Solo trip at 60. Too old or too young for the options?!

[Lumpycat]

Thinking about booking a solo holiday. I am a divorced 59 year old woman. Very active and sociable and am confident in travelling and life in general. I work full time. Live in London.
I live with my adult children and have zero interest in a new relationship.

Want to book a trip to ‘somewhere’ in September to celebrate my 60th. Thinking culture and history and beautiful landscapes and great food. So have decided Italy might work. Tuscany/Florence area.

As I want to explore the area and only have a week it might be useful to go on an organised tour. So the logistics and travel are handled and the itinerary organised in a logical way.

Might be nice to have some company for some of the trip such as mealtimes and then have my own room to retreat to and free time to fill how I want.
Am a bit unsure about the organised aspect of it though. I have always travelled independently before or with friend or family. I have visions of being herded by a tour guide and the time being over controlled.

Was almost ready to book when I saw on a review that a guide might meet me at Heathrow to help with the journey. Really don’t need that level of support! I know people are all different and it might just be an option for more anxious or disabled people.

I would also need to pick from a very limited range of options as the tour groups obviously have a few departure dates. In fact I can only find one option for the date and region I want. It’s around £2300 for one week Heathrow to Pisa. That is fine but I could obviously do it more cheaply and flexibly myself.

Anyway. Thoughts on how to travel solo as an independent person but with some elements of an organised tour? There will be local companies offering day trips and excursions but less likely to have company at mealtimes and get to know people.

The G adventure type places seem to run much younger and I don’t want to be 40 years older than everyone else!

The Seat61.com website is a must for train travel too. As well as services. It will explain pricing and how to do it cost effectively, eg I recently went to a different European country and needed to use the train.

I learned that you could buy a day pass (I was only needing the train on one day but needed a couple of connections and wasn't sure what time I would be travelling) for a relatively low fee meaning I could use any train without booking, except the proper high speed ones. It made it so much easier and worry free and probably couldn't have been done cheaper even if I'd booked the cheapest advance tickets, which I couldn't do without fixing times.

I must be a lot more blasé than most because Ive never considered that I could be 'unsafe' in a hotel.

I know there's been some high profile distressing incidents, which are likely very rare and granted I only generally go to Europe but as long as you take the normal personal safety precautions that you would anywhere, I wouldn't consider places you'd travel to in Europe to be any more dangerous than the UK.

Plus in busy cities there's people around until very late at night so as long as you stick to busier areas, keep an eye on your surroundings and don't wave your possessions around, I'd say the risk is low enough not to worry about.

I make good use of Google maps street view to get a feel for the area, what it looks like. I always make sure I know how I'm going to get about, how to use public transport etc.

Airports have good explanations and videos on their website that explain what you need to do and how security works that would be good for a first timer.

Ive been 'coaching' a friend who got to her late 40s without going abroad by taking some day trips and short breaks together, is that something you could do with a friend or relative?

Ive found that the biggest risk her not looking the other way when crossing the road, she's nearly stepped out into traffic at least twice because she didn't do this.

For somewhere like Italy I would definitely do it myself but maybe book day tours and activities.

What about Flash pack? That's specifically for solo travellers. I've also done trips with exodus which was great and mixed age. Not shepherding because it was an activity focused holiday.
Also solo travel is great- I find I chat more to different people when I'm travelling alone

I face similar challenges at 58 because many group tours are under 55s only - I assume because they’re pretty active they don’t want someone older holding them up. I’ve been on lots of trips with Intrepid Travel though who don’t seem to have an upper age limit and I’ve joined groups in Thailand, Bali, Lombok and the Gili islands over the years and the groups have ranged in a age hugely but we all had a great time together wanting to have an adventure. They do themes by age (family, solo, with teens, under 30s etc) and comfort level from basic to premium and tell you how physically demanding each trip is. Years ago I also did a family tour of Turkey with them with my children and that was also brilliant!

I travel solo a lot for work and second going on excursions! Rather than someone planning your whole trip.

In Oslo I booked a tour with Viator and met a lovely lady who was also solo, we ended up getting lunch and going to a sauna later that day!

I have been looking at this as I want to go Vietnam. At the moment I have decided to do myself and I hope I deal ok with lack of company. Mainly because I can get so much more for my money and tailor it exactly to me. The way I see it is actually for me holidays are more about the daytime stuff and usually I am so wiped by the evening I just want to eat and sleep. I did 3 nights Europe by myself this year as a test run.

i also investigated age ranges on tours - copilot was quite useful in giving me summary’s of what yours companies run towards what ages. It did stack up with my gut feel. So g adventures - young, explore for example more mixed and someone like Wendy wu runs older.

i think also if you look at, for example, Explore they run standard and upgraded tours - I would expect the upgraded ones to run older as people want comfort and more likely to be willing to pay for it

but as a note I went to SE Asia when I was 30 in a tour group who I would say ranged 30-60 - everyone got in well and did stuff together. You could ask the tour companies about the profile on the different age ranges. Copilot also indicated the time of year played a part but I don’t know how accurate that is.

why not for the first time pick a small group tour.

then it’s organised for you - you just need to make you own way to the airport and they will usually arrange pick up at the other end. The hotels should be of a reliable standard.

then that should get you more confident to travel solo - research is everything I use trip advisor etc to read reviews of hotels and areas and then if you see a negative comment do a bit of research and see if it’s a pattern.

that said in NY the way we walked to our hotel had a group of homeless people - arriving in the dark first night I felt a bit wary but actually they just kept to themselves every time we walked past them for the rest of the stay/ This was in main midtown New York.

The mozzarella making course sounds good. Would love to do some cooking courses myself in different countries. Have fun OP.

