At what age did your desire to travel wane?

[6miths]

Can't imagine it will ever wane but one day perhaps. Now at 56 and 61 it is actually increasing (or at least the opportunity for more leisurely travel is increasing) but have always had the wanderlust.

 

[Scuba]

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.

Good distinction- see vs be. We have lots of places we want to see, and a few we want to be. Thanks for this valuable thought.

 

[Chuckanut]

In regards to travel in my 70's and 80's here's my plan, FWIW.

My plan is to go slow in cities and towns, use trains and busses and avoided cruising as I much prefer to hang out for a few days in a city rather than stop over for a few hours. I have a friend to says she saw Rome. Five hours in a van with just two stops to sample 'un cafè', buy tacky souvenirs, and use the potty. Then back to the ship. IMO, that is not seeing Rome. I do travel slower now. If I need to return to my room for a nap or to avoid the mid-day heat I do so. If my feet get sore, I find a cafe and spend an hour there. No need to rush. And, if I skip the rocky, crumbling, slippery steps to the top of an ancient Roman site, so be it. I'll walk around the lower parts and take photos pointing up. I'd rather BE in one or two cities or towns, than zip through five or six.

I will start cruising when walking up short moderate hills and stairs becomes a reason not to go anywhere. I do know several people in their 80's who cruise a few times a year. They love it. Part of aging well is adapting to one's circumstances rather than moaning and groaning about not dying young.

 

[ls99]

After living out of suitcases and duffle bags for nearly 20 years, around 45 decided, no more.

 

[W2R]

I really never did enjoy traveling as an adult, because I got that out of my system as a kid. My parents were complete, utter, extreme travel nuts and always took me along.

Being two months late for first grade due to travel and then having to leave again in early spring pretty much made up my mind, although I hated travel long before then.

As an adult, I STILL had to travel all over the country almost constantly for work (before I retired). I hated every minute of it! One of the GREAT joys of being in my 70's, is that I don't have to travel for anyone or any supposed reason, not any more. At last, I can just kick back and enjoy the remaining years of my life like a "normal person".



Edited to answer the question: I guess at about 18 months old, when I recall wading chest-deep in the water in Jamaica while my mother swam out too far out for me to see her. My father, who couldn't swim, told me worriedly that she would drown, and yet would not allow me to try swimming out to follow her. Big fun (not!) I just wanted for all of us to be safely back home together.

"Desire" to travel? You all must be stark raving mad.

 

[bloom2708]

52 (current age)

 

[athena53]

I wanted to make sure I didn't post something I'd said earlier but I see my last post on this thread was April, 2017. Wow. Things do change, and not just due to COVID.

I've since developed a heart valve issue that makes me short of breath when walking or bicycling uphill. I'm 70 so it's paltry compared to the limitations many face at this age, but it still bugs me. No more "boulder scramble" hikes. I could do them at my own speed (and my cardiologist is very supportive of my exercise) but probably would not be able to keep up with a group.

But, I'm still on the move. Last year was one independent trip (Germany and Malta) and a fantastic tour of E. Europe with Overseas Adventure Travel. Both allowed ample time for rest. The E. Europe tour was all overland in a large bus and most of the travelers were in my age group so many of us used the bus for nap time! One day in Munich I walked a total of 15 miles- but it was at my own pace.

Next up are South America and the Galapagos in May and more countries in E. Europe in September, both with OAT. They do a VERY good job of getting us to out-of-the-way places, through beautiful scenery and allow adequate time to experience wherever we are. I may decide at some point that switching hotels every 2-3 days is too much. You get up in the middle of the night and have to think: Which way is the bathroom? Where's the toilet paper? Where's the flush handle?

I fly Business Class on long hauls, not just for the comfort in flight but for lounge access and the use of Priority security (and sometimes Immigration) lines.

Not sure when I'll slow down. I'm also not sure what form "slowing down" will take. Independent travel certainly allows for setting my own pace and staying in one place as long as I want, but a good organized tour has people who take over when things go awry.

 

[FlaGator]

For air travel, when I took my last flight for work in 2014. Every flight since has been for a specific family-related purpose.

Still love to get in the car or on the motorcycle and see new things. Hope to do more of that in the coming years with the last kid moving out for college this fall.

 

[pacergal]

No age, but covid did.
Now that things are improving, we are starting to plan travel by air again.
We have continued car trips, but not any farther than a days drive.

