Stopping solo travel due to age?

Alot of good tips here. Like AnnaS I am a widow, in my late 60s, and travel alone sometimes but so far only to Disney. I hope to be able to do so for many more years but we shall see. I do go on trips with family and friends too. I have a wonderful friend who texts me good morning every day whether I am home or away to make sure I am up and around. She has my kids cell phone numbers. I know she will text me on my next solo Disney trip too. I always have over the counter meds with me even in the parks or wherever I am. My kids also keep in touch with me by text and I text them each evening and when at the airport at arrival and departure. If I am going to a new destination I research it a bit to get a sense for the area including restaurants, urgent care, and shops. I pay attention to my surroundings and where I am walking. I think my older DS will want to track me on our phones eventually. But only if I get to track him! :rotfl2:I do not go to large crowd events any more as I do not want to be knocked down in any rush.
 
Alot of good tips here. Like AnnaS I am a widow, in my late 60s, and travel alone sometimes but so far only to Disney. I hope to be able to do so for many more years but we shall see. I do go on trips with family and friends too. I have a wonderful friend who texts me good morning every day whether I am home or away to make sure I am up and around. She has my kids cell phone numbers. I know she will text me on my next solo Disney trip too. I always have over the counter meds with me even in the parks or wherever I am. My kids also keep in touch with me by text and I text them each evening and when at the airport at arrival and departure. If I am going to a new destination I research it a bit to get a sense for the area including restaurants, urgent care, and shops. I pay attention to my surroundings and where I am walking. I think my older DS will want to track me on our phones eventually. But only if I get to track him! :rotfl2:I do not go to large crowd events any more as I do not want to be knocked down in any rush.

I am with you with the crowds. I did not stay to watch the fireworks at Epcot. Did not want to fight the crowds/bus on the way out.

Will do so next trip while staying at BWvs.

My dd and one of my sons share location. They do this also since I drive to my dd two hours away here and there.

I will go on trips with my family - not so sure about friends. I can think of one maybe (they take big family trips/not all couples/adult kids not married, etc). We did many "couple/s" trips. That is done now.

I can definitely do Disney alone. I am not sure I can cruise alone - even DCL but I will not pay for "two"/Double occupancy.

I might consider going to Italy again solo. It would have to be to visit family/stay with them/near them for the trip or take a tour. I am not wondering off alone in any part of the country or world otherwise. I never say never but don't see myself doing it.
 
I agree with all the above!

However, I drive a small Hybrid, collect hotel points and other credit card points and have made my travel virtually free. I enjoy the trip and often stop off in South Carolina, sometimes using my DVC points there.

On top of that, I've used airline points or cash quite often to pay for family to fly as they don't always have the flexibility I enjoy. Often they have done one way with me and the other direction flying.

And, while at Disney I have my car so don't need a rental.
Win win😊.
I’m also a beach lover and I live very close to beach.
 
She took a lot of cruises, including six to Mexico, but never stepped foot on Mexican soil her entire life.
Huh, my Mom was just the opposite. She crossed over to Tijuana a couple of times when I was growing up in the Los Angeles area, and at least 7 times to Nuevo Laredo after we moved to Texas. Not by herself, I always went with her, sometimes some cousins went along, too. and we were always careful. We bought our prescriptions there for less than they cost us here, even with insurance, and there was a really good, clean restraurant with reverse osmosis drinking water we would eat at. Always a pleasant day trip.
 
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Huh, my Mom was just the opposite. She crossed over to Tijuana a couple of times when I was growing up in the Los Angeles area, and at least 7 times to Nuevo Laredo after we moved to Texas. Not by herself, I always went with her, sometimes some cousinns went along, too. and we were always careful. We bought our prescriptions there for less than they cost us here, even with insurance, and there was a really good, clean restraurant with reverse osmosis drinking water we would eat at. Always a pleasant day trip.
LOL. My wife grew up in Laredo. I can't even get her on a cruise to Mexico, even staying on the ship. She got her fill as a kid.
 
I occasionally will take a quick winter solo trip to get some sun. My husband does not like quick trips. In addition to the over-the-counter meds, I will bring a covid test.

