Go-Go, Slow-Go, No-Go Travel

[friar1610]

I’ve heard about retirees’ travel tending to slow down once they reach their mid-to-late 70s. But surely, I thought, that’s not gonna be the case with me! I’m reasonably healthy, exercise regularly, am not overweight, etc. (I’m 77, my wife almost 76). So, for the first time in almost 3 years, we flew across “the pond” to pick up a river cruise ship in Amsterdam for a week-long Rhine River cruise. When the cruise ended in Basel we took the train to Zurich and spent 3 night there before returning home

I’ll have to admit, this trip took a lot more out of me than I recall from earlier trips. It was primarily the getting there and getting home that was so taxing. The whole airport/aircraft experience (standing in lines for long periods, shlepping luggage, trying to find a place to sit, virtually no leg room, etc. was just hard.

The cruise itself was fine although some of the departure times for shore excursions were bit earlier than I might have liked. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip but I have to admit that, at least in our mid-70s experience, travel is a whole lot harder now than it was a decade ago. I guess we’ve officially hit the Slow-Go years.

What has your experience been?

 

[marko]

No experience as I just turned 70, but having logged 4 million air miles, I do know a bit about international traveling, horrendous jet lag and timing an itinerary.

I wonder if you might be trying to travel as if you were 40 or 50...your second sentence might be the tip-off. Maybe next trip, concede to your age and try to build in a few extra days on either end to collect yourself with nothing to do at all? Fly "up front", have a porter to help with the luggage ( or travel lighter), add a few extra down days.

Even in my 40s whenever I could, I'd build a few extra days to get acclimated; chill, room service, a long walk alone. Someone once asked me what was the hardest part of my grueling travel and my answer was "staying healthy"

 

[Souschef]

Below is the summary of our travels. We started traveling in 2007 when I was 69 and DW was 64. We stopped heavy duty travel in 2015 when I was 77 and DW was 72.
Our last 3 cruises were LA round trip NO airports. Also as we got older, we went from balcony to mini suite to suite.





CRUISES 18
DAYS 511
TRIPS 52

 

[ncbill]

Those on this thread have done better than the successful early retirees I've known.

The guys were all retired by age 55 but by age 70...no more world travel.

And they were in better physical shape than most I've known that age.

One had traipsed all over China with the OSS back in WWII.

 

[Bamaman]

We used to travel to Europe through our 30's, 40's and 50's renting a car and driving as far as we could get. $9.00 a gallon gasoline in Italy changed our minds into traveling slower, and now we get much more out of our travels.

When traveling to Europe, we try to get into our rooms around 2:00 p.m. and take a nap until supper. Then we're ready to go the next morning. No reason to push it the second day too hard.

We've got to where we try to take on no more than 3 cities in 2 weeks and 3 weekends. And we're not above taking a 1 week cruise as part of the trip--whether it be a river cruise or on a large ocean cruise.

We're in our 70's, and still able to go. My wife's had recent mobility issues, and we got her a high quality power scooter that goes faster than I can walk. And she rides it right to the airplane door and just has to take a few steps to her seat. Sure helps her to be able to ride through airports.

When we have obstacles placed in our travels, we've just found a way to adapt by taking our time.

 

[Scuba]

My MIL is 86. Her last trip was at age 80. She slowed down considerably in her mid 70’s. She started getting anxiety in airports and no longer enjoyed the experience as much, even though she was still in excellent physical health. At this point, she doesn’t even enjoy relatively short/local car trips with someone else driving.

 

[DrRoy]

We are 63 and 62 so not there yet. In fact, in Washington state this year, we hiked a trail that was 8 mi round trip and 1800 feet of climbing. To do Europe though, we have started flying at least business class for the eastbound overnight leg so we can sleep better. It does wear on us more than it used to.

 

[athena53]

I learned early about travel patterns changing as you age because my late husband was 15 years older. At one point it just took too long for him to un-kink his 6'-2" body after a long-haul in Coach so we flew Business. We always made sure to have a hotel room with some "living space" where he could relax while I went out to explore some more. We chose hotels close to subway stops and we started getting private transportation to/from airports.

