After just returning from taking a solo travel trip at 26, I noticed many changes from my earlier solo travel trips. The last time I took a trip solo, I was 20 and backpacking across Europe. Since then, the pandemic happened, I got married, I got a dog, completed nursing school, started working as a nurse, and I moved across the country. I am at a different stage than I once was at 26. While I still arrived home feeling inspired and refreshed, I think I would do a few things differently on future trips. I went on this trip like I was still 20. I stayed in hostels and lived cheaply. In this post, I am discussing how solo travel changes as you get older based on my experiences. These may be some generalizations since I can only reflect on my personal experiences. Everyone goes through stages of their life at different times. Other 26-year-olds are single, or some have kids. Everyone has such varied experiences, so keep that in mind!

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How Solo Travel Changes as You Get Older

1. You Respect Your Privacy a Lot More

When I was 20, I loved staying in hostels. I got to meet so many people that I was never alone. I didn’t really want to be alone for most of my time! Since most people my age at the time were living in dorms at college, it was fairly normal to dorm. Now being 26, the hostel was fine. But, I much rather have my own space that I am not sharing with strangers. It is a great cheap way to travel and I did find others staying in the hostels who were my age or even older. For the most part, I would say the average age of others that I came across in hostels was around 23 years old.

I think at this time in my life I can afford to splurge a bit more on an Airbnb or hotel, especially if I am traveling with someone else. Hostels are great to save a few dollars. But, for the privacy that I get being on my own and not having to constantly be “on” all the time and meeting people, I would want to stay in an Airbnb on future trips, or at least break up my time staying in a hostel.

2. You Prefer Slower Travel

When I was 20, I spent a month in Europe and went to over 10 countries. I would pick one city in one country and then after take a bus or a train to the next country. I spent a lot of time on transportation and so many things went wrong! While I loved all the experiences I had and the wide amount of Europe I was able to see, I decided to take things much slower this time and I don’t regret it. Instead of spending 3- 4 days in one country and hopping over to the next, I choose to spend my 2.5 weeks in both Spain and Portugal. I got to see a wide variety of the country and my travel time between cities was only around 3 hours rather than 5- 10+.

Talking with others my age, I feel like the consensus is that instead of making highly ambitious travel plans to cover as much ground as possible or check another country off your list, you want to really experience more of the country or areas closer in proximity. Neither is right or wrong! I am glad I had the ambition when I was younger to be spontaneous and visit so many countries during one period. However, at this current time, I love getting to see more of just one or two countries at a time.

3. You Look Forward to Building Your Life at Home

I love to travel. It is one of my favorite things! When I was younger, travel was more exciting than anything at home. I didn’t have a place of my own, a husband, a dog, a career, etc. I didn’t want to return home after a trip or go back to “reality.” Now that I do have those things and a life I am building, I find myself missing home more than I did when I was younger. I now find myself looking forward to returning after a trip feeling refreshed and getting back into the swing of things!

4. You have Different Priorities When You Travel

When I was traveling at 20, I liked to stay out later, do more things that involved drinking, and skip the more expensive museums or experiences such as the Louvre or Versailles! Now that I am older, I tend to go to bed and wake up earlier to beat the crowds and focus more on experiences rather than bar hopping or the social aspect of travel. I also have more money (than I did at 20) to be able to spend on experiences such as kayaking through the sea caves in Lagos or taking a catamaran in Greece. I feel that the shift of priorities is for the better. I learned so much about myself during both trips. However, I feel like I learned more about the world and had the most new experiences during my most recent trip.

How Solo Travel Changes as You Get Older

I’ve noticed that solo travel has mirrored my personal growth. As I’ve aged, my motivations, preferences, and capabilities have shifted, changing the way that I experience the world alone. Again I just want to note, that there is no right or wrong way to solo travel. Whether you’re a seasoned adventurer or a newfound explorer, embracing solitude can lead to unexpected discoveries and lifelong memories.

Thank you so much for reading! If you want to be notified when I post new posts, be sure to follow my Instagram @maddie_deer or like my Facebook page here. If you’ve also noticed that your solo travel experiences have changed as you’ve gotten older, I would love to know in what ways in the comments below!