single traveller

treeca

Hi all
Not sure if this is the best place to post this:o
How to summon up enough courage to travel solo
at the ripe old age of 65!

shaun_from_Africa

Go onto the Tripadvisor forum for the area that you are thinking of going:
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ForumHome
and post on there asking for tips, advice or suggestions from other single travellers.
You will probably find plenty of people of a similar age to you who would be more than willing to pass on their experiences.

torbrex

It depends on where you are going but when I started travelling abroad on my own, I found it helpful to do it in seperate stages.
First, you are going to the airport, that is not far, nice smiley people work there and they all speak your language.
Second, you are on an airplane, it is really just a big lounge bar where the waitress will bring you food and drink when you want it and they will smile and speak your language.
Third, you get to your holiday destination and the people there are happy to see you as you will be spending your money there so they will smile and speak to you in your language.
Fourth, you discover new things and meet new people while enjoying a relaxing time and soaking up the atmosphere and warmth of somewhere that you have only seen in pictures.
Fifth, you take the journey home smiling and content about the wonderful time that you have just had and you start to plan your next trip on the way home.

SailorSam

I'm not far behind you at 59 and i downloaded a free Ebook at Amazon yesterday, probably you'd have to pay for it today but i think the guy has a website ....'7 reasons to go travelling solo.'.... Here are some of the websites he mentions in the book, i've not read it all yet.
GAdventures.com
Exotissimo.com
Thorntree Travel Forum
Travelfish.org
TravellsPoint.com
EasyRiderTours.com.au
Kiwi Experience.com
Loney Planet guides
Hostel Bookers.com
World Nomads.
Travel Happy.info
I think that last one may be the guy who wrote the book.
He did his travels as a backpacker, i get the impression he's a lot younger, maybe only a student but he did stay in different sorts of accommodation so there may be tips that us oldies can pick up.


Another thought just come to me, have a look on the Saga site they have all sort of things for over 50s

Voyager2002

Focus on your destination, and on the things that you would enjoy doing there. Plan what to do, so you minimise time spent simply being alone.

Perhaps join something like Couchsurfing so that you will be in contact with friendly people at your destination and so will be able to share good experiences with new friends.

s_b

I quite fancy the idea of a single trip but i would too concentrate on what i want to see,im a fast walker, always have been so spend most of my trips looking for unusual architecture on back street roads plus i prefer local bars etc,so much to do so little time, its easier on your own rather than stopping for the wife every 20 paces waiting for her to catch up she gets the ump occasionaly
We get the saga stuff or did,always looks dear to me plus i prefer to jump on a train rather than plan in detail, main thing i find is always have your wits about you even if it takes a little longer to get from a to b someone on every trip abroad ive been on these last years has been robbed, this is why i always say wherever you are going blend in, or expect to be seen as an easy target, sad but true and its getting worse in europe

GO FOR IT treeca

Horace

Go for it. You could join the YHA and pay an additional supplement to stay in International hostels where you can stay on a B&B basis (some will provide dinner at additional cost but you can end up eating some really wierd food but you can prepare your own food in the hostel too). I took myself off to Italy and in Menaggio (travelling by plane, then train even changing trains, ferry and foot). It was great to get about and meet new people - hopping on the bus to a local market and then getting another bus into Lugano in Switzerland.

Whenever I travel abroad I try to blend in and not look like a tourist and I tend to wear a money belt under my clothing too in which I keep my passport and money.

Sometimes going on an organised trip can be fun because although you are a solo traveller you will soon make friends with others in the group. You get plenty of time to do your own thing too. I tend to go on the free organised trips in whichever country I am in but when it comes to paid for trips then I decline and do my own thing instead.

shudd1967

Try this forum - lots of advise on companies not to use!

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowForum-g1-i12357-Solo_Travel.html

Traveled for the first time abroad last year as a long middle 40's female. Stayed safe and went to Zante and had a wonderful week. Tuesday I am being more adventurous and going to Santorini & Naxos for 2 weeks - maybe even a third island if the mood takes me.

Just use the usual safety advise, common sense really and take it gradually. I love the fact that I can do what I want & when I want. Its brilliant for the confidence.

SallyD

I have never looked back since booking my first solo trip. I booked a 4 day Christmas Market trip to Germany. I was able to go off and explore on my own once we reached the various destinations en route. Meals were included and after the first leg of the coach journey most people were busy chatting away to each other so meal times were just nice get togethers. I booked this short trip as a starter thinking if I was miserable it was only a few days to endure. I really had a good time. Next trip was a 7 day trip to Austria, meals included. I booked the day trips, but also went off on the train to Saltzburg..........and that was it, the bug caught hold.

I have had some marvellous trips benefit of Ryan Air using Youth Hostels/YMCA's that are sometimes bang in the centre of cities and met some super friends from all parts of the world. Some of my trips have been incredibly cheap but more recently the youth hostel prices are rising. I also meet up with friends I have made along the way in various parts of the world.
Quite soon I am off to Nice, staying at the International Youth Hostel which is in the city centre. I would suggest you could start off with visiting Florence or Rome, easy to get to, easy to travel around, easily located youth hostels.

My traveller tip would be to find yourself a soft fabric wallet/purse, for notes/credit cards and with the aid of a nappy pin, pin inside your knickers! and like another poster mentioned, don't look like a tourist.......you can plan your journeys and familiarise yourself with google streetview.

GO HAVE FUN

[Deleted User]

Having been three times with my wife with Archers Direct on coach tours every one had some single people on .We find them very sociable with people from several different countries and most people get on very well with each other as you are together most of the day and you sit with different people most times you eat. The choice of holidays is vast and worldwide. Hopefully this will give you another choice on traveling as a single

Mr_Wang

How patronising is talking about snide coach trips full of bids stopping off for Bingo every half an hour.

Last year in Nepal I was at a charity school thing and I met this old woman, looked about a hundred but was about your age, she went travelling 20 years ago in India and ran out of cash. Now, when you run out of cash in India you must be skint and so really there is only one place to go....Nepal.

She found herself in a stunning little place called Pokhara, (I've been and it is nothing short of breathtaking) In any case she lingered and decided to stay a while.
She figured that women in Nepal who have kids have no choice but to be mothers and the fathers all go out to work, they break their backs for 18 hours a day and can barely support the family. She set up a day care centre for mothers to ditch their kids so the mothers could work too.
All run on donations she makes a meagre living as it is non-profit.
I asked her since she had committed so much of her life to the project did she have any regrets and she replied "I wish I had come 20 years sooner"

Point being you can spout all this coach trip garbage, or harp on about a journey of a million miles starts with a single footstep etc. etc and it does get boring. But the reality is this - There is a world waiting to be explored, a life waiting to be found, damn - You could start a Mecca bingo in Mecca

You just got to go......That's the hardest part; the rest falls into place.