We are more homebodies anyway and usually take only 1-2 shorter trips year(1-2 weeks).
I fore see probably decreasing travel in our late 70's-80's. But who knows?

 

[brett]

Not yet. 71. Still have independent trips to Morocco, Thailand/Vietnam/Malaysia, East Africa, Australia and Europe in the 24 month window plus the usual last minute AI's or road trips.

When we get old or have health issues we may switch to cruising or stick to AI's.

So far we have been travelling for longer periods and taking far less luggage.

We fell behind on our travel plans because of covid.

 

[flyingaway]

At 58.5, I want to travel to somewhere (usually overseas) after one week at home. Then, after one week on travel, I want to go home to take care of my fruit trees and vegetable garden.

 

[audreyh1]

Our big time traveling neighbors didn’t stop until well into their 80s. They were even still doing some international walking trips. They did do quite a bit of low-intensity travel like cruising which was a good way for them to get together with their far flung family. And also flew to witness various grandchildren events like graduations and Ironman races. Every summer they would drive to CA and spend most of the summer visiting family. A few years ago they moved to southern AZ to be closer to their kids, but IMO it’s still a trek. So I imagine they are still traveling.

 

[brett]

On our last Thailand snowbird trip, three years ago, we spent a week with a retired couple from the UK. They were in their late 70's/early 80's.

This was in a resort that was very much out of the way. Reached it by rail or minibus. Well off the popular foreign tourist trails. They were out for 3 months like us. Bouncing around and staying for a week or more in place they liked.

 

[Souschef]

My wife and I married 10 years ago, when I was 68 and she was 63. She had wanted to travel, but could not because of he husband's business.
We were both widowed, met and married
She got her first passport and we traveled with a vengeance. To date we have taken 47 trips including 16 cruises. However, as time has gone by, and our bucket lists were filled, we have slowed down. My DW has a knee problem that now limits her mobility.
We have given up on escorted tours and prefer to do things on our own at our own pace. In many cases we will use a tour itinerary as a guide, and do things we want.
Case in point, we had just finished a great lunch at Rancho de Chimayo in New Mexico. As we were leaving a tour bus pulled up and disgorged its 40 passengers. All of whom would wait for all the orders to be taken before they got their lunch.

UPDATE:
We just celebrated our 15th anniversary. Our grand finale was in 2019 at my age of 80. We took a cruise to Alaska including Glacier Bay in a suite round trip from LA-NO airports.

 

[Ronstar]

This year will be our busiest domestic travel year yet and at 68/69 I don’t see us slowing down for a while. I think some people’s travel desires wane when travel becomes stressful - having to live life at a faster pace, having to be somewhere by a certain time, having to experience everything that a place has to offer. So we’re just slowing down - not planning out full days

 

[Dtail]

Still like to travel, but mainly cruises, otherwise in the USA.

 

[SecondAttempt]

What is changing is tolerance for the hassles of air travel. Especially, international air travel. Yuck!

I find that I am more willing to pay for/do things that make air travel easier - Economy Plus subscription, lounge access (through credit cards), Clear, Global entry, etc. Yes, it costs money but sometimes a smooth experience is priceless.

We are going on a relatively short trip in a couple of weeks and I just booked the tickets. We normally fly United as we are most of the way on this trip. But one single (1 hour) leg was going to add several hundred dollars on United ($400 on a ticket from Hawaii that was otherwise about $500 total to the mainland) so I booked on a low cost carrier. What a horrible experience figuring out all the crap with bag fees, carryon fees, seat fees, etc. These days I have more money than tolerance for BS. But I'm still cheap enough not to cave to United's seeming extortion.

 

[DrRoy]

We RE'd at age 57/56 in 2017 in part to have more freedom to travel, and took 3-4 trips per year of 2-3 weeks, usually one of them international, and usually one a cruise. Last year our schedule was heavier due to Covid catch-up. We were away from home 15 weeks over 6 trips, which was just a bit more than we liked, but still glad we did it. We will be back to the normal pace going forward, with no waning of the desire so far.

 

[athena53]

I find that I am more willing to pay for/do things that make air travel easier - Economy Plus subscription, lounge access (through credit cards), Clear, Global entry, etc. Yes, it costs money but sometimes a smooth experience is priceless.

