At 60, Amma embarked on her first solo international trip, a dramatic departure for someone who had never left India. Inspired by a friend’s suggestion just before retirement, she joined a guided tour to South Africa – eight days of breathtaking landscapes shared with fellow travelers and a familiar Malayali tour manager. For Amma, this wasn’t a quest for self-discovery, but a carefully planned adventure within her comfort zone. She meticulously prepared, buying new sneakers and dusting off woolen garments from a Rajasthan trip decades earlier. Her pre-trip anxieties – “Will I enjoy it? Will I get along with others?” – were relatable, highlighting the less glamorous, yet equally valid, side of solo female travel.
Popular culture often romanticizes solo female travel with tales of grand epiphanies and transformative experiences, like Elizabeth Gilbert’s *Eat, Pray, Love* or the Bollywood film *Queen*. These narratives focus on self-discovery through unplanned adventures and chance encounters. But Amma’s story offers a refreshing counterpoint. She prioritized safety, predictability, and cost-effectiveness, demonstrating that fulfilling travel doesn’t require abandoning practicality for the sake of dramatic self-reflection. Her journey was a testament to the joy found in simple, well-planned adventures.
Amma’s South Africa trip was a resounding success, sparking a travel bug that saw her undertake multiple group tours annually. I witnessed her transformation – from a mother and teacher to an independent explorer, investing in her own happiness. She explored Asia, Europe, China, and Russia, her home adorned with souvenirs and her Facebook filled with travel photos, sparking both admiration and envy among friends and family. While minor mishaps – a broken suitcase in Istanbul, a head injury in Japan, a Covid scare in Dubai – occurred, they never deterred her. With 195 countries on her bucket list, these setbacks were minor inconveniences in her grand scheme.
Amma’s meticulous nature and preference for structured experiences made group tours ideal. Her prior experience escorting college students on field trips highlighted her knack for organization and preparedness. She thrives on knowing the itinerary, the exact timing of stops and meals – aspects a guided tour excels at providing. Amma isn’t interested in slow travel; she appreciates the efficiency of visiting multiple sites daily, moving swiftly from canal cruises to cheese factories to museums. Any slowing of pace risks losing her interest.
Some criticize the regimented nature of guided tours, likening them to school excursions. The lack of spontaneity, the matching tour caps, and the adherence to a predetermined itinerary are points of contention. Amma acknowledges the limitations – the travel bubble of a bus, shared meals, and a curated view of a destination. However, she prioritizes the ease and comfort they offer over the complexities of independent travel planning, visa applications, and lodging arrangements. At nearly 70, she values the freedom from detailed planning, the luxury of forgetting and letting the details fade into the background.
Amma’s travels aren’t about meticulously documenting every detail of Angkor Wat or St. Petersburg; they’re about reconnecting with a younger version of herself. They are about escaping the weight of responsibilities and rediscovering joy in simple wonder. It’s a homecoming, not just a journey away. It’s about reclaiming a sense of self, away from the responsibilities of family and career, finding peace and contentment in simple pleasures and shared experiences. It’s a powerful reminder that fulfilling travel exists beyond the idealized narratives, welcoming all women, regardless of their style or age.
