Solo, 40-Something and Absolutely Fine: Why Travelling Alone Is the New Luxury
The first time I took a solo trip in my forties, I spent about three days waiting for the loneliness to arrive. I had a table for one at a very good restaurant in Seville. I had a room entirely to myself in a hotel that felt far too nice for just me. I walked where I wanted, stayed as long as I liked and left when I was ready. The loneliness never came.
Solo travel has always existed, of course. But for a long time it carried a particular stigma, especially for women of a certain age and especially in the kind of restaurants that give you a table near the kitchen when you say it's just one tonight. That is changing, and changing fast.
Solo travel forces a quality of attention that group trips simply cannot replicate.
Hotels have noticed. A growing number of properties now offer single occupancy rooms that are actually designed for one person rather than being a double room with an apology.
Solo travel has always existed, of course. But for a long time it carried a particular stigma, especially for women of a certain age and especially in the kind of restaurants that give you a table near the kitchen when you say it's just one tonight. That is changing, and changing fast.
Solo travel forces a quality of attention that group trips simply cannot replicate.
Hotels have noticed. A growing number of properties now offer single occupancy rooms that are actually designed for one person rather than being a double room with an apology.
Some of the best small boutique hotels in Europe and Asia actively market to solo guests, with communal dining tables, curated experiences and staff who understand that travelling alone does not mean wanting to be left entirely alone.
The economics have shifted too. Yes, the solo supplement remains a frustration on cruises and package tours. But the independent traveller, booking their own flights, their own hotel and their own experiences, has never had more options at more competitive prices. The rise of apartment stays means you can have a kitchen and a proper base in most major cities for less than a hotel room.
What nobody tells you before your first solo trip is how much you notice. Solo travel forces a quality of attention that group trips simply cannot replicate. You look at things for longer because there is nobody to move you along. You talk to strangers because there is nobody else to talk to. You make decisions quickly, change your mind freely and discover things you would never have found if you had been navigating by committee.
The economics have shifted too. Yes, the solo supplement remains a frustration on cruises and package tours. But the independent traveller, booking their own flights, their own hotel and their own experiences, has never had more options at more competitive prices. The rise of apartment stays means you can have a kitchen and a proper base in most major cities for less than a hotel room.
What nobody tells you before your first solo trip is how much you notice. Solo travel forces a quality of attention that group trips simply cannot replicate. You look at things for longer because there is nobody to move you along. You talk to strangers because there is nobody else to talk to. You make decisions quickly, change your mind freely and discover things you would never have found if you had been navigating by committee.
The freedom is real, and so is the pleasure of your own company. Most of us spend our lives surrounded by other people's needs, other people's preferences and other people's timings. A week in which the only question is what you want is genuinely restorative in a way that no spa can quite match.
It is worth saying that solo travel is not the same as lonely travel. The two are entirely unrelated. The loneliest I have ever felt on a trip was surrounded by people I had travelled with who wanted to do different things and were quietly resenting each other for it. Alone, you are free of that particular misery entirely.
It is worth saying that solo travel is not the same as lonely travel. The two are entirely unrelated. The loneliest I have ever felt on a trip was surrounded by people I had travelled with who wanted to do different things and were quietly resenting each other for it. Alone, you are free of that particular misery entirely.
Members can access exclusive rates on hotels, experiences and travel insurance specifically designed for solo travellers, all through the member portal. If you have been putting off going alone, this is the practical nudge you needed.
TRAVELLING SOLO? WE HAVE YOU COVERED.
Solo travel deals, single-room hotel rates and travel insurance offers are available exclusively for members.
TRAVELLING SOLO? WE HAVE YOU COVERED.
Solo travel deals, single-room hotel rates and travel insurance offers are available exclusively for members.
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