My grand overseas adventure

I set out on my 80th birthday last year for a solo trip to Alaska and Canada – a mix of moderate adventure and luxury.

The adventure was a tour of Denali National Park, a day walking in Anchorage alone and the shore expeditions included in the cruise – several of which involved long hikes over rough ground and whale watching in small craft. It was fun. It was exciting. It went without a hitch.

But to achieve that, I spent a year planning every detail, watching YouTube videos of my chosen destinations and activities and employing a very good travel agent. It all took a great deal more money than the days when my husband and I used to grab a handful of travellers’ cheques, a passport and a visa or two and head out into the world uninsured and confident in our youth and strength.

Good organisation and self-awareness were essential to the success of this trip. My first step was to decide where to go. What was top of my bucket list? Not an easy decision, even for the well-travelled.

Ruthless self-awareness told me that the things I used to enjoy doing, or aspired to do, are not the things that I want to do today. And though I am still fit and healthy, there were some things I could not (or should not) do. A tough reality check.

So, I decided on Alaska and western Canada – the former because it is still a vast, barely-inhabited wilderness; the latter because I had long wanted to visit  The Rockies and Lake Louise. My bucket list included fine dining, ziplining, breathtaking scenery and wildlife. With these parameters, my travel agent curated a three-part trip that ticked all the boxes.

The Denali section, with a small group, gave me a feeling of adventure but also the security of a guided tour and good accommodation and organised (or easily available) meals. I then cruised the Inside Passage from Anchorage to Vancouver on a luxurious ship small enough to sail easily alongside the small Alaskan fjord towns but large enough so I never felt crowded.

Research showed me that expedition ships with their 100 or so passengers were just too small for space and privacy, while there was no way I’d be comfortable on one of those huge floating cities with thousands of party-loving passengers, lots of children, big casinos and lavish shows, waterslides, crowded buffets and fun-in-the-sun vibe.

So, my agent, a cruise veteran, chose just right for me: a ship with 680 passengers and almost as many crew, gorgeous suites with balconies, plenty of space and private nooks, delightful cocktail lounges, small specialty restaurants, modest entertainment and enrichment programs, lavish spa, cosy library and food to die for.

Boarding was a breeze, getting on and off at the various ports fast and easy, and the service impeccable. And there were many included shore excursions tailored to suit all tastes and abilities.

This was followed by a scenic trip on the Rocky Mountaineer train and a couple of days at the iconic Fairmont Chateau overlooking lovely Lake Louise.

I travelled alone on the ship and on the train. But everything – and this is important – was arranged for me. I had pick-up vehicles at every airport and hotel connection. Many meals were included in my itinerary. The cost of the ship was prepaid, including all food, beverages, shore excursions and gratuities. Ditto the train.

It all made travelling so much easier, and wherever I felt that connections were a little tight, in this age of cancellation and delays, I paid to stay in a comfortable hotel for an extra night.

Even the best-planned trip is not entirely free from stress. I found the constant tipping in these countries expensive and annoying. You need to budget for at least $AUD200 a week in tips, even when some gratuities (ship, train, some expedition guides) are prepaid.

Wait staff, hotel staff, porters, expedition guides, drivers and hosts, taxi drivers and docents all require a minimum 15 per cent (and often more) gratuity. Personally, I drew the line at tipping in shops and even supermarkets where there’s a tip jar or gratuity option on your bill, even though you’ve served yourself!

I took cash expressly for tipping but never once needed it. A good travel card can be used for even the smallest purchase, including the gratuity, and you don’t have to worry about the exchange rate. I’d still carry some real money, though, in case of card problems, loss or electronic failure.

