Travel can be life-changing even at 60+

[audreyh1]

Since our Greece trip I’ve made tzatziki several times. Got used to having it at every meal during our trip. Plus we discovered that HEB carries dolmathes, yay!

 

[grasshopper]

Since our Greece trip I’ve made tzatziki several times. Got used to having it at every meal during our trip. Plus we discovered that HEB carries dolmathes, yay!

As certified vegheads, and given the fact that Mediterranean restaurants serve a lot of plant based foods. We have been eating like this for 30+ years. I think that is why we like to travel to the Mediterranean countries.

 

[MinnUser]

We started a tea drinking ritual in the afternoon after going to England! And yes, cappuccinos are now a morning ritual for my husband after visiting Italy.
On a hiking trip in Cornwall, England, we stayed at a B&B and the vegetables they served were delicious. That started me on a new appreciation for veggies and I started roasting them and learning to cook them in other ways. It started me on a path to vegetarianism!

We now often spend Thanksgiving or Christmas in another country these days. Last Christmas was spent in Patagonia. Travel taught us to enjoy holidays in foreign locations. It has been great, something I never would have done years ago.

Travel is educational. In 2018 we celebrated New Years with a couple from Holland in El Calafate towards the end of our Patagonia trip. We summited Kili in 2016 on Christmas day. The holidays are good time of the year to travel to the other side of the equator because we don't have to use as much vacation and it's slow around the workplace.

 

[erkevin]

A silly and expensive (for a Carib cruise) trip I just booked today; the 2026 80s Cruise on Royal Caribbean. If you are a fan of 80's synth pop and New Wave, this is a good one. Gary Numan, Men Without Hats, OMD, Heaven 17, Berlin...

 

[Dtail]

A silly and expensive (for a Carib cruise) trip I just booked today; the 2026 80s Cruise on Royal Caribbean. If you are a fan of 80's synth pop and New Wave, this is a good one. Gary Numan, Men Without Hats, OMD, Heaven 17, Berlin...

Safety Dance and Cars - 2 great songs.

 

[Teacher Terry]

The first time I went to Europe, we went to Italy and we were 49. It felt surreal that we were actually there for two weeks and we had a fantastic time.

I have been there a total of six times and the last time I went at 69 I was standing in a beautiful church and the thought went through my mind that I’ve seen enough beautiful , churches and castles. I was really shocked that I even had that thought. That led me to cancel another European trip that I had booked almost 2 years in advance.

 

[aja8888]

The first time I went to Europe, we went to Italy and we were 49. It felt surreal that we were actually there for two weeks and we had a fantastic time.

I have been there a total of six times and the last time I went at 69 I was standing in a beautiful church and the thought went through my mind that I’ve seen enough beautiful , churches and castles. I was really shocked that I even had that thought. That led me to cancel another European trip that I had booked almost 2 years in advance.

I'm the same....the only "experiences" I want to have anymore are with family, my dog, and my friends.

 

[1242Vintage]

Lovely wife and I (both 61 y.o.) schedule quarterly honeymoon trips. Usually it’s to Mexico or Costa Rica.

We get so caught up in daily life at home taking care of parents that sometimes we don’t have time to just focus on each other.

Currently in Cabo enjoying sunshine and the company of my lovely bride! And a little tequila!

 

[Ctarborist]

After a couple of annual trips traveling in Europe I bought a Nespresso machine!

We have traveled a great since retiring and haven’t slowed down yet. It’s a big part of our life. We experience new things every year.

Yes to the Nespresso!

 

[Focus]

The first time I went to Europe, we went to Italy and we were 49. It felt surreal that we were actually there for two weeks and we had a fantastic time.

I have been there a total of six times and the last time I went at 69 I was standing in a beautiful church and the thought went through my mind that I’ve seen enough beautiful , churches and castles. I was really shocked that I even had that thought. That led me to cancel another European trip that I had booked almost 2 years in advance.

That's similar to what I felt on my most recent Europe trip. Although I enjoyed being in a different environment with a different routine (and it still held the potential for change, per my original post), it was no longer thrilling like it was years ago.

After your realization, did you shift your focus to some other region of the world or away from travel altogether?

 

[Teacher Terry]

That's similar to what I felt on my most recent Europe trip. Although I enjoyed being in a different environment with a different routine (and it still held the potential for change, per my original post), it was no longer thrilling like it was years ago.

After your realization, did you shift your focus to some other region of the world or away from travel altogether?

I actually would’ve never thought that would happen to me. When I was married, we traveled a lot in the United States. If I was still married, we would probably be taking some driving trips as we both enjoyed, taking our dogs and would handle the work of having them.

Being alone it’s not as much fun and the logistics of traveling with dogs is too much for one person. For instance, I’m not going to leave my two little dogs alone and locked in the car I while go to the bathroom. In addition, I haven’t found traveling with girlfriends as much fun or as compatible as traveling with a spouse. I am taking two vacations this summer with my kids and my daughter-in-law‘s parents, which is always great fun.

 

[Retired Expat]

We seem to travel more every year and have gotten better and better at it. Home exchanges have helped, more reliance on OW tickets and trains or alt transportation in between the long intercontinental flights, learning to travel lighter and lighter.

so while we are doing more longer trips of 4-8weeks we are also doing more 2-4 day long weekend getaways. They can be as restorative as a 2 week trip.

You need to put the time in but that round trip ticket on a legacy US carrier or other might not be the best deal? Or you may end your trip hundreds of miles from your arrival city and find taking the train back to that city is the best deal.

 

[audreyh1]

Flying to Europe we always return from a different city than where we fly to. Called “open jaw” or multi-city. Not more expensive.

 

[brett]

Flying to Europe we always return from a different city than where we fly to. Called “open jaw” or multi-city. Not more expensive.

As do we.

There is a big plus to open jaw, or two one ways for us. We often get to visit cities that we not on our list, or that we had not considered. We took a bargain basement flight to Porto, Portugal, and then a follow on flight to Rome to pick up a cruise. We spent a week in Porto and the beautiful Douro Valley. Not certain that we would have gone there otherwise. More often than not our car rentals in Europe are one way rentals for the same reason. Especially in Italy.

Ditto for a one way flight to Madeira that was less expensive than the same flight/same day to Lisbon. And a direct return home flight on a different airline from Faro that was less expensive and more convenient that returnig to Lisbon.

On one rather last minute one way flight to Europe on points all we could get was a one way to Vienna. We grabbed it. It was wonderful. Visited Budapest, then Prague while we were in the vicinity. Ten days in total. After that we flew from Prague to where we orginially wanted to go. Malta for ten days, then Sicily and the Aeolian Islands for a few weeks. It was all good.