Seniors traveling alone
It is a painful experience that many elderly couples have to make sooner or later: The partner dies and suddenly you are alone. Everyone copes with the time of grief differently and it lasts for different lengths of time. Depending on age and personal condition, the life forces awaken in the partner left behind at some point after all. He/she wants to be with other people, welcome the spring and feel the warm sun on his/her skin. A trip is ideal to get out of your own four walls and to gain new impressions.
But especially when you've traveled together many times as a couple, it's not easy for the bereaved to travel alone. This already starts with the choice of the vacation destination. Not everyone is able to visit the same places where you spent happy hours as a couple. What is helpful for one person can trigger deep depression in another. And that should not be the purpose of a trip. Ultimately, though, only each person can decide this for themselves.
Of course, there are also seniors who have always been singles and in retirement think about whether and where they can still travel alone. The demands have changed and the forces are weakening. Nights on a straw mat in the great outdoors under a starry sky may still be romantic when you're in your twenties. At seventy, they become an ordeal.
Giving wings to self-confidence
It is mainly women who live alone in old age. For many, it's a great experience to go exploring on your own. The experience of mastering a wide variety of situations in an unfamiliar country, with a foreign language, can give wings to self-confidence. It's an adventure you shouldn't miss – if at all possible. Travel has never been more comfortable. And if you feel that impulse inside you, then you should give in to it and seek out other countries as often as you can. There are a few tips to keep in mind, though:
Leave your precious jewelry at home. Especially when traveling to poorer countries, you should not signal by your appearance that something is up for grabs with you
Your body language should exude confidence, not insecurity. This is something that can be trained. There are e.g. special safety courses for seniors at the police department.
Carry large amounts of cash and important documents in a fanny pack that should be tucked under your clothes. It goes without saying that you should protect this body-hugging hideaway from the prying eyes of others
Tip: Less is more. Travel light. You do not have to take tens of pairs of shoes. Non-iron clothing is ideal for hand washing and dries quickly. Therefore better pack a tube of fine detergent and remove unnecessary ballast. Take advantage of the convenient trolley cases that can be easily pulled behind you.
Group Travel
Senior travel: Traveling in a Group The baby boomers, the generation that is now between 55 and 65 years old, will… read more