So..I'm almost 70. DH died in 2016 and I'm still traveling. I still fly Business Class on long-hauls and like to stay overnight in London to/from other places in Europe and arrive a day early for group tours and cruises. I had a wonderful independent trip to Munich and Malta in May but I'm doing more small-group tours where if things go wrong it's someone else's problem. Fortunately the company I use most does a good mix of time on your own and organized excursions, not too many one-night stops or early mornings, and the right level of physical activity.

I'm careful about what luggage I bring- the last trip was carry-on only for 3 weeks because of the headlines about lost luggage. Usually it's one checked (small roller bag), one carry-on roller bag plus my computer bag. I was watching people checking in and out of my hotel in London earlier this month with carts piled with mega-bags- that would wear me out, too! I learned very early never to assume there would always be someone to handle your luggage for you and your path would be free of steps.

TSA Pre-check is a blessing. So are the Priority Immigration lines at Heathrow for Business Class passengers.

I hope I have many good miles left on me. I've slowed down a bit because leaky heart valves make me short of breath so I have to avoid "boulder bash" hikes, but I'm still having a great time.

 

[Chuckanut]

I just finished a road trip of several weeks. Our return home was 24 hours of actual driving plus stops and overnight. A few years ago I would have done that with two 12 hour driving days and one overnight stop. Today, I do it with two overnight stops and three 8 hour driving days.

If I am staying more than two nights at a location I try to get a room with a sitting area. It might be only an easy chair, maybe a table with two chairs (also, handy for eating take-out meals), or sometimes a separate area with couch TV, etc.

As a younger man I learned from an old friend who was a good 30+ years older than me. Adapt to your circumstances and keep moving forward. This is the guy who decided that left turns were too aggravating for him so he took out his city map and found ways to drive to his normal haunts using mostly if not all right turns. About a decade later UPS found this was the most efficient way to schedule their deliveries. He was ahead of his time.

 

[Sunset]

OP - I won't fly across "the pond" for anything less than a 14 day trip. Just the flight and all the pre-flight stuff (packing, early morning wake up, anxiety over is stove off, drive to airport, long lines, waiting, etc), is exhausting.

One of our nicest trips was a 30 day holiday, it was pleasant not having to wonder about the flight home at the end, as we did a Transatlantic cruise.

 

[Ronstar]

We’re 67 and 68. No problems with travel - either by air or road trips. We don’t do cruises. We do drive less per day now compared to road trips years ago.

All of our travel companions have health issues that allow moderate travel activities but preclude strenuous hikes, etc that we used to do. So now we just do everything in moderation.

 

[brett]

I’ve heard about retirees’ travel tending to slow down once they reach their mid-to-late 70s. But surely, I thought, that’s not gonna be the case with me! I’m reasonably healthy, exercise regularly, am not overweight, etc. (I’m 77, my wife almost 76). So, for the first time in almost 3 years, we flew across “the pond” to pick up a river cruise ship in Amsterdam for a week-long Rhine River cruise. When the cruise ended in Basel we took the train to Zurich and spent 3 night there before returning home

I’ll have to admit, this trip took a lot more out of me than I recall from earlier trips. It was primarily the getting there and getting home that was so taxing. The whole airport/aircraft experience (standing in lines for long periods, shlepping luggage, trying to find a place to sit, virtually no leg room, etc. was just hard.

The cruise itself was fine although some of the departure times for shore excursions were bit earlier than I might have liked. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip but I have to admit that, at least in our mid-70s experience, travel is a whole lot harder now than it was a decade ago. I guess we’ve officially hit the Slow-Go years.

What has your experience been?

We are in our early 70's. We typically travel for 7-9 weeks at a time. Now it is slower travel. Usually stay in one spot for at least 3 days, often longer. Which is why we are spontaneous travelers. We never book too far in advance.

When we did a seven month trip we interspersed cruises and a one month condo rental in between.

What is getting us down now is flight times. We have spent a number of winters in SE Asia and Australia. For us that typically means a 2 hour flight, a 2 hour stopover, a 10-11 hour flight, a three hour stopover, and a final 10 hour flight. Sometimes a little shorter on the way home. We plan on doing it this winter but it may be our last simply because the air. Plus we have done this, pre covid, for five or six winters.

Pre covid we did at least two of these longer trips a year. What really helped us was moving to carry on only. We only pack what we can each physically handle. That translates into an international size carry on with a weight limit of 8Kg. Mostly for regional airlines.

