Older Women Solo
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Older Women Solo
Solo backpacker arrives in Santiago de Compostela after weeks on the Camino
Female solo travel means learning to do things “for one”
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Home » Solo Travel » The Incredible Highs (And Mighty Lows) Of Older Women Solo Travel
Older women solo travel (frankly, solo travel at any age) is a great and often unexpected joy: it allows you to focus on your surroundings rather than on yourself, and that may be what travel is all about.
But solo travel can also take you to the depths of misery.
The good news? There are far more highs than lows when it comes to going on a holiday alone – at least that’s what I came to believe after traveling solo around the world non-stop for nearly four years. That was in my forties… but I haven’t stopped.
You’d be amazed at how many women traveling alone you’ll find on the road and senior women of any age. Some days, you’d think every single traveler is on a solo trip.
Study after study confirms not only an increase in solo female travel, and in senior travel, but that we are actually enjoying it.
All kinds of women travel solo – and they travel in all kinds of styles. Some belong to the solo female backpacker brigade, others want to be pampered in luxury and yet others prefer to live like a local.
Not a day goes by without women – often first-time solo travelers over 50 — asking questions and raising their concerns about traveling on their own.
Some of us love solo travel, some of us hate it, and some of us love it and hate it. Here’s why.
If you’re a woman traveling on your own, others may question your choices. So here’s a little list of the many advantages of solo travel (and I could make this list a lot longer).
Meeting people is my greatest joy in travel.
In Zanzibar, I met two Irish aid workers from Ethiopia. Rosie was heading to South Africa on a bicycle, and Sam was returning to Addis Ababa. We exchanged addresses, never really expecting to see one another again.
As I neared Ethiopia, I dropped Sam an email (still a rarity in those days). She sent a car to meet me at the airport and put me up for several weeks, introducing me to all her friends. None of this would have happened had I been with a group.
Many years ago in Burma, I hired a horse and cart to visit the ruins of Bagan and struck up a conversation with the driver. He had been the town’s photographer until he was ‘relocated’, his house near the temples confiscated to make way for tourism. He was given a few sacks of cement and bricks to rebuild his home – obviously not enough.
He had to sell his camera for the money and began driving a cart to earn a living. He invited me to his house to meet his family, and I was made aware of a slice of Burmese life I never would have seen otherwise. Had I been with others, the danger (in those days) of meeting openly with foreigners would have made him keep his distance.
Traveling on your own doesn’t mean you’re on your own all the time, quite the opposite. It just means you make your own decisions – but anyone can come along for part of the ride.
Traveling abroad alone isn’t something you should approach lightly: it’s different from other kinds of travel and carries with it a number of twists and turns you won’t find in a brief vacation away from home.
It’s probably clear by now that I love solo travel. I don’t always travel on my own but when I do, I travel differently than when I travel with others.
Traveling solo encourages me to think, explore, concentrate, and take risks. It forces me to ‘enter’ my surroundings more deeply, to make conscious decisions about whether I will become ‘a part of’ or simply ‘apart’.
This is especially true if you’re traveling long-term like I was… but thankfully it doesn’t happen much, or often.
As I traveled around Africa and Asia solo, here are some of the challenges I grappled with and some travel tips to keep in mind.
The beauty of going solo was the learning and the discovery, especially the self-discovery. I started with baby steps , thinking I’d only be gone for six months. But I kept going and looking back, that one solo journey was the best gift I have ever given myself.
— Originally published on 31 July 2011
Hi! I'm Leyla Giray Alyanak and through Women on the Road I've been providing inspiration and advice on solo female travel since 2007. A former foreign correspondent and diplomat, I've had the privilege to visit more than 90 countries (and no, I'm not finished yet!).
But the world has changed and the virus is keeping many of us home.
For those who CAN travel without putting themselves or others at risk, you'll find plenty of inspiration in these pages (most of which were written pre-Covid).
For those who CANNOT travel... this is the perfect time for armchair escape and to plan for when we're on the road again.
Whichever it is, if you're over 50, curious and independent, a traveler at heart and in love with the world, you're in the right place. New to Women on the Road? Start here!
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Here's why they feel sexier now than in their 20s.
Mar 2, 2016, 07:01 AM EST | Updated Aug 29, 2020
Sheryl Roberts, 48 -- "I know I am perfectly imperfect, flaws and all."
"When I was in my 20s and modeling, I was insecure and a follower. I had no identity. I wore whatever was trendy, did what other girls my age did and really tried to be well liked. I had no concept of my own power or sexuality. The biggest difference between the girl I was at 20 and the woman I am now at 48, is now I really could care less about what people that don't know me think about me. Other people's perception is not my reality. I don't want to blend and fit in. That is why I love selling vintage through my business IndigoStyle Vintage. It is the ultimate in personal style and expression. Sexiness exudes from my confidence, smile and acceptance of myself. Not being fearful of exploring, I know I am perfectly imperfect, flaws and all."
Anne Rosenberg, 59 --- "For me now, sexy is alluring and creative."
