After retirement I took myself off on my first solo trip (the train from Stamford to Saigon – 30 days). Travelling alone adds a different dynamic to the tourism experience. On the one hand you are without a friend or family member to witness and share any experiences, but on the other you meet strangers who might convince you to try different things.
I also found that age was not a barrier to being accepted by others much younger, in fact it helped. How else other than travelling solo would I have been; coerced into riding a Mongolian pony with an ex Israeli soldier; drinking dry of vodka the restaurent car of the Trans-Siberian train with young Japanese, Swedish and English travellers; having dinner in Ushuaia with a Japanese astro-physicist on holiday from working at her observatory in the Atacama desert; or quad-biking in the Sacred Valley in Peru..
My second 30 day trip was to Argentina, researching for Seeking John Campbell.
My last trip was to Argentina, Chile and Peru which involved crossing the Andes five times (mostly by plane !). See blog HERE
In October 2022 I am planning to travel by train up through Norway to beyond the Arctic Circle.
John Daffurn 