Freebird Club sat down with Deborah Ives, the Founder of Solo In Style, who shared her insights and experiences as a solo traveler. Deborah provided valuable tips, practical advice, and captivating personal stories that inspired and entertained.
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So yeah welcome everybody delighted to see a really good number of um of of people attending today um I’m Peter Mangan founder and CEO of freeberg Club a startup in the social travel space specifically for over 50s we describe ourselves as a social travel club for over 50s connecting mature explorers for
Meaningful travel and and social experiences I’m joined by my colleague Rachel Ryman who’s our community manager Rachel say hello there yes hi nice to see some familiar faces and to meet the rest of you um very excited to have you on the call I will be moderating um the
Chat so if at any point anyone has any questions feel free to write them in there um but if you would rather ask out loud um at the end of each session we’ll pause if there are any uh questions and you can just unmute yourself and
Ask okay so OB see the the main act today is Deborah but I will give you just a very brief introduction to freee bir club for those who aren’t aware of us uh basically the free bir Club is a social travel club for the over 50s our
Mission is to enable and Empower our over 50s members to travel connect meet and stay with each other as part of a trusted community of peers we like to say free bird Club is for people who love travel but also love helping other people travel to by sharing tips and
Advice by meeting up with traveling members when they’re in your own local area or indeed possibly hosting them in your home via home stays none of which is obligatory but it’s uh it’s all very welcome and uh very enabling for other members often who are traveling solo um
Just a little bit of background to why we set up free bir Club Society is aging very dramatically there’ll be 2.1 billion people aged over 60 by 2050 which is double today’s figure everyone talks about the the Aging demographic within that there’s an issue with loneliness and isolation many older
People feel lonely uh we know it’s bad for one’s worse than smoking and obesity but it also it also um contributes to the unmet travel needs of many older adults we are we we now know that travel is the leading aspiration for older adults in retirement and yet many people
Feel they can’t go or they can’t indulge that that ambition because they lack companions or possibly the confidence to go alone and so the vision for free bird GL is a global community of connected older adults who see the world as their oyster and Empower each other to favor it
Together so freeberg Club as I say we describe it as a social travel club for the over 50s the idea is it’s it’s capable of putting a travel companion or a companion in the pocket of respective old travel globally returning and so uh it starts by connecting Travelers with locals uh for
Tips advice potential meetups also homestays social hom stays where member guests can stay with Local Host posts and uh for an interactive H experience we’re also looking to organize group activities such as local tours and events but we’re also looking to expand the club we’re not there yet but through partnership
Plugins where by being a member of free bir Club you can Avail of travel and tourism discounts with other uh T travel and tourism book uh booking um uh connections through our platform also incy Services we’re looking to partner with a travel insurance company and offer those kind of extra benefits also
Enabling members to create subgroups around common interests uh we consider them as potential sub clubs within freeo Club such as a book club or a movie club or whatever people’s interests are that they can gather both online and offline in person and ultimately provide a travel oriented social network for
People who are interested in travel and cultural exchange uh so how it works basically it it begins by becoming a free bird member and then that member when planning a trip I.E in travel mode can connect with local members for tips advice or indeed meetups they can also stay in the home
Of a welcoming host for True local Hospitality but as we like to say every traveler is a local in their own home place in their own home patch and so the same free bird in homebird mode can help traveling members enjoy their local area making new friends in the process but
Also with the potential to host them in their home and make some extra money too uh freeberg Club is not just about homestays uh it’s much broader than that and many connections happen online uh as many as possible we try to encourage to meet offline in person uh but there’s
Also obviously this this opportunity to have homestays uh you can become a Homestay host you can stay in the home of a Homestay host and there are plenty information there’s plenty of information available on our site as to how you can do that but it’s something we love to encourage because it’s
Probably the best connection of the lot when you stay with the local and you get to really experience the uh the travel experience the local area Through The Eyes of a local uh free bir Club is global already it’s it’s in the early days of our growth but we’re already seeing members
In 35 countries globally and the seeds are swn for uh a worldwide network of of connected Free Birds every free bird on the platform has a every member has a detailed uh profile which describe where they describe themselves their interests languages they speak Etc this is just a
Snapshot of of somebody’s uh profile there in New York uh there’s quite a lot of very interesting things written there about uh meline um and the idea here is quite simply if you’re interested in visiting New York you can connect with meline in advance for local advice or
Tips or you can potentially meet manage to meet up when and if if and when you get there uh so here also is a just an example of the Homestay host Maria in Portugal she describes her play some photos there very familiar stuff and how you can actually book a stay with uh
With Maria uh and of course you can find out as I say every single member whether they’re a they’re a perspective traveler or guest or local or indeed H host has a rich profile so you can get to know the person that You’ be staying with um
Through the platform all in advance uh we’re also organizing some events with some uh travel uh Partners internationally at the moment we we’re focusing on three key cities London Dublin and Lisbon and we’re working with local Partners on the ground there whereby we’re having co-branded uh local events walking tours cultural events
That you can sign up to uh through free bir club and these are all accessible and on display via our Facebook uh page as well uh these are just selection of some of the partners we’re currently working with obviously this is the the thin end of the wedge we’re looking to
Create a network of Partners where we could have these kind of events spread out internationally um we certainly would like to see more in particularly in the us where we have quite a few members already we’re a small team so far uh but a very a very driven and passionate team