I also bring about 5 days extra of prescription drugs when traveling in the winter in case the flights are cancelled, and you trip is extended.

My husband and I send each other a good morning and good night text when we wake up and go to bed. Also lets you know you are not waking them up with a call.
 
I am not sure I can cruise alone - even DCL but I will not pay for "two"/Double occupancy.
Anna, I believe from reading posts elsewhere (maybe here on the DCL forum) there are some ocean cruise lines that offer single cabins, but I can’t remember which right now. I do know that American Cruise Lines has single cabins on a number of their ships cruising American waters. So you might try an internet search.
 
Anna, I believe from reading posts elsewhere (maybe here on the DCL forum) there are some ocean cruise lines that offer single cabins, but I can’t remember which right now. I do know that American Cruise Lines has single cabins on a number of their ships cruising American waters. So you might try an internet search.
NCL has single cabins. I'm not sure who else does.

Sayhello
 
NCL has single cabins. I'm not sure who else does.

Sayhello
Anna, I believe from reading posts elsewhere (maybe here on the DCL forum) there are some ocean cruise lines that offer single cabins, but I can’t remember which right now. I do know that American Cruise Lines has single cabins on a number of their ships cruising American waters. So you might try an internet search.

Good to know. Thank you. Might not go "solo" - maybe with a friend someday - but having my own cabin would always be a first choice :).
 
Though I’m not traveling alone, it’s just me (75) and my guy (68), and we’ve both driven the 1200 (+/-) miles one way that it takes to get to the Fort, and flown into MCO to stay at the resorts.

For whatever reason the universe sees fit, we’ve gotten pretty sick at Disney with an array of issues from food poisoning to covid. While it was scary for the both of us to be flat on our backs for days on end without friends or family to give us a hand, we made it through with kindly cast members and a lot of over-the-counter meds. When I get sick I don’t like interacting with strangers, but the cast members will help (in my experience anyway) if they know you need it.

Some hints- please forgive if I’m preaching to the choir here :)

1) Make sure you have plenty of ID in your suitcases; I print out our names, addresses and info of a contact relative and put a copy in each bag.

2) Make sure you have a safe call partner, and pre-arrange call times that will fit your travel plans (can’t call on the flight, for instance), when you check in and out, and your basic plans for the day. If you’re a more detail oriented person, print out a copy of your itinerary for the trip.

3) Make a copy of whatever prescriptions you have for your meds (if any). Also, take along over-the-counter meds; analgesics like Motrin or Excedrin, cold remedies you’re familiar with, a thermometer, anti-diarrhea meds (ask me how I know that one…) and meds for the opposite condition. Disney, last I knew, charges an outrageous price for just 2 pain pills, doesn’t have thermometers, etc. While if you get sick enough you can to to the clinic/hospital Disney partners with, and _I believe_ they have on-call med staff they recommend, sometimes you don’t need that level of care and/or the med staff will want to know if you have a fever, etc.

5) As far as personal safety is concerned, of the many times we’ve flown domestically and internationally, we’ve only had one issue. Himself was careless of his wallet during TSA search (when one has to put belongings in bins) and his wallet was stollen. I kind of fault him as it was a very crowded situation and he took his eyes off his wallet that was by itself in a bin. But that was it. In that regard, I suggest making multiple printed copies of your flight ticket, and pertinent info, and put them in different locations. Never take eyes off your bins, as this happened basically right in front of the TSA desk at MCO.

We’ve had nothing but great interactions with cast members when we got sick; they were very respondent to our needs. But most of all, please know that millions of people travel to Disney every year, and the vast majority will never have health or security issues. We’ve been snake bit, and are NOT the norm.

Hope this helps some :)

(Edited to add: I removed point #4 as there was a link added that I didn’t put in there, and it went to a site I’d never visited and have no idea why my words were linked to it. I tried several times to remove it but it kept coming back, and without the words the paragraph didn’t make sense, so in the end I had to simply delete the whole point.)

