The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
GO IT ALONE
Maybe you have always wanted to see tigers and the Taj Mahal, yet your other half is happier in the home counties in their slippers; or maybe your travel tastes clash with your friends? The confident decades of middle age are a perfect time to take the plunge with a solo trip. Fiona Marshall of walking and cycling holiday specialist Macs Adventure says the company is witnessing a “clear trend” of 60-something clients choosing to book solo on classic routes such as the Camino de Santiago.
“The number of caminos undertaken by solo travellers, predominantly women, has significantly increased,” she says, “anecdotally the motivation for these trips is rooted in a desire for reflection, moving on in their lives or marking a significant event, big birthday or retirement”.
Luxury providers offering solo traveller products that target this age group include Cox & Kings, which has 2024 dates on solo travel itineraries to Sri Lanka (14 days from £3,195) and the Treasures of Peru (10 days from £3,195), which takes in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, dreamy Machu Picchu and luminous Lake Titicaca (03330 609 260; coxandkings.co.uk).
The Asia group tour specialist Distant Journeys has also expanded its portfolio of “Exclusively Solos” tours for 2024/25 with this age cohort in mind. Its 18-day solos-only Discover Vietnam and Cambodia holiday takes in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, the quaint streets of Hoi An’s old merchant quarter, the temples of Angkor Wat and an overnight cruise on Lan Ha Bay. It costs from £4,495 including all flights (0808 501 7234; distantjourneys.co.uk).