Have you ever been on a whirlwind trip either alone or with Sisterhood Travels and returned home feeling more exhausted than when you left?
I understand completely. The same applies to me. I’ve found that the older I get, the less I want to spend my whole vacation running from one attraction to another.
As a solo woman traveling over 50, my energy, comfort, and safety matter more to me now than any checklist. I want to enjoy my experiences, not just survive them. That is when I started treating rest days as an actual part of my travel, not something to feel guilty about.
Now, I build rest into every journey from the very beginning. I’ll share my system, mindset shifts, and examples for guilt-free rest days.
I grew up with the idea that a “good” vacation meant going nonstop. You woke up early, stayed out late, and tried to see every single top sight. If you came home exhausted from travel burnout, that meant you did it right.
That mindset followed me into midlife, even when my body started telling a different story. Long days drained my physical and mental energy, leaving me with sore knees and a tight back. I slept poorly in new beds. I felt more anxious walking alone at night when I was already worn out. Still, I pushed through, because that is what a “real” traveler was supposed to do.
My turning point came on my first solo trip to NYC. I had planned a packed museum day, but I woke up with a headache and heavy legs. I relaxed on my Airbnb’s terrace with a book and coffee instead of hitting the sidewalk right away.
That afternoon, after a visit to MOMA and a little shopping, I stopped at a bakery for a treat, found a fountain ledge to sit and people watched.
I noticed a pattern. On rest days when I slowed my pace, I rested better. My body hurt less. I did not snap at strangers or airport staff. I felt safer traveling solo because I was alert, not foggy and rushed.
The guilt still popped up sometimes. I would think, “I spent all this money to sit in a cafe?” or “Other people would have seen three more sights today.” Then I asked myself a simple question: if taking time to rest helps me stay healthy, safe, and happy, why would that be a waste?
For women over 50, rest is not a luxury. It is a way to protect our joints, our hearts, and our peace of mind. When I accept that, everything about how I travel feels better.
The biggest shift was letting go of comparisons and learning to loosen my itinerary. I stopped matching my routine to what younger backpackers, fast-moving couples, or busy group tours were doing. Their pace is not my pace, and that is okay.
Before each journey traveling solo, I ask myself, “How do I want to feel?” instead of “How much can I fit in?” My answers are usually words like relaxed, strong, curious, and safe. Once I know that, it is easier to plan days that match those feelings and help me pace myself.
Here are a few changes I made:
When I travel this way, I stop feeling like I have to “keep up.” I felt like I am taking care of myself.
I used to picture rest days as dull hotel days where nothing happened. That has not been my experience at all.
When I build in travel rest days, I enjoy the “active” days more. I have the energy for that walking tour because I did not wear myself out the night before. I take in more of a museum because I am not racing the clock and fighting brain fog.
Rest days give me:
Some of my richest moments have happened on rest days. A long chat with a cafe owner about her city. Finding a hidden courtyard in a back street. Sitting on a bench beside a river and watching the light change.
If you enjoy a slower pace, you might also like reading about slow travel tips for women over 50, which pairs beautifully with planning rest days.
Rest days work best for me when I add them at the planning stage. That way they feel like part of the plan, not a last-minute retreat.
I use the same approach whether I am planning a Midwest road trip while traveling, a quick city break, or a big bucket list journey. Even if I am traveling solo with a group, I can build in rest time. It might be harder, but I will likely have free time to work with.
When I open my calendar or notebook, I do not start with attractions. I start by blocking off rest.
I almost always:
Rest is not only about full rest days. Often, it is the small gentle spaces of downtime that make the biggest difference.
On many trips I plan:
This routine helps with jet lag from time zone changes, prevents travel burnout, and protects my physical and mental energy so I can make better choices. These slow blocks of downtime act as anchors in my day.
If you want more travel tips about staying strong and calm, the ideas in how to stay healthy while traveling pair well with planning rest days.