Uh you’ve met Rachel already I’m joined by uh seven other people also uh across I’m in Ireland by the way U most of the team is in the UK Rachel is in in the UK but we have Rachel and Brooke who are who are American and we have a couple of
Developers in Portugal as well so we’re very International as a team uh and just finally just to say we’re backed by Nesta and Founders Factory who have U become our key stakeholders and investors we’ve also won some uh a grant in in healthy aging from innovate UK and
We’ve won some major awards for social Innovation and uh startup uh Endeavor as well so uh it’s uh we’d like to think of it we have a good platform to grow and uh bring the free bir Club Vision to the world so uh this is a great place to
Start and and we love to connect with people uh and along our our journey so far we’ve connected with Deborah Ives who I’m delighted to be able to uh speak with today and uh without further Ado I sorry just before we leave this if anyone has any questions on freeberg
Club our website is freeberg club.com there’s you can email us there but we’ll be sending out information anyway after the uh after the session so anybody can connect and Link through to us if they wish without any further Ado I would like to introduce our main act today
Which is basically Deborah uh Deborah I so just by way of introduction thank you Deborah for for thank you for inviting me here to be uh Our Guest today and to tell us about your own experiences so as a brief introduction uh we’re very excited to be welcoming today’s speaker
Deborah Ives who is the founder of solo and style Deborah lives and breathes travel and is the voice of and a beacon for women over 50 who love to travel independently After experiencing the unexpected as many of us do in life which Deborah will uh delve into a
Little bit herself she came to discover the joys of solo travel and has since built out one of the most inspirational and vibrant online community groups for like-minded women debah who who was recently in fact on the cover of the Guardian for her experience as a solo female traveler started Solo in style
Several years ago to blog about her adventures and share her personal experiences and tips with the with the hope of inspiring Ing and encouraging others to embark on their own solo travel Adventures today her Facebook Community solo and style has over half a million over 50s female Travelers
Engaged which is a true Testament to the path that she has helped pave for solo female Travelers alongside a successful 30-year career in marketing fine wine and culinary arts Deborah now age 64 I hope she doesn’t mind me mentioning continues to expand Solo in style globally to support and encourage as
Many women as possible to fulfill their solo travel Ambitions she is a knowledgeable humorous and entertaining speaker so we would like to give her a very warm welcome to the Free Bird community so welcome Deborah and thank you so much for speaking with us today wow thank you very much what’s an
Introduction I hope I can live up to that I would just like not at all and I would just like to say uh to the audience please feel free to ask any questions you have in the chat if you know how to use that uh or indeed put up
Your hand and uh Rachel will be monitoring uh all of these questions and we’ll address them throughout our our Q&A session we don’t want it to be too formal it’s quite a fluid conversation and so any questions that you may have along the way feel free to to let us
Know so uh Deborah let’s kick off uh the first question I want to ask you is can you tell us a bit about how you started solo traveling yourself and what motivated you to start Solo in style subsequently so um I think you sort of touched on that unexpected life
Experience which while was um a divorce a very unexpected divorce um and um I had been married for quite some time and always loved to travel and had been sort of in in my marriage had been the person who did the really enjoyed doing all of the organization and all the planning of
It all and so um we had tickets for a trip of a lifetime to Malaysia which was going to go to we were going to Borneo to see the orangutangs and um end up on a diving Island because um I’m a keing diver and my ex as a keing diver
As well so that was all the deposit was paid and then things happened and I suddenly found myself on my own and I thought well s this I am not going to lose the deposit um being a bit of a sort of a a canny northerner so I decided I’m just
Going to do this on my own so um so I I did decide to go on my own and it was absolutely petrifying to start with I remember sitting at Heath airport and just thinking what on Earth have you done and and sort of sending a text to
My sister saying you know hope I see you again and off I went um and I had an absolute trip of a lifetime it was just amazing and um I mean there were moments that were really scary very nerve-wracking um Looking Back Now I think gosh I must have just looked must
Have stood out a bit like bit of sore thumb because I’m I felt as though every all eyes were on me because I was on my own which is ridiculous but anyway had a fantastic time and then that really hooked me and um and so um I kind of
Came back to the UK and I thought well there must be other ladies in this situation who are trying to kind of find their feet traveling a little bit sort of later in life on their own um so I started this um Facebook group Solo in style thinking um I could sort of
Exchange ideas and because there really wasn’t anywhere else or I couldn’t find anywhere else to kind of connect and for a long time there was about I don’t know 200 people 300 people as my sister and a few friends and and it and it took a
Long time to get going and then the last sort of six years certainly since postco but even during during the pandemic the numbers have just gone through the roof and um and these ladies come on and it’s everything from you know people who were you wanting to turn
To travel to help get over bereavement or illness or life life events through to women who’ve been traveling on their own forever when motorcycling across China um just a whole range of um women in our Common Thread is that we love to travel solo and my sort of definition of
Solo is you don’t know anybody when you land where you going so some of them choose to join groups some of them choose to you know connect through various platforms like Freebird and and meet people there and some really are very independent and just want to sort
Of disappear off into the sunset but um I honestly don’t think there is a question that has not been answered and um a place in the world where somebody will put in you know this I know I’m in some incredibly remote corner of the world please help and there’ll have been
500 women will have been there last year another hundred have got it on their bucket list 10 are there at the moment it’s just just un it’s just amazing so um so that’s kind of how it all came about yeah fantastic and it really is about you know sometimes being forced
