Ideas for autumn solo trip (possibly to Europe but not 100% set on it)

"Do you want "me time" to just lose thought of the recent events and hang out by yourself?" Mostly this.

"Do you want an "I'm free and want to bang" trip?" But wouldn't say no to a bit of this either.

I am on the same page as you in terms of avoiding "romantic" places, partly because they are places where I might feel a bit awkward/depressed hanging around by myself at this juncture and partly because they seem to be worth saving for later and enjoying with someone else down the road.

I might be more interested in a road trip in the US if I actually had a fun car to drive at this point, but I do not yet. I am also not looking to spend a fortune (as nice as fly fishing in NZ sounds, I'll have to save that for later on).

For these reasons, I am taking a closer look at Ireland/Scotland where I have the option to hang around in some cool cities but may also take the opportunity to rent a vehicle and cruise some scenic roads, meet some locals in smaller villages, stop in some old pubs, etc. Continental Europe is also still tempting me though, although it would be less "new" to me and might involve much more aggravating travel plans under present circumstances.

It's still very much up in the air and subject to change though.

 

Anyone have any suggestions for rental of interesting cars in Scotland/Ireland? I found a couple of companies via Google search, but it was the all too familiar "put in all your contact info in order to get any information about price, etc." Interested in finding a reputable company to rent a cool vintage/luxury/exotic vehicle for perhaps a few days of cruising some scenic roads (although mindful of and hopeful that the whole "driving on the other side of the road" thing won't cause potentially expensive problems for me).

 

This is my one hesitation, although I would probably rent something interesting for just a few days to be used for grand touring purposes on more major roads. I have no interest on this trip in trying to thread the needle with a Huracan or something on small village roads and courting disaster.