"So maybe as a child of the 1960s I should have been more, well, of a hippie ... but somehow I never got that memo. I was focused on academics and the rest of my time was filled with riding my horse and doing barn work. My standard attire was a flannel shirt, overalls and boots. It seemed as though sexuality was for others. I was sort of a 'neuter' and whatever feelings burned deep within had to stay there. And now I chuckle to myself to realize that at 20, when the world would have been comfortable with me being sexual and sexy, I was closeted, and now when the world is having a hard time with sexy older women I am blossoming. For me now, sexy is alluring and creative. It is amazing."
Mary Ann Holand, 58 -- "No one but me dictates my sexiness."
"I don't think women truly appreciate their beauty and sexiness until they are older. After turning 50 I felt much sexier than I did in my 20s. In my 20s, I compared myself to others and the standards fashion and beauty magazines dictated. That's a lot of pressure! With maturity comes confidence and the knowledge that our brain is our sexiest organ, not our body! No one but me dictates my sexiness. The journey in getting here shaped how I feel. I am a wife, mother, grandmother and breast cancer survivor (including a mastectomy). This self-awareness of being sexy in my 50s is a gift and one I will cherish in every decade going forward! Wheeeeee -- I'm free to be me!!!"
Shannon Bradley-Colleary, 50 -- "I just say 'yes' more."
"I've found, after 50, that I just say 'yes' more and this makes me feel beautiful, vibrant, sexy and alive. 'Do you want to help in Syrian Refugee Camps in Lesvos, Greece?' Yes. 'Do you want to take an introductory pole dancing class?' Yes. ' Do you want to have a blind date with your own husband where you pretend to be strangers?' Sign me up! In my 20s I worried I wasn't smart enough, curvy enough, sexy enough to say 'yes' to all the things I wanted to try. (I also felt I should've been better at orgasms. I was pretty sure I was getting a 'C-' in orgasms.) At 50, I just don't have the time or energy for that nonsense. I take it all as it comes, so to speak. 'Can you look in the mirror and love what you see, just for today?' Yes. And thank you."
Barbara Rabin, 67 -- "I'm so much stronger now. And strength is sexy."
"Sexy is self-confidence. It's being comfortable in your own skin. It's looking in the mirror and liking what I see. Someone once told me that older women can't have long hair. And most women don't at my age. But I like long and flowing hair and, to me, it's sexy. You must have a feeling that says 'I like what I see and I'm doing great.' When I was in my 20s, I was all about my career. Now I've lost my husband and had cancer. I'm so much stronger now. And strength is sexy."
Pamela Madsen, 52 -- "Sexuality has become my friend."
"When I was in my 20s, I wanted to be sexually invisible because I didn't trust my own relationship with my body. I was scared to be seen. Now that I am in my 50s, I dare you not to look! I'm not frightened of being seen as sexy anymore, because sexy has gone from fear to empowerment and delight! In my 50s I trust my own 'yes' and my own 'no.' It may have taken a few decades, but now my sexuality has become my friend and I love dancing with it."
Sandra LaMorgese, 59 -- "I can now focus on what makes me feel happy."
"When I was in my 20s, my sexuality was all about image. I had a clear idea of what a sexy woman would do, say, look, and feel, and I spent so much of my energy trying to project that image to others. But now, in my 50s, I have a whole different perspective; namely, I don't feel like I need to act likable and sexy and desirable and free because I know that I already am all of those things. Romantic and sexual partners come and go. It's just how life works. What stays constant, though, is me, which means that my sexuality, my identity, and my sense of self-worth and belonging need to come from inside me first. Realizing this allowed me to let go of so much anxiety about my sexuality because I no longer needed to worry about all the unknown variables that other people brought into the equation. Instead, I can now focus on what makes me feel happy, whole, and loving, and when I find other people who are attracted to these positive qualities, it leads to really fun and life-affirming experiences."
April Johnson, 58 -- "Being sexy now in my 50s is a feeling."
"Beautiful to me means being attractive -- and what makes folks attractive? Being caring, loving, good, considerate. These things create an attraction which makes your inner beauty show as outer beauty. In my 20s, being sexy was dressing a certain way to attract the opposite sex and was about what I thought they thought was sexy. Being sexy now in my 50s is a feeling ... not the clothes I wear. The clothes don’t make me. I make the clothes. It’s me feeling great about me! Me feeling sexy is to please me and make me happy. Happiness rubs off on others! What a great way to spread happiness in the world!"
Robin Hoffman, 50 -- "Bodies are beautiful, but what's glowing within is so much more."
"Sexy at 21 versus sexy at 50, for me, is still a journey. I’ve moved solidly from ‘how does my butt look’ in acid-washed jeans to black yoga pants, but I’m still discovering it’s more to do with where I am than whether that tousle-haired rugby player from English Lit will notice me Friday night. While I wish I was more consistently in this place, I have found my GPS. It’s an inner core that either radiates strength and love or it’s a dark cylinder that magnifies every belly bulge, every criticism. To me, sexy at 50 is peeling those shades back and blasting the light we all have. It’s a celebration of the beauty of spirit versus the celebration of butts and boobs. Bodies are beautiful, but what’s glowing within is so much more."
