‘I was nervous to travel after my husband died until I made a friend on holiday'
Helen McGlashan, 59, from Manchester, pushed herself to head off on a solo holiday with Riviera Travel following her retirement and the death of her husband, Alastair
A woman who travelled solo for the first time after her husband died found a new lease of life and a close friend on the road.
Following a break-up or bereavement, especially, booking a solo holiday for the first time can seem intimidating. For many, the thought of stepping into the unknown without a familiar companion might be nerve-wracking, - but it can also be empowering.
Group tours can help people in that situation explore the world on their own while offering the comfort of being surrounded by like-minded travelers. This has certainly been the case for Helen McGlashan, 59, from Manchester. The former director of residential and sports services at the University of Manchester retired in 2020 after the death of her husband, Alastair.
She said: 'Following my husband's death in 2019, I needed some time out. He had been ill for a while, so we hadn't really travelled much. I took my first solo trip later that year, when I went to Krakow with Riviera Travel. I was used to going away with my husband, and I was a bit nervous about the thought of doing it on my own - so I decided to start with a shorter trip.'
Understandably, Helen felt some nerves before joining the group trip.
She admitted: 'When I got to the airport, I was thinking, 'What if I don't make friends with anybody and I'm Billy No-Mates?' But that's never happened [on a Riviera Travel holiday].'
The Riviera Travel team - which has been operating in the UK for more than 40 years - meets their solo guests at the departure airport or St Pancras International if travelling by Eurostar.
Since her first solo holiday, Helen has joined a wide range of river cruises, ocean cruises and land tours. She said: 'On all of them, I have found people to be extremely friendly and willing to get together and do things as a group. I've never felt like I'm lacking company, in fact, it's been wonderful to share these experiences with people.
'The groups are always very mixed; you have couples but there are also siblings and friends travelling together. You're dining together and sharing experiences, and there are lots of opportunities for socialising and mixing, so you get to know each other really well - and really quickly.'
Five years after her first solo tour, Helen has visited far-flung destinations such as India, Egypt, Jordan, Montenegro, Italy and Croatia - to name a few.
'My family has given me the nickname 'Judith Chalmers', after the former Wish You Were Here…? holiday show host, because of my extensive travels," she joked.
It was during one of her solo tours that Helen struck up a lasting friendship with one of her fellow individual travellers, Yvonne Palmer. She recalled: 'I went to Undiscovered Italy in Puglia with Riviera Travel. When we arrived at Brindisi airport, there was a lady standing on her own and she approached me. We ended up sitting next to each other on the coach, and then our rooms were adjacent to one another. She is a widow also, and we have become great friends, and a support mechanism, for one another.
'Now, we travel together three or four times a year, both in the UK and abroad. We just went to Marrakech together. Travel brings a sense of joy and wonderment, and it reminds you what life is about. I think it's a privilege to be able to meet so many different people, and it's just nice to share things again.'
Helen has a long list of destinations she dreams of visiting in the future.
'I'm going on the Grand Tour of Sicily with Riviera Travel this September, and we're going to go around the whole island. The itinerary is fantastic, we're going to go up the volcano and we'll be having canapes with a Duchess in Palermo.
'I'm also already looking at trips for 2026 and I've still got Sri Lanka, Japan, Romania, Transylvania and South Africa on my bucket list - you name it, I'm still excited to travel.'
For those who may be thinking about taking the leap and embarking on their first solo adventure, Helen has some words of encouragement.
'Just go for it - life is very short, and we never know what's around the corner. There's nothing to be fearful about, especially on a group tour. There's a joint camaraderie, so if you're having an issue there is always somebody there to help.'
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