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A Solo Traveler's Dining Tip

The question I get almost more than any other about solo travel is some version of: doesn't it get lonely?

Sometimes, yes. Especially at dinner.

There's a particular flavor of lonely that hits around 7pm in a city where you don't know anyone, when everyone around you is out with somebody.

On my last trip, 4.5 months through Europe on my own, I did something about it.

I used an app called Timeleft in Edinburgh and Liverpool, which seats you at a table with five strangers for dinner, drinks, coffee, or a run.

I'd already tested it four times back in Southern California in 2024, so I knew what I was getting. What I didn't expect was how differently it landed abroad.

In Edinburgh, I got the sense a few people were quietly disappointed I was a digital nomad — they wanted local friends, not someone leaving in a few weeks. Fair enough.

In Liverpool, the opposite. Everyone wanted to hear about the travel, and one man at my table talked me into Budapest and gave me a list of places to meet people once I got there!

That's the part I didn't anticipate: not just company for the evening, but locals handing me the kind of recommendations no guidebook gives you.

It's about $20/month, and my honest take is that it's only worth it if you'll go more than once, since every table is a brand-new set of people.

But if you're spending a few weeks traveling, that math works out nicely as you can swap cities in the app easily.

I wrote up what it costs, how the US and UK compared, and who's better off on Meetup or Bumble BFF instead in my lastest article:

My Latest Travel Must-Haves

​Halara Pants: I've worn them everywhere from Belize's largest Maya temple to my 4.5-month trek through Europe and they've still held up.

For anyone wanting to look nice, but also not be too hot or constrained, these are the fit as the waistband is flexible and they don't need ironing.

They also come in several different colors, I have them in this army green and grey.

What I'm Listening to Right Now

​Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley​ A BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds history podcast where historian Lucy Worsley and a team of experts investigate historical trials and crimes involving women from a feminist perspective.

If you're interested in women in history, but also are itching to get into the Halloween macabre spirit, this is the podcast for you!
​
I've learned so many interesting facts from this podcast—from the story of Britain's first female serial killer to what 'Baby Farming' is.

Spoiler: the latter is truly sader and weirder than it sounds!

Happy travels​ ✈️ — Michelle L. Jensen ​travelherstory.com​