Felicia Gomes-Gregory, 50 -- "Today at 50, sexy is about my nurturing my inner beauty."
"When I was 25, being sexy was a learning phase. My ideas were defined by outside influences (magazines/books/tv), men, and mostly, the 'village of women' who raised me, especially my mother. I was always taught that you could be a lady and 'sexy' with your clothes on. Today at 50, sexy is about my nurturing my inner beauty in addition to cultivating the outer beauty. When a woman is empowered both spiritually and physically, is confident, and truly knows her self-worth and loves others around her, being and feeling sexy is easy! I am approaching my 50s as a new journey in my life in which the four most important things to me now are to 'live, love, dance and have faith' into the next decade!"
Constance Boardman, 57 -- "Feeling sexy now is a lot less about your body."
"Feeling sexy now is a lot less about your body. All those silly things you worried about when you were young -- things related to looks -- are indeed just silly. For awhile there, in my early 50s, it was hard for me to feel sexy. The changes in your body hit you all of a sudden. But now I know that sex is actually fun and that you shouldn't worry about all the minutiae of what you look like. It has been an adjustment to be OK with the fact that my body may never be the same as it used to be. But I'm sort of over all that now."
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Part of HuffPost News. ©2022 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved.
Warning: This post contains erotic imagery and may not be suitable for work environments.
Sometimes, to be a woman over 50 is to feel invisible. It’s walking into a bar or restaurant and no longer being on the receiving end of an admiring glance. It’s feeling like people on the street are looking past you, as if you aren’t even there. Ask a middle-aged woman, and she might say these slights have whittled away at her self-confidence, tricking her into believing the best years are behind her.
We live in a culture that often equates beauty and energy with youth. But we’d like to turn that way of thinking on its head. We believe women can be smart and sassy, beautiful and confident ― and that they can continue to shake things up in the world around them ― whether they’re 50 or 75 or 100.
With that idea in mind, Huff/Post50 photographed 11 very sexy women between the ages of 48 and 67. A few are cancer survivors. A few are grandmothers. A few are single and a few are married. But what they all have in common is that not one is a shrinking violet. They feel better about themselves today than they ever have. We asked each woman to wear whatever makes them feel sexy, and to talk about what being sexy means to them now compared to when they were, say, 21. The resulting photos are stunning ― and entirely un-retouched.
For more images from the photo shoots click through our gallery of outtakes!
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Home » Stories » Senior Women Travel : Am I Too Old To Travel Solo?
Around the world, senior women travel on their own, exploring and discovering the world. They do so for many reasons: curiosity, desire, getting away, healing from pain, wanderlust – and one of the most common concerns is this one: am I too old to travel solo?
Here are their questions – with comments and insights that explore their fears, hopes and worries and provide some answers.
These women’s stories and questions were submitted to Women on the Road by readers from all corners of the world and all have a single thing in common: the issue of traveling solo as one gets older. Where they were phrased as questions, I tried to answer them and invited comments. The stories I let speak for themselves. I hope you’ll find something to inspire you here!
by Wilna Wilkinson in Lalinde, France
I have spent the last week studying all the websites of companies that provide transport for overland travel through Africa, trying to decide which company would suit me best. The biggest consideration for me is the itinerary — but my concerns are: 1. Fellow travellers – I am not too keen on a group of gap year kids who have suddenly been given unlimited funds and freedom and all that that entails. 2. As much as I am yearning to travel over Africa, I have to admit I would love to do it in a slightly different and novel way – or go places not too well trodden by the countless who go before me. A big ask, I know, but I think you will definitely know what I am trying to say here!
I see you backpacked this journey – but confess I do not think that is for me. If for no other reason than to not to have to worry about getting through borders and past bureaucracy while on the road, I think I would prefer to be on a slightly more ‘organized’ trip. Any suggestions???
Women on the Road: First, Wilna, let me congratulate you for even thinking of traveling overland in Africa ! Younger women are often daunted by this trip, even though they shouldn’t be. I was in my 40s when I backpacked across Africa and had the time of my life. I also ran into many women who were far older, into their 80s. I understand you’d rather not backpack – it’s not the easiest way to travel, even though I love it. And you’re right to be concerned about choosing the right tour operator. The last thing you want is to be mismatched with a group that doesn’t have much in common with you.
I can’t speak personally, since I’ve never taken this kind of tour. I can tell you that explore.co.uk has a good reputation. I have several friends who have traveled with them and have loved it. I’ve just checked and they have tours that last up to 23 days and cover 4 countries. However, that may not be what you’re looking for. Doing a bit of surfing I also found Africa in Focus for photography – they specifically state they don’t cater to the gap year market
I also recommend you check out the Senior Travel or Overland Africa sections on the Thorn Tree travel forum and Tripadvisor’s Senior Travel Forum . By the way, ‘senior’ doesn’t mean old in any way – usually, they start at 50 and we know how young that is these days. It’s more of a shorthand to say the physical effort will be watched more closely and you won’t be going to bars every night – unless you want to, of course!
How about women over 70 – is there a place for us as independent travellers?
Women on the Road: Sylvia, th
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