Travel solo over 50 and discover journey, new pursuits, acquire confidence, and uncover new methods to handle life’s transitions. More individuals, women and men (although ladies get a lot of the consideration) over 50 are touring solo than ever earlier than.
More than 1 / 4 of the respondents to our annual reader survey are over 50. The share is analogous on Facebook the place we host the Solo Travel Society with over 270,000 individuals. Dozens, typically 1000’s of individuals have interaction with different solo vacationers there on daily basis.
Whether you are in a relationship or are fabulously single, solo journey delivers a lot greater than the standard journey expertise. And whether or not you’re touring independently or with a gaggle, solo journey doesn’t essentially imply that you’re alone. Taking a cooking class, a strolling tour, or attending a meetup on a topic you’re captivated with are all nice actions for solo vacationers. They can join you to individuals of all ages from all around the world.
But earlier than we get into the most effective causes to journey solo over 50, let’s take a look at the most important life transition chances are you’ll be dealing with, a few of the questions which can be arising now, and why this could be the right time of your life to go out by yourself.
Travel Solo to Navigate a Major Life Transition
If you are over 50, you’re possible dealing with a significant life transition as a consequence of a change of circumstance or perspective.
Perhaps you are experiencing one or numerous the conditions under. See how solo journey may help.
- Have you been in the identical relationship for many years? Is it getting a little bit drained? Take separate holidays and return with tons to say to one another.
- Is your partner or companion bored with journey? Going solo is your reply. See the world and return refreshed to your relationship.
- Have your children simply left the nest? Then it’s time to seek out out who you’re once more. You can’t actually do that with a companion who is aware of you and expects you to behave in sure methods. Get away. Travel alone and rediscover your self.
- Are you abruptly single, both by divorce or loss? Solo journey is an actual confidence builder, a good way to make a comeback.
- Are you involved that individuals at work see you as outdated? Head out on a solo journey and other people will rapidly regulate their attitudes.
- Is work boring with little hope of issues altering? Solo journey over 50 will inject some problem into life.
- Is cash tight? Solo journey could be cheap. It’s a lot simpler to save on hostels, hospitality stays, nice offers, and low cost flights once you journey alone.
- Do you’ve gotten well being issues? Stress is a significant contributor to most well being issues. Plan a solo vacation the place you set the schedule and take a break from the stress in your life.
- Did you retire early? Do you’ve gotten time to journey however household and associates don’t? No want to sit down round and watch for them. Go solo and revel in.
- Is it time for change? Travel alone, replicate, analyze, and discover your prospects with out the affect of others.
This podcast dialog with Suzy Rosenstein is totally different than any of the numerous I’ve had. We dug into the why and the how – not the the way to journey however the the way to stay.
Timecode: 12:00 “I was standing on that bridge for quite a while…” This was not a bodily bridge however some extent in my life once I was searching for what’s subsequent.
“This is so interesting because I’ve not picked this apart in this way before…”
Suzy requested questions that demanded quite a bit. I can see why she is such a profitable coach and podcaster.
Best Reasons to Travel Solo Over 50
Maybe all of us want a little bit time to ourselves, to make choices, uncover our strengths, and expertise extra autonomy. Maybe all of us have to journey solo.
- Enjoy your freedom. If you’ve gotten spent most of your life surrounded by and accountable to others that is your likelihood to be accountable to nobody however your self. Go to mattress once you like. Get up once you like. Eat, drink, wander, discover what you want. It’s all as much as you.
- Gain confidence from that independence. Whether you are touring solo on a tour or independently, there’s a confidence-building component to solo journey for having jumped right into a considerably unknown scenario by yourself.
- Discover who you’re once you’re not assembly the calls for of a partner or youngsters. When responding to everybody else, who has time to get to know oneself? Solo journey over 50 provides you that chance. Do what you couldn’t afford or didn’t have time to do when youthful.
- Explore new pursuits. Solo journey could be a gateway to new pursuits. Whether it is music or climbing or discovering like I did final month that I like champagne, attempt one thing new. Maybe you would not go to a bar by your self at dwelling however on the street in a city like Nashville, how may you presumably keep in with all that music round you? Perhaps climbing isn’t a part of your way of life but when you end up within the Lake District of England chances are you’ll simply discover a new love. Solo journey is an opportunity to attempt one thing new.
