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

[luckydude]

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Originally Posted by 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?

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]

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Originally Posted by 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.

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.

[athena53]

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Originally Posted by 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 just came back from one of the best trips of my life, and I DID fly Business Class on the long-hauls, but your neurons are all firing on these trips. Unfamiliar surroundings, learning a ton of new things, needing Google Translate in the grocery store, dealing with 5 foreign currencies (Sterling, Euro, Albanian Lek, Bosnian Mark, Croatian Kuna), the shower in every hotel works differently, you wake up in the middle of the night and have to think about where the bathroom is... there's a limit to how much I excitement I can take!

My late husband and I cheerfully agreed that two major trips a year were enough even if we had unlimited funds. I'm still comfortable with that.

[djsander]

My father was a traveler and had his leg partially amputated in his early 60s. He traveled a lot until around near 84 or so. Then stopped. I think it became too much and he was getting dementia. So I think he did real well making it that long. For me and my wife we haven’t travelled other than moving since retiring last year. A lot to do when you relocate. I do notice I can’t drive long hours anymore. I’m 62 and she’s a few years older. I used to have no problem with a 15 hour drive. Now 10 is about it. I think it’s a combination of I’m tired and just too many nut cases on the road.

[novaman]

My dad was an avid traveler, taking 3-4 major trips a year starting when he was 65. By his mid 70’s he found cruises to be the most appealing way to go, because he could just unpack once on the ship and wouldn’t have to deal with the hassles of different hotels and various modes of transportation to get from place to place

Dad is now 92 and sadly it looks like his traveling days are over due to cognitive decline. His last trip with mom was in February 2020 just before COVID hit.

[friar1610]

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Originally Posted by 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.

I have a friend who is about 5 years older and who has a condo in Marbella on the Costa Del Sol (Spain). He relocates to Spain generally 2x annually for a couple of months each time. He’s a retired USAF officer so he flies Space Available from McGuire AFB to Rota, Spain and back. Finds it very convenient even though he could easily afford commercial biz class. Personally, I have never once flown Space A in the 25 years I’ve been USN (ret) nor do I have any desire to try.

[Scuba]

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Originally Posted by 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.

What tour company do you use? We still prefer self-guided travel, but as we age and for some destinations, I definitely see the appeal of small group tours.

[Scuba]

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Originally Posted by Chuckanut 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.

I have a FANTASTIC restaurant recommendation close to the Atlanta airport. Try Louisiana Bistreaux. You’re welcome.

[220volt]

The US is really disadvantaged geographically for international travel. Most destinations are just too far away and will be taxing on you. Even within the US, the distances are so large. And if you're not in one of the major cities, connecting flights will be a nightmare.
This is why DW and I will be moving to Europe once we retire. At least for 5 (maybe 10) years so we can take advantage of European geographical proximity to different nations and their convenient transportation system. We travel internationally every year it is getting less convenient and there's so much to see, learn and explore.

[brett]

Agree so much with that.

On one of our more recent trips we flew one way to Vienna on points. Then trained to Budapest, then to Prague. After that a short hop on discount airline to Malta for 10 days. Then another short hop on Air Malta to Sicily for 20 days of independent touring. Then a $38 Vueling flight to Rome to pick up a last minute mid October cruise to Barcelona. Then an inexpensive one way cruise air home.

It is not unusual for us to rough our the first four or five weeks and leave the back end 2 weeks open. Last trip to Greece we left the last two weeks in Oct. open for one of Morocco, Israel, or Cyprus. Never been to any of then prior to that. It was a faith holiday in Israel..everything booked and busy. We spotted $50 Aegean air from Athens to Cyprus so that is where we went. Two wonderful weeks. 5 days each in two resorts, plus 2 days each in the mountains and in Nicosia.

Pre early retirement we always wanted to travel like this. So this is what we had been doing for the past 10 years. Not certain how long we will do this but as long as we have the health and the desire we will continue to do it.

There was also a health benefit. We realized that we needed to drop some weight if we were going on long flights etc. So we did. The other big change is that our eating habits changed even at home. Much more fresh fruit, salads, seafood. Less meat, no fast foods, no processed foods, very little fried food. We feel so much better for both changes.

[aja8888]

I'll be 79 in a few days. DW is 77 and not in good health. I traveled extensively for 40 years in business and I am done with it. Period.

For my remaining years, it's weekly golf, visiting locally (within 250 miles) and just enjoying life.

If I want to see another foreign city where people hate Americans, I can use Google Earth.

[googily]

My dad is 89 and had two awful airline experiences this summer (one of which included his spending the night on a cot at the Denver airport).