Rest days feel easier when my accommodations feel like somewhere I actually want to spend time, with a successful sleeping environment.
I look for accommodations like an Airbnb or hotel with:
On camping or road trips, I pick campgrounds or an Airbnb that feel peaceful, not stressful. A site near water, a walking trail, or a wooded loop turns rest days into gentle home days. I might sit outside with my journal, watch the light on the lake, or take one slow loop around the campground, or cook home meals to unwind.
I enjoy traveling when my surroundings are comfortable, especially when I can sleep well. Rest becomes part of the travel, and cooking home meals adds a relaxing touch.
I rest best when I have easy relaxing activities. Nothing I “have” to do, but a few gentle things I can choose from if I feel restless, helping me loosen my itinerary.
Some of my favorite low-key relaxing activities for rest days are:
Sometimes I sketch a scene, even if I am not very good at it, or write a few pages about how I feel to unwind. These quiet joys remind me I am still at my destination, still soaking it in, even when I am not “doing” a lot. To loosen the itinerary further, relaxing activities like these keep rest days guilt-free.
If you are new to solo exploring, a gentle day like this can also help you practice being alone in public without pressure. You might like this first-time solo travel guide with more travel tips as a helpful companion to your planning.
Planning rest days is one aspect of the puzzle. The other part lives in my head.
I had to learn new ways to talk to myself so I did not turn every slow moment into a story about failure. These are small shifts, but they changed how I feel when traveling solo.
In my 20s, I thought a journey meant coming home with a long list of sights. At my 50s, that idea does not fit my life.
Now, I define a successful trip as one where I come home.
Before I leave, I set simple goals to pace yourself. Things like, “I want to feel rested,” “I want to feel more confident traveling solo,” or “I want to feel curious and open.”
If rest days help me reach those goals, then they are not taking away from my journey. They are part of the success.
FOMO is strong when I see travel on social media or in guidebooks. It is easy to think, “Everyone else is seeing more than I am.”
When that voice shows up, I remind myself: I am not “everyone else,” unlike those in nonstop family travel. I have my body, my budget, my needs. I get to choose what fits those, without apology.
A few phrases I say to myself when guilt pops up:
These simple lines keep me grounded in what matters most to me, not what would look good in a travel reel.
Every morning when traveling solo, I establish a routine by asking myself a few muted questions. How do my feet feel? How did I sleep? Did I stick to a consistent sleep schedule?
If my body sends up signals like deep fatigue, sharp aches, or fuzzy thinking, I listen to my body and do not treat them as annoyances. I treat them as useful information.
I build travel rest days into longer journeys. On these days, I keep my plans light to swap. If I wake up full of energy, I might take a longer walk or visit an extra sight. If I do not, I lean into rest instead, maybe even taking a nap.
Being flexible like this does not make me weak. It makes me wise, preserving my physical and mental energy. As a solo woman over 50, my greatest tool is my ability to listen to my body and adjust.
I used to believe that resting on a trip meant I was lazy or wasting time. Now I see that planned rest is smart travel. It keeps me safer, kinder to my body, and more present for the moments that actually matter when traveling solo.
If you have a trip coming up, even if it is a group trip with Sisterhood Travels, try adding just one full rest day or a few slow blocks into your schedule. Consider how your body, mood, and memories are affected by things like sleep, a good day at home, and taking personal time.
You may design trips that fit your real life and actual body, not some perfect checklist. As solo women travelers over 50, we have earned the right to move at our own pace, to incorporate rest days, and to call that a beautiful, successful journey.
So, where could you gently add rest days into your next adventure?
Who are our Sisters? Well, we’re you! We value old friendships but love making new ones. We’re intellectually curious and love a unique adventure to parts unknown. We may be single, divorced, widowed, or simply have a partner who doesn’t want to travel. Most of all, We’re kind, compassionate women who look forward to cultural immersion, exclusive adventures, lots of laughs, and the magic of Sisterhood.
