Taking mind off of Coronavirus for a moment:

There are countries/areas around the world that I'd love to visit, but I wouldn't want to go alone. I MIGHT have a potential travel friend to go with me, but without a native speaker to help, that makes it different...

./2 One of the options is to take a guided tour. I did that in Jerusalem/Bethlehem a couple of years ago. It was a really good and thorough tour, but I felt so restricted, since I was stuck on an all-day tour. I felt I missed out on so many things....

./3 That's something I'd likely do if I were to travel to some areas of Africa, but in other areas like Russia, Peru, Chile, and even to an extent in areas like Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand, I think I'd be okay as long as I had a partner with me, and some basic language skills

./4 I was proud of how I managed to get around Prague (and feel I can make it through all of Central Europe solo), but the small bit of solo traveling I did in Tel Aviv was stressful (long story). Other countries not geared directly for tourists will be tough to navigate as well.

./5 Not sure I had a direct point with this thread, but it was on my mind and I wanted to share it...comments are always welcome!