Boomerangst: Turning Dilemmas Into Discoveries – Travelling Solo

Diane Sewell | March 25th, 2014

Longing for adventures in far off places? Here, what to do if you love travelling but your spouse hates it.

Q. Here’s my dilemma. I love travelling but my husband hates it. We’re both in our early 70s and we can afford to go places, but my husband is a home body and prefers puttering around with projects or playing golf with his friends. I love our home too, don’t get me wrong, but I also long for adventures in far off places, especially while I’m still in good health and able to travel. I’ve considered going alone but my husband thinks that’s absurd. I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place and becoming a little resentful to be honest. Please lead me to a discovery!

Anna, Montreal

A. Start exploring your options and get discovering the world. Don’t wait any longer. You can try and find a trip your husband can’t resist, take to the road on your own, or consider bringing along a friend or family member. But get going! There are lots of themes and travel options out there. Just ask Donna Hull, the U.S.-based travel writer and publisher of the website myitchytravelfeet.com.

She suggests you first try focusing on your husband’s special interests and match one up with a trip. “Travel experiences that include photography workshops, for example, are a fun way to see a new part of the world while improving photography skills,” she says. “And one of the benefits of group travel based on interests is that you instantly have a common ground with other travellers.”

Donna recommends checking out the website Road Scholar, which since 1975 has been specializing in educational adventures. These trips are classified as ‘learning experiences,’ which are often richer experiences than commercial travel packages. She also recommends looking into the travel organization Tauck for small group tours, including increasingly popular European river cruises.

If your husband still resists, then just go on your own. Solo travel is more common than you think and tours are increasingly catering to this market.

“If you simply want to travel, cruises are a safe way to see the world, especially on mid-sized to smaller ships with 700 passengers or less,” says Donna. “You won’t be the only one traveling alone and many cruise lines offer special events for solo travelers, especially at the beginning of a cruise.”

But watch out for expensive single supplement pricing with some cruise lines. Donna recommends Holland America, Silversea or Norwegian Cruise Lines because of their special pricing for solo travelers. Alternatively, you might consider inviting a friend to join you, or travel with a child or grandchild to create, “a lasting memory,” as Donna puts it. She thinks Alaskan cruises are a good choice for a multi-generational trip.

In the end, “your spouse might be inspired to travel once he sees the photos from your experiences – but don’t count on it,” she cautions. “We’re all different and not everyone is meant to travel. But if you return brimming with stories, hopefully he’ll want to encourage your happiness by suggesting you travel on your own again.”

Send Diane a brief description of your dilemma, along with your first name and where you live, to [email protected]

A professional journalist for more than 25 years, Diane Sewell has written for some of the top newspapers and magazines in Canada and is a baby boomer herself. Her new blog “Boomerangst: Turning Dilemmas into Discoveries” is interactive with readers and focuses on life issues – like aging, dating, second marriages, sex, death, family and fashion. Diane will use her expertise to find the right expert to help solve your predicament, unearthing kernels of truth and quickly getting to the heart of the issue.