You are not alone in being sick at Disney,and it is more the normal in my opinion to get sick while at Disney. My husband and I went to WDW at least once a year for years and we Always got sick on the last day or so. It was not a "little" sick. We got fever, chills, hacking cough, upset stomach, the whole nine yards. At least the next day we would leave for home.
We always washed our hands, used sanitizer, tried not to touch hand rails or other surfaces, stayed away from coughers, etc, but still got sick. I think it is the total environment at WDW with all the little ones and people who go to Disney even though they know they are sick because they spent a bundle to go there, so they go. We always went knowing there was a very good chance one of us would be sick. It goes with the territory.
 
I'm 67 and mostly travel solo since Hubby doesn't like to "vacation". I used to do a lot of sort of local type travel, anything within a 5 or 6 hour drive so the mountains of north Ga, the coast of Georgia, the beach in Fl. and WDW. Since the trying times it's just been WDW, but I go there 3 or 4 times a year. It's about a 7 1/2 hour drive from where I live in Georgia. I wouldn't hesitate to travel internationally solo but Hubby wouldn't be happy about that so don't do it. I have found WDW a little harder to do as I've aged so I tend to take at least 5 or 6 night trips so I can do a lot of resort time yet still get to the parks. I do always carry lots of OTC drugs, have a little pill box I carry to the park with a few advil/aleve/aspirin/etc. Tiny little plastic round thing that maybe will hold 7 or 8 pills. My prescription meds go in a travel pill box. Thankfully, none of mine are going to end my life if I skip even a week of them. Hubby and I always text/chat each other every morning and every night and usually a few times during the day. I always send him a message when I arrive at the resort after driving down and when I'm getting ready to leave to come home. He knows exactly how long it takes me to drive. Trust me, if he doesn't hear from me at least twice a day, he's looking for me. I'm in fairly good health, just the usual bad hips, knees, back that tend to come with age. I have gotten a little sick a couple of times toward the end of a trip, just a cold/flu so nothing horrible. I always have a few masks with me so when I do, I take OTC drugs and mask up if I'm leaving the room and try to stay outside so as not to infect others. Because I drive down, I don't have to worry about packing so I always have a heating pad, knee braces and even a good old fashioned ace bandage with me.

As far as safety, I've always felt really comfortable at WDW. Of course, when walking back to my room at night I'm aware of what is around me. The only time I'm every a little uncomfortable is when I'm staying at the Dolphin. There is one spot you have to walk by if you are walking from Epcot that is kind of wooded on one side and I get a little bit of the creeps when walking by that. I've taken to actually going a little longer way and walking by the BW and then the Swan and cutting over the walkway from there. Of course, there is always the boat. I'm never uncomfortable at any of the other WDW resorts and it's just that one spot at the Dolphin.
 
I went to WDW 45 times between 1983 and 2019 and never had an illness that I didn't already have when I left home. Luck? Probably, but it couldn't have been all luck. One of the reasons might have been that over 3/4 of those trips were road trips, no airlines. But there still is an incubation period for almost all illness, so it is always more likely that you brought it with you then you caught it there. Plus I never had a problem when I flew there either.

I'm 76 and I still travel alone but I haven't been to any theme parks since 2019.

Oops, I forgot. I went to Dollywood in May of 2024.
 
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Let me start off by saying I love Disney, live local to DL and travel to WDW at least once or twice per year for about 10 nights each, usually solo. Kids are grown, grandkids are in school, husband is no longer interested in Disney so it’s hard to get everyone on the same page.
That said, I just wanted to mention Road Scholars. It’s a group tour organization geared toward seniors. They have trips all over the world for all sorts of interests, from very active (hiking, skiing, biking, horseback riding, etc.) to slower paced sightseeing. I’ve done one trip with them and absolutely loved it! It’s a great way to travel “solo” but with plenty of support.
 
Hi! I'm 69 and taking my first solo trip to WDW next week. I've gleaned a few things here, like bring the anti-diarrheal meds and put copies of ID and contact and med list in every piece of baggage.

