A retired woman in her 70s refuses to be “old and lonely” by solo travelling the globe, including a self-planned trip across India saving her nearly £2,000 on a package holiday
A retired woman in her 70s refuses to be “old and lonely” by planning solo trips, including a self-planned adventure across India saving nearly £2,000 on a package holiday.
When Molly Webster’s husband of 37 years died, she decided she didn’t want to stop travelling. Determined to go on trips alone, in 2020 she set out on a three week trip to India and hasn’t stopped since. The now 76-year-old has visited Spain, Amsterdam and South Africa on her own.
When planning her travels, Molly found package holidays for one person were more expensive than holidays for two people. In order to try and save money, Molly decided to plan her own trip to India and by doing so saved £2,000. “Being a widow, every time I looked at going on a package holiday it was for two people,” said Molly, a retired fashion trimmings agent, from Stratford, London.
“For one person it was so much more expensive – I kept thinking ‘how do I go on holiday as a single person without having to pay extra?’ So I thought ‘why don’t I put something together for myself’ and started looking at accommodation, forms of travel and places I might be safe to travel alone.”
If Molly had booked a trip through a tour company, the package would have cost in excess of £3,500. By planning the trip herself, Molly spent nearly half of that (£1,800) for the same holiday. Following months of planning, she finally visited Chennai, Mussoorie, Goa and Kerala in 2020 before Coronavirus travel restrictions were implemented.
Once she returned, Molly knew she had caught the bug for solo travelling. “Even at this age I’ve still got so many ambitions, I still feel that I don’t want to be restricted in any shape or form,” said Molly. “I want to travel for as long as I can move about.” After safely making it home in March 2020, Molly made a few more solo trips visiting Spain, Amsterdam and Cape Town in 2021 and 2022.
The grandmother-of-three’s itineraries have included going on walking trips around Chennai, visiting an elephant sanctuary, discovering local cultures and going a boat trip through rapids. For her next trip, Molly plans to visit Turkey later this year and still has ambitions to travel further afield, including a trip to Australia with her son and a trip around Europe.
Molly’s very first solo trip was to New York back in 2002, but after that holiday she then went away on package holidays with her husband. “Travelling is the best experience and educator – and as you get older it is even more so. Instead of being old and lonely I’ve got so much more to look forwards to,” she said.
In 2023, she decided to visit India, going to eight states in five weeks including spending time near the Himalayas and staying with families in their homes. Molly shared: “I would encourage other older or retired people to travel solo – if they feel fit and are going to a safe country I advise it.”
Next, Molly hopes to go to Turkey for a 14-day cultural tour of Cappadocia. Compared to travelling with a companion, Molly finds solo travel freeing — allowing her to tailor trips to her own interests.
“Of all the trips I’ve been on, going to the foothills of the Himalayas were fascinating. I was on a rickety old bus I thought was going to go over a cliff. There were times I thought the bus was going to go over the side of the road into the valley,” she said.
“There were experiences I had which were frightening and exhilarating as well to know you’d be in a frightening situation and come out the other side.”
Whilst Molly acknowledges that travelling alone can be daunting, going away with another person can be restrictive. “When I would travel with my husband we always had arguments” she shared.
Now, when travelling solo, Molly gets to make all the decisions — meaning she never misses out on something she wants to do. “I’ve got an adventurous mind anyway, so I thought I’d give it a try – I wanted to try and do something new,” she added.
For those looking at planning a solo trip, Molly advises to look at home stays and host families for accommodation. “It’s a lot of work on the internet, not a lot of people my age are computer savvy, but for those that are fit and active it’s an inspiration,” she explained.
Inspired by her time travelling, Molly published her first book, The Large Leafy Tree in Mussoorie, in 2021 and since has gone on to publish four more.
Check out more of Daily Mirror’s latest travel stories by signing up to our free weekly newsletter.
