Ep 12: Solo Travel in Your 60s: Why It’s Never Too Late to Explore the World, with Loray

Loray (00:00)
Well, another thing about solo travel is it’s very freeing because you can just pick up and go when you get ready to. There’s no need to check with anybody to see if their schedule is free, and I like that. I don’t like that whole coordinating, are you available going back and forth on dates, and then do you have the budget? This way, I can just go when I get ready to.

Kelli Wall (00:26)
Welcome to Solo Travel Unpacked, where we explore the world one solo travel story at a time.

I’m your host Kelli and I believe that solo travel.

is a journey of self-discovery, empowerment, and connection.

Each episode, we’ll meet a different solo and hear their insights, experiences, and lessons learned.

We’ll also take a look at a key solo travel topic

to give you the tools and inspiration for your own adventure.

It’s time to hear from today’s guest and unpack another solo travel story.

Kelli Wall (00:55)
In recent years, interest in solo travel has skyrocketed.

fact, according to a 2024 survey by Solo Traveler.

71 % of respondents said they plan to take a solo trip in the next year.

And yet, so many myths still surround the experience.

that it’s dangerous, lonely, or too expensive to do on your own.

Today we’re unpacking those misconceptions with someone who has seen the world through both group and solo lenses.

Loray has been traveling internationally since she was 17.

solo travel.

visiting places like Bali, Cuba, Salvador, All on her own.

She’s here to share the truth behind what solo travel is really like.

any age and offer a few tips she’s learned along the way.

Kelli Wall (01:47)
Larray, I’m so excited to have you here. You’ve been traveling for decades and have so much experience under your belt, not just in terms of destinations, but in how travel has evolved for you over time. But before we talk more about travel, can you start by sharing a little bit about yourself outside of travel?

Loray (02:06)
as you mentioned, I am retired. I’ve been retired for about 10 years and loving it. I’m single and I have a few hobbies. I enjoy cooking and reading and especially travel, especially. That’s at the top of my list.

Kelli Wall (02:21)
Congratulations on your retirement. I love that you’re using it to travel. So we talked a little bit about your intro that you’ve been traveling since you were 17 and now have embraced solo travel in your 60s. Can you share a little bit about how your travel journey has evolved over the years?

Loray (02:37)
Yes. When I first started traveling, I always had family and friends to travel with me. Somebody always wanted to go wherever I was going. But within the last few years, that’s kind of dwindled off. People have responsibilities. They’re not retired. They’re still working, a lot of my friends. So I decided I was just going to start solo traveling because I have a long list of places that I still want to visit.

Kelli Wall (03:04)
Good for you. Is there anything because I have felt that and I know some other guests have too, you just over the years lose your travel buddies. So you’ve turned to solo travel. Is there anything that inspired you? I know you said you’ve got this list, but what inspired you to actually take that first step and do some solo travel?

Loray (03:22)
Well, another thing about solo travel is it’s very freeing because you can just pick up and go when you get ready to. There’s no need to check with anybody to see if their schedule is free, and I like that. I don’t like that whole coordinating, are you available going back and forth on dates, and then do you have the budget? This way, I can just go when I get ready to.

And I still travel with family and friends.

Kelli Wall (03:51)
Yeah, certainly I love to travel with family and friends as well, but so many logistics go into where do you want to go the time off? So being able to solo travel, there’s certainly, know, perks about that. And we talked about as well, there are so many myths around solo travel, even though it’s continuing to grow. So let’s help hopefully dispel some of those. So one of the most common myths is that solo travel is dangerous, especially for women.

What’s your take on that and how do you personally stay safe on your trips?

Loray (04:22)
I do not think solo travel is dangerous. do feel like you need to take precautions, just like I do when I’m at home. I’m aware of my surroundings, and when I go on vacation, I’m the same way. Just because I’m on vacation in what’s considered a safe place, I never let my guard down. So while I’m enjoying myself, I’m having a great time, I’m still always aware of what’s going on around me.

think you need to take that to any country. You need to have that attitude. Another thing is I always check the State Department’s website for a country and see if there have been any travel warnings issued by the U.S. government. It’s good to just gather information, research a country, see what’s going on over there, and once you gather all your information, then you can decide if you feel it’s safe

Kelli Wall (05:17)
those are such great tips. And I think too, the very first point you made, a lot of times it’s the same precautions you’re taking at home. It’s just in a different environment and doing your research certainly that’s very smart, even just Googling the country and see kind of what news articles come So you’ve also mentioned that if you’re lonely at home, you’ll probably be lonely on vacation. That’s a super interesting perspective.

And I’m curious, have you ever had moments of loneliness while traveling solo? And if so, how do you navigate through those?

Loray (05:49)
No, enjoy my own company, I have read that people that do experience of loneliness, it’s because dissatisfied with some area of their So my advice would be talk to a therapist and have them you work through that so you can find your way back to your joy.

