At what age did your desire to travel wane?

[Scuba]

I've read several posts on this site from folks who previously enjoyed traveling the globe but now prefer to stay home or have drastically reduced their travels.

DH and I really enjoy traveling and have dozens of destinations we haven't yet explored. I'm guessing our health or energy level will eventually drive us to travel less, but right now (we are 56 & 58) it's hard to imagine we will ever not want to travel.

If you are a person who used to enjoy travel and now prefer to avoid it, when did this change occur for you? Was it driven by health issues, the desire to spend more time on local activities, or

[Nemo2]

I hope to be 75 in September.....no waning here. Ask me again in 50 years.

[Totoro]

36y old, desire is dropping fast. Mainly because I feel that I've seen most of the experience variety on offer on this planet (arrogant, I know).

Snowbirding still appeals (New Zealand / Europe) with slow return in between (e.g. taking a month to move from EU to NZ and vice versa), if I can get it to work somehow.

[scrabbler1]

Sixteen years (1986-2001) of daily commuting on the trains sapped most of my desire to travel. I have not flown on an airplane since 2003, 13 years ago. That is by far the longest stretch in my 54 years of not flying, including my childhood when I flew 6 times before I turned 18.


And my experience on Amtrak back in 2014 sapped my desire for any further long-distance train travel.

[2017ish]

We are same stage as OP, but my in-laws lost interest at about 80. They were never hard core travelers, but would do 2-4 weeks international each year, beginning in their mid-50s. Her artificial knees/hip and arm edema from mastectomy (all of which stem before mid-60s) became more uncomfortable over the years, plus they felt less adroit at adapting to changes on the fly. Given that they had seen most of what they were really interested in, they have become much more homebodies.

[CaptTom]

I think it's either in your blood, or not. Traveling for business can get old fast, and I can see losing interest in overseas travel after a career of doing that.

But I suspect the need to get underway to somewhere - even if you're only crossing states instead of oceans - is innate in some people.

I come from a long line of travelers. One grandfather was a sailor, one was a Pullman conductor. Both parents traveled, and my father still jumps at any chance to get away.

I suspect it's more a case of health issues making your world smaller with each passing year. I'm not sure which are the fortunate ones, those who live long enough for their world to shrink to one room, or those who go out in a blaze of glory long before that.

[Ronstar]

Used to do air travel about 9 - 10 times a year. But air travel started waning at 60. Mostly because of the crowded planes and airports and PITA shuttles to/from the airport.

Our urge for travel hasn't waned yet - just air travel. Now we drive most trips. We have more time now, so we don't need to take the fastest route to our destination.

[Mdlerth]

Twenty-eight years ago, at age 30. After a string of family vacations which made the Griswolds' look enviable, I lost interest in traveling anywhere. Ever.

She Who Must Be Obeyed, by contrast, is still eager to traipse all over the world once we RE. I will suck it up and accompany her.

[euro]

We still like to travel, see new things, etc and probably always will to some extent. What is changing is tolerance for the hassles of air travel. Especially, international air travel. Yuck!
We have been shifting much more to domestic and local (driving distance) trips.

[Midpack]

Our interest began to wane in our 40's, 20 years ago. Now we average a significant trip only once or twice a year. But we'd both traveled a lot as adults, I got to travel on business until I retired, and as an Army brat I got to live abroad as a child. So while we quit early, we'd travelled more than many people.

[kcowan]

We find that we prefer longer trips now, minimum one month. When combined with our 5 hour flight to Mexico, and some local travel there, and some local travel in BC, the one major trip is enough for us (retired 15 years).

The local driving trips are about one week.

[Bamaman]

After retiring early 8 years ago, I seldom travel anywhere--even to the surrounding cities.

But when we travel, it's overseas. And we're presently freezing our tails off in Budapest for the month of April.

We came over on a Holland America Transatlantic repositioning cruise with a bunch of people a generation or two older than us. I'm sorry, but retirees need to leave "Daddy" home when he's 90+ years old, cannot walk and hardly knows he's there. And ultra old travelers that cannot take care of their personal needs (diapers) need to stay home.

I can see when people get mobility challenged or mentally challenged that it's time to travel close to home. Foreign travel takes a certain ability to follow maps, climb steps and use ingenuity to navigate airports, mass transit and to find hotels and travel sites. I would think 80 would be a nice age to stay home and talk about past conquests.

[braumeister]

Traveled constantly during my career and still love it in my 70s.

We're all different in this regard.

