Ruth’s Story - Guest

I was very nervous indeed. I hadn’t long been widowed, and I faced the thought that if I wanted to go on holiday, I’d have to go where other people wanted to go. I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to go where I wanted to go. As soon as I read the One Traveller brochure, I thought, “This is different.”

I was 70 on my first trip, and I met women in their 80s who had travelled solo so many times. I found that inspirational. One of the best things about travelling in a group is eating with other people. It’s a joy. I also like that the tour manager meets you at the pre-holiday hotel or at the airport, and from that moment on you’re not alone. My friends think I’m really cool now. After that first trip, all you hear from them is, “Oh my God, you’re brave.”

I can’t talk about tour managers without mentioning Roberto. I went to Uzbekistan with him, and he’s very well organised, but his knowledge of the country is amazing. I can’t get Uzbekistan out of my head. It has touched somewhere in me, and I’m definitely going back. There’s so much in that holiday that I want to go and see again. My advice is just go and do it. Stop worrying about it, stop thinking about it, just get out there, because what’s the alternative? You sit at home thinking, “I’d quite like to go there,” and it never happens unless you make it happen.

If you’re wondering whether it’s too late to travel solo, or how it might feel to travel after losing a partner, I hope my story encourages you to consider what might be possible.