I am 86 and have been a Solo passenger holidays for more than ten years on 42 – these are the trips that I loved … and would avoid

At the age of 86, most people think about setting up their feet – but not the extraordinary woman who is Valerie Simpson.

The Avid Globetrotter, from Sudbury, southwest of Suffolk, has just booked its 42nd solo holiday abroad – and she has no signs of delay.

Valerie has traveled through Europe since 2014, AsiaAfrica and North America with One Traveler, an award-winning tour operator, who is specialized in the United Kingdom, who specializes in vacation for adult solo travelers.

Her newest route includes upcoming trips to Croatia, Albania and a festive return to her beloved Switzerland – a country that she has visited six times in summer and winter.

Valerie’s Reislust was inflamed three years after the loss of her husband in December 2011.

Determined to break away from the bittersweet memory of cherished Christmas Memories, she booked her first solo trip to the Turkish side of Cyprus, to experience the season from ‘Another Point of View’.

It was a decision that would reform her later years and inspire dozens of journeys.

Shortly thereafter a conversation on a coach led her to discover one traveler and by 2014 she went to Moscow.

Valerie Simpson (center), 86, from Sudbury, Southwest of Suffolk, has just booked her 42nd solo holiday abroad – and she has no signs of delay

Since 2014, Valerie (Center) has traveled through Europe, Asia, Africa and North America with one traveler, a crowned tour operator specializing in vacation for adult solo travelers

In the past decade she has investigated the temples of Thailand, the souks of Morocco, the markets of Myanmar and the dramatic coastlines of Italy.

In April she returned from her 39th trip, a picturesque tour through Piedmont, Portofino and Cinque Terre.

The next is her 40th trip to Opatija, Croatia in June, her 41st to Albania in September, and completed the year with an Alpine Escape to Switzerland in December.

It is remarkable that age has done little to delay Valerie, but in terms of encountering obstacles as she gets older in her journeys, she admits that balance is not her strength.

She said: ‘At my age, what I call my balance is not so good. So I would not be on a high mountain with a kind of foot wide path around the side, I could no longer do that, things like that. I know there is a limit that I will not exceed.

“But I can still walk. I will get my steps. I am not so happy to walk down, unless I have those rails to keep up. But that is besides the point. ‘

Among the countless destinations she has visited, Italy has a special place in the heart of Valerie.

She explained: ‘I love the food, I love the atmosphere, I love the country. I love the people, I think, from top to bottom, the land is so varied.

In the past decade she has investigated the temples of Thailand, the souks of Morocco, the markets of Myanmar and the dramatic coastlines of Italy

It is remarkable that age has done little to delay Valerie, but in terms of encountering obstacles as she gets older in her travels, she admits that balance is not her forte

“You have the north. You have Milan, which is a bit chic, but you still have the mountains down. They go to the south. You have Rome and Naples. You have Vesuvius to watch. In general, my favorite country. ‘

Although she has never had a really bad travel experience, Valerie occasionally had a hiccup: rain in Portofino and a five -star hotel without lounge and no loading – which she joked was ‘all planned by men’.

She remembered: ‘I had a walk in wardrobe, which sounded great, but in the building, in the bedroom, there was nowhere a shelf or a drawer.

‘There was nowhere to place your undergarments and to place that such things. So you just had to leave them in your suitcase. I thought the bedrooms were missing for the ladies – I think it’s all planned by men. ‘

Although some friendships on Tours have been fleeting – and unfortunately some colleague travelers have died since then – Valerie still keeps in touch with her friend Pat of earlier adventures.

And although she is not sure if she will make the milestone of 50 journeys, she is satisfied with the memories she has made on the way.

She said: “I would like to go into it next year, but to be honest, I will certainly be closer to 90 than 80, and I think I should not book things too far in advance.”

The story of Valerie has become legendary in one traveler community, where it is admired because of its independence, curiosity and openness for the world.

Although some friendships on Tours have been fleeting – and unfortunately some colleague travelers have died since then – Valerie (third from the left) still keeps in touch with her friend Pat of earlier adventures.

The story of Valerie has become legendary in the only travelers’ community, where it is admired because of its independence, curiosity and openness for the world

Her advice to colleague travelers who hope to continue to explore the world, just as she has? Dream early.

Valerie said: ‘I would like to go to South America, but I never did it, and I will certainly not do it now. I have now desired that I did it a few years ago and also saved Europe because I got a little older. But there we are. ‘

While she is preparing to pack her bags for another adventure, Valerie, which was 87 in October, added: ‘Cram in as much as possible. I was very lucky that I saved hard and I was able to visit many places.

“There are still places where I want to go, places where I never go … But although I have a little bit of brain and a few legs that I can still walk on, I will do my best to continue traveling.”