solo travel

Travel alone or with a tour group?

by

It is week two of my solo adventure in France. I have learned a lot about myself and group travel. As some of you know, I have lived alone for 20 years and have been retired for nine. I am pretty independent to say the least. So, having to decide whether to travel alone or with a group tour was the question. For my first overseas solo adventure, I planned to go with a group tour.

Tour group

Pros of group travel

  • Someone else is in charge of the arrangements. All you have to do is pay and show up.
  • You pay one up front cost usually.
  • Someone picks you up at the airport usually making transfers easy.
  • You have a ready group of people to hang out with.
  • A tour guide or director handles any issues that come up.
  • Transportation is,or can be, arranged for you.
  • Dining out experiences may have more variety as others may pick somewhere you would never select on your own.
  • Typically your guides are local so they know the area well.
  • Groups help you feel safe upon arrival. We have 20 people in our tour group, six couples, four widows, two single ladies, and two married ladies who are traveling without their husbands. We are 55+ with the oldest being 95!

Read more

Sherry’s solo adventure #1

by
solo adventure trip map
Solo Adventure #1 Trip Map

Preparation for first solo adventure:

  1. Checked out books from the public library to see what sites I wanted to visit besides Yellowstone and the Tetons on my travels to Wyoming and Idaho.
  2. Came up with the route which connected these sites and sent travel plans with a map (see above) to my oldest sister in case of an emergency.
  3. Researched weather patterns as to best time to travel with few tourists traveling the same route. Settled on end of September and beginning of October, 2023.
  4. As this was mostly a hiking and photography trip, I selected clothing, shoes and camera accessories accordingly.
  5. Took my small dog, Goldi, to vet for immunizations so she could be boarded during my travel.
  6. Decided to pack most of my clothing and shoes in a bag I would not take in to hotels. I would just take things from that bag daily and put dirty clothes in a separate laundry bag I left in the car.
  7. Made sure my vehicle was ready for the road trip and my mail held.
  8. At least a month before leaving on my solo trip, I reserved all of the hotel rooms so I didn’t have to worry about where I would lay my head each night.
  9. Packed luggage, pillow, satellite phone, some snacks, drinks and some wine.
  10. Acquired a new credit card (Marriott Bonvoy Bold from Chase) to rack up travel points for future travel.
solo adventure

Grasshoppers – Day 1 – Drove from Greeley, CO to Rock Springs, WY (332 miles)

  1. Dropped off Goldi (my dog) for boarding in Eaton, CO ($30/day)
  2. Stopped in Larimie, WY for thrift store shopping ($0) and lunch at the Prairie Rose Cafe ($14)
  3. Drove along Snowy Mountain Scenic Byway, Mirror Lake ( see photo)
  4. Stayed at Clarion Hotel in Rock Springs, WY ($126.72 )

Sheep are White – Day 2 – Drove from Rock Springs, WY to Burley, ID (333 miles)

  1. Visited the first and second JC Penney stores in Kemmerer, WY (tea $4)
  2. Got gas in Rock Springs ($3.87/gal) for $48.80
  3. Relaxed in the world famous hot springs in Lava Hot Springs, ID ($7.50 + towel rental)
  4. Browsed in antique shop in old town Pocatello, ID until it closed at 6:00 pm ($0)
  5. Checked in to Fairfield Inn in Burley, ID and listened to roofers until 8:00 pm (water $3)

Sick in Burley, ID – Day 3 – Spent the day in hotel room

  1. Woke up at 5:00 am sick, so no expenses or driving today
  2. Listened to roofers pounding away starting at 8:00 am and ending at 7 pm
  3. Stayed in bed until 12:30 pm
  4. Another night at Fairfield Inn ($258.38 for two nights )
solo adventure

Faith over Fear – Day 4 – Drove from Burley, ID to Hailey, ID (164 miles)

  1. Breakfast at hotel (complimentary)
  2. Got gas ($3.96/gal) in Burley for $39.06
  3. Visited the Encampment at Minidonka, ID (not much to see)
  4. Browsed at thrift shop in Shosoni, ID ($0)
  5. Purchased frozen pizza, water, granola, Tylenol and razors at Natural Grocers in Hailey ($?)
  6. Enjoyed soaking in the hotel hot tub solo
  7. Stayed at Fairfield Inn in Hailey, ID
Snake River

