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Solo Travelers Find Community, Confidence on Gen-X Cruise
A weeklong AARP-sponsored Caribbean voyage helped travelers bond with fellow Gen Xers and embrace aging
5-minute read
Solo travelers thrived on the AARP-sponsored Gen X Takeover cruise. From left: Stephani Forman; the four Gen X content creators; Jeanne Grubbs
AARP (From left: Courtsy Stephani Forman; AARP; Courtesy Jeanne Grubbs)
Key takeaways
- Solo travelers connected with fellow passengers through online groups, onboard activities and solo-friendly events.
- Travelers said the experience improved their outlook on aging, gave them confidence to enjoy activities alone and renewed their hope for the future.
- AARP is sponsoring another cruise, slated for March.
Stephani Forman danced in a conga line, watched Dirty Dancing in her pajamas with new friends and cheered fellow passengers in a belly flop contest during a weeklong Caribbean cruise with hundreds of fellow Generation Xers.
The most liberating part? She did it all on her own.
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The 57-year-old Sierra Vista, Arizona, resident had mostly shied away from solo activities in the past. But she was intrigued when she saw an online ad for a cruise targeting Generation X. Forman wanted to shake up her routine after a divorce and some personal losses, including the death of her son by suicide 10 years ago.
“I’ve been in a range of emotions since losing him,” she says.
Spring Break for Gen Xers
Ready for your own solo trip? Our next cruise is taking place March 4-9, 2027. Click here for more information and to reserve a spot. Solo female travelers can also join our private Ethels On-The-Go Facebook group to trade travel tips with other women.
The November 2025 “Gen X Takeover” cruise was organized by four social media content creators — Sherri Dindal “The Real Slim Sherri,” Jon Wellington “The Dadbod Veteran,” Nick Harrison “The Professor,” and Kelly Manno — and sponsored by AARP. Participants had access to exclusive activities onboard the larger Royal Caribbean ship, including dodgeball, karaoke and a comedy show headlined by the creators.
The quartet is hosting another cruise in March 2027, and this time attendees will get the run of the whole ship. AARP members get a discount on their 2027 booking.
For her cruise, Forman teamed up with another solo traveler to share a cabin. She posted in the private group chat about being nervous to travel on her own, but she got friendly responses.
“Everyone was so open and welcoming that I didn’t feel like I was going to be alone,” she says.
Onboard, Forman enjoyed the freedom to choose whatever activities interested her, whether that was a scavenger hunt with strangers or winding down on her balcony at night. She describes her generation as “kind of a weird breed.”
“I didn’t feel awkward, which I thought I would,” Forman says. “I don’t know if it was generational or if I just let myself enjoy it.”
Plenty of solo travelers mingled with couples and friends on this voyage. Amanda Knowles, senior director of social media and content integration at AARP, heard stories of people who attended by themselves because they felt so drawn to the four content creators and their lighthearted take on aging.
“People were willing to step outside their comfort zone,” she said.
Letting her hair down
Jeanne Grubbs, 56, has no qualms about traveling solo. She spent 20 years in the Navy, where she navigated long stints in Europe alone. But in 2025, she was still grieving after losing her husband several years prior and was living in a small town in Virginia where she felt out of place. The chance to socialize with people her age and with influencers she followed online, piqued her interest. Plus, after her long career, “Put me at sea and I’m happy,” she says.
She found her people before she even stepped foot on the cruise, when she and an Ohio couple in neighboring roomettes on the train down to the Florida departure port realized they were heading in the same direction. The camaraderie continued onboard, where she clicked with fellow cruisers from around the country.
“We got to let our hair down and be who we are,” she says. During a game of Finish the Lyric with creator Nick Harrison, people ran up to a microphone to sing, and Grubbs joined in by lip-synching even when she didn’t know the words.
The timing of the cruise was particularly apt as Grubbs was diagnosed with breast cancer three weeks before she left. Her oncologist gave Grubbs her blessing to delay surgery until after the trip. She is now in remission.
“It gave me something to look forward to,” Grubbs says.
Making peace with aging
The goal of these cruises is to celebrate Generation X and create a space for this age group to find community. The social media creators “talk a lot about aging and acknowledging we’re getting older, but we don’t have to do that the way we’ve seen it on TV,” says Knowles. “We can have fun with it.”
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This message hit home for Grubbs. After the cruise, “I feel better about being in my mid-50s,” she says. “I don’t mind saying I’m 56. I did before.”
She didn’t even realize that the cruise was sponsored by AARP until partway through — or that AARP was meant for people like her. “I teased my late husband relentlessly when he got his AARP envelope,” she says. Now she is a member.
The cruise also rejuvenated her zest for life following the loss of her husband, her daughter leaving for college and her cancer diagnosis. “It gave me hope for the future,” she says. “This made me realize that I may not have hit my best years yet.”
On Forman’s end, she shed any self-consciousness she previously held about doing activities alone, from dining out to going to the movies.
“It opened a whole new world to me,” Forman says. “It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever done.”
The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.
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