Before coming to SE Asia, I devised a Lonliness Prevention Plan based on my past experiences. It has been working very well.

Here are the rules:
1. Go where the people you like are. People enhance an experience.
2. Stay in clean, well lit places with nice staff and a community area (if possible) even if it costs extra.
3. Do not move too quickly and exhaust yourself.
4. Don't get lazy about making an effort to meet people.

Even though I have not been sharing a room and have been traveling by myself for most of Vietnam, I have not been lonely. I don't mind being alone, I just need to have some quality interaction each day. It is also nice to share at least one meal a day which sometimes I do and sometimes I don't.

I think it is interesting how different people have different natures. There are some people who would hate being around people so much. For me it is not so much lonliness as isolation.

Traveling by myself and being in a country that fought a war in modern times has got me thinking about solitary confinement.

I think I would last maybe 4 days in solitary. Take away food-3 days. Take away sleep- 2 days. Take away light- 1 days. Add any other form of torture and I would be talking in minutes.

I really just can't imagine it and there are people who survive for months and years in solitary.

That is completely unbelievable to me. I would definitely die of lack of stimulation.