Out of your comfort zone but it’s it’s it’s outside the comfort zone where where adventure and and you know real exploration begins and uh yeah absolutely the the what I’ve seen of solo and style obviously I’m probably not I’m not able to be part of the group
Uh as a male but um my colleagues have having shown me it’s a very vibrant group and the amount of exchange of information that just that organic people helping each other it’s it’s just really inspiring and and enabling of people who might be nervous about taking that first step but uh there really
Power in in the group to uh to to tap into um given the free bir clob is a is a is a I suppose somewhat aligned in terms of trying to enable and Empower people to take those those steps into and and travel uh and fulfill Ambitions um but
It’s open to men and women and I would just wonder from your perspective what are some key differences between solo travel experiences for women versus men um as well as possibly for older versus younger Travelers are you seeing kind of different types of experiences and issues arise um that’s a really good
Question I think that safety of course is the big thing and and I think perhaps as a woman and even as an older woman you might feel a little bit um uh a little bit more vulnerable you’re kind of stepping out on your own especially if you haven’t traveled um much at all
Um so there are con constant theme of you know safety safety when I travel safety in you know when I’m in my accommodation uh how do I safely connect with somebody uh I mean I only host a Facebook group with the best will in the world there can be anybody posing with a
With W with a with a profile so that’s why I think it’s so important to kind of you know if you want to connect if that’s one of the things you really want to do to do it through someone like yourselves where you know you know at least that you’re connecting with people
Who have kind of been bettered and have have joined um joined your platform but certainly for women’s safety is is a big thing definitely um and um and I think the Aging I mean I know now I am um because I I’ve been I’ve been planning a
Big trip for this summer and and I’m suddenly even now having traveled a lot feeling starting to question myself a little bit more and and double checking the details and thinking oh you know what’s making me feel a bit uncomfortable here and it’s I know it’s
Just an age thing it’s just uh I’m just not um you know perhaps as um I don’t know what the word is Carefree I don’t know maybe that’s not the right word but and then also there’s the physical side of things sometimes you want to go to
Slower Pace sometimes you know with the best will in the world you really don’t want to be you know full on the whole time you just W to take your time and slow travel or you know travel in in whatever way so I think those are some really big differences um both around
Sort of age and also around female travel I’m not sure if anybody on the on the call has any thoughts on that um I get I get the sense that we’ve got quite a few ladies on here who are traveling already on their own or traveling certainly
Any questions so far actually on that um I just to that point we have noticed a significant growth and actually I should say about free bir Club I think it’s 75% of the members are women so clearly the the demand or the interest in in
Traveling in in later life we call it uh seems to have really you know grabbed the attention of of women for for more than men certainly that’s what we’re seeing yeah I mean there that’s what the article Guardian article focused on exactly that the fact that it was women
And a lot of women in my group come in and say does anybody know about groups like this for men because my husband’s interested in finding one for guys because I mean just because you’re traveling solo it doesn’t mean you’re necessarily single I mean there’s lots
Of people who travel on their own for lots of reasons um not not necessarily because they are they’re sing they’re single so um yeah it’s it’s very much a female thing isn’t it and and so we’ve noticed the sign ific growth in female solar travel in recent years and and the guardian was
Speaking exactly to that the guardian article what factors do you think have particularly contributed to this trend uh and do you foresee it evolving further in the future I think it I think it will evolve and I think without you know I think finally the travel industry is waking up
A little bit to the fact that we are a powerful um demographic and um and we want to spend our money it’s not always about money people travel on a budget as well as traveling with money but we want to get out there and we want to we want to do
This and so um so I think for on the one hand the travel industry in general is waking up so now I mean there’s arttic there are lots of articles about the solo female traveler whereas maybe 10 years ago it was really hard to find anybody who was kind of C curating
Things especially for that demographic now I think you know lots of companies are waking up to to that as a as a as a big target audience um so I think it will definitely evolve and um it’s great that things like home stays with free bird help avoid things
Like the single supplement because that’s sometimes you know there are Financial barriers that make it more expensive to travel on your own and um and so you know this is a great way of overcoming that um and and you can travel you know within whatever budget
That you want and I think it’s just a case of I don’t know generally now perhaps we are as women are feeling a little bit more uh confident as we get older and a bit more visible as we get older and hey you know what’s the stop
Us nothing let’s just get out there and do it and one of the overwhelming um messages I think that come through comes through from my group is that it’ll somebody will say you know oh you know thank you for your help I had to add questions about I don’t know
Spain or whatever I finally got off the fence and I finally did it and and the bottom it’s always you know if you’re on the fence don’t hesitate just do it just go you won’t regret it and I think once you get bitten by the bug it’s a little
Bit sort of it’s quite addictive and you just you want to do it again so that’s probably why it’s growing so quickly and given I suppose that there are some reservations and and you talked about the safety being concern for sure um are there any other kind of common
Priorities or concerns that you’ve observed among women in SoDo travel anything that didn’t particular that uh you you’ve seen a rise eating alone that’s a big one that comes up a lot um there seems to be a lot of um of sort of of of uh conversations around eating alone and uh
How to do that and how you know well I mean there lots of kind of angles to this one angle is there are lots of restaurants around the world where where they don’t really accept solo female Travelers of any age and they feel comfortable having somebody a woman sat