I’m nearly 70 and go on lots of trips alone because it’s nice to have company at meals etc. you don’t have to be herded around , you just do what you want re socialising with the others. Don’t meet the rep at airport they are simply thete for the people that do want them which is few. Most people on ones I’ve been are 50-75 and very active and independent. Go for it , I’ve made some lovely friends over the years and always had a great time

PLEASE report back - it sounds so exciting. Have a wonderful time!

I'm your age. I have been travelling solo since my 50th birthday, my first solo trip was in fact for my 50th Birthday. It was a last minute cheap booking and a mistake. Lloret de mar, turns out not an ideal choice for a first time midde aged women. It did serve to make me overcome some of my fears of travelling alone though. These days I stick to Greece and less touristy Greek ialands. I have never felt unsafe or uncomfortable anywhere in Greece. My daughter is contemplating a solo trip, basically because it's somewhere none of her friends want to go. My advice to her was, some elements can take a bit of getting used to, but the most important thing is whether you actually feel comfortable/enjoy your own company.

I travel solo frequently. I book my flights and accommodation separately and I work out what I want to do and see while I’m there. Most large cities/popular destinations offer “free” walking tours led by local people, usually around 2 hours( pay as you feel around £10-20). These are a great way to learn more about the history of the place and identify places you’d like to investigate further. I have also booked on small group day trips which are great. You’re with a local guide and driver and end up with people from all over the world and sometimes you end up dining together at the end of the tour. I have used Viator to book these in several European destinations.
You’ll have a great time! Happy birthday!

Rory’s travel club on FB organises solo group travel - seems to be a very varied age group. Have you considered a cruise? I’ve fallen in love with Cunard. It’s an older age group. You can choose to sit at a mixed dinner table, organised tours, you can join the choir, take dance classes - and there’s a solo traveller meet up every evening. I’ve been on two already and have booked three more!

How do you find a hotel for a single woman traveller to be safe in, I e never travelled abroad and I really want to but find the whole airport, hotel travel really neevewracking
I have never specifically looked for a single woman safe hotel in over 40 years of solo traveling.
I just do the usual safety precautions when im out and about.

If you are nervous about the solo holiday thing,I would suggest that you dont think about the whole thing at once but break it down into parts rather than think airport-travel to hotel- staying there as one thing. Concentrate one aspect at a time its less overwhelming.

I said earlier, these days everything is much easier with technology.
You have everything you need to plan a holiday and make sure it runs smoothly as possible until uou get home by using your phone.

If you absolutely struggle with something eg, working out how exactly how yo get to your hotel, you've got Google maps, or AI to tell you strp by step what to do.

I'll add to the above post that where financially possible having a hotel near whatever transport you are using is handy, minimises the distance you are walking alone. Also far more convenient in general.

Personally, for somewhere straightforward to travel like cities in Italy, I'd just travel alone, booking a few half-day walking tours etc.

You might find that if you stay in small guest house type places (and small group tours) that you will find it is easy to chat to other people, but probably rather more "in passing" than actually going out for dinner together.

I've only ever done one organised tour, that was a few years ago with Intrepid to Jordan. It was an "originals" level tour, with is their standard price/luxury level and without age restrictions. In my early 50s, I was the median aged person in the group, which ranged from late teens/early20s (with a parent) through to 70s. It was slightly more couples than singles, but not by much. I thought GA were pretty similar in terms of what they offer so not sure why they'd be any younger. I think it will depend on the specific holiday (destination and style)

They do some specific 18-30 holidays (as do Intrepid), but they do plenty of others too!

Haven’t read all the comments so this might have been suggested. I’d run it through AI. “Women aged 59 years travelling alone to Tuscany has 5 days to explore and enjoys x, y and z. Suggest an itinerary” could ask that you would be interesting in meeting others but wouldn’t be interested in the rigid structure of a bus tour holiday. See what comes up. We did this for our holiday and were pleasantly surprised how good it was. You can then adapt it, ask AI to change things etc but it gave us a great start to work with and came up with some things we hadn’t thought of etc.

I am over 70 and have done several trips with G Adventures so can really recommend them. Plenty of people are older, especially if you choose their comfort level tours. The camping ones tend to draw a younger crowd although in Namibia we did a couple of nights camping and still had all ages. A few years ago I did an excellent tour with them to Uzbekistan and would say overall that they are great for solo travellers to places that are a bit less straightforward to organize yourself or you want to cover long distances. I do everything myself if I go to places well on the beaten track, such as where you are heading in Italy. For a future trip I highly recommend Slovenia, a less obvious but beautiful country. (Don't miss Kale Bled!)

I recommend a company called Great Rail Journeys. We’ve travelled with them twice - in 2008 for our 10th anniversary and then 2023 for our 25th. On both occasions we were pretty much the youngest in the group, of about 30 people, with some single and some couples, some American ladies were a group of lifelong friends on the Canada trip. But they are a great company with a wide range of trip locations. We went to Austria for 10 days first time and Canada Coast to Coast for 16 days the second time.

I'm pleased you've decided to travel independently. Sixty isn't old and you don't need to be mollycoddled. Unfortunately anyone over 60 being deemed frail and vulnerable during the pandemic has given rise to an increased attitude of benevolent ageism where older adults are seen as needing assistance with everything. Enjoy your solo trip and hopefully many more.

Have you heard of 5W? Its an international friendship group for all ages from 18 80 years. Just look it up.

Have you heard of 5W? Its an international friendship group for all ages from 18 80 years. Just look it up. wwwww. Women Welcome Women World Wide

They do a GLuxe tour to Ecuador & the Galapagos (I think you can do each bit separately if you want to). Mostly slightly older travellers (60ish) & higher end hotels & food. I know someone who's been (aged 63!) & she said it was brilliant. I've got it on my list.