Kelli Wall (06:12)
Yeah, whether instead of having it be solely on the assumption of being alone, that’s a really great piece of advice. So another big one is that people assume solo travel is expensive, especially with lodging, because you’re not dividing it with somebody You’ve mentioned, yeah, that you have a few tips to offset that cost. Could you share a few of those?

Loray (06:25)
Right.

Sure. A couple of options are staying at A lot of people will immediately I don’t want to stay at a hostel because you’re sharing a bedroom with people that you don’t know. You’re sharing a bathroom. But hostels usually also have private rooms as well that you can And they would be cheaper than staying at a traditional

Kelli Wall (07:34)
I love the perk of not only having a cheaper place to stay, but is using it as a way to So let’s talk about age. There’s a myth that solo travel is a young person’s game. I again, some people think solo travel, they think of just these young backpackers going across Europe. And while certainly that’s a way that it can be done. What would you say to someone in their 50s or 60s or even older?

who is curious, but maybe a little hesitant about traveling alone.

That’s something, Loray I’ve heard from a few other guests about starting small. know, go in your hometown. If dinner makes you a little bit nervous to go alone, go at lunch. Maybe sit at the bar. Kind of ease your way into a little bit. So you’ve done so many different solo trips. Loray how has solo travel helped you learn more about or the world and ways that traveling with others might not have?

I agree, which is why I started this podcast. I’ve done some solo group travel and truly I have loved the people that I have met just as much as the destination. So that’s how I found you was a post that you had put about your solo travel. So I totally agree. It just opens up another world that you might not have noticed before. So you have gone.

to so many incredible places, Bali, Singapore, Colombia, Cuba, just to name a was there a destination that really surprised or challenged a myth that you might’ve had about it going in?

Loray (10:04)
No. don’t travel anywhere with any preconceived notions, even though I do research a country thoroughly before I go. what I do is I show up ready to eat good food. That’s one expectation. But other than that, I’m just open to experiences.

Kelli Wall (10:21)
That is such a beautiful way to do it. No expectations, no disappointments. It’s a great lens to put it through. So do you have a recent favorite solo travel story that really captures the freedom or this unexpected joy of no expectations that you can share?

Loray (10:27)
Exactly.

I don’t have a story. I’ve been thinking about this for a few days, but no story. I have enjoyed all of the locations that I’ve traveled to. They’re all different. They all have something different to offer,

Kelli Wall (10:44)
That’s okay.

it sounds like they all made their own beautiful memories. Yeah. And-

Loray (10:59)
Exactly. Yeah. And some I’ve

enjoyed, some I’ve enjoyed more than others, I’ve enjoyed them all.

Kelli Wall (11:06)
have all offered something different, I’m sure.

So you’re writing a book, which is amazing, congratulations, World Traveler What inspired that? And can you give us a little sneak peek of what you’re expecting to share in the book?

Loray (11:20)
The inspiration comes from, I belong to a few Facebook solo female travel groups. And in those groups, I see the same questions, complaints, and stories repeatedly. So that is what inspired me to write the book, because a lot of what I was seeing are like basic travel questions. It’s things that you would think people would already know if they’ve traveled a little bit.

Kelli Wall (12:00)
There you go, very thoughtful. Or maybe you can work on that on one of the long plane rides.

Loray (12:05)
Yeah, if I’m not asleep.

Kelli Wall (12:08)
Are there any

of those questions that you see repeatedly? And I’m in a few of those groups too. And I seem to see a few of them pop up. Are there any that come to mind that you continue to see people asking?

Loray (12:21)
what I will say is regarding the sneak peek that you asked about, the book is set up as a series of lists on travel topics. No stories, I wanted to just give people information that they need so that they can easily find in a list format. whatever the issues, common issues are, I have a topic

Kelli Wall (12:50)
And a list is such an easily digestible way to present it. And for people get the point across, I think that’s a really smart idea. I’m looking forward to seeing it when you’re done.

Loray (13:01)
I’ll let you know when I’m done. Hopefully in a few months I’ll have it finished.

Kelli Wall (13:03)
I love that.

Yes, keep us updated and we’ll make sure to put it on the show notes on the website so we can direct people to it. So, Loray I always ask my guests if they can share a solo travel story, any of them on any of the trips that you taken maybe a memory that stands out, one that’s challenged you, surprised you, or really just an unforgettable experience that you’ve treasured.

Loray (13:27)
Yes, I have a this one did not start off solo. I started off traveling with my cousin to Istanbul, went standby and…

researched it, she’s a retired airline worker. So she went behind the scenes, online, did some research to make sure that we would be able to get there and back home, standby, with no problems. She looked for flights that had a lot of empty seats, basically. So we fly to Istanbul, no problem, we have a great time, we get ready to go home, and I’m not able to get on the plane.

There’s no room for me to get on as a standby passenger. There was room for her. She decided she didn’t want to leave me, which she could have. I would have been fine. But she says, no, we’ll just come back the next day and try again. So because there was only one flight per day going to New York on this airline. So that’s what we did. We stayed an extra day. We went back to the airport the next day and the exact same thing happened.