On their own in their restaurant or bar um and I have experienced that myself in the UK as well as as elsewhere but um and then but then right through to the you know gosh I feel really uncomfortable what am I going to do for
You know a couple of hours sat there on my own through to the practicalities of what do I do if I have to leave my stuff and go to the L and how does that just practical things through to you know gosh I’m here on my own and I’m looking
Around and this restaurant’s full of couples and no one’s talking to each other which always makes me smile because I I think that’s quite quite often something that when you’re observing you can see other people behave so eating alone is a big one um and there are lots of ways of which you
Can kind of make that more comfortable yeah I think I I think whe you’re male or female that idea of being in a bar on your owner sitting down a restaurant have to get over that self-conscious aspect to it is a great is a great way to overpower yeah
Definitely but have you any advice on that actually how to make it easier for people in terms of maybe the timings or the kind of restaurant you choose yeah yeah well um well I’m a bit I’m a real foodie so I actually like I follow lots
Of food people on television so I go where I go quite often I’ll retrace their steps and go to places so I could I’ve been to all kinds of places from sort of more formal places to I I love kind of hole in the wall like street
Food as love all of it so so I mean I think there are challenges in different bits I’m depending on where I am if I’m lunch I will often just go for lovely long late lunch and um and that then sort of bridges the Gap and then in the
Evening you can if you’re in an hotel or Airbnb you might just want to sit on your balcony with a with a a night cap or whatever you and you’ve already eaten and so it’s more comfortable somehow during the day um I love it if you find
Yourself in a place that’s got a where you can eat at the counter or or at the the bar and you can get chatting and I also think if you get friendly waiting staff it’s brilliant because when they know you’re on your own if they’re positive and and chatty they’ll quite
Often and this happens all a lot kind of slip you little oh have you have a try of this this is our news you know starter or here let me top up your glass don’t tell anybody and bl and so they look after you which is really nice too
Um so those are some good ways and of course you know there’s the book and the phone and all of that but sometimes I think it’s just nice to own it and and embrace it and um yeah go for it absolutely and I suppose that’s the thing you know solo traveling as
Somebody who has done a lot of solo travel um over the years and I really enjoy the experience but you don’t really want to be alone all the time you do want to have these connections with along the way whether they’re the waiter or just people you meet you know um
Either by joining a tour or or people wherever you’re staying and obviously home stay is a great example or a great opportunity to do that but it’s finding these touch points that you’re not actually feeling alone all the time that uh and yet being comfortable in your own
Skin you know when you are in a situation like in a restaurant but uh um someone who has experienced uh unexpected situations during your travels things happen um often that we don’t expect could you share any tips or advice for handling challenges that may arise while you’re traveling while
You’re on the trip uh if anything goes wrong feel uncomfortable yeah I mean I there I have had situations where I have felt uncomfortable and um but I mean I’ve had and I’ve also had some real disasters I remember going all the way to the
Philippines to go um sorry to was it the Philippines or Indonesia can’t to go diving Indonesia and I landed and then and then instantly was transported by boat miles to an island hours away and when I got there they said can we see your passport
And I and couldn’t find it and I dropped it up in the airport because I knew I’d had it because I’d come through passport control and um some very kind person at the hotel called the airport and they had it had been handed in and they CED
My passport to me thank God because I was had endless nights lady bed thinking how in Earth am I going to get my passport so I think I think you you know never be afraid to ask for help never be afraid to um to kind of um sort of throw
Yourself on the kindness of strangers and people will always help you if they can I mean I know if I’m in a situation in London and I see somebody and they’re asking for help I would always help you would you just would um and so I think
Um you know and other situations if you’re lost and you know you can ask and ask for help and never ever worry or feel uncomfortable doing that um but yeah I mean I have not touch wood had um you know medical emergencies whilst I’ve been traveling but I mean of course all
These things happen and I think you just have to you know be a little bit prepared for these things and make sure you’re staying in touch with you know whoever you want to stay in touch with at home and they know where you are and and kind of a bit of a safety
Net yeah and absolutely and and and just to to maybe extrapolate a bit on that are there things that you should do in the planning stages or or just kind of sensible guidelines as to ensuring your Safety and Security and and general welfare while you’re traveling are you
Any particular tips or advice that people could follow on that well I uh and I don’t know whether this is a British thing uh because I we have a lot of um North Americans in the group and I think it’s now changing but I never ever travel without travel
Insurance ever I never have and um and I can I I have I have I had to call on it maybe once I had a flight cancelled but I would never travel without it and that I’ve seen lots of incidents of ladies who have had accidents and ended up in
Hospital for example where they have been really grateful that they have had their medical expenses covered so I would definitely always um have travel insurance and I know that there are websites I don’t know whether we do this in the UK but certainly in the US you
Can register as a traveler if you’re going to a foreign country so that different departments know where you are as a tourist um but just also um I always you know keep in touch with my sister and my brother and just sort of I do put things on my private Facebook so
Friends can see that you know everything’s going well and um so it it’s just sort of checking in I think I’m just trying to think if there other things they usual things never travel with jewelry or anything I think my motto is if you are worried about losing
It then don’t take it with you with you know obviously your passport you have to but within reason I don’t I don’t travel with jewelry or uh you know and I do have a crossbody bag that I just keep by my side and kind of take normal precautions that you know you probably
Would I would anyway at least walking around London yeah no absolutely and uh oh I’m just we see a question there yes uh we have two questions we can um start with Jones just because it is talk uh talking about what you just touched on yeah I think it’s State Department