Three things that I found stressful were:

• applying for ETAs (formerly visas) which has to be done online. A travel agent will do this at a cost but only you can really fill in the forms and the websites are a little unforgiving: if you make a mistake you have to start again
• managing the locks fitted to suitcases today so that Transportation Security Administration personnel can open and inspect your luggage using a master key, without damaging the case. There is a knack to opening these coded locks and I had some worrying moments when mine didn’t open easily. Somebody else I know forgot their code – a major problem
• with everything on your phone, losing it becomes a constant nagging worry. I travelled with a back-up iPad, which also had several books loaded, plus all my travel information. Cards, too, must be carefully stored and carried in a safe place on your person, backed up in your phone wallet. And not just credit cards but room/cabin key cards, too.

For me, the toughest parts of the trip were the flights there and back. Firstly, you have to negotiate the airport – why is it that arrivals and departures always seem to be several kilometres apart? Secondly, being stuck in a large metal tube with hundreds of people for anything over eight hours becomes more of an ordeal with age.

I couldn’t afford to fly business class on that route. So, after careful research, I chose an airline with well-reviewed premium economy. It was worth every penny: faster boarding and disembarkation, better food and service and, for an ageing bladder, dedicated toilets for only 24 passengers.

Here are my tips for solo senior travellers:

• use a travel agent: they know the best deals, have the best contacts, know what suits the needs and tastes of the individual client, can advise on everything you need for the trip, and are on the other end of a text or phone call if things go wrong. They exist to serve you (though I did organise my own insurance)
• get digital: if you are not competent with a smart phone, learn how. Yes, I travel with paper backups but apart from your passport, it is harder to navigate the jungle of customs, immigration and baggage handling without having it all on your phone. There are apps for everything: airline and cruise line check-in and information; car hire, taxis and public transport; restaurant menus; insurance; translation; wildlife identification; shopping; maps; and attractions. As just one example, I sat in my Vancouver hotel one morning and, using only my phone, plotted the day’s journeys, booked museum admission and a restaurant, organised tickets for a show and the Uber to take me there, checked the weather, reserved seats for a harbour tour and located the nearest pharmacy
• review ‘stars’ are not necessarily the best guide to choosing a hotel. The difference between four and five stars often seems to be whether there is a free tube of moisturiser in the bathroom. Trust your travel agent and read the reviews. Even within the same chain, rooms can vary
• singletons usually get the worst rooms in hotels and on ships, especially when booked as part of a group. Check beforehand that your room doesn’t have a view of the carpark or overlooks the motorway. Or make a fuss on arrival
• pick your hand luggage to suit your trip. I carried a backpack small enough to fit comfortably under the seat in front of me on planes, small boats and tour buses. But it was heavy to lug around and there were times when I’d have much preferred a small, hard case on wheels to match my suitcase, especially when doing the airport marathon. I find it hard to stow cabin luggage in the overhead lockers, preferring to keep it close to my seat
• pockets can be better than backpacks for day expeditions, especially when travelling on buses and small boats. There’s nothing to carry or accidentally leave behind. Light jackets with concealed inside pockets keep valuables safe.

And now, here’s the big one for older travellers who, like me, prefer to travel alone: mobility.

It’s encouraging to observe just how much help is available in airports for those who can no longer move around easily on foot – from wheelchairs to staff assistance to large trolleys able to take passengers and their luggage from one part of an airport to the other. Many cruise ship ports offer mobility scooters for hire. I don’t need any of that yet, but I took a good look at what was on offer, for the future.

Corridors in large hotels and on ships are long, so you need to make sure your room or cabin is near the lift and public areas. Even suites on the luxury ships don’t permit easy manoeuvrability, and getting into a lifeboat – or a zodiac on some ocean cruises – would be a challenge. The same goes for train journeys and public transport. If you have poor mobility and plan to travel solo on a cruise or tour, you’ll need to choose carefully to suit limitations.

One good thing about my recent trip was that it restored my confidence in myself, which had begun to falter because, let’s face it, overseas travel can seem intimidating today. I learned that age, itself, is no barrier but that fitness is important to cope with long days, lack of sleep, airport wait times and constant physical exertion. Plus, you’re dealing with the unfamiliar – from automatic check-in to automated room-service ordering.

So, I’m excited to be going on another overseas trip this year on my own. And maybe so can you.