I have traveled alone for many years.
Not because I had to. Not because I couldn’t find anyone to come with me. But because I wanted to. The desire to go somewhere new, stand in a place I never stood before, taste something I had never tasted, was stronger than the desire for company.
I am an introvert by nature and an only child, so doing things alone has always come naturally to me. I never found solitude uncomfortable. I found it freeing. When you travel alone, every decision is yours. Every detour is yours. Every moment of sitting quietly in a Portuguese café watching the city go by belongs entirely to you.
I recently got married, and now some of my travels have a wonderful companion. However, every trip documented on this site — every destination page, every restaurant recommendation, every airport photo with Buddy — was made as a solo traveler. And I would not trade a single mile of it.
This post is for the retirees among you who are thinking about traveling alone. Maybe you’re recently widowed, or perhaps divorced. Maybe you’re simply single and tired of waiting for the right travel companion before you go. Whatever your situation, this is for you — and I want to say something important before we go any further.
Travel for Yourself — Not for What Might Happen
This is not a post about finding love on the road. It is not about hoping you’ll meet someone special at a café in Lisbon or on a walking tour in Edinburgh. Those stories exist, and they are lovely, but they are not a travel strategy — and if that’s what you’re quietly hoping for, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.
Plan your trip for yourself. For your own personal fulfillment. To see the world, try new foods and stand in front of architecture that took centuries to build. To hear a language that isn’t yours and sip the local wine or rum or whisky and understand why people here are proud of it. To live an experience that belongs to you and no one else.
If, along the way, you meet someone interesting — a fellow traveler, a local who shows you a hidden neighborhood, a person who becomes a genuine friend — that is an unexpected bonus. A gift. But it is not the point. The point is the journey itself, and when you travel with that mindset, every trip succeeds on its own terms.
The Case for Solo Travel as a Senior
Solo travel as an older adult is more common than you might think, and more rewarding than most people expect.
When you travel alone, you move at your own pace. You sleep when you’re tired. You linger in the museum that fascinates you and skip the one that doesn’t. You eat when you’re hungry, at the restaurant that caught your eye, without negotiating with anyone. You can change your plans entirely on a Tuesday morning because something more interesting presented itself. This kind of freedom is genuinely difficult to replicate when traveling with others, and for introverts especially, it is deeply restorative.
Solo travel also makes you more present. Without a companion to talk to, you notice more. You make eye contact with locals. You are more likely to have an unexpected conversation, to wander without a destination, to sit somewhere beautiful and simply be there. Some of my most vivid travel memories came from moments of complete solitude in remarkable places – Faro, Portugal; Athens; Berlin; London; Paris; Glasgow; Zacapa, Guatemala; Oaxaca, Mexico.
Planning and Booking Solo Travel
Planning a solo trip as a senior requires a bit more deliberate thought than planning with a companion — because you are your own safety net.
Choose your first solo destination wisely
If you are new to international solo travel, start with an English-speaking destination — the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, or Canada. Navigating a foreign country is significantly easier when you share a language with the locals. Once you have built confidence, branch out to non-English-speaking destinations.
Book accommodation in well-located, reputable hotels
This is not the trip to experiment with budget hostels or remote rental properties. A centrally located hotel in a safe neighborhood gives you easy access to restaurants, attractions, and transportation. It also provides a reliable point of contact if anything goes wrong. Many hotels also offer concierge services that are invaluable for a solo traveler — restaurant recommendations, transportation arrangements, and local knowledge.
When I am booking a hotel in a foreign city I’ve never been, it’s a 4-step process
- First, I have already researched my destination city and the activities I want to do. I then conducted a map recon to give me my AO (area of operations) of where those activities are located.
- Next I will go to a hotel booking site and input my price range and required amenities (like an elevator because I cannot walk up stairs with luggage). This narrows my list.
- Then I choose the “map” function so I can see where the hotels are located on the map. I will select several hotels within my AO. This is my final list.
- Lastly, I will look at selected hotels and read a few reviews to decide which one is best for me.
