1. Tables with one chair  Travelling alone means you frequently find yourself eating alone. No big deal until you walk into the restaurant and get directed to… the table with one chair. There is nothing I hate more. Oh yeah hold on there is… when you are happily seated at a table with more than one chair when mid-curry an annoyingly loud/large/having-lots-of-fun group of tourists come in and grab all the chairs from your table, the ones that you are pretending are for your one, two or maybe even three fabulous friends who are about to join you any minute. You are now back in that 4 sided table/one chair scenario.

2. Are you single? This is annoying. No, I am clearly no spring chicken, yes I am travelling alone and yes I am single. Which is worse: an absolute look of horror on the previously questioning face, or a look of pity? I´m not sure. Safe to say that there are very few single Indian, Guatemalan, or anywhere in betweenian women in their 30s travelling around alone. Often I create a boyfriend or husband who is waiting back at the hotel, or  twiddling his Scottish thumbs while he waits for me in Aberdeenshire… occasionally he gets a name and a job and everything, this is fun and avoids the further questions…. but it depends on who is asking. Often I tell the truth if I think I am going to get the but you´re so beautiful! line. I like that one.

3. Going to the toilet during the night Big issue for many reasons. Firstly, how is this possible on a night train on the outskirts of Calcutta without taking all 14kg of luggage currently in bed with you into the tiny cupboard with a whole in the floor where you see the tracks whizzing past that they call a toilet?

Secondly, if I´m not physically on the move I hate venturing outside during the night. North of Scotland or Nepal. I am not up for it.

4. Men accosting you in the street. This should be at number one. I have no patience for it because, in general they are losers. I am way too polite to tell them where to go. This means that I end up speaking to a hotel owner but I´m also in a rock band (see what he did there?) for around 45 minutes. 45 minutes of my life I will never get back.

5. Ummmm Ok you got me. Actually I love travelling alone. I did this post to give confidence to anyone considering striding out alone… I`ve already prepared you for the worst.