So, he's talking about driving the three days each way for the same trip next year. [emoji1787]

[Freedom56]

We just spent six weeks in Switzerland and had no issues hiking up and down the various summits in the Alps. We saw many elderly Swiss people doing quite on the trails. The people that were struggling were those that were overweight and out of shape regardless of age. We biked from Lausanne to Geneva and back one day and other than sore legs and we had no issues. We have no plans to stop traveling. A sedentary or inactive lifestyle is extremely dangerous.

[kgtest]

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Originally Posted by googily My dad is 89 and had two awful airline experiences this summer (one of which included his spending the night on a cot at the Denver airport). So, he's talking about driving the three days each way for the same trip next year. [emoji1787]

I would rather sleep on a cot in an airport then drive 3 days, but that is just me. Sometimes my DF becomes strong-headed after an embarrassing situation and thinks irrationally.

[kgtest]

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Originally Posted by brett Agree so much with that. On one of our more recent trips we flew one way to Vienna on points. Then trained to Budapest, then to Prague. After that a short hop on discount airline to Malta for 10 days. Then another short hop on Air Malta to Sicily for 20 days of independent touring. Then a $38 Vueling flight to Rome to pick up a last minute mid October cruise to Barcelona. Then an inexpensive one way cruise air home. It is not unusual for us to rough our the first four or five weeks and leave the back end 2 weeks open. Last trip to Greece we left the last two weeks in Oct. open for one of Morocco, Israel, or Cyprus. Never been to any of then prior to that. It was a faith holiday in Israel..everything booked and busy. We spotted $50 Aegean air from Athens to Cyprus so that is where we went. Two wonderful weeks. 5 days each in two resorts, plus 2 days each in the mountains and in Nicosia. Pre early retirement we always wanted to travel like this. So this is what we had been doing for the past 10 years. Not certain how long we will do this but as long as we have the health and the desire we will continue to do it. There was also a health benefit. We realized that we needed to drop some weight if we were going on long flights etc. So we did. The other big change is that our eating habits changed even at home. Much more fresh fruit, salads, seafood. Less meat, no fast foods, no processed foods, very little fried food. We feel so much better for both changes.

THIS ^^ makes me jealous. But I realize everyone gets along how they get along. Right now we have 3 little kids and know we are grounded a bit as they begin to flutter and flourish. So I wouldn't sacrifice my time with them for 8 weeks of constant travel, but we also want to do some traveling when we ER.

[Souschef]

This is a list of our travels. as you can see, it decreases as we aged. We started when I was 69, and DW was 64.
year days
2007 50
2008 35
2009 80
2010 72
2011 74
2012 74
2013 49
2014 34
2015 35
2016 30
2017 18
2018 20
2019 12

[rodi]

My dad was an avid traveler. When I was growing up it was mostly domestic camping/backpacking trips. He became a trip leader for Sierra Club so that his trip was paid for. When I was in college he and my mom started doing Hawaii and Alaska trips for Sierra Club. (My mom skipped the backpack in Alaska where a seaplane dropped them off in one spot and picked them up 2 weeks later in another spot.) He also led trips in Africa for Sierra Club - including climbing Mt. Kilmanjaro. He also did Nepal w/ Sierra club. She wasn't up to backpacking by her 60's... Dad also started slowing down, changing from backpacking/kayaking/mountain biking to car camping and 4wd back country trips. But they also started doing international travel. They would go for 4-6 weeks with round the world biz class tickets. When mom died and dad met my step-mom they continued the tradition. They did some Elder-hostel trips, (now Road Scholars), a round the world trip again, and had plans for a round the world trip - but unfortunately dad died 2weeks before they were due to leave on that trip.

I inherited his love of travel (though not his love of backpacking). We do camping in our scooby van and go hiking. And we do international trips. Leaving in 2 weeks for Machu Picchu and Galapagos. When I can get a deal we fly biz class. DH is 6'4". If the flight is more than 3-4 hours he needs the leg room. We're heading to Mexico in early April, then Italy for a month later in April. I was able to score decent prices on the airfare by doing Premium Economy on the way there, and biz class on the return. Biz class going added $3k/person... Nope.

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Originally Posted by kgtest THIS ^^ makes me jealous. But I realize everyone gets along how they get along. Right now we have 3 little kids and know we are grounded a bit as they begin to flutter and flourish. So I wouldn't sacrifice my time with them for 8 weeks of constant travel, but we also want to do some traveling when we ER.

I feel your pain. I had a middle schooler and a high schooler when I retired. For budget reasons we only did international every 4 years because of the cost of 4 tickets to get there. They're both in college now and are annoyed that our international travel has increased and we're not taking them. Tough noogies to them. But with DH being 70, and me 61... we want to do the more active travel now. (Hence the machu picchu/galapagos this year and hiking Cinque Terre next year.) DH is super fit but his knees have started to bother him. I'm overweight but can still hike, bike, etc...

We anticipate as we age, we'll mix in more cruises, and especially Viking cruises and fewer hiking oriented trips.