- Model a distinct form of ageing. I discover that many individuals of their twenties and thirties are actually inquisitive about me. They appear to take a look at me because the form of particular person they wish to be once they get to my age – which, of their thoughts may be very, very outdated. They see me as daring and welcome me into their conversations. And they usually inform me that I’m not like their dad and mom in any respect. It appears I’m another mannequin for his or her future.
- Expand your world with cross-generational conversations. Talking with individuals youthful and older than me breaks me out of my restricted world and offers me a greater understanding of the problems confronted by others. And they amuse me. I bear in mind strolling down a road in Italy with an American man in his twenties. He turned to look again at a lovely younger girl who had handed us and mentioned to me, “I love Italian women. They have great junk in the trunk.” Really! Whatever I take into consideration his remark, to have such entry to younger attitudes is great, if not curious and typically disturbing.
- Enjoy the respect age receives in different international locations. My hair is gray. Given the courtesy I obtain in some international locations I’ve thought that I current as older than I’m. Then I spotted that it is really about age being revered extra in different cultures. Traveling on a prepare in India a younger man would not dream of shifting me from my seat although I used to be keen (insisting) and had, by way of a seat shift, taken his. No, his response was, “but you are our guest.” I think somebody youthful might not have been handled fairly so properly.
- Reboot your life which will in any other case be on autopilot. Feeling a bit bored? Need to shake issues up a bit? Need new stimulation? Solo journey may give you this. Fulfill lifelong desires that might not be shared with a companion. Many companions take separate holidays to pursue their private desires. Go for it.
Different Options for Traveling Alone
There are two fundamental methods to journey solo.
- Independent solo journey
- Solo journey on a tour
Independent Solo Travel
Independent solo journey is once you plan, navigate, and negotiate every thing your self. The draw back is all that work and duty if you happen to do not take pleasure in it. The upside is freedom and independence. It’s exhilarating! Most of what we write right here is about impartial solo journey. Here’s a information to over 500 posts on Solo Traveler.
Solo Travel on a Tour or Cruise
This is solo journey in a gaggle the place the planning and organizing is all taken care of for you. Every day you’ve gotten a information and the group heads out to a different exercise. No worry of being lonely, consuming alone, or your security. The tour takes care of every thing.
Most firms set up excursions and have just a few solos on them. There are just a few firms that simply cater to solo vacationers. Check out our Deals web page for our unique checklist of solo-friendly excursions with no or very low single dietary supplements from a number of firms. You can even obtain our month-to-month Newsletter and Advisory of Deals by e-mail.
Also learn: How to Choose a Tour for Solo Travelers: Top Tips for Savings and Fun
Solo Travel Safety Considerations
Every week, individuals attain this weblog by utilizing the search time period “solo travel after 50.” These phrases are ceaselessly paired with concern for security. There appears to be some concern about age and solo journey. From my perspective, there shouldn’t be.
Being 65, I believe I’m certified to handle this challenge. And, as you may think, I imagine that it’s not solely secure to journey solo after fifty but in addition, for all the explanations above, necessary.
That mentioned, at a sure age we change into extra conscious of issues of safety. When we have been younger, optimism prevailed. Concerns have been tossed into the wind. Not a lot now. So, right here I’ve just a few security suggestions particularly for older solo vacationers.
- Get journey insurance coverage. If you are over 65 this could be a downside. It will get costlier the older you’re however it may possibly additionally save your bacon. Read how journey insurance coverage has saved me numerous instances in A Complete Guide to Travel Insurance for Solo Travelers.
- Put medicines in your carry-on baggage. Eliminate the opportunity of being separated out of your every day medicines ought to your baggage go astray. Pack all medicines in your carry-on. It’s all the time advisable to maintain all meications of their authentic containers from the pharmacy. Read How to Get Through an Airport by Yourself with Ease
- Request particular providers upfront. I’ve walked greater than a kilometer from my aircraft to the airport exit. For some, this can be too lengthy a trek. Consider your skills and request any particular help you want just a few days upfront of your flight.
- Travel mild. There’s nothing worse than being ready the place you’ll be able to’t get assist and you’ll’t handle your baggage by yourself. Read Bare Minimum Packing: Here’s Your Packing List.
- Wear high quality footwear. Balance begins to go after a sure age. It’s a refined course of. Not apparent at first however, beneath the precise (or ought to I say, flawed) circumstances, a twisted ankle, or worse, can simply occur. I gave up my beloved Merrell sandals for my extra secure Eccos a few years in the past.
- Have back-up glasses. I misplaced a pair climbing as soon as. It’s easy to do. Best to have a backup pair.
