Image by shutterstock
Tips For The 50+ Solo Woman Traveler And Why You Should Do It
December 26, 2018 | Travel | By Amanda Johnson
If you are still sitting and leafing through the brochure that your travel agent handed over to you and wondering if you should go for that solo travel then here’s why should. As Albert Einstein said, “The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before.”
Why Travel Solo
Live On Your Own Terms
The constant running around at work or to complete errands for the home gets to everyone. You are at an age where you should get some time only for yourself and live as if there is no planning to do. When you are on your own you can do this. The freedom and the lack of being answerable to anyone will make you happy.
Adventure In Life
Virginia Wolf said, “As a woman I have no country. As a woman my country is the whole world.” At your age, it is time for you to take the plunge and set out on a journey. For how long more will you lead a monotonous life? Don’t you feel like having an adventure? It is time to go ahead and travel to a new place and experience something new. Meeting new people, learning about their culture, food, dress, and language can be such an exhilarating experience.
Develop New Friendships
When you are traveling alone and roaming around new locales and discovering the nooks and corners of a new place it is likely that you will meet new people and engage in conversations with them. These conversations can lead to a new bond of friendship to develop. This bond can stay long after your trip is over and you can keep the friendship alive by writing to each other and even planning more trips together in the future. And who knows – if you are single you just might fall in love again.
Overcome Your Fears
When we travel with others we know that if there is a challenging situation someone or the other will always be around to help us. Traveling alone means having to deal with everything all alone. While this can give a feeling of independence, it also means accepting all the tough situations and dealing with it all by oneself. Thus traveling alone will teach you to surrender to the fear and then demonstrate courage and fortitude to come out of it. In the words of Wendell Berry, “Nobody can discover the world for somebody else. Only when we discover it for ourselves does it become common ground and a common bond and we cease to be alone.”
Can Improve Your Health
If you lead a stressful life or have been grieving over a loss for a while now, then it is time for you to pack your backs and go off to a place where you can allow yourself to heal again – both mentally and physically. Choose a resort where you can mediate, participate in yoga sessions, be pampered with massages and eat healthy and holistic food. Soak in the sunshine and breathe in the fresh air and you are sure to feel better when you return back home after sometime.
Become Creative
Once you are far from the madding crowd and not bothered about phone calls or emails you will find that the creative spirit within you is emerging. You might take part in pottery making workshops, learn the new language of the place, or even just indulge the dormant photographer within you.
What To Keep In Mind During A Solo Travel
Your Health
Whenever you are traveling alone always remember to carry your medicines. Since you will be at a new place don’t experiment too much with food lest you fall ill. Also, remember that over exhaustion can also make you fall ill. So, always take care of yourself and see that you stay healthy. Being cautious and taking necessary precautions is always better than to battle any illnesses in a new location.
Your Interest Areas
Just because you read of a place in a glossy magazine it does not mean that you must visit it. Know what you like and the kind of holiday that you want to have and choose a place based on your interest areas. If could be that you are a person who likes to sit quietly and watch the sunset over the sea rather than exploring historical monuments. In such cases, choose a beach side resort instead of picking a city or a town where you have to wear your walking shoes and see monuments that might not catch your fancy at all.
Safety Of the Destination
When you are choosing the place always read up about it and if required even ask questions to your travel agent and o line to find out how safe it is to travel to the location. As a single woman traveler it is always better to visit places that are secure and safe. So find out if there is political unrest, is a place where there are robberies and rapes happening etc. or not before you take the final decision.
Don’t Do Anything Risky
Once you reach your destination there will be many things that you will find that you are tempted to do. However, don’t indulge in it if it could be risky to your life. At 50 it is alright if you choose not to do the bungee jumping and the whitewater rafting but instead go around seeing the various monuments and shopping!
Plan Well
Always plan your itinerary from beforehand. This way you will be able to see the place in the best way possible. Also think and pack your clothes so that you travel light and also carry the right attires. Make sure you have got all your immunizations and have the emergency numbers all handy.
Stay In Touch With Family
Just because you are traveling alone don’t suddenly disappear from the face of the earth. Keep in touch with your family members and leave your number and the hotel number with them. This way they will know of your whereabouts in case the need arises to communicate with you.
Look After Your Belongings
It is your money, your passport, your jewelery and your laptop. And only you are there to look after that which is important and expensive. So, be careful of where you keep what, keep your belongings locked up well, and don’t travel with all these when you are on a day trip. For those that you must keep with you it is advisable to put it all in a handbag with high security. As for the documents keep a photocopy of all.
The Pros and Cons of Traveling Alone
Nothing in this world is all bad and nothing in this world is all good. But if the good outweighs the bad then it is worth experiencing. At your age if you are traveling alone, while you have a lot of positives that will happen, there are some cons that you should know about s well before you start off on your journey.
Pros
- No one dictates your schedule and you yourself sets the pace and the things to explore
- You will get a lot of me-time which will help you to think, relax, and do all the things that you might not have been getting the time to do till now
- Since you are on your own you will put in more effort to make friends during the journey
- At your age if your self-confidence is dwindling, then a solo travel will bring it back and you will realize that you can do a lot. This reminds me of Marie Curie’s words – “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.”
Cons
- Have to find solutions to issues all on your own
- Might be a little lonely in the beginning till you start to talk to fellow passengers and open up
- Might be dangerous to roam around in lonely spots – and more so after dark – even if you are tempted to explore it
- Help might be difficult to get if suddenly you fall sick
- Someone you thought you developed a bond with might not keep in touch with you after the journey is over
The only barrier to traveling alone is the barrier in your mind. Ayn Rand has expressed this quite well – “The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” So, once you have planned well you are sure to have a wonderful time alone. These tips and ideas will help you for sure.