Exactly that’s exactly it yeah yeah and then going back to safety uh Angela had asked earlier when we were discussing Freebird and hom stays um how our members are vetted um to make sure that staying with them is as safe as possible yeah so that that’s the registration process and as basically
Free Bird Club is a is a paid model although at the moment you can pay whatever you feel is appropriate anything from one year $1 one Euro to up up to 100 and uh the reality is with that really it’s by by ensuring that um only people who have come through the
Pay wall are members of of freir Club there’s a certain check that goes with that but the main thing is verifying identity so every freeboard Club member who comes and joins the club H sub has to submit a copy of their uh of their ID uh that’s checked by the team and also
There’s a number of contact points as well that are all verified and and checked so it’s it’s it’s not so much vetting in the in the kind of official sense it’s more verifying the identity of people making sure we have um um the full details on them uh and none of
Which is maintained we don’t we don’t store that information we don’t store copies of passports or driver license or anything that but it’s a check at the point of joining uh and also if there were any of our hosts they also would provide um evidence of utility bill or
Something that verifies the address as well so we just have a few checks there that make sure that uh we can stand over that everybody is who they say they are and they they’re living where they say they are as well in the case of hosts um
Okay uh is there anything else another I think yes I think Alice is just confirming it is the state department that you had registered with and also to know the where the US Embassy is in the country that you’re visiting if that’s if that’s also important for you yeah
Okay so moving on from the cautionary stuff about safety Etc um what are some of the most memorable experiences or encounters that you’ve had while traveling solo oh gosh I mean you know um where I mean there are places that I have been to that I have particularly enjoyed I absolutely love
Sri Lanka for me was a highlight so much so that I went back a second time in the same year I just loved everything about it um you know the actual the physical beauty of it the people the food was amazing the culture all of it loved it
Felt very safe had a great time and India I love India um and I’ve had some fantastic I had I think one of the nicest things that I find um and it kind of is you know it works both ways I kind of touched on it before
About when you’re on your own you can end up in situations where where people will sort of take you a little bit under their wing and then for you get really you can get special treat um all right and um there have been situations where um I have been
Sort of the only guest somewhere and you end up you know having the most memorable evening where someone’s like come on let’s go and they take you to a bar or just really kind of helps help you kind of become well very much on the
Freeb Lin more of a a local and and you get you feel like you’re getting really kind of special treatment um so I mean again my f that first CH I mentioned to Boro I remember I was the only guest in this huge um I suppose we Wildlife Resort and I
Remember the first I remember walking into it it was all cabins and I and I went to the reception and and I as I was checking in and I said oh and how are you full tonight how many people are here and she said you’re the only guest
And I just went into this Decline and I went to my room and I just wept on my bed because oh my God I’m going to die in my bed I’m going to be bitten by a snake no one would knows where I am
That’s it this is the end of me and I ended up having the absolute best time because I was the only one on the on so I had special game drives and Safari and I got to know the the guy who was leading it and he would like knock on my
Door and say hey I’m just going to go and see this do you want to come and had a fabulous time so um so there are lots of pluses about being on your own one the other big thing I think is meeting other people too I mean I’ve met some
Fantastic people along the way some that are literally just sort of friends for that moment and then some that you stay in touch with and maybe meet up with again along the way or um so you know that’s been a huge huge um highlight of a lot of my travels um just
The people that you meet and the encounters that you have yeah certainly and uh I guess the you know the the internet has and platforms like free bir club or or indeed solo and style but other platforms that enable people to make these connections perhaps in advance or
Or while they’re there do you think there are significance in terms of uh enabling or improving the experience for solo Travelers uh um helping them to meet other people while they’re out on the road oh I think so definitely made a difference yeah yeah for sure I mean
Some people will always just want to go off on their own and do their own thing and and um I mean of course that’s absolutely fine and I think you know I’m sort of I like to dip in and out I love the idea of being on my own but I also
Love the idea of being able to kind of meet up occas you know along the way and know that there’s somebody somewhere and we can get together for a meal um and then there are others who who really want to join a group experience of other solos and travel you know whe where
Everything is taken care of for them so I think there’s a huge part I mean for the free Freebird Club I think is is great because it does offer that chance to connect but to be you know assured that you are connecting with the person
That you think you are as opposed to the sort of the more Anonymous ways of doing it through Facebook and other social media but um yeah I mean I think connecting is a is a a hugely important part of any travel Solo or otherwise but
I do think um I do think I’ve met more people traveling on my own than I would have had if I had continued to kind of be traveling as a married couple that’s probably just don’t know there’s no evidence of that just my my opinion and
My feeling but yeah I feel as though I have yeah know I i’ certainly agrees whether it’s traveling with friends or traveling with a partner um you any any trips I’ve taken on my own I’ve been just it brings out the extrovert in you because you’re have to make an effort
You you’ll be just on your own all the time and you won’t be having any conversation you won’t get any immersion into the the local scene um and it brings that out whether you like it or not you’re kind of you know that that need for for to talk need to connect at
Some level with people um I think it it it comes to life when you’re traveling on your own um you you kind of have to overcome the shyness if you have shyness is that’s part of your your character um is there difference between traveling I know You’ you’ve traveled far and wide
