DESTINATIONS SOLO TRAVEL | INDIA
DO
& DON’T
SELLING MIDLIFE TRIPS
Philippa Baines, agency sales manager, Explore
DO
Lead with the stats Nearly half of those considering time off say
travel is the main motivator. Get the timing right
Our research shows most people are hoping to take one to three months off.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: A crowd of Hindu pilgrims bathes in the Ganges; sitar player in Varanasi; Great Buddha Statue near Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya; Dakshineswar Kali Temple, Kolkata PICTURES: Shutterstock/BTWimages, saiko3p; Birensingh
relegating it to that ‘one day’ adventure. But as I approached my own midlife, and the government once again shifted retirement age up, I decided to act and finally make that bucket-list trip happen.
MICRO MOTIVATOR It seems I’m not alone. According to a poll of 2,000 working people, commissioned by adventure operator Explore Worldwide, nearly a third of people (29%) in the UK are actively considering taking extended time out from their job – with travel the biggest motivator for half of them. We’re not just talking an extra week of annual leave: with a period of one to three months, it’s being dubbed the ‘micro-retirement’. “People are no longer reserving
their big travel experiences for early adulthood gap years or
52 30 JULY 2026 People are no
longer reserving their big travel experiences for early adulthood gap years or retirement
retirement, as has always been tradition,” says Michael Edwards, managing director of Explore. “In our youth, finances often hold us back from travelling how or where we’d like, while later in life it can simply feel too late. “More and more people
are looking to ‘micro-dose’ big retirement trips, choosing to take chunks of time out from work to tick off bucket-list experiences.”
He adds that midlife is a time of change and increased pressure for many – from children flying the nest to ageing parents, work stress or relationship breakdown. “We’re living longer and working for longer than ever, so sometimes we just need a complete break to reassess or recharge.” As a single mum to a
five-year-old, that was certainly the case for me – and so I signed up to an Explore tour taking me from Kolkata to Delhi by train.
TIME AND TIDE
I began early one morning with a ferry ride from the famous flower market floating on the Hooghly River, itself a branch of the Ganges, where a Baul (Bangali) musician wearing a long yellow tunic with bell-adorned anklets around
²
Ask who’s already booked We can tell clients how many solo travellers and the age range of guests on their chosen departure.
Overcomplicate the logistics Midlife trips don’t need multiple flights, ticking off several countries and
repacking every morning. Micro-retirement means
slower, more mindful travel. Ignore the emotional side Midlife adventures might be motivated by life events such as divorce, kids leaving home or burnout at work. Wait for them to ask
Rather than saying “I’d like to take three months off”, they might say “I’ve always dreamed of doing the Inca Trail”. That’s your opening!
travelweekly.co.uk
DON’T
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