- Keep the bling at dwelling. At this stage of life you’ll have some stunning jewellery however that does not imply you need to take it touring. Keep it at dwelling the place it is secure and you will not entice consideration to your self.
- Don’t promote the truth that you are away on social media. It could also be thrilling to be happening a solo journey however do not announce it to the world. You need your private home to be secure as you journey as properly.
Also learn Solo Travel Safety: 50+ Tips for Those Who Travel Alone.
Great Destination Ideas for 50+ Travelers
In actuality, the most effective vacation spot for any solo touring boomer (the child boomer era is usually outlined as individuals born from 1946 to 1964) is as much as them. You may wish to climb Mount Everest and if you happen to’re as much as the problem, it is an important vacation spot for you. So what can I provide by way of locations? How can I generalize? Here are journeys that almost anybody can take pleasure in they usually do not contain studying one other language.
- Spectacular Western Canada. I traveled Western Canada by aircraft, prepare, and automotive just a few years in the past. The grandeur of the mountains, the friendliness of the individuals, nice hikes, and small cities made it an important journey. It was easy to plan and reasonably priced. You can examine it right here: Western Canada Itinerary: Top Things to See and Do and British Columbia by Train: Budget or Luxury. It’s Your Choice.
- The United Kingdom. The UK has a lot to supply. The tradition is totally different however the language is identical, making it fascinating and straightforward. London is a high vacation spot for many of us. I discover the middle of the town to be very secure. I’ve walked at night time and had no downside. Read Solo Travel London on a Budget: Top Tips for Free and Cheap and Best Places to Stay in London: Accommodation for Solo Travelers. I’ll by no means tire of Northern Ireland’s glens and its dramatic Causeway Coastal Route. Read Solo Travel Northern Ireland: Tips for Belfast and Beyond.
- Road journey! I really like a street journey. I particularly love a street journey alongside the coast and thru a rugged panorama and one which drops me into small cities and villages to fulfill locals. I’ve taken two such street journeys in Canada, one in New Brunswick and the opposite in Nova Scotia. Both provinces are very accessible by automotive for those that stay on the jap seaboard of the United States. Read 15 Great Solo Road Trips: All Solo Traveler Tested.
- An academic vacation. I set a objective for myself to change into fluent in French. I’ve improved enormously by utilizing vacation time for French immersion courses in Quebec City and Lyon, France.
- A river cruise. A river cruise covers many locations in a single journey with just one unpacking and repacking concerned. That makes it simple. Read 12 River Cruise Tips for Solo Travelers: How to Make the Most of Your Journey.
- Walking journeys. I actually loved my strolling journey on the Isle of Skye. On the trail, I’d cease, take within the view, and discover an enormous smile stretching throughout my face. I smile quite a bit however smiling simply because the air and examine and exertion are so great isn’t a part of my common day. I actually recommend strolling journeys. You could be as adventurous as you want. I encourage you to learn this publish by Susanne, a reader from Austria: Solo Travel Destination: The West Highland Way, Scotland.
- Creative journey. Creative journey is journey for the specific objective of studying one thing new. It could also be cooking or a language, dance or portray. Creative journey helps you enter your vacation spot by way of the native tradition and by assembly locals and studying from them. Read Creative Travel Tips: Discover More of a Destination and Yourself.
Some Additional Solo Travel Tips
Traveling solo late in your second act (or perhaps in your third) is an excellent expertise. Whether you go for luxurious or price range journey, it is all accessible to you. I’d such as you to recollect a few issues.
- Others will welcome the thrill of you. You are, by the mere reality that you simply’re touring solo, adventurous to many. You brighten up a night for individuals. I’ve loved many a espresso or meal with vacationers and locals who welcomed me into their dialog. I enrich them as they enrich me.
- Hostels usually are not only for the younger. Once known as youth hostels, at the moment they’re simply hostels. Some, just like the YHA hostels, are nonetheless non-profit however others are a part of hostel chains. Yes, similar to boomers, hostels have grown up. As the hostel clientele of the 60s and 70s has matured, so have hostels. To get a way of staying at hostels as a boomer, learn The Hostel Experience for Solo Travelers: What to Expect. How to Stay Safe.
And one closing remark: do not hesitate to return to locations you visited once you have been youthful. One of the good advantages of solo journey over 50 is that the information gained and life lived over time will take you to a deeper understanding of a vacation spot than you could possibly presumably have had earlier than.
Last up to date: twentieth August, 2025