Into pretty exotic locations is there a difference between traveling solo as a female in in the developed World we’ll say Europe the states wherever versus you know maybe developing world I think there is yeah yeah I mean one big big thing is language um and we tend to I
Mean I do speak a little bit of French a little bit of German but I don’t speak a word of Spanish and I had I didn’t feel massively comfortable in Argentina for example because um I honestly could not really get into it because I couldn’t
Speak a word of Spanish and and I found rightly so why do we make we think everyone’s going to speak English but um so I think language is one thing I think um one you know things places where I might feel a little bit more um challenged I will I will organize you
Know and and and some people find this a little bit a bit uncomfortable but it’s very normal for example in India and in Sri Lanka you hire I hired a private driver and that’s actually the only way that you can get around anyway because there is no other way really perhaps in
India you could do the trains but certainly in Sri Lanka you couldn’t really and for a lot of British people that feels a little bit weird because you’d never really hire a driver to take you anywhere you know you might get an Uber but and a taxi for a short but so
But in these but for in India for example I’ve been a few times to India it’s very normal and that gives you this feeling of safety because they just really look after you and they will take you to wherever you need to go if they’re a guide as well they’ll show you
Around but more often than not they’ll just put you know deliver you to your hotel and pick you up when you need to go and that’s makes you feel a lot more comfortable also if I’m flying somewhere um Long Haul I mean and then I always try to make sure that I’ve got
Somebody to meet me at the airport I’ll arrange that either through wherever I’m staying or through websites or what have you because for me I love that it makes me feel much more comfortable when I come out of the airport and somebody’s got my name on a sign and after that
Once I’ve got to the wherever I’m staying I’m fine but I just like to have that first steps into a into a foreign country especially if it’s countries that are a little bit more challenging you know to navigate on your own um just make sure that you know you’re not you
Got somebody to meet you is um always makes me feel a lot better A lot more comfortable yeah absolutely but and those kind of things you know organizing a driver they’re so much more affordable in these countries where are you know yeah you might need them for safety
Security Reon and for getting around you know they right thought of getting a private driver here in Ireland or in the UK would I know have somebody drive me from London to Glasgow I mean think about that I know I know yeah so certainly the the the budget side of
Things and some more locations makes U makes it a lot easier to make that decision um in terms of accommodation uh choices Deborah do you what what’s your own preference where where do you find do you stay in a variety of places the hotel Airbnb or home stays what what do
You tend to go for yourself any advice on on that yeah all of the above and I think it depends really on where you’re going and and back to sort of how comfortable you are um in the countries or the locations that you’re going to if
I know somewhere really well and I feel really comfortable I would probably get an Airbnb because I know that I can go shopping and I can kind of look after myself um I if it was um I’m not a fan of big hotels and resorts I’m if I’m staying in a hotel I
Ched look for smaller more Boutique type hotels that way again people tend to sort of know you’re there and we’ll chat to you and you can tend to you know you can get a bit more of a rapport going and I’ve met some fabulous people like over breakfast in various small hotels
Around the world um and just I found that really interesting I have done home stays again it depends exactly where where you’re going and I have done the occasional Resort it’s just not really my thing um it depends on where you’re going too I like to try local the local
Food if it’s possible it’s not always possible um so sometimes if you’re in a resort you know there’s you don’t ever leave the kind of compound you just can you can kind of fly in and out of a country and I’ve never really a seen anything particularly or
Be supported the local economy too because I think as you know we’re we’re traveling and we’re we are um guests in different countries and I always think it’s important for to try to support those the local economy when we’re there and to support the local local businesses and the local people you know
People who local homesteads local hotels etc for sure yeah and and uh was ethical traveling as well trying to leave a positive footprint in in everything economically and and environmentally in your host destination um good what are your thoughts on home stays in particular for solar female Travelers do
You think they make particular sense is it is it something you’d recommend oh God yeah definitely I think it makes um great sense I mean like I think it makes sense from both angles so I could be I actually don’t have it anywhere in my
Very small um London flat to rent out as a homestead because otherwise I would I think it’s great as a as a female to in invite other um solo female travelers to come and and stay with you it’s a great way to meet connections and and to show
People around your your city or your town so and also to you know to be able to get a little bit of income I think it’s fantastic U from that angle but also from you know the traveling perspective I think it’s a great way to to you know to know that you’re going
Somewhere uh and to know that there’s somebody there who is expecting you and you you know you can kind of bond with if you want to be on your own I’m sure you can but you know that you’ve got that safety net I think it’s a really
Great way to for for solo female travelers to to to really feel safe when they when they explore definitely okay um just before we maybe throw it open to to the to the audience for some more questions um finally for women who may be hesitant as we as we
Know there’s there’s a a growing interest in Solo travel among women over 50 particularly but uh for women who may be thinking about it getting close to taking the big step but but they’re hesitant or nervous about embarking on their first solo trip what encourage ment or guidance would you offer to help
Them take that leap and embrace this uh this new adventure I mean it’s really kind of flipping to say oh do it you’ll never regret it you won’t look back but I do honestly think that is a very that is a very true statement I honestly
Certainly from my group um which is is Big so there’s a lot there are lots of comments there are very very very very very few who have said and there are some who’ve said I did it and it wasn’t for me so I won’t doing it again so but
The majority are oh my goodness I wish I had had the confidence to do this sooner so I think you know I think that it you know you you really won’t be disappointed but I think take baby steps first of all you don’t have to fly
