What is the Not Hot List?
Every year the people over at Intrepid Travel publishes a Not Hot List. These are the top 10 places they reckon are visitor-ready at the moment, before everyone else piles in. It’s a great antidote to the usual anodyne “Top Destinations List” that everyone else churns out, which is mostly the same bunch of places that by now are swamped in tourists.
This year’s Not Hot List is pretty bonkers (“aren’t they always?”) and ranges from a Kenyan safari reserve to a 1,240km road through Chilean Patagonia, which tells you something about Intrepid Travel.
The trouble for me is ready for visitors and bougie solo trip for a self-directed traveller are not the same thing.
Of source, some of these places you could just rock up to on your own with a good guidebook, the links below 
and a sense of adventure. Others really do need a tour guide, or a driver, or even a WhatsApp group of strangers you’ve never met. Nope, not for me.
So here’s my shortlist: the five destinations from Intrepid’s 2027 Not Hot List that I think will work as solo, self-directed trips for the over-50s. Plus a quick word on the other 5, which (mostly) are off the table for me.
Photo credit: all photos, Intrepid Travel
Affiliate Disclosure
This post doesn’t actually contain affiliate links, not even from Interpid! If you book through them, I won’t earn a penny. They are my gift to you 
1. Samburu National Reserve, Kenya
Samburu is Intrepid’s pick for people who want a safari experience but don’t want a convoy of Masai Mara minibuses. OK, it’s a bit wilder, and a bit more remote, but it is centred around a conservation model built with the local Samburu community.
Solo traveller & nice things verdict: Yes. You’ll need to stay on a lodge small-group safari doing the driving. Nobody self-drives into Samburu solo and wings it; the reserve is remote, the roads are serious, and the whole point of a safari is a guide who knows where the leopard was yesterday. Book into a camp or join a small-group trip and solo travel here is genuinely easy: safari lodges are set up for solo guests as a matter of course.
Over-50 appropriateness: Excellent. This is “nice things, no ostentation” territory. You’ll get to stay in a comfy lodge or tented camp, eat good food, have an early alarm to catch game drive, and at the end of the day knock back a decent G&T sundowner cocktail or two. Although you won’t need to be trekking-fit, you’ll need some reasonable mobility if you want to get in and out of a safari vehicle with dignity and ease.
How to get there: You’re best booking a tour for this one – you could self-direct if you like, but it sounds like a LOT of hassle TBH. Many tour operators will pick you up from either Nairobi Airport (Jomo Kenyatta, NBO) or from Nairobi’s domestic/safari Wilson Airport and fly you to one of Samburu’s bush airstrips (Kalama & Buffalo Springs or Samburu Oryx). Transfers to your accommodation should be included in the tour, but for those of you self-directing, your lodge or safari camp will be able to pick you up at the airstrip. The overland option does exists, and it’s 5–6 hours by road from Nairobi and you’ll need a decent 4×4 or local driver.
What to eat and drink when you get there: expect typical western hotel fare for the most part. If you have transport, you can venture further afield and try local regional dishes like nyama choma.
Samburu useful links
2. Alonnisos, Greece
Fancy a trip to a Greek island?
Well, fair to say, nowadays Mykonos is probably one for party animals, Crete and Corfu are both busy with package-holiday visitors, and Santorini is pretty much overrun with romantics and cruise ships passengers.
Sounds like Alonissos (one of the islands in the Sporades, an archipelago that also includes Skopelos of Mammia Mia fame) might be for you. It has crystal clear water, pine-covered hills and is much more laid back and quiet than other islands.
Solo traveller & nice things verdict: Very easy. It’s a small island, has one main town (Patitiri) which is walkable and very safe (specially for solo female travellers).
Over-50 appropriateness: Ideal. Think low-key tavernas rather than beach clubs, boutique hotels rather than resorts, and quiet drinks rather than nightclubs
How to get there: If you’re planning on staying, my advice would be to plan for 4 or 5 days to make the journey there and back worthwhile. Or just do a day trip/overnighter as part of a longer holiday. Fly to Skiathos (seasonal direct flights from the UK in summer; otherwise via Athens) and take the ferry across. The boat from Skiathos to Patitiri runs multiple times every day in high season, and will take anywhere from about 55 minutes to just over 2 hours depending on which boat. There’s no airport on Alonnisos itself, so the ferry is not optional (unless you fancy your chances swimming).
What to eat and drink when you get there: Seafood. Try the Kakavia, traditional fisherman’s fish soup, lobster pasta made with locally caught lobster, and Alonnisos tuna, which is fished sustainably. Ktima Marco is probably the best known winemaker on the island.
Useful links
3. Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
This one is a bit of a wildcard. Whitehorse is a small city, and a great starting point if you’re looking to explore the vast Yukon wilderness. It’s the place to go in Canada if you love canoeing, hiking (“not something YOU could ever be accused of”) and in the darker months, the aurora borealis.
