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And a side-note on the subject of travel. I'm over-fifty, now. So are my Gay friends. A couple are over sixty. They've all basically stopped traveling for pleasure
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What applies to Gay men frequently applies to single females (A television producer next to us in The Malibu Colony once told me that 'Sex in the City' was as much for Gay men, as it was for women....Together, those two groups comprise a huge percentage of retirees. Travel makes them feel unwanted and vulnerable.
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An older lady attorney friend once remarked, after a few years of being a 'Travel and Leisure' subscriber, "This is really depressing. ...Apparently, everybody travels as couples. Nothing is about where to meet someone for romantic interludes. Nothing is about ANYTHING, but expensive places to sleep, and expensive places to eat and drink. I'd rather be dead - or just stay at home, and save the money."
Since I love to travel, I have to wonder whether I would still do so if I was alone. As of now, the answer is a resounding "YES". In our trips over the years, we met quite a few solo female travelers of all ages. I personally know several senior ladies who have been traveling for years without a husband or a partner. These ladies either travel with some close friends or with tour groups. A female pilot friend of mine has been flying all over the US and the world (she flew over the pond twice!) for many years. She retired from a law firm last year and has made a number of long cross country solo flights.
My quick search for older women traveling solo led me to this interesting and very informative webpage
For Cynthia Anderson and her husband, Donald, co-owners of Sunshine Travel & Cruise Co. and USA River Cruises based in Vancouver, Wash., solo travel and women-only group travel has been among the biggest surprises for their business over the past 10 years. Despite 9/11 and despite the 2008 economic downturn, their travel businesses have been growing like crazy. Women traveling on their own or in groups have been a big factor in that growth. Other travel professionals are seeing similar trends in independent travel.
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U.S. Travel Trends
- Solo travelers: 11 percent all leisure travelers.
- Baby boomers, born 1946-54: 15 percent of leisure travelers.
- Mature travelers, born before 1946: 21 percent of leisure travelers.
- Women traveling solo: 30 percent are married, 55 percent are single and 15 percent, widowed.
- 65 and older U.S. population: 40.3 million.
- Of women, 65 and older, 41 percent are married, 40 percent widowed, 12.3 percent divorced and 4.7 percent, never married.
I'd love to hear stories from solo older female travelers. It's fun to travel with others but I think it could be equally rewarding to discover the world on your own. If anything, I'd think that traveling would be a good way to meet new people and to make friends.
Magazines make their money selling ads. Businesses place ads in publications that reach people with money to spend and they let the magazine publishers know it. This is reflected in the editorial content. If you are not in the target audience, they ignore you.
I'm not retired yet, but am in the mid-50 range and travel solo for both work and pleasure. I've been to Ireland, Brasil, New Zealand and France solo. And I've met people pretty much everywhere I go, including friends in France and NZ who have come to visit me in the US.
My mother told me a very long time ago - don't sit around waiting for someone else to want to do what you want to do. It's been good advice my entire life.
I’m not yet retired but I am a 60 year old single female who travels alone for business. If I travel to an area that interests me, I often extend my trip a few days to vacation. In large cities, I stay in the tourist areas that are safer and close to public transportation. The hop on/hop off trolley tours are good to get around and be in somewhat of a group. I also like to take guided tours and then there are the usual museums.
I’m a foodie and the better restaurants can be awkward for solo women although I have noticed more and more women dining alone at these establishments. Nowadays most restaurants serve dinner at the bar or you can bring a book to read at a table. I’m an introvert and have not made friends on travel but do have opportunities to chat with people in the group tours or at the restaurant bar. Casinos are a good option for solo travelers and people tend to be friendly. I’ve been to Yellowstone and to some beach resorts alone but have found these to be a more solitary experience. I also take vacations with a few friends and family members but these tend to be local trips and include their children or grandchildren.
There are always some people, usually other women, who stare at you in a disapproving manner for being alone but you learn to ignore them. Then there are others who consider it unsafe for a woman to travel alone. Well I've done this for more than 30 years - you stay in a safe area where there are other people, be alert to your surroundings, take precautions, and use cabs if necessary.
I have a few friends and family members that may be able to travel some with me once we retire but they are on a tighter budget. I want to visit Europe and will go on a Road Scholar or similar group tour, at least to start. Another goal is to make road trips to see national parks. I'll probably stay in nearby hotels but would like to rent one of those small RVs although I'm not an experienced camper so am not confident about this. Currently I drive 1000 miles round trip once a year to visit out of state family and several 500 mile round trips in state during the year. I think it is important for women to keep up their highway driving skills.
I love to travel solo and have met friends around the world. Using common sense when traveling alone is imperative. The problem with tours is there is always a "single supplement" unless you want share a room with a stranger.
Any tips for a retired guy who would be a solo traveler?
The biggest tip I can give you is pack up your suitcase and GO! Solo travel can be very liberating, as you set the pace and all the places you visit and things you do are ones you really WANT to see and do.
(Not retired yet 53 year old woman who travels solo all the time.)
I am not yet retired, I am 57, and I have traveled solo for the past couple decades. Sometimes I go with a tour group, sometimes on my own, usually a combination of the two particularly if it is a region where i don't speak the language. It is easier now that there is Air BnB because hosts will answer lots of questions about the area, which makes planning easier. A few times I've gone with a tour group, then stayed on extra time on my own, that has worked out well.
Retired women would be way way way better off travelling alone than young women. Sure, you might get mugged, but you're going to be less likely to be raped. I hate travelling alone and never will, but there are a lot of things two young women simply cannot do that two old women probably could. There is a huge advantage in being invisible to men.
Retired women would be way way way better off travelling alone than young women. Sure, you might get mugged, but you're going to be less likely to be raped. I hate travelling alone and never will, but there are a lot of things two young women simply cannot do that two old women probably could. There is a huge advantage in being invisible to men.
Wow. What a response! How insulting....
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