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"I grew up on the water. My family was a boating family, so the ocean runs through my veins," Sally, 57, told Mamamia.

While most of her peers were starting a family two decades ago, Sally felt a familiar restlessness.

"Instead of settling down and having a family like all my friends were, I was like a cat on a hot tin roof. I went off and worked on cruise ships for four years.

"It wasn't just a job; it was the moment I realised that being at sea wasn't a holiday, it was a lifestyle."

Cruise travel on Mamamia Retreat. Post continues below.

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Cruise Travel | Retreat

Now at 57, Sally has spent more than 1200 days at sea, both for work and play.

As a business leader at a travel agency in Melbourne, Sally hasn't let a busy career or a relationship stop her from embarking on solo adventures.

"My partner can't always get as much time off, and while I love our time together, I don't believe in waiting around for someone else to be ready to see the world. I just felt at home on the ships from day one."

The "lightbulb moment" and the edge of the world.

The cruise that changed everything. Image: Supplied

Having visited 85 countries and all seven continents by sea, Sally has checked off everything from the Panama Canal (which she's traversed 20 times), to Japan and the Galapagos.

But the true turning point was venturing into the Polar regions.

"Antarctica was my huge one. I got there in 2014, and after that, I discovered my love of expedition cruising," she said.

"We did the Arctic, Iceland, Svalbard, and Greenland, chasing polar bears. There is something about being at the end of the earth, standing on a deck with nothing but ice and silence around you, that changes your perspective. It makes you feel small in the best way possible."

Whether it's an ice-breaker in the poles or a luxury liner in Europe, the appeal remains the same: it is the ultimate way to see the world without the "transit" headache.

"Cruising through the Med and seeing all the major sites is delightful. You can get off, go and visit Pompeii for the day, and then hop back on your luxury ship and dine and dance and wake up in the next destination."

Dispelling the 'retiree myth'.

"Cruising has gone through a revolution in the last ten or 20 years," she explained. "There is a misconception that it's just newlyweds and retirees."

Instead of age brackets, modern cruising is about "the way you want to travel," attracting everyone from burnt-out professionals to solo explorers.

The industry has pivoted to cater to the individual. "There are some people who don't have a partner anymore, or have a partner who doesn't want to travel,"

"Or their partner might like the cold, and they want a warm holiday. The uplift in solo travellers has really increased in the past decade because the choice is so much broader now."

The ultimate safety net for women.

Seeing the whole world from the safety of sea. Image: Supplied.

For many women, the hesitation to travel alone usually comes down to a single word: safety.

Sally finds that a ship provides a "safety net" that a city hotel or a solo backpacking trip simply can't match.

"If it's a 12-night cruise, all the same people are going all the same direction with you. It's not people in a resort coming and going at different times. Everybody's in it together," she noted.

"You've got your own cabin, which is your own safe space where you can retreat to, but you've always got that safety net of the ship being there for you. You have full medical facilities on board, you have staff who know your name, and you never have to worry about navigating a dark, unfamiliar street to find dinner."

By removing the "logistical stress" of moving between cities, the trains, the taxis, the luggage, women are free to enjoy their independence.

"It takes all the hassle out of the transit," Sally said. "You can be as brave as you want during the day, knowing your 'home' is waiting for you at the pier."

Why it's the most social way to travel.

The most common fear for solo travellers is the awkwardness of being alone, but Sally said the environment on board actually encourages people to "drop their social barriers".

"Cruising builds self-trust and independence; it gives people the confidence to be themselves," she said. "For some reason, when people go on a cruise, they sort of drop their social barriers and just talk to everybody."

The secret weapon for solo travellers? Themed cruises. "It might be a photography-themed cruise, or art, history, or wellness," Sally explained.

"That's often where you get your solo travellers, because they might be the only one they know interested in that sort of thing. They meet other people who share that passion, join a lecture or a workshop, and a connection forms naturally.

"You're not 'the person travelling alone'; you're the person who loves architecture or marine biology.

"You can strike up a friendship with anybody. On a ship, it's not an unusual thing to see someone dining alone, and because of that, people are much more likely to strike up a conversation from the next table."

The best kept secret: the power of the sea day.

While the destinations are the draw card, Sally revealed that the "sea days" are secretly the highlight of the trip for those who travel alone.

"People often think the sea days are just getting from one place to the next, but a day at sea is so relaxing. You've got nowhere to be. There's just water all around you, and it almost forces you to slow down."

Travel + fine dining on board. Image: Supplied.

The emotional transformation.

Spending over 1,200 nights at sea hasn't just given Sally an impressive passport; it has changed her internal compass.

"It's opened my eyes to lots of different places, cultures, and lifestyles," she reflected.

"But what I like about it is the space it gives my mind to just be able to relax and unwind. It can be adventurous and calming and hectic and serene all at the same time. You get a bit of everything, and that's how I like to live my life."

Final advice for the 'book now' hesitator.

For the woman currently "hovering" over the book button, Sally's advice is to stop waiting for a travel partner and stop listening to the stereotypes.

"Choose the cruise with the right vibe, whether it's wellness, expedition, social or culinary," she encouraged.

"It's not demographic anymore; it's about what you're after. Perhaps choose a shorter one to start, but definitely do it.

"Don't let the fear of a 'table for one' stop you from seeing the glaciers of Antarctica or the sunsets of the Med. You'll leave the shore as one person and come back feeling like a whole different version of yourself."

Feature Image: Supplied.

Sally Stockdale works for Travel Associates . You can reach out and find out more about cruising here .