[Tallman4123]

DW and I were just talking about this last weekend. We've both had the opportunity to travel fairly extensively both domestically and internationally for work and pleasure, but our desire to travel is beginning to wane quickly (I'm 59; DW 52). I retired last August and we moved from Boston - where we'd been for the past 14 years - back "home" to northern CT and bought our (hopefully) "forever" home. Although the move was only 100 miles, it's an entirely different vibe. We love being back closer to family and friends and out of the hustle of the city. We are simply much more comfortable, calm and content and the need to get away to de-stress has lessened considerably. While DW plans to work for an additional year or two, her traveling-for-work days are much more limited now. We are slowing morphing into homebodies!

That being said, we have a two week trip to Italy coming up soon with five other couples that's been in the works for a couple years...should be fabulous but will likely be our last international trip for a considerable time.

[Rambler]

Well, travel for me has two different reasons. Places I'd like to see, or places I'd like to Be. For me, I've seen all the international places I'd like to see. Been to London, Paris, Zurich,Tokyo, Beijing, Hong Kong and all over Asia more times than I can count, for both business and sightseeing. I have no interest in going to most of those places again. One place I've always wanted to see and never had a chance is Rome. I landed there once, with a connecting flight a couple hours later, but Ive never been out of the airport. So if I fly to Europe again, that is likely to be th e destination.

OTOH, both DW and I like to BE in Hawaii. Just to get away, be in a tropical paradise for a week or so, once or twice a year. So we'll continue to go there, because we enjoy it, not because there's something there we've yet to see. Beyond that, I will say that Ive still been to more countries around the world than US states, so we do plan to use the MotorHome a lot more to see some of the places we've missed here in the US. I figure in another 5 years, we'll outgrow that as well... who knows. Depends on where the kids settle as well, as we enjoy having the motorhome to retreat to when we visit them, instead of a hotel.

[Moemg]

I traveled a lot in my 40,50& 60's now that I hit 70 the travel lust is fading .I am leaving tomorrow for three weeks in Portugal & Spain . This will be my last big trip . It is a combination of lack of interest and health problems . Most of my friends has also slowed down or stopped except for two friends that are like Nemo perpetual travelers .I will still travel domestically and occasional cruises but trips that require long flights are over for me .

[Nemo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronstar Used to do air travel about 9 - 10 times a year. But air travel started waning at 60. Mostly because of the crowded planes and airports and PITA shuttles to/from the airport. Our urge for travel hasn't waned yet - just air travel. Now we drive most trips. We have more time now, so we don't need to take the fastest route to our destination.

Amen.....repositioning cruises have been a godsend for us......I/we dislike planes and dislike airports intensely.

(Back in the early/mid 1960s when most travel to/from Australia was by ship, and due to the distances involved, people generally/often took off for a year, departure was almost festival like. One didn't have to be sailing in order to board the vessel to see friends/relatives off, (just had to listen for the "All visitors ashore" call over the P.A.), and there were colored streamers thrown to the crowds on the dock as the ship left port.......it was GREAT, and no airport can duplicate that experience.)

[dadu007]

Fun question. The wife (49) and I (56) were also talking about this last weekend. Our interest has plummeted in the last two or three years. Not sure if it's temporary or permanent.
When I was in my teens and 20s I thought I would die if I didn't travel to Europe. I made it happen (on a shoe string) and also lived in Japan for about 9 months. My wife also did a lot of traveling on here own in her youth. Thanks to some good friends and family living in different parts of the county, I have seen much of the US. (The western wilderness is what sticks with me.) By the time we met and married, we didn't feel the need to jet off together anywhere and have usually visited places relatively locally.
I've also traveled to Germany on business one time too many for my company. And now with two teenagers, all I look for is a few quiet moments with the spouse and some time alone when I can carve it out. I'm much more interested in internal intellectual travel at this point. Occasionally I read on this forum people who comment that once you've seen the Louvre (I have) and other international museums, you've seen them all; I tend to agree.
So, for now, I have no desire to go more that 500 miles from home, and only by car. I absolutely hate flying now (due to too much business travel); holding out the carrot of more "miles" on a new type of credit card does nothing for me.
Things could change, and I'm open to it, after we're empty-nesters.
All that said, as I told my wife last weekend, the only place that still holds any weight on my bucket list is St. Peters/The Vatican in Rome. (She's already been there!)

[Beldar]

As the Army ruined my early enthusiasm for backpacking and camping, the constant business to mediocre locations really spoiled my travel lust (not sure of any particular age).

I suppose Road Scholar in the future may redeem me.

_B

[audreyh1]

58 and 61 now - not yet! In fact it seems to be increasing.