Sorry I missed your posting, but I was off touring on my bike (as jobob noted above).

I started touring many years ago by going on supported group tours, but I switched to solo self-supported touring in 1998, and I haven't looked back. I find that traveling alone is magic from the standpoint of meeting people who live in the areas that I am passing through, and traveling self-supported gives folks an easy opening to start conversations. From a safety standpoint, it's really no different than wandering around your home area alone.

If you have specific questions, or if you need to talk to someone who has somehow managed to calm the fears of friends and family (they're used to my travels now, but they weren't happy when I first started out on my own), please let me know. I love talking about touring!

--- Denise