Across the world in your first Go I mean go somewhere local if you’re uncomfortable eating out then take yourself out for lunch in your local town or city um just you know do explore locally and just get a level of of comfort doing what you’re doing and then
A great way to then if you want to explore further is to um in the first instance you might want to add on uh a stay with friends or a stay with family or a group trip and then add on some solo days of your own that happens a lot
Um whereby you you can have the comfort of a group to start with and then you know that you’ve got four or five days afterwards home stays are absolutely brilliant as we’ve already said because you know you’ve got someone there just um if you if you again it’s that
Physical travel is uncomfortable then look at some local hom stads and just do some things sort of in your own country before you be kind of venture abroad so I think um lots of lots of ways you can ease yourself into it if you don’t you know if you’re really kind of looking
For ways to feel more comfortable absolutely I think very inspiring um words to to finish on there it it really is about taking the leap I think and um there you know there’s no time like the president and ages barrier there may be additional concerns sometimes and you know um but the
Reality is it’s just a case of you know doing the right things being sensible about it and uh and embracing the opportunity um okay would we hear from some of the audience is anyone here an active solo female traveler who wants to give their own a little bit of advice or
Information based on their own experiences or any questions for Deborah while we have her everyone’s on mute one lady’s typing something I can she looks like she is but I’m not sure I can’t see her name I would say age is not a barrier either you mentioned age I mean certainly in my
Group there are ladies in their mid to late 80s who are traveling on their own some for the first time um so AG is not a barrier it’s it really is and you know depending again on your um Mobility I mean it doesn’t matter there are always
Ways that you can do explore if you want to and there are so many different ways that you can do it um to make to feel comfortable oh here’s a question yeah that’s a really good question yeah so Joan wrote in the chat when wandering around a new city is it
Best to have your passport on your person or to leave in your room oh this is a debated heat heatedly in the group um so for example in Italy you have to have your passport on you you will be fined um if you are stopped by the
Police and you don’t have your passport and there are other countries too uh I only know about Italy because I was looking at it recently um because I’m going there and you are legally obliged to carry your passport and a copy is not enough you have to have your actual
Passport there with you I personally leave mine in my room um but it’s a tough one isn’t it if there’s a safe of course it’s great some in the in the in the sort of olden days you would leave it behind the reception with the receptionist I’m not sure I
Would do that anymore now though but that was really common when you were traveling because you you know you felt it was safe to leave your passport there and I think looking back on it sometimes they were literally just do like pigeon holes yeah make always make a copy
Always always I take make a cop copy of everything because the other thing too as we have so much on our phone my other thing is like oh my goodness what happens if I don’t have Wi-Fi you know if I can’t get my tickets and I can’t
Get so I do I am a paper you know I like to kind of have paper copies so I’ll have all my insurance certificates of course and but also my uh all my flight details my booking references I have paper copies of all of that and the addresses of where I’m
Going um yeah and someone else is coming in now Charlotte in the us a picture with your phone yeah yeah sometimes it is absolutely I would agree I think I wouldn’t normally take my passport with me all the time I just know that in Italy it’s you have to and I’m sure
There are other countries where you have to do it too but I would normally leave it in the room yeah okay um you mentioned Italy there probably my favorite country to visit you know pound for pound as I say um are there any if you were to if I was to challenge
You with like your your top three or your or three High recommendations for countries to visit as a solo female traveler any any particular gems come to mind ah so hard honestly I mean God first of all there are so many places I haven’t been to um and in fact I don’t
Really know Italy very well I used to live in the south of France I was right next door to Italy and I really I was there for 15 years and I did go to Italy but but not really um an awful lot so I’m going to be discovering Italy a
Little bit more this year actually Sri Lanka I’ve mentioned before I cannot speak more highly about sh Lanka I loved it um where else have I really enjoyed I I I honestly can’t find um think of places that I didn’t really enjoy some have been a little bit more
Challenging I love I’m I’m now discovering Spain again right on our um on our doorstep really from from the UK um more southern Spain so I’m a big fan now of of Malaga and places down there I love myor and so so um but honestly I
Mean it’s a that’s so tough that is such a tough uh question I I honestly as I say I’m trying to think of anywhere that I really didn’t like I didn’t really get along in Argentina but that was more on me because I couldn’t speak the language and felt uncomfortable but some good
Questions coming anywhere would you just where you would discourage travel not really um I mean perhaps controversial I don’t like Morocco my goodness Morocco is probably one of the number one destinations from the women in my group seems like so many people love Morocco I wasn’t a fan of Morocco I got violently
Ill and and just I just didn’t it just didn’t do it for me at all so if you ask me personally I would say probably not Morocco but lots of people love Morocco and another lady’s going to Ireland oh this one could be this one could be for you for you Peter using
Train buses trains and buses yeah absolutely is there anything I should be concerned about no I wouldn’t say there’s anything to be concerned about the only thing is rural Ireland is not the best served by public transport uh where I am at the moment down in in
Kerry Southwest of Ireland um yeah the bus transport’s not great um but but certainly everything is safe and it’s not not too expensive to get around um with a bit of planning in advance yeah you you get everywhere you need you need to go and there are lot of um say for
Example there you know the more scenic areas around the Atlantic coast uh the Ring of Kerry as I say where I am um there there are many you know smaller buses chartered buses or bus tours that that do the the scenic touristic areas so uh you’ll have no problem really with
