Sofia Almeida
Ten years ago when I first started traveling solo the typical solo traveler was between 22-32 years of age. Today however there is a whole new generation of solo travelers. Many of them are in their 40’s, 50’s and even 60’s and 70’s. I have traveled with many of them and observed that after the age of 40 there are many changes that take place, but some things remain the same.
Energy and pacing change first
After a 3-flight day with 2 short connections in between, you’ll feel more tired on the morning after arrival in the new destination than your 25-year-old traveling companion. The longer it takes to recover from a travel day, the slower you’ll arrive in a new destination. As people get older, it takes longer to adjust to a new time zone. While an 8-hour shift to the west used to take a day to get used to 15 years ago, it takes longer today. And, when traveling east, it takes longer to get used to the new time zone than when traveling west. As a result, you should plan for more buffer days on the road than younger travelers. In case you plan a 30-day trip, an extra rest day every 5 to 7 days on the road will make all the difference and turn your trip into a fun experience instead of a challenging and tiring one. Most guidebooks won’t tell you this, but it’s very important!
Accommodation preferences shift quickly
For the energy level and pacing of trips, there is a big difference when traveling over 40 versus traveling in your 20s. On a 3-flight day with 2 short connections to change planes, older travelers will generally feel tired the next morning than younger travelers would on the first morning in a new location. This time zone issue takes a day longer to get over when traveling west, so instead of needing an extra day after an 8-hour shift to the west in your 20s, you need an extra day after a 7-hour shift to the west in your 40s. And, traveling east is worse than traveling west by a wider margin for older travelers than for younger ones. To deal with this, instead of skipping every now and then a city that you had planned to visit on a long trip, it is better to build in a “buffer” day every 5 to 7 days. This would turn a 30-day trip into a 30-day trip instead of into a grueling and often depressing endurance contest.
Budgets get reshuffled, not necessarily larger
The same monthly budget supports a different mix of choices. On the road, less hostel, more short-term rental; less street food only, more sit-down restaurants 2 or 3 times a week; less overland buses, more trains and short flights; the same dollar amount produces a slower, more comfortable trip. The pattern I see is that splurges become more deliberate; one or two memorable experiences (a great meal, a thoughtful tour, a small spa day) anchor the trip in a way that the previous ‘do everything cheap’ approach did not. In practice, credit card travel rewards earn more value for this demographic because business-class redemptions and good hotel categories matter more; the time spent learning award programs pays off faster than at 25. That is the trade-off. The thing I learned the hard way: confirm the day before, not the morning of. Worth knowing.
What stays the same
Traveling solo as a person over 40 is not very different from being a solo traveler as a young adult. As a solo traveler you are traveling alone in foreign places and that brings up the normal feelings of a solo traveler: feelings of loneliness, the feeling of freedom, the occasional unexpected meeting of new people on the road, and the many daily decisions that a solo traveler must make in order to keep on track. Most of these feelings are not age-related. Yes, there are times when it would be nice to have someone to travel with, but there are also many times when you wish that you were traveling alone. The reality is that there are many solo travelers of all ages on the road, and if you are open to meeting people, you will find that there are many people on the road that are interested in meeting a new solo traveler, regardless of their age. The 20 something year old sitting at the hostel bar is just as interested in talking to a 50 something year old solo traveler at a wine bar as the other patron are.
Trips that work especially well after 40
Slow travel in food and culture cities (Lisbon, Mexico City, Tokyo, BA, Bologna) for a week or two at a time, or walking-based in Europe (the Camino, GR trails, small towns in Italy and Switzerland) to have a rigid daily structure but tons of energy for all the culture. Small-ship cruising in destinations that are extremely difficult to get around on your own (Galapagos, Norwegian fjords, many parts of Mediterranean).
What I would tell a first-time solo traveler
Don’t bring so many photos home and more journal pages, the solo travel experience will allow you to really reflect on your travels and remember them better when they’ve happened. Also, don’t over plan your trip, I’d recommend a 14 day trip to 2 cities with 2 nights in each and 1 night in between in a buffer city for example. Once you’ve arrived in a destination stay there for longer than you think you should as that’s where you’ll have the chance to make the best relationships and establish a routine, even small ones, that you’ll treasure long after you’ve left.
