Why I decided to become a tour host in my Sixties

For women, life is in two acts – the trick is surviving the interval. Menopause, that horrible hormonal intermission, is so fiendishly hot I sweated more than Donald Trump trying to complete a sudoku. But as my oestrogen dropped, my testosterone increased. 

Having spent decades tethered to the kitchen by my apron and heart strings, I suddenly started to feel a little bit more adventurous. Once the kids leave home, mums can finally cut the psychological umbilical cord and, for the first time, think about ourselves.

Forget a “chequered past”. What I crave now is a “chequered present”. I just can’t stop dreaming about all the wonders of the world I’ve never glimpsed – the Taj Mahal, the aurora borealis, Chris Hemsworth in his board shorts. 

My mind is jumping from one potential travel thrill to another. I’ve never bungee-jumped or sky-dived. Not that I necessarily want to, but I at least want the chance to chicken out at the last minute. I want to swim with whale sharks and scuba in Cuba. 

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And I’m not alone. Women are creating the biggest surge in midlife adventuring. A survey by Solo Travelling discovered that 81 per cent of lone travellers are older women. Not all these plucky gals are single: some just have spouses who prefer to hibernate at home, nesting. But we women have done our nesting, we’ve tamed toddlers and wrangled teens, we’ve roasted flocks of chickens and herds of beef. What we want now is to bite off more than we can chew. “Have Globe, Will Trot” is my new motto. And to travel solo but not alone is my dream. I want to have adventures, but with camaraderie and in comfort. 

And after chatting to my friends, I found I am not alone. “I am desperate to travel more and have so many trips planned,” Meera Syal told me. “I can’t wait. For the first time in 30 years I will be able to travel outside the school term dates. My fault for having kids 13 years apart!” 

Arabella Weir concurred. “With the kids no longer hijacking my every waking moment, I now love travelling more than ever before. I’m a born again hiker and just love the challenge and sense of purpose and achievement it gives, especially if there’s booze at the end of the trail.” 

“One of my biggest regrets is that I never took a gap year to go travelling,” Ronni Ancona confided. “I want a gap year now! I am desperate for adventures. I can’t wait to travel with girlfriends to exotic places.” 

“Travel, like reading, shows us a world beyond our own,” author Joanne Harris said. “It gives us access to other cultures, ways of life, cuisines, adventures, landscapes. Like reading, travel is filled with stories. Who wouldn’t want to be the hero of their own adventure?” 

My pal Joanna Lumley said it best. “A suitcase excites me more than a shoe shop. And I know I am not alone.” 

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Fortunately, I’ve found a way to harness all this energy and travel the world in the company of those just like me. I’ve teamed up with Club Avandra, a private members’ club for women that combines exceptional, curated trips with a community of curious members who want the travel thrills without the planning ills. 

Some of my favourite pastimes are walking, talking, quipping and quaffing. That’s why I’m starting by leading a trip to Galicia, to experience some of Spain’s off-the-beaten track beauty while quenching my thirst with pioneering, female winemakers. The journey is set to be richly immersive, with experiences including Camino de Santiago hikes, vineyard walks, cellar tastings and long, generous lunches full of laughter.  

This trip also will explore Galicia’s cultural and natural landscape through privately guided visits to top spots like Ourense and Punta Faxilda, bringing the region to life through local stories. 

Our journey culminates with the Bonfires of St John, a midsummer ritual that transforms the Atlantic coastline into a festival of fire, food, music and fun.  

In my new novel, The Sisterhood Rules, two estranged sisters are forced back together when their mother, Nicole, goes missing. They track her down to a Dignitas clinic in Switzerland. Hearing drums in the woods, they presume that it’s some kind of end-of-life ritual and bash down through the trees. Instead they find their 69-year-old mother dancing naked around a fire pit with a 39-year-old alpine horn player. 

When Nicole then sets off on a SKI trip (Spend Kids’ Inheritance), the sisters are horrified. But as their mum explains, if not now, when? “Adventure Before Dementia” is her creed. Not to make light of that terrible disease, but you never know what fate has in store, so I’m determined to carpe diem like there’s no tomorrow. 

If you feel the same, why not come and join us for some sisterly fun in the sun?

Essentials: Club Avandra membership is £400 for the year, or you can travel to Galicia with Kathy and get your membership included (from £3,600). Her latest novel, The Sisterhood Rules, is published by Head of Zeus.