I took my first solo trip when I was 51. During five years of solo travel, I have met numerous female solo travelers along the way: There was the woman sitting next to me on the train from New Orleans to Tuscaloosa, buried under blankets most of the day because she had stayed up late playing cards in the observation car, who regaled tales of traveling to Japan and Thailand by herself. Then there was the retired schoolteacher I met waiting for a train in Colorado. She told me she lived on her retirement plan and then worked part-time teaching online courses. The money from the online classes was saved for one long trip each year. To alleviate any fears of traveling to a foreign country solo, she would first join an organized group trip for 10 days, then, once acclimated to the area with the group, stay on solo for a couple more weeks after it ended.
Read Jill’s story at Travel Awaits.
Jill Dutton | Travel Journalist 