In between these trips, especially in Europe, we pick up the occasional last minute cruise. That breaks up the travel and gives us a welcome change from always having to book 3 days in advance as we travel.

We are both healthy and have a desire to travel. Our view is to do it now while we have the health and the desire to travel.

We recently returned from five weeks in Portugal. First time ever we have not rented a car. We had been to Portugal before. We did most of it by rail. Very, very thankful we only had carry on for the trip.

 

[Marita40]

I'm on a facebook site dedicated to over 60 women solo travelers. It is so inspiring! Women traveling on their own all over the world, and many of them are over 80 years old.

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

+1 regarding the comment about "changing travel patterns as you age".

My mom is in her early 80's now and doesn't want to go anywhere even though my sibling and me have offered to take her on a cruise, Vegas, or Hawaii. She's still very mobile but doesn't want the hassle of being on a plane or ship.

MIL is the same and doesn't want to go anywhere even though she is very mobile and healthy but is forced into it because FIL still wants to travel. They're in their early 80's too and have definitely slowed down with FIL having the the odd health issue occasionally encumbering him.

I don't think it was very hard for us to anticipate that our travel style would evolve as we age. The missus and I are in our mid 40's and early 50's and we definitely won't put up with some of the things we did travelling in our 20's and 30's particularly to save a buck. And I'm sure we'll pay for more comfort and convenience in the upcoming years.

 

[Chuckanut]

W
What is getting us down now is flight times. We have spent a number of winters in SE Asia and Australia. For us that typically means a 2 hour flight, a 2 hour stopover, a 10-11 hour flight, a three hour stopover, and a final 10 hour flight. Sometimes a little shorter on the way home. We plan on doing it this winter but it may be our last simply because the air. Plus we have done this, pre covid, for five or six winters.

Have you considered an half-way stop between your starting place and your eventual destination? For example, I live on the West Coast. On of my plans when flying next to Europe is to stop for 2-3 days in an East Coast city (NY, Boston, Atlanta, etc.). That easily cuts a minimum 10 hour flight into two 5's.

 

[Souschef]

Have you considered an half-way stop between your starting place and your eventual destination? For example, I live on the West Coast. On of my plans when flying next to Europe is to stop for 2-3 days in an East Coast city (NY, Boston, Atlanta, etc.). That easily cuts a minimum 10 hour flight into two 5's.

Not a bad idea When we flew from LA to Australia, we stopped at Tahiti both ways. None of that 3 hrs before your flight stuff. The airport only has 4 gates.

 

[Chuckanut]

Not a bad idea When we flew from LA to Australia, we stopped at Tahiti both ways. None of that 3 hrs before your flight stuff. The airport only has 4 gates.

I am jealous. Alas, Atlanta has more the 4 gates. But, It would be fun to find a place in Georgia that made really good pecan pie. Or do I need Mississippi or Alabama for that? A few days in Alabama eating that good Southern Cooking might be a nice alternative to hopping the pond in one flight.

 

[friar1610]

Great responses and perspectives! Thanks to all.

A few takeaways just off the top for me:
- although we no longer travel “on the cheap” we probably could loosen the purse strings somewhat to buy some comfort. As in business class, a day or two on either end, etc. When we went to NZ several years ago we flew economy plus on Air NZ and it was more like biz class. Made for a fairly painless trip.
- i ain’t as young as I used to be so need to make sure I’m accepting of that fact when making travel plans.
- the idea of not flying across a large body of water unless it’s for at least a couple of weeks makes a lot of sense.

There’s more takeaways that will occur to me as I reread this thread over
the days to come.

Thanks again.

 

[Bamaman]

I'm on a facebook site dedicated to over 60 women solo travelers. It is so inspiring! Women traveling on their own all over the world, and many of them are over 80 years old.

I bet their favorite cruise line is Holland America. We took their newest ship on a repositioning cruise ending in Rome. The average age was 85 years. Everyone had a great time--even if they went to bed early. And one had "Daddy" with her.

We saw a table of people at supper with matching shirts saying, "The Wild Ones."

To those that can travel into their retirement years, good for them.

 

[Chuckanut]

The average age was 85 years. Everyone had a great time--even if they went to bed early. And one had "Daddy" with her.



We saw a table of people at supper with matching shirts saying, "The Wild Ones."