Consider organized tours for certain activities
Day tours, food tours, and walking tours are excellent for solo travelers — they provide structure, safety, and built-in social interaction without requiring you to commit to a travel companion for the entire trip. You join for the activity and part ways afterward. It is the best of both worlds. I joined a day tour of the November 30 Market when I was in Oaxaca and it was amazing. The tour guide was great, he showed us some unique places, we had an authentic lunch and I became good friends with a lady on the tour and we still remain in contact.
Travel insurance is non-negotiable for solo seniors
We covered this in depth in a previous post, but it bears repeating here. When you travel alone, there is no one with you to help manage a medical emergency, a missed connection, or a lost bag. Travel insurance — particularly comprehensive medical coverage — is your safety net. Do not leave home without it.
Share your itinerary with someone at home
Before every international trip, give a trusted person your complete itinerary — flights, hotel names and addresses, phone numbers, and a copy of your passport. Check in with them periodically during your trip. This is not paranoia. It is common sense, and it costs nothing.
Enroll in STEP
The U.S. State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program registers your trip with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. It is free, takes five minutes, and ensures that someone official knows you are in the country. We covered this in our arrival safety post — if you haven’t enrolled yet, do it before your next trip.
Managing Alone at the Airport
Airports present specific challenges for solo travelers that are worth thinking through in advance.
Keep your most important items on your person at all times. Your passport, travel insurance documents, credit cards, phone, and any medications go in your carry-on or on your body — never in checked luggage. When you travel alone, losing these items has no backup solution.
Never leave your carry-on unattended. We covered this in our arrival safety post as well, but it bears repeating for solo travelers especially. At baggage claim, at the gate, in the lounge — your bag stays with you or in your direct line of sight. Always.
Use airport lounges. If you have lounge access through your credit card or frequent flyer status, use it. Airport lounges provide a safe, calm, comfortable environment to wait between flights — far preferable to sitting in a crowded terminal alone. As a solo traveler, the lounge is your living room between flights.
Have your ground transportation arranged before you land. As a solo traveler arriving in an unfamiliar city, the last thing you want is to figure out transportation on the fly while tired and carrying luggage. Book your airport transfer in advance through your hotel or a reputable service. Know exactly how you are getting from the airport to your accommodation before you board the plane.
Arrive early. This applies to all travelers but especially solo seniors. Without a companion to help manage unexpected situations — a gate change, a long security line, a misplaced boarding pass — give yourself extra time at every stage of the airport process. Rushing while alone is stressful. Time is your friend.
Safety and Staying Aware
Solo travel is safe when you are smart about it. Here are the habits that have served me well over many years of traveling alone.
Stay aware of your surroundings, especially upon arrival. Tired travelers are vulnerable travelers. After a long international flight, your guard is naturally down — which is exactly when you need to be most alert. We covered this in depth in our arrival safety post.
Trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, it probably is. If a situation feels uncomfortable, remove yourself from it. You do not owe anyone an explanation for walking away.
Keep a low profile with valuables. Expensive jewelry, visible cash, and luxury items mark you as a target. Travel simply. Leave what you don’t need at the hotel safe.
Know the emergency numbers for your destination. In the UK it is 999. In Europe it is 112. In most countries, these numbers are available on the U.S. Embassy website for that country. Save them in your phone before you arrive.
Stay in well-lit, populated areas after dark. This applies everywhere but is especially important in unfamiliar cities. Ask your hotel concierge which neighborhoods are safe to walk in at night and which ones to avoid. They will tell you honestly.
Carry a copy of your passport separately from the original. Keep the original in your hotel safe when you don’t need it and carry the copy. If your passport is lost or stolen, the copy significantly speeds up the replacement process at the nearest U.S. embassy.
A Critical Note on Medications
This is a serious issue many travelers don’t know until it is too late: common over-the-counter medications that you buy freely at any American pharmacy may be illegal in your destination country — and customs officials can and will confiscate them, or worse.
