Solo Travelling

A week ago I embarked on a three day journey on my own driving from Calais all the way down to Carcasonne, a total of 1,217 kilometres. Apart from very heavy traffic for the final stretch along the A7 and then the A9 towards Spain, I thoroughly enjoyed my trip down and even picked up a couple of female student backpackers on Friday to keep me company from Dijon to Macon. 

All of which has got me thinking about the experience of travelling and holidaying as an older woman alone, something of which I now have considerable experience, and which I also know can be a daunting prospect if you have never done it before.

To inspire you, I have invited our wonderful LFF Ambassador, Sandra Thompson, to share her thoughts and ideas about some of the trips that she has taken over the past ten years since she lost Gordon, her husband of 46 years:

Holidays as a child

“I didn’t travel as a child because my summer holidays were always spent with my grandparents and extended family in an idyllic village in the Midlands where I was born in 1944. I was an avid reader and loved books about adventure and foreign places.  My Nan had a watercolour painting of some exotic place that my Uncle had brought back from the war. I loved it and in fact still have it on my wall. When I had it reframed there was an old newspaper in the backing from Penang in Malaysia, which was a place that I was to visit on a future solo adventure…..

My first solo trip

When I was 70, after a lot of very difficult years during which I had lost my dear husband of 46 years and my beloved Mum, I decided I needed to start living my life and plan an adventure. I spent a whole winter researching and planning a six week holiday. I spent 3 days in Singapore on my way to Australia to visit my cousin. After a few days in Sydney, I boarded the magnificent Queen Mary 2 and sailed round Australia, across the Indian Ocean and ended my trip with 3 days in Cape Town. I used a travel agent to book my flights, transfers, hotels and cruise and it all went without a hitch. I had the most amazing time and what was supposed to be a one-off adventure, only whetted my appetite to do more!

A Nile Cruise

Another early solo trip was on a Nile cruise. I’d always been fascinated by books about Egypt, so I travelled to Luxor to join the cruise. I was quite nervous but I needn’t have worried as I joined a tour group, and soon made friends on the excursions we took with our Egyptologist. It was a wonderful experience, culminating in a balloon trip over the Valley of the Kings at dawn. An experience I will never forget…

A Golden Triangle Tour

The following year I flew to Delhi to join a Golden Triangle tour, part of which included a visit to the Taj Mahal, before flying on to Dubai and after staying in a hotel there, I joined the same ship as the previous year sailing through Suez, visiting Petra in Jordan (a jaw dropping experience!) and back to Southampton. I am still in touch with friends I made on both of these holidays.

I Love Cruising

I have been on quite a few holidays on my own since then, but have never been on a holiday specifically for solo travellers, although that is definitely well worth considering if you aren’t keen on all the research and planning that goes into a trip. I actually enjoy all that. I feel that being very well prepared gives me more confidence when travelling alone. I do like cruising because to me, it’s the best of both worlds. I can be on my own or join activities and solo meet-ups. It's a way of seeing lots of different places and then being able to return to the safety of the ship. Coach tours can be good too as you are part of a group. I have found hotel holidays on my own are the most difficult. I’m fine during the day but having dinner on your own can make you feel a bit lonely. The great thing about a cruise is that you can join a shared table if you want company.

Making New Friends

The loveliest thing I have found when holidaying on my own is how friendly and kind the majority of people are. I have made some wonderful friends over the last 10 years or so, quite a few of whom I am still in touch with. In fact my last two holidays have been with friends I made whilst travelling solo. I met my good friend Gillian on a cruise about 8 years ago at a solo get-together on the first sea day out of Hong Kong. It was her first holiday on her own and her first ever cruise! She was very apprehensive about everything and being an ‘old hand’ then, I arranged to meet her that evening. We have been firm friends ever since. 

My last holiday to Norway was with Louise. I met her and her husband, Richard, on a cruise a few years ago. I find that I have made good friends with lots of couples, not just ladies travelling on their own. Sadly, Richard died two years ago and Louise is now getting her life back together. It was our first holiday together but I’m sure there will be more...

Packing!

You would think after all these trips I would find it easy but no... I always take too much. I do try to coordinate tops and bottoms and find casual dresses useful. Scarves and statement jewellery can transform the look of a plain T- shirt dress into something quite stylish. I have a checklist that I try to work to and find compression packing cubes are useful. I always travel in my bulkiest clothes to save weight when flying.

Just Take the Plunge

For anyone feeling trepidatious about going it alone I would say DO IT! The advantage is that you can please yourself, be on your own when you want to be or just pluck up courage and talk to people. You soon get the vibe from people who prefer to be left alone.  A coach tour in the UK, a cruise or a specific solo holiday would be a good place to start and I can promise you that you won’t regret it”.

My solo travelling is a bit different from Sandra, but since selling my holiday home in France in 2021, I have found great enjoyment in going on activity themed week long breaks in either Italy or Spain. I have discovered a love of watercolour painting having never previously picked up a paintbrush, and a few weeks ago I decided to attempt to learn Italian in Puglia. 

These are perfect holidays for lone travellers like me because all you have to do is get yourself to the destination airport and everything is laid on - transfers, accommodation, fabulous food and trips out to local places of interest. And excellent tutoring in whatever it is that you want to learn be it Pilates, Italian cookery, photography, painting or Italian language. I have also enjoyed the company of the many delightful and interesting (mostly) women who, like me, are embarking on a new learning experience.

I’ve also rented a villa on a hillside overlooking Lerici harbour a couple of times and invited friends and family to join me, and am currently trying out a Gite* near Carcassonne which has been fun and something I will consider again next year but at a time when it’s less blisteringly hot and the driving is on less crowded roads. I’ve wiled away the hours by painting, reading and listening to favourite podcasts, and have revelled in being back in one of my favourite places on earth. There are people around including Honor Marks who owns and runs the gites and the other guests, so I have had lots of privacy but with company if I have needed it or wanted it.

Sandra who is in her eightieth year often posts photographs of her travel adventures onto Super Troopers and I find both her enthusiasm and sophisticated style very inspirational. I do hope this post has also inspired you to be more adventurous too. When you read this I will be on my way to my overnight stay in Troyes this evening, enjoying the journey, loving being in France and also thoroughly enjoying both the freedom of the open road and my own company.

Flavour Holidays: https://www.flavoursholidays.co.uk/ 

Honor's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honestlywithhonor 

Honor's Website: https://honestlywithhonor.com/ 

I am mentioning these two holiday businesses but I am not sponsored by them, nor have I received any personal gain by doing so.

Tricia x

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