Solo Female Travel Over 50: What I’ve Learned (And What I’m Still Learning)

There comes a moment in life when you realise that if you don’t do it now, you might never do it at all.

For me, that moment didn’t come recently.
It came years ago—just before my husband Mark turned 40—when we made a decision that changed everything.

We stepped away from what most people would call “normal life”… and chose to travel instead.

And I’m so grateful that we did.

Because what followed were years of shared experiences—planning trips, making decisions together, learning how to navigate the world in our own way. We found our rhythm. Our way of travelling. Our way of living.

Andrea and Mark on a train in Peru - December 2024

If you want to skip to a particular section of this article, please use these links:

🌿 Carrying It Forward

That chapter of my life was cut short very suddenly when Mark died. Almost everything changed overnight.

But one thing didn’t.

I couldn’t stop travelling.

After all those years of building a life around movement, curiosity, and exploration… staying in one place didn’t feel like an option.

So I carried on.

Only this time, I was doing it alone.

And that has been a very different experience.

Andrea in Jodhpur, India - February 2026

🌏 Then and Now

There are parts of travel that haven’t changed:

• The planning

• The decision-making

• The quiet “rules of the road” you learn over time

• The instinct for what feels right (and what doesn’t)

Those things stay with you.

They’re part of the experience I bring to travelling solo now.

But there are also new layers I’m still learning every day:

• Navigating the world as a woman on my own

• Building confidence in unfamiliar situations

• Not having another person to lean on or to share with

• Sitting with both freedom and vulnerability

• Being braver

And that’s what this journey is about.

🌿 Why I’m Writing This Series

Over the past few months, I’ve had so many thoughts running through my mind. I've also met a lot of people on this trip, both singles and couples, who have asked me so many questions:

• Is this safe?

• Aren't you too old for this?

• What if something goes wrong?

• What if you feel lonely?

And also…

• Why did I have any doubts?

• Why does this feel so freeing?

• Why don’t more women talk about this stage of life?

So I’ve decided to write about it.

Not as an expert.
Not as someone who has all the answers.
But as someone who is living it—right now.

🌏 What This Series Is About

This is a series for women who feel that pull.

The quiet voice that says:
“Maybe I could do this too…”

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing honest, real-life reflections on:

• Whether it’s safe to travel solo over 50

• How to build confidence when you’re doing something new later in life

• What it’s really like to travel alone (the highs and the harder moments)

• Practical tips from the road—packing, planning, and places to stay

• What surprised me most about my first solo trip

• And the emotional side of travelling after loss or big life changes

Each post will focus on one question—because sometimes, that’s all we need.
Just one answer. One step forward.

💛 This Isn’t About Being Fearless

If I’ve learned anything so far, it’s this:

You don’t have to be fearless to travel solo.

You just have to be willing.

Willing to feel unsure sometimes.
Willing to learn as you go.
Willing to trust yourself and others a little more than you did before.

This isn’t where I expected my travel story to go—but it’s where it’s taken me.

🧵 A Slower, More Thoughtful Way to Travel

This isn’t about ticking countries off a list.

It’s about:

• Sitting in a quiet café and watching the world go by

• Talking to strangers who don’t feel like strangers for long

• Taking your time

• Not rushing

• Letting places unfold slowly

It’s about travelling in a way that feels gentler.

More intentional.

More meaningful.

✨ If You’ve Been Thinking About It…

Maybe you’re here because you’ve been wondering:

Could I actually do this?

Maybe you’ve had the thought—and then pushed it away.

Maybe life has changed recently.
Maybe you’ve been putting things off.
Maybe you’re waiting for the “right time.”

I understand that more than you know.

And if this series does anything, I hope it gently reminds you:

👉 There doesn’t have to be a perfect time.
👉 There just has to be a moment when you decide.

📬 Follow Along

I’ll be adding new posts to this series over the coming weeks, each one exploring a different question around solo female travel over 50.

If you’d like to follow along, you can:

• Bookmark this page

• Or join my newsletter (I’ll share new posts, stories, and reflections from the road)

🌸 Coming Next

In the next post, I’ll be answering one of the biggest questions of all:

👉 Is it safe to travel solo as a woman over 50?

💬 A Gentle Invitation

If this is something you’ve been thinking about—even quietly—I’d love to hear from you.

You don’t have to have a plan.
You don’t have to have it all figured out.

Just a thought is enough to begin.

🔗 Start Here

As this series grows, you’ll find all the posts linked here:

• Is it safe to travel solo over 50?

• How to build confidence while travelling alone

• How to pack for solo travel

• What it’s really like to travel alone

Watch this Video for More About Solo Female Travel Over 50

If you’re travelling soon, please use these links!

Are you travelling soon? Use these links when making your bookings. These are the companies we use. It won’t cost you any extra, but we will earn a few pennies to help keep Happy Days Travel Blog going. Thank you!!

• Make sure you take out travel insurance. If you are a digital nomad or long-term traveller, try the specialist provider SafetyWing. (Never leave home without protecting yourself, your trip and your belongings!)

• Book your flight with Skyscanner

• Book your accommodation with Booking.com

• Book a tour with Tour Radar

• Book city tours and activities with Viator or Get Your Guide

• Check out our Resource Page for more companies we recommend.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through for more information, or to make a purchase, it may result in a small commission coming my way. Please note that there is no extra cost to you associated with this. Thank you so much for supporting my site.