Solo Female Traveler?

I would go alone and have. I would be pissed at friend who canceled a week ahead of trip.
Take some walking tour and try a bike tour if you think you would enjoy having some chat time with others( Fat Tire bike tours do London and Paris)

Where are you staying( I assume u have places booked!).

Suggest you read the tripadvisor.com solo travel boards ,very helpful.

PS these cities are pretty safe for solo women too, just mind your money and don't stumble home drunk alone at three am and you will be fine. Same common sense as at home, don't take drinks from strangers etc.

You will have a lot of fun if you do some research.

Trust the middle aged ladies on this-GO!

The downside is that no one will have your back, you'll have to figure everything out yourself, and you won't have anyone to talk to. The upside is that you'll learn how to do that on your own. You won't have to compromise and miss things you want, or have to see things you don't care about. If you get lost, no one can blame you. No fights.

Pat's right-watch your alcohol intake. Stay in the central part of the cities. This first trip, alone, is not the time to stay in a dodgy hostel an hour outside of London. If that's what you have arranged, change it. You don't need to run for cover when it gets dark, but neither should you stay out until 3 am. You can party with friends when you get back. Concentrate on seeing the sights.

Keep both an electronic and paper copies of your travel arrangements. You're the one in charge of yourself, so be in charge. Often kids your age have come to rely on immediate help being just a cell phone call away. Rely on yourself-get a paper map, keep a business card from your hotel, don't be spacey and lose stuff.

Take care of your belongings, because no one else can loan you money. Get a money belt and keep your passport, extra cash, and credit/debit cards in it. Keep the cash you'll need daily in a more easily accessible spot, Read the info on this site about money belts. In fact, read a lot on this site. It will give you more confidence. Don't be freaked out by tales of pickpockets, etc. They are just cautionary tales that you should learn from. Be prepared, not scared.

You could cancel and may wait 30 years for someone to go with you. If you wait, you will always regret it. Go.

I say go! my main response is on your other posting.

I agree... go! I moved to Paris by myself when I was 18 and lived there for a year. You'll have a great time if you follow Karen's good advice.

Under "Tips & Trip Reports" on this forum, there's a section titled "Travel Partners." Check there. Even if you don't find someone to go with you for the whole trip you might find several people you can meet up with here and there while you're there.

Agreed, GO!! My 5'1" daughter took her first solo trip to Europe at 24, stayed at hostels and had a great and safe time. Followed that up with solo two month trip to Australia a few years later.

Hi Cindy, I'm very sorry that your friend bailed on you (their loss). Take the trip and enjoy yourself. I haven't visited Dublin but London and Paris are great cities that offer great sites and great transportation and are very easy for single travelers.

Last year my travel partner decided to return home to the US while we were on vacation in Amsterdam. I was by myself for the last 5 days of the trip. I was taken by surprise but you have the time to do some advance research and planning.

If you like museums, you can spend as much time as you want wandering around. Most museums have a cafe or snack bar where you can take a break. Also seek out the lesser visited sites (i.e. in Paris I love the Marmottan museum). Traveling solo is a wonderful, special experince. Just use common sense (and a money belt) and enjoy your adventure! Please report back and let us know all about your trip!

Cindy, just do it! When you come back and realize what you've accomplished all on your own, you will feel strong, savvy, powerful, and confident -- those are some good feelings to have!

"the downside is you won't have anyone to talk to". I completely disagree with this statement. You will actually end up talking to a lot more people than if you were to travel in a pair as you would then be far more likely to keep to yourselves or have limited interactions with other travelers and local residents. I have found this to be the case whenever I travel solo vs. traveling with my boyfriend, friends or family. You are actually viewed as more approachable when you aren't already in a group or a pair.

If you are staying at hostels, you are really going to find a lot of other solo travelers (female and male) you can connect with just by hanging around the common areas. Locals also seem to take more of an interest in those traveling solo than they do as a pair or a group and it's not hard to find yourself in conversation with them at many places - parks, grocery stores, restaurants, pubs, boutiques.

As this is a duplicate post in multiple country threads, I also disagree with the comment that Dublin has a much bigger "drink to get drunk" scene in the pubs than the other cities you will be going to. I would venture to guess that person only actually went to pubs in Temple Bar where it's all tourists. If so, yes, then she likely witnessed a whole lot of foreign tourists getting hammered. But there are plenty of pubs and bars in Dublin outside of Temple Bar where you would actually meet and mingle with the locals.

All 3 places are perfectly fine for a solo female traveler and have plenty to do to keep you occupied for a 2 week trip. I would not cancel just because your friend flaked on you at the last minute.

I think sometimes things happen for a reason and if I were you I would look at this opportunity as just that.... you probably would not have planned this on your own, but now that this adventure is waiting for you... just go for it... you will never regret it.
I also agree that you will more than likely meet lots of people...especially if you are open to it. I don't meet nearly as many people if I travel with someone but have lots of wonderful conversations when traveling alone. A few times you might wish you had someone to travel with but I bet you will find a new found freedom in traveling by yourself... and if not, at least your 'friend' won't be controlling your life...really not a nice thing to do unless there was a huge emergency.

Thank you for everyone who replied! Unfortunately for me, I still do have to cancel my trip. I can rest assured though that for any future endeavors I will not hesitate to traveling alone. Thank you!