Pseudoephedrine — the active ingredient in Sudafed — is completely banned in Japan and Mexico. Diphenhydramine — the active ingredient in Benadryl — requires a doctor’s note in Japan, where customs seized over 1,800 Benadryl-containing products from travelers in a single year. Codeine, found in many cough syrups and pain relievers, is tightly controlled in 14 countries including the UAE, Japan, and Greece — in the UAE, carrying it without a permit can mean one to three years in prison. Zolpidem (Ambien) is banned in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
Antihistamines containing diphenhydramine and pseudoephedrine are restricted across much of Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, China, South Korea, New Zealand, and Australia.
Japan is particularly strict — it bans 26 common U.S. medications outright, and the rules apply regardless of whether you have a prescription or purchased the medication legally at home. Even a single pill of pseudoephedrine can trigger a police investigation.
The practical steps to protect yourself are straightforward. Before any international trip, research the medication laws of your specific destination — not by brand name, but by active ingredient. Always carry medications in their original containers with pharmacy labels showing your name. Carry a doctor’s letter for any medication you depend on, listing the drug’s active ingredient, dosage, and medical reason. When in doubt, contact the embassy of your destination country before you travel and ask directly.
This is not a reason to panic — it is a reason to prepare. A five-minute check before you pack your toiletry bag can prevent a genuinely serious situation at customs.
Choosing Solo-Friendly Destinations
Not every destination is equally welcoming to solo travelers, and some are better suited to older adults traveling alone than others.
Portugal remains one of the best destinations in the world for solo senior travelers. It is safe, affordable by Western European standards, extraordinarily friendly to Americans, and rich in culture, food, and history. Lisbon, Faro and Porto are quite walkable, well-served by public transportation, and full of English speakers. Buddy and I spent considerable time there, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
The United Kingdom — England and Scotland in particular — is ideal for first-time solo international travelers. English is the language, the infrastructure is excellent, and the culture is familiar enough to be comfortable while different enough to be genuinely interesting. The LNER train network makes getting between cities easy and enjoyable.
Ireland offers similar advantages to the UK with the added bonus of being one of the friendliest countries in the world. Solo travelers consistently report that the Irish are extraordinarily welcoming to visitors.
Canada is an excellent option for seniors who want international travel without the complexity of a non-English-speaking country or a long transatlantic flight. Also, seeing Niagra Falls from the Canadian side is amazing!
For more adventurous destinations — Southern Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia — solo senior travel is absolutely possible and often deeply rewarding, but requires more preparation, more attention to safety, and ideally some prior solo travel experience under your belt.
The Loneliness Question
People always ask about being lonely traveling alone.
Honestly? Sometimes, briefly. There are moments — a particularly beautiful sunset, an exceptional meal, a view that takes your breath away — when you wish you had someone beside you to share it. That is a real feeling and there is no point pretending otherwise.
But loneliness and solitude are not the same thing. Solitude, chosen deliberately, is one of the great luxuries of travel. It gives you space to think, to observe, to be fully present in a remarkable place without distraction. Most solo travelers — myself included — find that the moments of longing for company are far outnumbered by the moments of genuine contentment with their own company.
And then there is Buddy. He has never once complained about the restaurant I chose, the pace I walked, or the amount of time I spent in a museum. As travel companions go, he is remarkably easy.
A Final Word
Solo travel as a senior is not a consolation prize. It is not what you do when you can’t find anyone to come with you. It is a choice — a deliberate, confident, deeply rewarding choice to see the world on your own terms.
You have spent decades taking care of others, meeting obligations, fitting your desires into other people’s schedules. Retirement is your time. The world is still there, waiting. And it does not require you to wait for anyone else’s permission or availability before you go. Being retired I am finally able to live and enjoy my life. I make no apologies. As Bon Jovi says: “It’s my life.. it’s now or never.”
Pack your bag. Book the ticket. Take Buddy if you’d like — he’s excellent company and has never lost a passport.
The world is waiting. You don’t need anyone’s company to go find it.
Remember our core philosophy – we travel because we’d rather look back and say “we did that” than “if only we had.”
Buddy and Jordan
Have you traveled solo as a senior, or are you considering it? We’d love to hear your thoughts and questions in the comments below. And for weekly travel advice tailored to retirees and older travelers, join our Newsletter.