To those that can travel into their retirement years, good for them.

Sounds great. If you know where the wild women will be let me know. I’ll we’re my Crazy Guys t shirt and introduce myself.

 

[luckydude]

I’ve heard about retirees’ travel tending to slow down once they reach their mid-to-late 70s. But surely, I thought, that’s not gonna be the case with me! I’m reasonably healthy, exercise regularly, am not overweight, etc. (I’m 77, my wife almost 76). So, for the first time in almost 3 years, we flew across “the pond” to pick up a river cruise ship in Amsterdam for a week-long Rhine River cruise. When the cruise ended in Basel we took the train to Zurich and spent 3 night there before returning home

I’ll have to admit, this trip took a lot more out of me than I recall from earlier trips. It was primarily the getting there and getting home that was so taxing. The whole airport/aircraft experience (standing in lines for long periods, shlepping luggage, trying to find a place to sit, virtually no leg room, etc. was just hard.

The cruise itself was fine although some of the departure times for shore excursions were bit earlier than I might have liked. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip but I have to admit that, at least in our mid-70s experience, travel is a whole lot harder now than it was a decade ago. I guess we’ve officially hit the Slow-Go years.

What has your experience been?

I am in my early 50s so not there yet, but I saw this with my dad. He was an avid traveler well into his 70s, but after he hit 75 he just stopped. Told me he had neither the physical stamina nor desire to deal with jet lag, airport hassles, rental cars, crowd, etc. He spent the last 4 years in his life gardening and fishing and was content as a bird before finally passing away.

 

[DrRoy]

We’re 67 and 68. No problems with travel - either by air or road trips. We don’t do cruises. We do drive less per day now compared to road trips years ago.

All of our travel companions have health issues that allow moderate travel activities but preclude strenuous hikes, etc that we used to do. So now we just do everything in moderation.

I never thought of myself as a cruise person. It seemed ridiculous to spend the money to just go from one sandy island to another. For our silver anniversary DW wanted to go on a cruise but let me pick where. I chose Alaska because the boat goes to places that you cannot access by land anyway, like Glacier Bay National Park. There was a land extension and it was a wonderful trip. Some years later, DW's sisters started cruising a lot, and DW wanted to go with them once a year, so we have been doing that for six years, mostly on Royal Caribbean, with some covid misses. I have found that I enjoy it OK. It is nice not having to unpack every day or three. It makes a difference to pick an itinerary that interests you, and we are pretty good at trivia, winning about once a day.
This year, the lead cruise sister had chosen a Danube cruise on Viking. I was not keen on the premium cost, but found that I again enjoyed the whole thing more than I expected. Ronstar, you might give it a try.

 

[TripleLindy]

I’m 60 and my wife is 59. I traveled a ton for business (all domestic) and loathe air travel. I’m 6’2” and even domestic first class is uncomfortable, especially with back issues. Because I always had mileage awards available, we never made road trips. Those miles are now gone and we’re planning a fall southwest trip to Santa Fe, Arches National Park and the Grand Canyon. We just returned from Grand Teton National Park, but flew into Jackson. We love hiking and the mountains and want to do as much of that while we still can. I love planning this upcoming trip because we aren’t really on a schedule. While Europe is attractive, there’s so much to experience here in the U.S. without flying, that’s where we plan to vacation the most. At some point, we’ll probably go to the Mediterranean region, but it’s not in the current plans.

 

[brett]

Early 70's and late 60's.

Spent 5 weeks doing independent travel in Portugal in May/June. Lots of rail travel.

Ten late Nov. days booked in a Puerto Vallarta AI. Perhaps another week in Mexico with daughter's family.

Two months planned for Thailand/SE Asia this winter. At least 8 weeks in Europe next fall...either Greece and something else or Morocco and something else. Independent travel but with some tours in Morocco.

Did lots of travel during my working years. It was all planned down to the day. Since retiring we have switched carry on and spontaneous travel. The latter takes more work but we enjoy the flexibility.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Travel is just a pain to me. I enjoy seeing/visiting new places but I dislike getting there. We usually fly business class and rent houses for "spacing" and ease but it's still travel and well...blah! I think spending 22 years in the Air Force and globetrotting for most of those years filled the travel bug for me. DW does like to travel but likes to limit our trips to no more than 3 or 4 a year.