I was staying at an Ashram in Rishikesh, India where I met four women with whom I went on an elephant safari. One was in her twenties, another in her thirties, a third had just turned forty, and I was in my early fifties.
Regular readers know that my favorite benefit of solo travel is meeting people.
Sometimes the meeting is just for an hour or two. Other times I travel for a while with the people I meet. It happens when traveling independently and it also happens when traveling in a group.
Often that other traveler is quite a bit younger than me.
So, in addition to meeting people from other countries as I travel I also meet people of a completely different age cohort – which is like another culture unto itself. It makes me feel somewhat ageless.
I love it!
At a cooking class with a new friend, Patricia, from Brazil.
Tours Promote Ageless Travel
At Solo Traveler we have a commitment to nudging the travel industry along to serve solo travelers better. In doing so we meet tour operators and encourage them to drop the single supplement. And every once in a while we meet someone from the industry with whom we are totally simpatico.
Recently, I met Jay Lakshman of On the Go Tours. We talked travel and what we love about it and we discovered we have in common this love of meeting people outside our generation – whether they be older or younger.
Jay has a great passion to open travel to all. As he says, “We’re about opening up all the wonderful destinations around the world in an authentic manner, not seeing them through an 18-39 or 50+ lens.”
We’re excited to hear that Jay is planning a major launch of single supplement-free tours for every one of On the Go’s top destinations in 2017. They will announce these tours through the Solo Traveler Advisory which goes out to subscribers on our email list on the third Monday of the month.
Yes, simpatico. The whole conversation was wonderful.
I spent a weekend of fun on a winter yoga retreat meeting women of many ages.
The Joy of Traveling with People of Different Ages
As often happens in a conversation, my thoughts about travel, personal development, and the benefits of meeting people from around the world and of different ages gained clarity. Here are the highlights of my conversation with Jay.
“You change when you travel. You change rapidly.” This was Jay’s starting point. “The first and most evident shift is how open you become when you find yourself in a new and foreign environment. Preconceptions fade away in a blink and you’ll soon enough find yourself striking up the most unlikely conversations.” I agreed. To take the point further, as I travel I feel less compelled to broadcast my views on political, religious, and other such matters and more inclined to listen.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.“
Mark Twain
This openness is also experienced by fellow travelers. As a result, you’re bound to get along well with those a decade or two older or younger than you. In an increasingly ageist and youth-dominated world, how likely is it for a 60-year-old to socialize with a 25-year-old? Traveling with others of a wide age range offers that opportunity and is a surprising benefit of travel to many.
“Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.“
Lawrence Block
We also agreed that traveling with people of different ages is highly educational. Twenty-somethings have plenty to learn from the preceding generations. And in an ever-changing world the reverse holds just as true. Besides, do 50-somethings or, for that matter, 20-somethings really want to travel the world in the exclusive company of their own age demographic? There’s a lot to be said for being around those far younger or older than you. Add into the group dynamic a mix of single travelers and couples and people from a wide range of countries and you’ll gain a variety of perspectives and discover how much we all really have in common.
“Journeys are best measured in friends, rather than miles.“
Tim Cahill
You can’t go wrong with travel that promotes connecting with others. This is why Jay and On the Go Tours focus on breaking down barriers and opening up destinations in an authentic manner that is not specific to those 18-39 or 50+. They strive to offer tours with a varied and eclectic mix of people.
Jay loves quotes and provided those above. Then he provided this one that sums up his philosophy on travel.
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.“
Jawaharlal Nehru
On the Go Tours is a client and they have sponsored this post in support of Solo Traveler. It’s a privilege to work with a company that shares our vision of single supplement-free tours for solo travelers.
