Where do I actually want to travel in retirement?

[FD1000]

I forgot to mention. All our trips to Europe were in March/April and/or November. It's cooler, which allows for easy walking/hiking; harder on pickpockets; cheaper; and less crowded. When we visited NZ and Australia, it was in March. We never do camping. We started with Motel 6 over 40 years ago, and now it's likely Fairfield Inn. In Australia we toured with my son and fiance and stayed several nights in big cabins in smaller towns with 2-3 bedrooms and well-equipped amenities. It's cheaper and better than other accommodations. See one example (link). It was over 600 sq ft.

 

[Koolau]

It sure is what's left of me anyway now that I'm actually retirement age I'm kind of glad to be at the point where people aren't asking me why I'm retired and the good old what do you do all day?

Heh, heh, yeah, my hair finally began to turn a little gray when I turned 75. Stopped getting the questions about retiring so young.

 

[Tetto]

DW and I are planning a big trip to Japan next year. Going to be a small group tour, 14 days or so. Looking forward to it!

 

[pacergal]

OP--Your trips and travel sound like you have them well thought out.
Our go to place is Hawaii. We love the warmth, walking on the sand, the sound of the ocean and it's not too long of a flight from the west coast.
We also love the coastal areas of our home state.
And I love visiting family in the mid west.
We have done a cruise to Alaska, stayed a week in Puerto Villarta, been to Canada.
We may go to Europe some time, but we aren't really big travelers, we have so much beauty here in the PNW to enjoy and explore.

 

[skyking1]

OP's list is good for us too. DW cannot do big walking anything or long days of activity. We like the cool shoulder seasons in Europe, and stay in our perfect ( for us ) home climate across the summer. We'll do summer road trips around the PNW, and Vancouver Island is 2 hours away by ferry from our door. I think we could spend a lot of time there. Boat trips too.

 

[FIYes]

Onda, we really like the Azores. It is relaxed atmosphere, good food, and great scenery. English is widely spoken. We were there long enough that we were asked if we were visiting relatives….lots of back and forth between the US and the Azores.

 

[flyingaway]

Just came back from a 32 day trip to China and Italy (Milan, Dolomites, and Sicily). We like to walk around in European cities. But we still like to walk to different places in the same city. For example, in Sicily, we spent 4 nights each in Palermo and Catania, but in most days, we took day trips to nearby towns. We have yet to learn how to stay in a city for a few days in the so-called slow travel style.

 

[NW-Bound]

I have been to Europe on many month-long trips, riding the trains as well as driving a rental car tens of thousands of kilometers.

Now, I just want to have time to slow down, spending afternoons on a Greek seaside bar drinking ouzo, or sitting in a hilltown cafe in Spain listening to music like this.

With our two mothers with dementia to keep an eye on, one in her 100-th year, I don't know when we will get the time.

 

[NW-Bound]

Or to go back to Sorriento, or the island of Capri, to drink coffee while contemplating the meaning of life, listening to this music?

 

[Koolau]

Or to go back to Sorriento, or the island of Capri, to drink coffee while contemplating the meaning of life, listening to this music?

Over 60 years since I've been to Italy. Too bad I'll never go back. The video is pretty much how a 17 year old me remembers it. Thanks for sharing. I can see that I'll be spending some time watching the other videos surrounding this one.

 

[sengsational]

Madeira in May also sounds very appealing. Ocean, flowers, levada walks, good seafood, and comfortable temperatures.

We were there in early May and it rained on us all day. And happened to be there (Funchal) on flower parade day, so shoulder to shoulder crowds.

When those cruise ships stop in at those little islands, it's not going to be laid back chill you're looking for.

I was trying to get away from the cruise ship crowd in Malorca so travelled an hour from Palma to Valdemossa...there were dozens of huge tour busses and it was probably more crowded than Palma at that time.

When we stayed on Sao Miguel, we had a car and our Airbnb was in Furnas, but was still invaded by the cruise ship dump some days.

The easier it is to get to, and the more world heritage tick off boxes a place has, the more you have to deal with crowds.

Throw a dart and go to a place nobody has ever heard of if you want chill.

 

[MC Rider]

go to a place nobody has ever heard of if you want chill.

Got that covered I guess. When we were getting ready to move I told a few people where we were moving to, and they said, where's that? It's only 150 miles away.

 

[aja8888]

Got that covered I guess. When we were getting ready to move I told a few people where we were moving to, and they said, where's that? It's only 150 miles away.