Going on a Moose Hunt – Day 5 – Hailey, ID to Stanley, ID and back (147 miles)

  1. Breakfast at hotel (complimentary)
  2. Drove along Sawtooth Scenic highway for photography of Sawtooth Mountain Range and the Salmon River (see photo)
  3. Purchased yummy Wild Huckleberry Licorice in Stanley ($9)
  4. Purchased lasagna, wine, and dinner roll at Albertson’s for dinner in my hotel room ($31.45)
  5. Stayed at Fairfield Inn in Hailey, ID ($240.80 for two nights)
Tetons

Anticipation – Day 6 – Drove from Hailey, ID to Rexburg, ID (266.4 miles)

  1. Breakfast at hotel (complimentary)
  2. Got gas ($4.19/gal) in Hailey for $41.86
  3. Visited Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve near Arco, ID
  4. Drove to Driggs, ID to photograph back side of the Tetons (see photo)
  5. Drove back to Rexburg, ID
  6. Stayed at Springhill Suites in Rexburg, ID ($145.80)

Natural Beauty – Day 7 – Rexburg, ID to Jackson, WY (211 miles)

  1. Breakfast at hotel (complimentary)
  2. Visited Yellowstone National Park (free with senior pass) , Old Faithful; Saw one bison ($37.08 souvenirs)
  3. Visited Grand Teton National Park (free with senior pass), ($39.21 souvenirs)
  4. Saw antler arches in downtown Jackson, WY
  5. Stayed at Anvil Hotel in downtown Jackson, WY

Rain, Rain Go Away – Day 8 – Jackson, WY (Drove 313.6 miles)

  1. No breakfast, ate a blueberry muffin from Rexburg, ID hotel
  2. Cold and rainy! Thankful for heated steering wheel
  3. Saw Moose off Gros Ventre Rd in Jackson Hole
  4. Visited Grand Teton National Park ($63.57 gifts for grandkids)
  5. Saw family of moose at Moose Junction
  6. Visited Jenny Lake in the rain
  7. Ate at Doran’s Pizza and Pasta Co. for early dinner/beverage ($26)
  8. Visited Mormon Row early/late in the day, took lots of photos
  9. Stayed at Anvil Hotel in downtown Jackson, WY ($440.20 for two nights)

Home Again, Home Again Jiggity Jog – Day 9 – Jackson, WY to Greeley, CO (483 miles)

  1. No hotel breakfast
  2. Got gas ($4.20/gal) for $41.99 in Jackson and again in Laramie for $45.01
  3. Picked up Goldi from boarding facility (total $240)
  4. Back home safely

First Solo Trip Takeaways

  1. Pack clothing for variety of weather
  2. Pack medical stuff like thermometer, Tylenol, ice pack, Imodium, laxative
  3. Buy/Pack satellite phone
  4. Keep gas tank at least 1/4 full
  5. Search for gas stations on Google for best price
  6. Let someone know your travel plans
  7. Stay confident and aware
  8. Cut costs when you can so you can splurge on other expenses
  9. Travel and arrive at hotel before dark; get a paper receipt of charges and check it
  10. Faith over fear!

Next solo adventure: Provence area of France this fall

Solo In Style

by

This title is the name of an incredible Facebook group page by Deborah Ives I discovered recently. The whole name of the site is Solo In Style: Women Over 50 Traveling Solo & Loving It! It is a private group with 232K inspiring members.

In case you haven’t heard, women over 50 are leading the boom in solo travel with single, divorced and widowed women feeling more empowered, confident and financially independent than ever before.

Deborah Ives, Solo In Style

This morning, I read this impassioned post on the site by Lucinda Kang which began: “I wanted to share my experience after reading so many of your beautiful stories – told with vulnerability and love. While I am sorry many of you are going through painful crossroads, I am inspired by your strength and emboldened by this community of care amongst strangers.”

Solo in Style

Lucinda summed up this Facebook page beautifully. It is full of vulnerability and love, painful crossroads, strength and emboldened women who travel around the world in search of themselves, adventure and freedom. The site is full of inspiration and encouragement

Read more