Dear Holiday Golightly,

I love spending time with my girlfriends, but what do I do if I want to spend time alone, away from the group? 

Thanks,

Jillian 

Photo credit:  um...Whistler 

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Hey Jillian,

Thanks for your question.  We love questions!  And sometimes we actually have answers.  Like this time!

You should definitely discuss the Alone Time at the very start of the trip, to manage expectations.  As long as everyone understands that, at some point, you may want to wander off by yourself for an hour or so, it should be okay.

For example, bad times might be:

1)  When the restaurant bill arrives, and you blurt out "Alone Time!" and run off.

2)  If an argument arises, and you just yell "Alone Time" and leave the conversation dangling.

Timing and expectation are really everything, and your friends will definitely understand that you want to be by yourself, as long as you are up-front about it at the beginning of the trip. 

Cheers and happy travels!

Holiday Golightly