I just did the same and moved to small town Kansas.......but it was 700 miles away. So peaceful..

 

[Aerides]

Do you still want big trips, or do you find yourself preferring slower, safer, more comfortable places with good walking weather?

Even if I do a "big" trip, I still want those things. A good pace that isn't tiring, lovely lunches and dinners, great weather. A balcony at a very nice hotel.

But yeah on two trips last year where the weather was advertised as "high 70's" we found that meant a the middle of the day would be 80f with blazing sun - perfect for a beach but not great for walking or sitting outdoors for lunch.

I also like to have time between the day-jaunts and dinner to relax, fire up the in-room nespresso, put my feet up for a bit before getting ready for dinner.

The bucket list places these days are so overrun with instagrammers/influencers, so going off the path a little is a good bet.

 

[audreyh1]

I just did the same and moved to small town Kansas.......but it was 700 miles away. So peaceful..

I don’t remember if you mentioned which general area in Kansas. DF grew up in southwestern dustbowl Kansas.

 

[audreyh1]

We were there in early May and it rained on us all day. And happened to be there (Funchal) on flower parade day, so shoulder to shoulder crowds.

When those cruise ships stop in at those little islands, it's not going to be laid back chill you're looking for.

I was trying to get away from the cruise ship crowd in Malorca so travelled an hour from Palma to Valdemossa...there were dozens of huge tour busses and it was probably more crowded than Palma at that time.

When we stayed on Sao Miguel, we had a car and our Airbnb was in Furnas, but was still invaded by the cruise ship dump some days.

The easier it is to get to, and the more world heritage tick off boxes a place has, the more you have to deal with crowds.

Throw a dart and go to a place nobody has ever heard of if you want chill.

Wow, that’s tough. It seems impossible to get away from the huge cruise ships unless well away from the coast or larger ports. Probably impossible with smaller islands. Larger places you can find a more isolated seaside resort.

 

[TheWizard]

I don’t remember if you mentioned which general area in Kansas. DF grew up in southeastern dustbowl Kansas.

I lived in a smallish town in west-central Kansas from age 11 through 18. I suppose "peaceful" is one word to describe it. Over the past few decades, the town has shriveled considerably as the oil industry declined.

We do have a surprisingly active HS class with reunions every five years that I generally attend. Nowadays, I do an extended road trip for those reunions, stopping at all sorts of minor attractions and eateries en route. This is an acquired skill that not everyone develops.

A few of our school teachers in the 1960's were around during the dust bowl years (the '30s) and would tell stories. Dust would infiltrate your house most every night and have to be dealt with every morning...

 

[audreyh1]

I lived in a smallish town in west-central Kansas from age 11 through 18. I suppose "peaceful" is one word to describe it. Over the past few decades, the town has shriveled considerably as the oil industry declined.

We do have a surprisingly active HS class with reunions every five years that I generally attend. Nowadays, I do an extended road trip for those reunions, stopping at all sorts of minor attractions and eateries en route. This is an acquired skill that not everyone develops.

A few of our school teachers in the 1960's were around during the dust bowl years (the '30s) and would tell stories. Dust would infiltrate your house most every night and have to be dealt with every morning...

Unfortunately I misspoke. I meant to say southwestern Kansas which along with the north TX panhandle (and Oklahoma panhandle between) suffered some of the worst of the dustbowl. Oh yeah, northeastern NM southeastern CO too.

 

[Gumby]

I am starting to think that my ideal retirement travel is not really about checking off famous destinations or doing difficult “bucket list” trips.
Maybe what I really want is much simpler:
Comfortable walking weather, ideally around 60–70°F.
Safe places where I do not feel stressed.
Beautiful historic cities.
Good local food.
Enough time to walk slowly, sit in cafés, and not rush.
By that standard, Europe looks very attractive.
For example:
Seville in January sounds quite nice to me. Mild weather, history, tapas, plazas, and long walks without summer heat.
Madeira in May also sounds very appealing. Ocean, flowers, levada walks, good seafood, and comfortable temperatures.
Norway in July might be a good way to escape summer heat while enjoying scenery, safety, fjords, and long daylight.
And maybe sometimes I just want to walk to the Mezquita in Córdoba in March, enjoy the city, have lunch, and not feel like I need to “maximize” the trip.
I am realizing that retirement travel may be less about adventure and more about matching the season, climate, safety, food, and pace to what I actually enjoy.
For those of you already retired or planning retirement travel:
did your travel preferences change?
Do you still want big trips, or do you find yourself preferring slower, safer, more comfortable places with good walking weather?

