Senior Soloflighting is something I suggest every woman do at some point. I do not mean to be sexist, however I can only speak from personal experience. I use the term Senior Soloflighting because as an awakening Senior, I became passionate about travel. Not exactly in a committed relationship, I felt what am I waiting for? It seriously became a WHY NOT moment. At fifty, I officially became a Senior Soloflighter. It was the first time in my mature life that I traveled outside of the USA. In fact, earlier this year was the first time ever traveling with a small group. (I will recap this later as it was a Cuban Adventure I am still savoring in my mind. Another Senior Awakening moment!) I love the Soloflight experience!!!
I wanted to share a few personal tips on what I feel are necessary items for a comfortable Senior Soloflight experience.
1. YOU ARE ON VACATION
There are only so many hours in the day. Don’t rush into activity on day one. Arrive, drink water, unpack, get rations (food) and more water. Dehydration is real and can ruin a great vacation! I avoid hotels and try to stay in community – once again a personal choice. Its the hippie in me. As I age, I might consider a hotel. While I can still adapt, I look for private vacation residences. No one is going to make the bed or change the towels…but its for a short stay. I don’t have the maid do this at home…I don’t have a maid. I live to travel and garden – no maid required.
2. PLAN OR NOT PLAN
This could be added to #1. If you have a docket of notes and 98 travel brochures in addition to whatever you booked in advance, you are WORKING and not SOLOFLIGHTING. Depending on the length of your trip, plan one or two full days of an organized event and the rest of your stay WANDER. It is a great idea to have A plan and NOT over plan. My full day yesterday was perfect visiting Castles in the Loire Valley – will share later. Today, I will wander, sit in the park , look for fabric, and people watch as I VACATION. I have an idea of where I want to visit…maybe…or maybe not!
3. SHOES MATTER
Walking shoes may or may not be cute…but they need to be practical.
Choosing basic, practical shoes is not my normal practice. However when traveling, basic black is always a good choice. These Baretraps Comfort slip-ons were on point at the airport as well as walking to my Paris apartment.
Comfort cushion inside and they felt like a glove caressed my foot. We all have our favorite brands. Pick your favorite that will go with anything – dressy or casual.
My second pair was for pure COMFORT! They are by “ahnu” and they are my second pair. It is my second pair. I have another pair from another brand that I wore in Cuba. Needing a half-size smaller, I ordered these. Twelve hours of walking, hopping on and off a bus and I was still raring to dance.
I have to figure out how to make them cute, but as a walker these are SO practical! Several seasoned sisters on my bus yesterday asked me where I got them from and how comfortable they looked. NEWSFLASH – online ordering and YES they were the clouds that carried me from Castle to Castle.
3. CARRY TRAVEL SAFE GEAR
A true Soloflighter means there is no one to carry your bag. You are traveling Solo. Practical just makes sense. I have an over the shoulder body purse. Eight years and still going strong, I ALWAYS know I am carrying this bag.
Three outside zipper compartments that lay close to your body. Perfect for maps and other essentials
(Don’t put your peach from the winery in your purse…although delicious…it gets messy!) Do put in a few business cards or some form of id, a lip gloss – this one from Bluffajo as it’s a natural subtle shine.
ALL of these essential items fit into this bag and it was not heavy. From hand sanitizer, to a notebook with working pen, my Liquid Courage “Super Rich Red,” mented “dark night” to the mints, to freshen my breath I am armed with my essential items. One last thing though…
4. CHARGERS COUNT
One of the realities of being a Soloflighter is that you might not be electronics savvy. I am learning, but Thank God there is a learning curve! Let me introduce you to what I call my Soloflighting BFF. The name is “iclever”. It has been the best purchase I have made on my own for my travels.
No longer do I worry about how long my charge will last – I have reliable back up! I carry my USB cord and my iclever. 4 charges while at a conference in Buffalo, 3 charges yesterday and it’s still going strong! There are two ports on top to charge two things at once!
I hope that you consider Senior Soloflighting these tips come in handy! I have a few more – but I have a day of wandering ahead of me.
Enjoying the Adventure!
Teri, Cottage In The Court
There is no sponsored content in this post. These all personal choices and I have not been compensated for any of these recommendations.
by 
Leave a Reply