We flew to Amsterdam. We spent the night there. We had a great time. And the next morning we get up early. We go to the airport. We’re thinking we’re going to get on this 9 a.m. flight back to the United States. And no, we do not get on the flight, The flight was sold out pretty much. There were a couple of standby seats available. Those went to other people that were higher up on the standby list. So we’re like, OK, so now what are we going to do?

So we ended up walking the airport all day trying to get on any flight to any city in the United States. We got on nothing, Kelli nothing. So we ended up spending the night in Amsterdam. Long story short, it was three days before my cousin was finally able to get on a flight in Amsterdam and fly home. And when they finally called her name, she, I’m like, you gotta go, you know? ⁓

like, okay, I’ll see you later. So she gets on the plane, she goes home. So that’s when my solo trip starts.

There are lots of other people that are in this Amsterdam airport that are also stuck and stranded because they’re also flying standby on the same And once I started really talking to people, I’m making friends in the airport, because now my cousin’s gone, right? I’m by myself. So I’m hanging out with people. We slept in the airport.

Kelli Wall (16:14)
Great.

Loray (16:20)
Amsterdam airport is really nice. So we slept on these nice leather chase lounge things. We had like an airline blanket and we just slept in the airport. They have showers, nice showers in the bathroom. I had my carry on, I had all my stuff. So I would just get up in the morning and take a shower. It was like I was camping, but I’m living Amsterdam airport, right? So I ended up staying there for another couple days before I was finally able to get

Kelli Wall (16:23)
Yeah.

Loray (16:49)
out of there and go home and by that point I had almost run out of

And I had to get my, contacted my cousin and had her, I’m like, get one of your friends to buy me a ticket home or buy me a ticket to New York. I just needed to like get to New York and from there I could use my standby ticket, right? I’m like, get one of your friends to buy me a ticket. You know, I emailed all the information. They did, somebody I had never met before bought me a plane ticket. I reimbursed them once I got I learned a lot of lessons from that.

Kelli Wall (17:05)
Yeah.

Loray (17:22)
that whole standby trip. And one of them is always take more money than you think you’re gonna need on a trip have plenty of room left on your credit cards. Have some high, limit thingies and have plenty of space available. And I have my phone. Yes, yes. Yes. Yes, yes.

Kelli Wall (17:25)
Yeah.

I think you could create an entire list from just that experience. mean, those like the movie terminal, this is like you’re talking about this.

I’m like, you’re extra clothing. Like there’s so many, I think the top thing is being flexible is the number one thing. Like it’s great when things go right and travel, but you gotta be flexible and God bless your cousin for sticking with you as long as she could.

Loray (17:49)
Yeah.

Yes.

Exactly, exactly. So that we still laugh about that experience. And it wasn’t a bad experience. It was more like a camping adventure kind of a thing. It was inconvenient because at the time I was still working. So I had to call, you know, email my job and say, hey, I’m stuck. I’ll see you when I see you. But I work for government. So they were like, OK, yeah, fine. We’ll you know, we’ll see when you back kind of a thing. But it was really interesting. And the fact that there were so many

people that were stranded like us and what we found out later was the airline had a merger or some acquisition and whoever that they merged with they had not combined the two systems as far as the seating was concerned. So while you’re looking online thinking that there are available seats there really weren’t because they hadn’t merged the two systems on the computer yet. It was a mess. Yeah.

Kelli Wall (18:58)
so no matter

how much planning you did, it didn’t matter. Yeah, well, it’s made for a good

Loray (19:01)
Exactly, Yeah,

Kelli Wall (19:08)
my goodness. Well,

Loray (19:09)
it was really interesting.

Kelli Wall (19:11)
Loray, thank you so much again for coming on today. I have loved your stories and I’m glad you made it home safe from your trip after a little stay in the airport. we will end today’s episode with how we end every episode of Solo Travel Unpacked by asking the guests the same three questions. So first question up.

Loray (19:18)
you

Kelli Wall (19:31)
The advice I’d give to someone considering solo travel is,

Loray (19:35)
The advice I’d give to someone considering solo travel is do it. Solo travel is It takes you out of your comfort zone. You’re in an unfamiliar place. You’re navigating a city or a country. And it builds your confidence and your courage. And that equals growth. So it’s pretty cool.

Kelli Wall (20:00)
Yes, absolutely.

And you are a badass for all the solo travel that you have done. My favorite part about solo travel is…

Loray (20:10)
My favorite part of solo travel is I can travel when I want, I want, wherever I want, yeah. There are no limits.

Kelli Wall (20:19)
you get to do you. Something I learned about myself during solo travel is.

Nothing wrong with that.

Loray, thank you for sharing your insights, stories and wisdom with us today. I love how you broke down these common myths with such honesty and encouragement from your experiences. It’s such a great reminder that solo travel isn’t just possible, it can be deeply empowering at any age. And if you listening have been holding back because of fear of

cost or what if, or if it’s dangerous, I hope this episode gave you the push you need to start planning that trip. Loray thank you so much again. And I can’t wait to hear about your book.

Kelli Wall (21:06)
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