Madeira is also delightful in February.

 

[TripleLindy]

Weather is a big factor for us, which is why we enjoy the mountains in the west so much. We still enjoy cities, but found that nature is more our thing. Something about sitting on a balcony or deck with coffee in the morning, crisp air and a mountain view. Hiking can be as leisurely as a stroll, or as strenuous as a 3,000’ elevation gain, depending on how we feel that day. We were planning on Switzerland this summer, but a pending neck surgery put that off. We’ll visit Yosemite in October, staying at the Awahnee, and hope that the crowds will have died down some by then.

 

[Surewhitey]

We're on our 2nd week in Ortisei (after Switzerland) and we found a remote hike (eventually) with the Seceda at the start and staying on the 2B trail to the 2-3 trail.

You eventually wonder if you made a wrong turn when you only see a couple people for a mile or more. Those are great to find and look at the flora and fauna variety along the walk.

We also like e-biking and just finished the Alpe di Siusi Valley today and loved it. Great way to see a lot with less strain on the body.

Another awesome hike is from Glacier Point to the valley of Yosemite. Usually less traveled & one of my favorites.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I’m not a fan of heat so most times I went to Europe, I have either went in February, March or October. That has worked out fairly well as far as the weather and the crowds. My son told me also one of the reasons we didn’t have a lot of crowds in Rome is because we went in 2003 and not as many people were traveling then as now. We also went in February.

A few years ago, I went to Prague and saw a total of four countries in April and the weather was only 45° and rainy, which was much cooler than it was supposed to be. The crowds were huge, so not sure if it was just because of the time of year we went or that people are traveling more.

Because I had always wanted to see Europe, I started to travel there in my mid 40s. I found the last two flights to Europe pretty miserable in both 2022 and 2023 and I said I wasn’t going to go again. Well now I’m going in October for a 50th wedding anniversary for my daughter-in-law’s parents.

This will be my third trip to Poland, which is a really beautiful country. Every time I go, we sightsee some cities that I have not seen before. I did pay extra money to travel premium economy for the trip over so that I’ll be more comfortable and can sleep hopefully.

 

[N02L84ER]

I just did the same and moved to small town Kansas.......but it was 700 miles away. So peaceful..

My in-laws owned a cabin on the lake in your new town from the time DH was a young lad. DH used to go there almost every weekend over the summers until he graduated from college and married me. We have been there many times over the years and enjoyed it immensely. Unfortunately, we had to sell the cabin after the in-laws died in order to distribute the inheritance to the 4 beneficiaries, so we haven't been back in over 5 years.

 

[shafer9]

I am starting to think that my ideal retirement travel is not really about checking off famous destinations or doing difficult “bucket list” trips.
Maybe what I really want is much simpler:
Comfortable walking weather, ideally around 60–70°F.
Safe places where I do not feel stressed.
Beautiful historic cities.
Good local food.
Enough time to walk slowly, sit in cafés, and not rush.
By that standard, Europe looks very attractive.
For example:
Seville in January sounds quite nice to me. Mild weather, history, tapas, plazas, and long walks without summer heat.
Madeira in May also sounds very appealing. Ocean, flowers, levada walks, good seafood, and comfortable temperatures.
Norway in July might be a good way to escape summer heat while enjoying scenery, safety, fjords, and long daylight.
And maybe sometimes I just want to walk to the Mezquita in Córdoba in March, enjoy the city, have lunch, and not feel like I need to “maximize” the trip.
I am realizing that retirement travel may be less about adventure and more about matching the season, climate, safety, food, and pace to what I actually enjoy.
For those of you already retired or planning retirement travel:
did your travel preferences change?
Do you still want big trips, or do you find yourself preferring slower, safer, more comfortable places with good walking weather?

I’m 81 now. My wife and now I have been fortunate enough to go to 35 countries in the last 20 years. We have our favorites, including Ireland, we’ve been there many times, All over France, all over England, everywhere in Italy, but especially from Florence down all the way south to Sicily, had a bunch more that I liked, but the list will get too long. we used to look for really cheap deals and do the trips ourselves. Now I’m old and I want someone to run a logistics cause I’m distracted and lazy. So we usually use Gate one as a tour operator, they’re very nice. And they do a great job. And they’re not near as expensive as some of the other operators if you shop for the right tour. We don’t ever go in the summer, it’s a madhouse and twice as expensive. And hot.

 

[valsdad]

Google slow travel. Lots of good info.