I don’t know what came over me. I hadn’t intended on entering this vast cathedral. This was my shopping day after all. But something drew me. As soon as I entered and looked up and around me I felt a wave of emotion well up inside and out of my eyes. I wasn’t sobbing. The tears were just running out. Turning right I went over to the candle display, dropped a couple of dollars in the collection box and lit a candle for my family at home in Scotland who by all accounts are having a pretty tough year.

I was on my first visit to New York city and I was doing it alone. A solocation, if you will. Whilst I didn’t really have a problem with that, there were moments on my trip that I longed to share with someone special. These are trips that you don’t take everyday, special trips. I really ached to share some moments or thoughts or views or experiences with a someone.

Going solo means several things. You can get a decent seat on the plane, easier to find a seat for a solo traveller than a couple. One nil, to me. However, a downside is that you have to try to take those awkward selfies to prove you were actually at the landmark you tweeted about. One all. Rooms costs you twice as much. Two one down, to me. I’ll give up.

Or not.

I’m not a well travelled person by any means, something that I hope to change in the coming years. But you know, it would be awesome to have a travel buddy to share moments with. As it is my iPhone was a pretty decent companion on my trip to New York. I checked in for my flight on the BA app. I ordered my Uber ride via the app. I checked in a got a brilliant memento of a list of places visited on my trip via Foursquare. My hotel booking was in my Passbook app via Booking.com. And I took some really awesome photos and shared them via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. So you know. Even if there wasn’t a real life human being accompanying me, I still l managed to share my trip with friends and family back home via my iPhone.

Solocations. They’re not so bad after all.