When I was 42, I found myself single and not sure what to do. I knew I wanted to do things, go places, but I didn’t know how to do them alone. Luckily, I have great friends and they helped me to get out the door. And below are are options for 3 solo vacations that might help you get out the door too.
3 Fabulous Solo Vacation Ideas For Women
1. Plan trips with friends. Ok, so this isn’t technically alone, but when you find money tight, while still wanting to do something, plan a weekend trip with your friends. Living in New England, my friends and I would plan an overnight in Vermont or New Hampshire during the winter and then cross country ski the following day and drive home at the end of the day. Just a quick get-away, but so worth it. Nothing is better than laughing with your friends.
2. Join a hiking club. One of my friends convinced me to join the AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) by gifting me the membership for Christmas. The AMC is a conservation organization that helps to maintain the trails and the environment along the AT, but it’s also a recreational organization. Right now there are 12 local chapters from Maine to D.C.
In New Hampshire, the activeness of the AMC can be seen in the White Mountain area, especially around Mt. Washington. They keep a lodge–Joe Dodd– at Pinkham Notch at the base of Mt. Washington and one on the other side of the mountain—Highland Center—at Crawford Notch. The AMC also maintains several huts along the Appalachian Trail in the White Mountains and it’s to these huts that my girlfriends and I would plan hut hiking trips (yes, still part of #1, traveling with friends,) and it was to one of these huts that I hiked with some friends after I quit smoking. This in turn, became a yearly hut hiking trek with my girlfriends.
But the AMC also offers many different programs. It was one of these programs that was my first solo vacation. I signed up for a Snowshoe and Compass class at Pinkham Notch. And for the first time, I traveled to the White Mountains by myself. The program included an overnight stay at Joe Dodd Lodge which has shared bathrooms and showers and if you’re on a budget, shared bunk rooms. But it’s clean, neat and you feel safe because the Lodge is filled with many people, including families. For this program, I shared a room and it was great because the other women were also part of the Snowshoe and Compass class. The program was fun (if your idea of fun includes map reading, snowshoeing and crawling around in the snow to finally get to a specific map point without using trails.)
The AMC has many offerings: guided hikes, family adventures, mountain safety classes and even photography classes. Each time I’ve participated in a program I had fun, met new people and most importantly, as a single woman traveling alone, I felt safe.
I’ve discussed the AMC, because as an east coast girl, that’s what I know. There are other programs out there that are like it, such as the Pacific Crest Trail Association, or you can try REI Adventures which also offer various programs, including volunteer vacations. Go and get out into the woods!
3. Find a travel company that caters to women. Journeywoman is an online travel magazine and travel resource for women. Journeywoman was created by Evelyn Hannon because she couldn’t find travel information specifically for women traveling alone. It includes tips from other women on the best places to stay or eat while traveling to any country, tour information and even how to pack for specific countries. You can sign up for a newsletter that comes on a regular basis and includes recent information. For instance, the latest newsletter includes information on safe travel for women in Barcelona and Madrid as well as an article on hotel safety tips.
I will admit, I never got to the point of using any of the tours through Journeywoman, and nowadays I travel with my husband—when I do sneak out without him, it’s usually hut hiking trip with my girlfriends. But, I still read the articles and take note of precautions and safety tips (valid for anyone) but the tours and travel groups are geared towards women and solo travelers.
So get out there. Plan a trip, do the research, utilize the vast tools that are available online and go somewhere new, or learn a new skill or meet some new people. You’ll have fun.
About the author:
if you feel like you’re in a rut, doing the same thing every day; if you feel like you need to do something but just aren’t sure how to go about it. I know that feeling, so let’s take those steps together, trying new things, exploring our world (whether locally or in far off locales,) and sharing what we’ve done, what we’ve learned about the world and more importantly—what we’ve learned about ourselves. You can follow Jennifer at Unfold & Begin.
DArline
Sunday 5th of February 2017
I would like to go to Hawaii one more time. I am 82 and alone. IS there a vacation for me out there somewhere?d
Cathy Lawdanski
Saturday 4th of February 2017
Great resources. The hiking organization you speak of sounds like such fun and I love that idea of a travel company that caters to women. Very informative post!
Leah Parker
Saturday 4th of February 2017
For a long time I didn't travel like I wanted because there was never the right person to travel with. I got tired of missed opportunities and discovered many companies that specialize in small group travel like G Adventures, Intrepid, Toucan, etc. are a great way for women to travel solo. So although they don't specifically cater to women, they are well used by women. I've used them for several trips and at least half the group are single travellers and of these at least half of them are women. Group sizes are 10 to 15 people. You have the option of rooming with a new friend or a private room for the single supplement which is more affordable than the supplement for a bus tour, cruise or a resort. The age groups always range from early 20's to late 60's. You are with like minded people with the same interests in travel and the area you are visiting. Because it is a small group you get to do more interesting things than those big bus groups. So although you are travelling solo you aren't alone, making new friends and the added security of not being totally by yourself. My only regret is not starting sooner!!