<snip>

These days I have more money than tolerance for BS.

Totally agreed. As DH got older and had less stamina, we flew Business Class on long hauls, made sure to get accommodations near public transportation so that he wouldn't get worn out just walking to the subway, got private cars to/from the airport, etc. He was over 6' tall so we never tried to cram him into a low-cost carrier seat. He was 15 years older and I'm now 70 myself but without his health issues but I find myself paying for convenience and to avoid BS. TSA Pre-check was a real blessing when traveling to Chicago from Des Moines with my two young granddaughters.

 

[audreyh1]

Totally agreed. As DH got older and had less stamina, we flew Business Class on long hauls, made sure to get accommodations near public transportation so that he wouldn't get worn out just walking to the subway, got private cars to/from the airport, etc. He was over 6' tall so we never tried to cram him into a low-cost carrier seat. He was 15 years older and I'm now 70 myself but without his health issues but I find myself paying for convenience and to avoid BS. TSA Pre-check was a real blessing when traveling to Chicago from Des Moines with my two young granddaughters.

Totally agree about paying up to minimize travel hassle and for prime locations.

 

[Gumby]

I find that I am more willing to pay for/do things that make air travel easier - Economy Plus subscription, lounge access (through credit cards), Clear, Global entry, etc. Yes, it costs money but sometimes a smooth experience is priceless.

We are going on a relatively short trip in a couple of weeks and I just booked the tickets. We normally fly United as we are most of the way on this trip. But one single (1 hour) leg was going to add several hundred dollars on United ($400 on a ticket from Hawaii that was otherwise about $500 total to the mainland) so I booked on a low cost carrier. What a horrible experience figuring out all the crap with bag fees, carryon fees, seat fees, etc. These days I have more money than tolerance for BS. But I'm still cheap enough not to cave to United's seeming extortion.

We flew United first class for the first time ever when we went to Egypt in October. The amenities were essential to making it a pleasant travel experience. One example - we had a five hour layover in at O'Hare on the way home, which we spent in the Untied Polaris Lounge. I was able to take a shower, shave and change into clean clothes, then eat a very nice dinner and have a couple glasses of wine in pleasant, uncrowded surroundings. Expensive, certainly, but that's why we saved all that money.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Now that I am single I don’t want to do independent travel and take tours. A good friend of mine from high school loves to travel and her husband doesn’t. So we went to Europe last year and have a 11 day trip to Europe every year planned through 2025. By then after the last trip we will be 71 and will evaluate if we are still up to long plane rides.

 

[GaryInCO]

Ex-DW and I used to travel a lot -- took our kids to England, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Thailand before they were in high school. But then she decided she'd had enough of me and checked out. I didn't travel anywhere for about 8 years -- didn't enjoy travel without her. But then in 2018 and 2019 I went with small group tours to Tuscany and biking in Bordeaux. OK, back in the saddle, that was fun, let's do more .... um wait, cancer diagnoses, suppressed immune system, Covid, yuck. I used to travel for work 1-2 weeks a month (and enjoyed it), but that stopped in 2020 too. Still not a great idea for me to get into a plane. So now I'm planning the second road trip in my new Tesla Y. I'm 6'4" so it's a bit cramped but I camp in the back like a mini RV. No plumbing though ...

 

[Dash man]

I’m currently on my last day of a Caribbean cruise at age 66. I’m thinking I really don’t want to do this again. Between back pain, arthritis, not being able to walk or stand more than thirty minutes, and experiencing discomfort in theater seats for any show, traveling just isn’t enjoyable anymore.
I wanted to take our grandkids to Disney World and on their first cruise, but now I don’t see it happening. [emoji20]

 

[friar1610]

This past fall, at the ages of 77/75 we took a Rhine River cruise with a 3-day add-on in Zurich and, for the first time in our traveling lives, felt that we might have moved from the “go-go” years to the “slo-go”. The cruise was fine but the flights (Boston-Amsterdam and Zurich-Boston) were more exhausting than we recalled on previous long flights. (We did not upgrade from economy but did insist on non-stop flights.) Shlepping luggage was harder and the walks in the terminals seemed longer than ever. That said, we are seriously considering an upcoming trip to Paris with a college alumni group and if we do it we might tack on a 2nd European city on our own. If this trip kicks our butts that may be confirmation of our slo-go status and we may limit future travel to this hemisphere.