Kaudrey and Magellan- I think Buenos Aires and Mendoza and other parts of Argentina would be a fabulous solo trip. For solo trips, I would prefer places where I think people would be friendlier and likelihood of interacting with locals higher. I might do a mix of a great city with a beautiful nearby destination of interest....like Buenos Aires and Mendoza or Madrid and Toledo or Lisbon and surrounding towns or any place in Italy. I find I get a lot more opportunity to interact with other people in these cities albeit most of the interest is from men. But, a bit of that attention might not be so bad with a big birthday like this, right?
BTW, unlike the other posters, I HAVE gotten the perplexed flummoxed look when informed that I am traveling solo.....quite often, they say with totally befuddled tone "but, WHY?" It's actually rather amusing. I've just started answering that no one else had vacation time to go with me; which is actually true.

ncounty - thanks for the encouragement! I will say I enjoyed the attention I got from the Spanish men when I went into a bar by myself. It is very flattering, and harmless fun.

I met so many great people on my trip to Spain - so I am definitely looking forward to another solo trip!

yes, especially for the big 4-0, nice to get a little attention, eh? I am excited for you; should be a great trip.

It's true, in Mexico local men often ask me... "Where's your husband?" "Where's your kids?" etc. not in a mean way, they seem (as above) truly puzzled and curious.

Thanks, ladies for all of the great suggestions! After a great deal of agonizing, I finally decided on the suggestion that was most appealing to me: I just booked my ticket for Buenos Aires! Woooo hooo!!! Folks on this thread and on the Europe and Latin America threads made the BA suggestion, so I want to thank everyone for the great ideas.

oh yes - I also enjoy those wonderful gentlemen who make me feel like 40 is a damn good age to be - so I'm hoping that BA will be much like Spain, in that respect at least .

Thanks so much to everyone for chiming in. - M

Have a wonderful trip - and do come back and tell us about it! Happy Birthday.

Your theory on the lost luggage was hilarious! That's a great attitude to take into your 40s and beyond.

I don't think 3 months is enough lead time, now only 2 1/2 months, but I'd suggest Africa. As to where in Africa, it depends on your interests. In May, I think South Africa, Tanzania or Botswana would be good. I think South Africa could still be done with under 3 months to plan, and SA offers city, history, winelands, scenery, and wildlife from penguins to whales to Great White Sharks to rhinos and leopards.

I've gone solo to all of the suggested countries with no problems. Hop over to the Africa board if you are interested in that continent and people will be tripping over each other to help you out.

The biggest problem with going to Africa is that so many of us keep wanting to go back.

Dear Magellan,

Happy 40th!!

Well, I am almost 48 - next week in fact - and I have to say my 40s have been wonderful years filled with lots of adventures. I wish the same for you.

I travel solo a lot and one thing that has worked well for me is to participate in some type of "class" during a longer trip. For instance, I just spent a week in Ravenna at a mosaic workshop. (There was another solo woman there who had just spent two weeks in Venice at another mosaic course.) It was one of my favorite trips ever. I also once spent a month at an Ashram getting a yoga certification. I have traveled solo to cities, beach areas, and spas as well. My first solo trip, when I was 23, was to 10 days to Paris and Nice followed by a week on Nantucket.

(Now I actually have a husband and 2 teenagers, but I still like to travel alone. I just require a lot of solitude I guess.)

I think studying art, history, sailing/skiing or another language can be fun as well, if any of these is an interest of yours.

Tying the trip in with another interest of yours provides some structure to your day, puts you around people for at least one meal a day so you don't eat every meal alone, and still gives you plenty of freedom and "me" time. Plus, if the solo traveling part isn't going fantastic, you still go home with the new skill or knowledge.

How about some sort of cooking or dance class in Buenos Aires? It doesn't have to be for the whole time. Just something to break up the trip and give it a different angle.

I promise 40 is not so bad!! Didn't you hear 40 is the new 25!?

gruezi

That is a great way to go, gruezi. And, there are free tango classes all over the place in Buenos Aires. Go shoe shopping and in the back there is likely to be a dance floor with a free tango class. Well, especially if you are shopping for tango shoes.

I'll be turning 40 soon enough and understand your urge to plan a great solo trip. I've got my choices narrowed down to China's Great Wall or Machu Picchu in Peru.

I don't think either of those places are particularly romantic - but I do know you can find romance in the unlikeliest of places. At 38 I split up with my long-term significant other, quit my job and backpacked around the world for nearly a year solo until one day I bumped into a smoking hot guy with his backpack who got on the same bus I did. We spent 3 more months travelling together until we both had to go back to our own countries to look for work, but we still keep in touch. Best part? He was 28 and when we first met, thought I was the same age and was shocked when I showed him my passport confirming I was definitely in my late 30s. So 40 really IS the new 20!

Have a great time Magellan!

I did the Great Wall for my 40! I am saving Machu Piccu for 50, luckily it is still several years away.

Thanks! I'm definitely looking into Tango classes and Spanish classes for my 10 days in BA. Africa sounds wonderful - I may do that trip next year.

Thanks everyone for making 40 sound so much better

Hi Magellan -

Thanks for the post. I am a fellow solo traveler who also happens to turn 40 this year (November) and am quite interested in the suggestions that were posted. Looking forward to hearing where you decide to go.

Happy early Birthday!!!

Magellan, I hope you are still following this thread & my post is not too late.

For my 40th Birthday I went, by myself, to Peru to hike the Inca Trail. It was the Dream Trip of a lifetime!

I hiked the Inca Trail & walked into Machu Picchu on my 40th birthday. There was a double rainbow over the Urubamba River.

Nothing will ever compare to that moment.

be6489 - and a VERY early happy birthday to you too! I firmly believe that if you're turning 40, you should get AT LEAST six months to celebrate anyway LOL. Damn straight!

and cheribob - yes, I'm still following the thread, thanks! I plan to take 3 long trips a year for the rest of my life, so I'm getting all kinds of great ideas here. Thanks so much for the Peru suggestion - your experience sounds absolutely magical. Peru is definitely on my list now.

Wow! I found this site while searching for ideas on the big 4-0 trip I'm planning for next year. Glad to see so many of us primetime gals getting out on our own. My plan is Australia for two weeks. Gotta love the Aussie accent.

You might want to consider New Zealand as a very pleasant place to enjoy a turning point in your age bracket.

WELCOME to the forum, footpathfanatic!

How in the heck did my post get reposted in the Smart Travel Tips section? I don't remember doing this. Did I do this? Is it even possible? Good lord, I must be losing my mind already in my old age......and here I thought my last weeks of 39 would be lucid

Well, I just figured it out. It looks like "Solo Travel" has been replaced with "Smart Travel Tips" on the drop down menu for some reason, so Solo Traveler posts are now housed under Smart Travel Tips. Am I hallucinating? Maybe I'm drunk.