<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by knobs5:
[B]I love to travel, but as I am single and, at my age (42) most of my friends are married and do not have flexibility to travel much.[B]</font>
Welcome to FlyerTalk.
You're not alone. Many of us on FT probably fit that profile, and some of us are even older than 42
I've been traveling with a backpack (ala Rick Steves) the last 11 years, and staying in hostels for the most part (many now have single rooms, and you'll find plenty of folks in their 30's and 40's there). The lack of an organized program has never stopped me, and it's amazing how easy it is to set up a get together with someone here on FT when you post you'll be visiting their country. I've even joined folks I've met at hostels for touring and dinner, and keep up with a number of them around the world.
Take a few minutes to stop by the library and get a Lonely Planet guide, which is designed for independent, budget travelers, to get a feel for what I do, and what might interest you.
http://www.iyhf.org/home_gb.html
http://www.hiayh.org/home.shtml