Now I'd like to offer a suggestion. I am driving to WDW from PA, leaving on Friday and checking in on Sunday, so two nights in a hotel. My son kept saying, "Mom, are you sure you don't want me to ride down with you? I checked and I can get a flight back for $49." What that tells me is that he is worried about me taking this step of independence (my husband died in September and I booked this trip without consulting my kids, just went ahead and did it). I suggested an air tag for in my car and then they can see where I am. But they came up with something better, an app called Life360. My kids all use it to track their kids when necessary. I just looked it over and I do see that it could give them peace of mind as I travel and they won't be texting me constantly, which in turn will give me peace of mind. Check it out.
 
Hi! I'm 69 and taking my first solo trip to WDW next week. I've gleaned a few things here, like bring the anti-diarrheal meds and put copies of ID and contact and med list in every piece of baggage.

Now I'd like to offer a suggestion. I am driving to WDW from PA, leaving on Friday and checking in on Sunday, so two nights in a hotel. My son kept saying, "Mom, are you sure you don't want me to ride down with you? I checked and I can get a flight back for $49." What that tells me is that he is worried about me taking this step of independence (my husband died in September and I booked this trip without consulting my kids, just went ahead and did it). I suggested an air tag for in my car and then they can see where I am. But they came up with something better, an app called Life360. My kids all use it to track their kids when necessary. I just looked it over and I do see that it could give them peace of mind as I travel and they won't be texting me constantly, which in turn will give me peace of mind. Check it out.

Good for you! I'm almost 72 (in January) and I've done many road trips from Maryland. I always stay somewhere along the way and I book that room before leaving.

Chuck (one of our moderators and a DVC member) also mentioned the Life360 app. I'll have to check it out.
I'm also checking in on Sunday but I'm leaving tomorrow and going to Disney's Hilton Head Island first with family.

In the past I've had family members drive with me, spend the weekend and fly back home. It works out nicely when they are available. Have a good ride down!
 
I went to WDW 45 times between 1983 and 2019 and never had an illness that I didn't already have when I left home. Luck? Probably, but it couldn't have been all luck. One of the reasons might have been that over 3/4 of those trips were road trips, no airlines. But there still is an incubation period for almost all illness, so it is always more likely that you brought it with you then you caught it there. Plus I never had a problem when I flew there either.

I'm 76 and I still travel alone but I haven't been to any theme parks since 2019.
I guess I have I was showing my age when I wrote the above. Just know as I was reading it again I realized that I went to Dollywood, just last May. I don't ride big coasters so I had to settle for the slow stuff, but it wasn't solo I went with my daughter and her family. That was about 300 miles one way of driving. I drove there by myself and met them there and then drove back.
 
I have found out that I can't go solo anymore. I get "lost" in those big airports and am not a tech person. It seems everything has to be done on your phone now, or at least that seems like what most people do.
I travel with someone now, not alone. I know my limitations and don't want to end up in outer Siberia by getting on the wrong plane, LOL. I just came back from Universal with my son. It was great having someone to be with and help out.
So, no going solo for me anymore, and that's okay.
 
I feel the same way as you disney seniors.
My last solo trip a year ago, was not enjoyable for me.
Part of it was with a homie and that was a fabulous time, but the rest of my trip was all solo.
Did not find it enjoyable going solo in the parks.

I will either work plans out with another person to spend park time with or just not go to Orlando next year.
I don’t like eating solo.
 
I feel the same way as you disney seniors.
My last solo trip a year ago, was not enjoyable for me.
Part of it was with a homie and that was a fabulous time, but the rest of my trip was all solo.
Did not find it enjoyable going solo in the parks.

I will either work plans out with another person to spend park time with or just not go to Orlando next year.
I don’t like eating solo.
I understand how you feel. I traveled solo in my younger years, when I was single, but now after so many years of travel with a family or even just as a couple, I’m not sure how I’d like being solo again. For instance, I’m not sure I can scream on the roller coasters if no one who hears me knows me! It’s just not as much fun.
 
You see so many group trips for seniors to different tourist areas. I think a travel agent organizing group tours for singles and couples that want to travel to Disney with someone that can help arrange the parks and restaurants would be popular. I saw these groups at hotels on our trips and they seem to have a wonderful time. I would participate in one. You really need to know your phone tech to do Disney now.
 












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