PBS高端访谈:独自旅游 自由相伴（在线收听）

JUDY WOODRUFF: You may be planning a summer vacation, trying to coordinate schedules with friends and family, but maybe there's another way, even a better way, to take a vacation. People are traveling alone in record numbers. Tonight, New York Times travel writer Stephanie Rosenbloom shares her Humble Opinion on why heading off by yourself rewards you with more than just a new destination.

STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM, The New York Times: I'm a travel reporter. When people discover this, they often begin telling me about the places they have longed to go. Many say things like, I would love to see Portugal or Rome, but I don't have anyone to go with. My response? So what? You should travel alone. One year, my editor sent me to Paris to explore the city by myself. That was the assignment. On my own, thousands of miles from home, I could slow down. I began to really pay attention, to soak up all of the marvelous, everyday things I miss when talking with or tending to companions, the way sunlight fell through the trees onto the green chairs in the Luxembourg Gardens, the sound of rain on awnings outside a cafe. I was able to zero in on these details because there was no one to distract me, no one to tell me to hurry along, to stop lingering on the quiet street near Balzac's House. Travel alone, and you have the freedom to pursue your particular interests. You can develop your aesthetic sense at your own pace. You can explore art and design shops, places that may inspire a new hobby or a creative endeavor, even how you want to spend the rest of your life. Alone, I can step outside my comfort zone, like the day I took myself to a tea ceremony in Tokyo. I can be reflective. I can climb a hill in Florence on an autumn afternoon and consider how I'm living my life and how I want to live it in the future, a process that can get inhibited when other people are around. Now, maybe you're thinking, that's all well and good, but won't it get lonely? We can't outrun loneliness. If it's going to come, it will come, even if we're at party surrounded by familiar faces. Besides, if you enjoy meeting people, take a vacation alone. Seriously. Strangers tend to be more willing to strike up a conversation when you're on your own. And, these days, there are so many opportunities to connect with locals and fellow travelers, be it through a cooking class, an architectural walking tour, or a peer-to-peer dining Web site. And here's a little more food for thought: If, like me, you happen to be a woman traveling alone, you're exercising a hard-won right. For years, women in my hometown of New York City didn't have the right to walk into a restaurant and eat lunch alone, let alone travel by themselves. Every time I go it alone, I'm doing something that countless women before me fought to be able to do. So, don't wait for the right friend to coordinate his or her schedule with yours, or for the love of your life to come along. Buy the plane ticket. Book the hotel. Travel alone.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Good advice, Stephanie Rosenbloom, even for a stay-at-home vacation.

朱蒂·伍德拉夫：暑假去哪里，你可能正在计划，你试着与朋友和家人协调日程安排，但也许还有另外一种方式，甚至可以说是更好的方式，来安排你的假期。独自旅行的人数创历史新高。今晚，《纽约时报》旅行作家史蒂芬妮·罗森布鲁姆在《管见所及》栏目分享了自己的观点，她认为独自旅行远比到达一个新的目的地让你收获更多。

史蒂芬妮·罗森布鲁姆，《纽约时报》：我是一名旅行记者。当人们知道后，他们常会告诉我，那些他们长久以来梦寐以求的旅行目的地。很多人说，我很想去葡萄牙或罗马看看，但是没人陪我去。我的回答是，那又怎么样？你应该独自旅行。有一年，我的编辑派我去了巴黎，让我孤身一人，探索这个城市。那是我当时的作业。就我自己，离家几千英里，我可以放慢脚步。我开始真正注意一些事情，我沉浸在周围所有的奇妙中，那些日常事物，都在交谈或陪伴中错过：卢森堡公园里阳光透过树林，照在绿色的椅子上；咖啡馆外雨点打在雨棚上发出噼啪的响声。我可以把这些细节搞清楚，因为没有人打扰我，没有人催我快点走，不要再在巴尔扎克家附近安静的街道上徘徊。 独自旅行，你有追求自己特殊兴趣的自由。你可以按照自己的节奏，发展你的审美感官。你可以在艺术品与设计品商店以及场所中探寻，这些地方可以激发你新的爱好，让你进行创造性尝试，甚至让你思考如何度过余生。独自一人，我可以走出我的舒适区，就像那天我自己去了东京的一个茶道。我可以反省自身。我可以在一个秋天的下午，爬上佛罗伦萨的一座小山，想想我是如何过着我的生活，以及我将来想要如何生活，而这些过程如果有其他人在场，都会受到抑制。现在，也许你在想，这一切都很好，但不会寂寞吗？我们无法超越孤独。如果它要来，它就会来，即使我们身处聚会当中，周围都是熟悉的面孔。此外，如果你喜欢和人见面，就单独去度假。说真的。当你独自一人时，陌生人往往更愿意与你交谈。现在，与当地人和驴友联系的机会很多，无论是通过烹饪课，建筑游还是对等餐饮网站。这里有一点值得思考的东西：如果像我一样，你碰巧是一个独自旅行的女人，那么你就是在行使一个来之不易的权利。多年来，在我的家乡纽约，女人曾经没有权利独自走进一家餐馆，独自享用午餐，更不用说独自旅行了。每次我独自一人，我都在做着，此前无数女人努力争取去做的事情。所以不要等待朋友和你的时间相协调，更不要等待你热爱的生活出现。买张机票。订个酒店。独自旅行。

朱蒂·伍德拉夫：好建议，史蒂芬妮·罗森布鲁姆，即使是在家中度假。