With that um but and actually Rachel was in Ireland for was in recently for St Patrick’s Day I think she had a good expence oh wow that must have been great yes it was great I loved it I would definitely go back but just touching on the Transportation uh a few friends of
Mine I don’t know where you’re located Joan but um we drive on the other side of the road in America um they do in the UK and in Ireland and my friends rented a car and drove uh around the the coast Carol I personally would never drive I’m
From New York I would never drive in New York to begin with um or at least in New York City uh but they rented a car and they were able to drive and they had no problems um but I don’t think I would do that I
Wouldn’t I I’m not advising that you do that um but if you wanted to there you go look at that somebody’s done that very thing somebody local took care of the transportation yeah I think it always helps if you have a car with that’s got the steering wheel on the correct side
Of the road for where you’re driving the worst thing I find as a Brit is if you cross the channel and you when you’re in Eng car and your steering wheels on the wrong side so you’re driving literally in the gutter that is really quite
Tricky but if you rent a car and the steering wheel at least is on the right side of for where you’re driving that’s an advantage but yeah maybe that’s also a thing too I don’t care to drive too much when I travel now um we’ve time for another couple of
Questions before we we we wrap up quick one for me actually Deborah um do use guides um are you somebody who who uses the old trusted guide book or are you using these kind of modern day apps get your guide and things like that that you
Have in your phone how how do you get the information you need to make the most of your trips oh that’s a really good question U it is a lot of Googling a lot a lot of asking in my group or even reading the posts in my group
Because literally you can go in my group and you can search at the top and you know like Seville I’ve been planning my trip to Seville and cadis and Granada and the alambra and and I’ve got everything from the group so that um when I get where I where I’m going I
Always do like to do walking tours I love a good walking tour and um and I would say that’s a great way to kick off because then you can find places that you want to go back to that you can then spend more time I like I like a Hop On
Hop off bus in some places depending on where I am uh and again depending on where I’m going and sort of why I’m going there I do like to sign up for local things like maybe local cookery class or a wine tasting or something like that so I will
Um I will make a point of sort of seeing what’s available and I and I follow people on social media and things where you know you can kind of see what’s happening in local in local cities or sign up yeah for alerts yeah the these walking tours are
Great and and as I say some of the events that we we organize are with local walking tours and many of them are free and uh it’s just wonderful and you not only do you get a a nice bit of exercise you get you know the culture
The history of of the place and you also get to do it in in the company of a few other people so it’s actually often a great way you might be doing a walking tour in the morning and you might have a dinner date for later on that evening
But somebody you know just you just got chatting to as part of the group yeah yeah I love them I really love them and cycling too depending on where you are um I’ve done some cycling City cycling tours as well but mainly walking tours I love them absolutely love them
Yeah I like city breaks anyway sorry you were just going to finish so it’s and it’s no no no not at all no I agree city breaks I very different type of travel really isn’t it um just going for maybe two three or four days in in a nice city
Particularly in Europe and you know some the older cities they’re fascinating and there’s so much culture to be to be explored and uh yeah I I love them always trying to do two or three a year if I can just short breaks but um keep things interesting any questions any other questions from
Anyone else feel free to unmute if anyone wants to say anything as well you’ve all been very quiet I really like the idea of uh walking tours and and then of taking local classes but you know if you don’t know the language how do you find the LA
The classes yeah that’s a really good point and it depends ACR where you’re going I mean I think quite often some of them will will tell you what the language and a lot of them will will um include English I have actually ended up though in a in a wine tasting once where
There wasn’t import where there was no English spoken at all and I didn’t realize and it was fun and you can kind of figure it out wi Techni is not quite the same as trying to learn something quite you know a bit more intense but um yeah you obviously have to check the
Language the languages just mut out um what the languages on offer yeah so I’m thinking I’ve been to Germany several times and I would think they wouldn’t have wine tasting they’d have beer tasting right well I think depends where you go actually they have some beautiful Wines
In Germany yeah and depending where you go yeah if you go into the rine region they have all their beautiful alsas wines and um and I’m sure you could do some great wine tasting there and I think about in the United States they don’t have walking tours that I’m aware
Of maybe in New York City they do but most places in the United States wouldn’t have those see I don’t know um I don’t know because um I have done some cities um in America but I’ve tended to do those sort of adds add on to work and
Things so I’ve done it sort of with colleagues and what have you I haven’t really searched that but I mean for example I was in Australia recently and Sydney is a huge City and they were had the most fantastic walking tours um really so I’m sure I bet you could find
Them in New York I bet yeah my mom has done a handful in New York she did like a tment tour and like a walking tour Brooklyn they did like a pizza tour that just like from pizza to pizza shop yeah I’m sure they yeah Boston is
Another good place for sure yeah yeah that’s because nobody can figure out where the streets go read it’s just so much history in a a closed area oh yeah I was driving there one day and I could find the I could see where I wanted to go I could see the place but
Even the policeman could not tell me how I could get there it was really frustrating but anyhow yeah urb been planning these days with oneway streets it’s uh yeah you don’t know what you’re dealing with when you take your car into the city I don’t think they want cars in
Cities anymore certainly in Europe and they’re yeah yeah well it was originally cowpath so you know it’s how they organize Boston streets so anyhow fun yeah yeah Boston I’ve heard great things about Boston I’ve a lot of a lot of Irish Americans recommend trips to
Boston so it’s on my list um a beautiful city by all counts yeah uh okay any anything else before we finish up okay um uh thank you so much Deborah that was really enlightening and really inspiring