sit, but if the train was crowded, you'd have to relinquish your seat to a full fare passenger and stand. I did as many students did and took the half fare. I was able to sit the entire 60 miles back to London.

I had only one language difficulty and that was with a Scotsman who had a very thick brogue. I was lost when he got excited and spoke fast.

Check with the US Consulate about which vaccinations you'll need to get back into this country. You really do not want to be sitting quarantine upon your return.

my mother also liked tauck tours...and was very comfortable...she did do east block but before they escaped from the soviet union and didn't like that at all...(remember this was still the 70's) but her other tours she raved on. just recently friends went on that European river cruise? they loved it...don't know if Paris was included or not?

Speaking of families, Tauck does "bridges" tours which are geared toward families with children...their other tours tend to be primarily adults.

I agree. I think you'll do just fine and have a great time.

I've done both cities alone. Since living in Europe as a college student, then teaching there later, I learned that there's less fear for me in western European cities than in a place like New York! Both London and Paris are easy to navigate with very good transportation. Both have tons of stuff to see, however, so I'd do some planning before I left home, study a map, and make an itinerary of what you really want to see. On the other hand there are plenty of tours if you look for them. Often, once you get there, you can find free or low cost city walking tours or museum tours or the like--I often do these! Anyway, just so you know that you can easily have a great time on your own or with a tour--your choice.

I'd never take a tour as part of a group. I'm very comfortable in London and Paris alone. They're fabulous, safe cities.

I traveled with friends and with tours. There are pros and cons to both. It is great to have someone else schlep the bags, find the bathrooms, make all the arrangements. OAT gives you plenty of time on your own to explore. On the other hand, you are on their timeline. On my last trip I would have liked to stay one more day at one spot and one less at another. I also did a trip to Scotland with friends, where we rented a car and just rattled around, staying in B&Bs. That was so much fun but packing, unpacking the car, finding accommodations, time wasted trying to figure things out were less than ideal. So, pick your poison. I continue to travel both ways. A tour is nice in out of the way spots.

I think it depends on one's personality whether they'd be happier with a tour or on their own. I've done both - a focused tour (antiquing) in London and a by myself trek that centered on gardens in the general vicinity. The focused tour was with my mom and my best friend and her mom and was our first visit. Everything was handled by the tour company afa accommodations, some meals and ground transport to the antique market venues but there was plenty of free time to do whatever else we wanted. Mornings were devoted to the antiquing and then the moms (elderly) went back to the hotel for rest, etc. while my BFF and I toured the city and visited all the sites we wanted to see. We did an on-and-off doubledecker bus city tour to begin with but walked or took the underground to all the sites and attractions that interested us. It was a great introductory visit.

My second visit was on my own and other than the logistics of locating accommodations and ground transport (and your travel agent can help with that), it was just as simple. But I have no issues with being by myself, either at home or anywhere else. I used to travel extensively for work and that was almost always on my own. But I think you need to be comfortable being alone to attempt a visit abroad on your own.

And I wouldn't worry about language concerns. Obviously, England is easy to navigate language-wise (although the strong accents can get you!) and you will find that the vast majority of Parisians speak English as well, certainly those that regularly encounter tourists. This is true across much of Europe.

I've done it in England and Paris and I took a tour. My thinking was, if I didn't like what they were doing either day or evening, I could mange fine on my own doing my own thing. I made friends and had a fantastic time. it was a ten day vaca and three of the days I went off on my own as I had to see as much art as possible. Since then I've done at least five more tours, fantastic. My sil takes the QE2 twice a year to get to Europe and then goes off on her own. She's 78 and had gone on more trips than anyone I know and all alone. For me, the biggest bonus was not having to tote luggage, making arrangements, finding hotels etc., all my time was spent enjoying the country.

One thing about England: During the summer months (including May) the place shuts down at noon on Friday and everyone scoots off to a 'holiday' for the weekend. You might find that daytime eateries are closed and the only reliable food stop, other than night clubs and upscale restaurants, is McDonald's. During weekdays, Pubs are popular for the lunch hour.

I've taken tours alone many times, to England and Scotland, to Italy, and in the United States. In the United States, it has been with Tauck Tours, which are excellent. My trip to Italy was with Perillo, which was fine, but not the best. I try to get a tour that includes airport transfers, so I get picked up at the airport. I've had wonderful times on these tours. On most of them, I was paired with another single for the tour bus seating, so that led to a natural pairing for some things. I have found that people travelling in couples or pairs will include singles, so it all works out.

I wouldn't hesitate to travel to and around London by myself. I had some odd experiences in France and I would probably do a tour there. Paris is actually a place I would not bother and have not bothered going back to.... and oh yes, I speak French. Many other people are completely addicted to Paris.... they rent one of those Airbnb places for a couple of weeks and really enjoy their time there.