An 83-year-old woman from Northampton has visited 27 countries since taking up solo travel at the age of 75. Sheila Ingram has travelled to destinations including India, Uzbekistan and Cuba, where she went ziplining.
New research from Saga Holidays has found that one in five British over-50s now travel by themselves, with women more than twice as likely as men to do so.
A decision to embrace life alone
After spending much of her life caring for family members, Sheila decided to go solo travelling after finding herself on her own for the first time.
“When I found myself on my own, I thought, this really is my life for as long as I’ve got it,” she said. “I decided to embrace it and try to tick a few countries off the bucket list.”
Favourite destination: Samarkand
Asked where the best place she has travelled to was, Sheila named Registan Square in Samarkand during her first trip to Uzbekistan.
“In 2016, after watching a BBC television series called The Silk Road, narrated by Sam Willis, I decided I wanted to have my own adventure and follow part of that historic route,” she said. “I discovered that Saga, which was already my preferred company for solo travel, offered a tour across Uzbekistan, so I decided to go for it.”
“I was following a dream, and I was not disappointed. The colours of the tilework on the buildings, madrassas and mosques were extraordinary. There were vivid purples, turquoise blues and so many other beautiful shades. The local people were so welcoming, and I loved every single minute of it, so much so that I returned again in 2022.”
Friendships made through travel
Alongside travel experiences, Sheila says she has made great friends in the eight years she has been solo travelling. Some have been fellow solo travellers, although many have been couples too.
“Each year we make an effort to have a lunch together in one another’s homes and catch up with all the news on the various holidays that we’ve been on since our last meeting,” she explained. “I have enjoyed around 17 wonderful get-togethers each year in different parts of the UK with very good friends I have met through travelling.”
Asked whether she thinks some older people may be stuck in their ways, Sheila says it is “understandable that some people her age can be cautious”, with many content with heading to the same places. Her advice, however, is to be “brave and fearless” when heading on a solo trip.
Discussing her life motto, Sheila said it is to “enjoy each and every day we are given on this beautiful, fragile earth.”
She concluded: “We all have a different amount of time here, and none of us knows exactly what lies ahead. That is why I believe it is so important to make the most of every day we have.”