Solo traveller & nice things verdict: Yes, but my advice would be to plan your trip in advance rather than try winging it when you get there. Whitehorse itself is great solo traveller territory. It is safe, English & French speaking, and small enough to navigate easily on foot (downtown Whitehorse is small enough to be walkable in about twenty minutes).
But if you want to venture further into the Yukon on your own (say, to go wildlife-watching, or *shudder* to go camping or hiking on the more remote trails,) my advice is to do this with a tour operator. Because distances are enormous and help is not around the corner. This means self-driving as a tourist in the Yukon is not for the unadventurous.
Over-50 appropriateness: Good, but with a caveat on seasons. Summer is pretty gentle, and is ideal weather for outdoorsy activities (“drinking wine in the garden is NOT outdoorsy, I hope you realise that”). Winter is proper cold, so if you plan to do activities or aurora hunt, pack appropriate gear. Luckily, tour operators run this exact type of experience: booking through one will make sure you can get the safe, warm, low-effort, high-reward bucket-list trip you deserve
How to get there: Canada us HUGE, so your best option is to fly to Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport in Whitehorse. It is well-served by Air Canada, WestJet or Air North. If you’re coming on a long-haul flight, build in a night in Vancouver either side if you can.
What to eat and drink when you get there: Try Yukon First Nation traditional dishes if you get the chance. Moose, caribou, wild salmon, elk wild rhubarb and honey reflect the foraging, hunting and fishing traditions of first nation peoples. As do the techniques of pit roasting and smoking. (“What, no wine?” He’s slipping here…”)
Useful links
4. Liepāja, Latvia
Liepāja is a handsome Baltic port city, and one of the European Capitals of Culture 2027. It has wide sandy beaches, cool architecture, and a pretty melancholic military history (check out Karosta in the north of the city, which was a closed Soviet naval city until 1991).
Solo traveller & nice things verdict: Very easy. This is a safe, visitor-friendly European city with excellent public transport. There’s even a rather lovely boutique hotel to stay at
Over-50 appropriateness: Excellent. Boutique hotels, a compact walkable centre, great food, and a relaxed, laidback approach to life. Probably best tp visit in spring/summer rather than mid-winter, which can be cold and wet. This is the Baltics, Tiffany, and it can be effing baltic!
How to get there: Fly into Riga (direct flights from several UK airports), then it’s a straightforward onward journey from Riga Central Station by train (3 hours or so). You can also get a bus from the Riia Bus Station in downtown Riga if that’s your thing, and it’ll take about the same. Both are cheap, clean, safe & comfy, and you can just turn up. Or serve Joan Collins realness and treat yourself to a private transfer (about 3.5-4 hours)
What to eat and drink when you get there: Try the national dish of Latvia pelēkie zirņi ar speķi, a hearty meal of peas with smoked bacon and onions. Finger food it is not! Wash it down with local craft beers, and not NOT Riga Black Balsam (“we’re feeling there’s a horrible back story here…”).
Useful links
5. Dalsland, Sweden
Welcome to Dalsland, Sweden’s answer to the Lake District. If you’re into kayaking, canoeing, boat cruises along canals and love forest air over a museums, then Dalsland is the region of Sweden for you. There’s a notable aqueduct in Håverud that’s worth a visit and the quaint Bridgerton-esque Baldersnäs Manor if you’re missing out a English stately home fix.
Helpfully, there’s a brand-new rail service connecting Malmö with Oslo that launched in June 2026, that cuts straight through the Dalsland region, but without the inconvenience of actually stopping here. Fantatic if you just want to have a look and wave out the window at the locals (“ok, diva”). I would really not recommend this if you plan on staying here, for obvious reasons.
Solo traveller & nice things verdict: Yes, comfortably. This is well-organised, safe, low-crowd Sweden. Kayak hire, marked hiking trails, and small lakeside guesthouses are all available for solo guests, and overwhelmingly serve the Nordic love of personal space.
Over-50 appropriateness: Good, but probably mostly for those of you fully in your “camping outdoors woodsy” era. If you are, then you can do as much or as little activity as you like. From gentle lakeside walks and a sauna, to multi-day kayaking and gravel biking, whatever your knees are up for that week.
How to get there: Fly to Gothenburg, then either hire a car (around 2 hours) or take the new Snälltåget rail service toward Oslo, which runs through the heart of Dalsland’s lake and forest country. Regional trains and buses from Gothenburg also reach the main towns like Håverud in 2–3 hours.
What to eat and drink when you get there: Farm-to-table dining is big here. So try local game and forest meats like moose and wild boar. Goodies from Swedish bakeries are a must-have, but make sure you sample the local Dalslandskaka, a soft spicy bread from this region.