Taking the plunge to travel on your own (after bereavement or separation) have you manged to overcome it.

I think anyone that takes the plunge and travels solo after being married/partner. It is ! a confidence thing and for those that have managed to do such a thing "well done to you all" I take my hat off to those who have managed they airports solo as they can be so mind boggling (I'm sure if I went I would end up on a plane to nowhere lol)

For those who have not yet ventured out, I hope that manage a little trip out, maybe a days coach or coach holiday where there are people around and you can choose if to interact with them.

My budget doesn't really allow me to be too adventurous and I am quite happy to visit coastal towns.

I would love to go Northumberland way and next year hoping to travel to Seaham to the Glass beach with one of my dds , but I would happily go on my own if need be.

ronib ohh yes the fish n chips, if you don't like fish n chips then your a bit stumped in Whitby, we had them on the first night, then the second night had this mouth watering fish pie ,not in a crust pie this was on a bed of home made mash with swirly bit of cheese, haddock, prawns ,cod etc in a creamy creamy sauce (deff lashings of double cream in it)

I do intend to spread my wings at some time, but at the moment I still work part time(in order to pay for my little breaks) but also look after my dad 2 days a week so my time is curtailed.

Good luck to all those that have conquered the solo travel and for those yet to do it, small steps, planning and having a plan B just in case. Have fun every one.

One thing I must say, I do remember a relative taking me to their house up north towards Yorkshire to stay with them for a week, it was only 6 weeks after my dh had died 9they thought they were doing good) but by the second night I just wanted to come home and travelled home the next day on the train. It was too much too soon.

I’ve recently booked my first holiday since my husband died. I thought about it for ages and decided that if didn’t at least try I would be staying at home forever.
It’s not until September so I have plenty time to mull it over, and also to pull out.

We enjoyed many lovely holidays so I’m hoping I can still enjoy feeling the sand in my toes and not feel too lonely.

I love travelling on my own. The only time I was a bit twitchy was the morning of the Icelandic volcano eruption.
OH was dropping me off at an airport in Germany and was driving on to Bulgaria.
I got a call from my daughter asking me if I’d seen the news, no.
We just found the nearest train station ( I have no German)
Then I somehow had to get to the channel tunnel.
In my experience people are lovely when you’re travelling, they really want to help.
Some years ago I got seriously lost on the underground in Romania ( it nearly got to the crying stage)
A lovely young girl saw that I was very confused and spend ages getting me to where I needed to be.

Yes, I make the effort to do things on my own like going to the theatre alone. Travelling alone is just an extension, holidaying alone a further extension.
Decades ago, my mother would long-haul fly alone, and would go on cruises alone. She would never have described herself as an independent woman, but needs must, so she did it.

I have travelled alone for work and pleasure, in this country and in France for many years and would have had a very restricted life if I hadn't.

@Scribbles. To my horror, I realised that my confidence in my own abilities had completely gone

I now feel like this and I guess we lose our confidence as we grow older, especially if we have to rely on others for physical help. I 100% feel the same as you about airports. I hate crowds and queues. I have to renew my passport this year but only as a means of iD since I dont drive.

I've always done a lot of travelling on my own but every time, as the date approaches, I wish I wasn't bothering.
What helps me is to write my itinerary well beforehand with all my travel times & places & if it's train, ferry etc, and where I'm to stay and how to get in (keybox or phone someone or whatever).
Also a list of everything to take - I keep the basic list on my computer and print it each time with any particular things added.
I include everything, no matter how obvious, eg sox & nix.

Have a great trip bikergran.

If your experience seemed incomplete on the first visit then something is calling you back. I have felt like that several times over places I have visited. So I would urge you to go ahead or you may regret it later.

Ive travelled alone for as long as I can remember. Whenever Ive travelled with a companion something has gone wrong.

In my early 20s I travelled out to visit friends in Morocco long before it became a routine tourist destination. They were out working during the day so I wandered around Casablanca on my own. I became an academic and got used to travelling all over Europe and the USA to various conferences and amusing myself in my off duty hours. I was given a chance to work at a US university for a year and learned what it was to live and work in another country. After that I travelled all over the Middle East independently to places like Syria, Iraq and Iran which its difficult to visit nowadays.

The main drawback of travelling alone is that an evening meal is sometimes lonely and it would be pleasant to have a companion. However if you tire yourself out during the day then you probably just want to eat in your hotel and have an early night.

My last trip was to Venice (5 years ago) and I did get cold feet a few days before because of mobility issues. My nephew urged me to go ahead and Im glad I did. However I decided that would be my last trip - mainly because of the crowds and queues at airports.

I stopped travelling because of mobility issues but have seen some wonderful places and have some great memories to look back on.

Fabulous fish and chips in Whitby plus Whitby Abbey. Also retro clothes shop and Whitby jet jewellery. I think Scarborough has good boat trips. Enjoy.

I was used to travelling, often alone, for many years. After my husband died, shortly before the first lockdown, I desperately wanted to travel to see old friends and revisit some of the places we loved but, suddenly it was illegal.

When travel was possible again, my first excursion was to spend a few days with an old friend. To my horror, I realised that my confidence in my own abilities had completely gone and the prospect of travelling from Lincolnshire to Surrey by train made me tremble with fear. But I did it. I knew if I didn't, my life would be very constrained.

After that, I booked a short special-interest holiday, travelling by train and found the travelling was less stressful with careful advance planning - checking on the internet for how much time between connecting trains and which platforms they arrive and leave at; checking the layout of unfamiliar stations and so on.

Now, it's fine. Although I now do most of my travelling with my new partner, I do still make some journeys alone and have no worries.

Mind you, I've stayed in this country, so far. My passport has expired and I loathe airports so much that I'm not sure I'll bother to renew it!

Incidentally, this fear of travelling alone afflicts men, too. My current partner was widowed four years ago and, too a large extent, is still uncomfortable travelling on his own by car, train or bus.

I think the crucial factor is to get out of your comfort zone and just do it. You were a capable, rational person when there were two of you and you're still the same person, even when there's only one of you.

I’ve travelled alone, and continue to do so, quite a bit for pleasure and, until last year, for work, regardless of whether I’ve been single or married.

I hope I will continue to do so.