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10 Reasons To Travel In Your 50’s And 60’s

Are you now in your 50’s or 60’s and looking for a well earned lifestyle change that includes lots of travel and adventure?

It might embolden you to know that right now there’s a whole generation of people in their midlife and indeed older who are looking to prioritise travel in their lives.

Perhaps you’ve always wanted to island hop in Thailand, or travel through Vietnam, or explore Japan?

Maybe seeing turtles nesting on a beach under a full moon is your dream?

I can personally assure you that fuelling your own opportunities for travel in midlife and in those early retirement years is the very best time to set out to explore the world.

Because who knows what the future holds?

Why wait? If not now, when?

If you need a little more encouragement I’m going to give you 10 reasons to travel in your 50’s and 60’s!

Table of Contents

• World travel is no longer just for the Younger Generations
• Travel Fear in your 50’s and 60’s is natural but is it just imagined?
• Over 50s Bucket Lists
• Couples Travel: Solo Travel: Group Travel in Over 50’s
• Personal Travel Dreams
• 10 REASONS TO TRAVEL IN YOUR 50S AND 60S

REASONS TO TRAVEL IN YOUR 50’S AND 60’S

Generally, I’ve found that people who want to travel in their 50s and 60s have more flexible attitudes to retirement.

In the 50’s age group, the line between working and travelling has been blurred, with opportunities for remote and nomadic working arrangements that can facilitate a more flexible way of life.

Those in their 60’s may have early access to pension pots and many will use their travel budgets to facilitate slow travel in travelling further and for longer.

For some, travel in your 50’s and 60’s is a time for rediscovery of travel.

It’s being reported in The Times that the proportion of people planning to travel in their 50’s and 60’s has more than doubled since the pandemic.

And a report in Forbes Magazine is telling us that midlife travellers now make up the largest travel demographic.

The solo travel publication Journey Woman says that in 2024 solo women over 50 are a driving force in travel.

I’m an enthusiast of travel at any age.

But I want to share with you why I personally believe that travel experiences in your midlife can be even more rewarding and beneficial than in your younger years.

World travel is no longer just for the Younger Generations

I’m not saying that travel isn’t a privilege at any age – it definitely is and it always will be – but it can be perhaps more accessible and probably more affordable than you might think to travel in your midlife and older years.

I want to show you through reassurance and by example how travel can be a more rewarding experience in later life – and if you are feeling a little unsure or even a little bit afraid – it’s okay.

It’s only natural to have travel fears and particularly when we are older.

I get a lot of questions about travel and access to health and medical issues.

And practical issues to do with banking and postal problems and over 50’s travel insurance.

Or even if you should be thinking of taking a suitcase or a backpack for midlife travel?

Some people desperately want to to be bold and travel but are perhaps nervous of perceived dangers.

I do understand the latter but you should ask yourself if those fears are realistic or just imagined?

is travel fear just imagined?

Understandably, many of us midlife and older travellers concern ourselves with ‘what ifs’ and worry about our health and our personal safety and about money.

The news and media reminds us of this danger all the time and it’s true that travel can be dangerous.

But it should be considered that travelling around your home country can be just as dangerous as travel abroad.

So let’s look at the The Fear in a little more detail and try to put it in perspective.

There is actually a list of The Most Dangerous Places in The World but there is also a list of The Most Beautiful Places in the World that we should all hope to see with our own eyes.

I believe we can counter The Fear of the unknown world by being brave and sensible and by being prepared.

Take a look at my posts on Travel Planning so you can be well equipped.

You might like to read a post I wrote on travel risk assessment and how I managed my own scary travel experiences and – most reassuringly – how you can learn to avoid them.

Over 50’S Bucket Lists

More than a third of those of us over 50 years old are likely to have a Bucket List of things they want to do before they die.

Many of us believe that age 50 is the point where their life is just getting started.

In other research, I discovered that just like the backpacking husband and I – lots of people age 50 and over will use assets such as liquidating property wealth – to live an enjoyable retirement and to invest in travel and a holiday of a lifetime.

Bucket list holidays are particularly popular and those with a good amount of disposable income are researching bucket list holidays like never before.

You might also be interested in reading my post on How I Afford To Travel The World.

MAKE TRAVEL MEANINGFUL

“Our survey of British over 50’s sought to prove that a sense of adventure doesn’t diminish with age,” says Woman and Home magazine.

With their children grown up and leading independent lives, parents in their 50’s are now just as likely as those in their 20’s to embrace a more flexible location free working environment in order to mix travel with ‘workcations’ and opportunities to work remotely as ‘digital nomads’.

Many are also looking to travel more sustainably and mindfully in future and plan to take work breaks or to volunteer on conservation or charity projects to make travel meaningful.

Not only do a majority of over 50s have a meaningful travel wish list but they can see that now is the best time to complete it.

“Free from the burdens of a young family and not limited by financial or work-related constraints, people actually find more freedom to explore in older age than when they are young.”

Woman and Home Magazine

Couples Travel: Solo Travel: Group Travel in Over 50’s

I asked on my social media channels how over 50’s want to travel: as a couple or with a friend or with a group?

A solid 50% of those that responded said they are happily prepared to travel alone.

Many cited this is because if they waited for someone else to join them then they might never travel at all.

Those already traveling solo say they only sometimes suffer from loneliness because they often meet other solo people.

They say the biggest benefit of solo travel is doing what you want to do without having to compromise.

20% enjoy group travel and say the joy of organised tours is that all the details and logistics are taken care of for you.

And that the benefits of group travel can offer personal security plus the company of likeminded people.

30% of those who responded travel as a couple.

Mostly, I travel as a couple with my backpacking husband but I’ve also travelled with my best friend.

And, on several occasions, I’ve travelled with a group of friends.

I’ve enjoyed travelled solo too but usually it has been to attend meetings and events to do with writing and publishing.

What are your plans and how do you prefer to travel?

I’d love to hear from you so do let me know by leaving a comment at the end of this post.

TRAVEL IN YOUR 50’S AND 60’S

A European survey found that people between the ages of 50 and 70 wanted to travel more intensively while they had reasonable health and because of the available time following retirement.

On the other hand, people over 75 tended to travel less (in relation to their share of the population) possibly due to a decreasing motivation to travel or to health issues.

All proving that travel in your 50’s and 60’s is the very best age to travel!

Perhaps you’ve spent years working a job and waiting for the freedom of the weekend?

And spent years fitting your travel and adventure into an annual two-week holiday slot?

Personally, I spent all of my 20’s working on building my career.

I spent my 30’s making a home and having children and also working.

I spent my 40’s raising teens and encouraging them to become well educated and well-rounded adults.

During these wonderful decades I longed to travel and we often did – saving up for family holidays in far flung places – and raising our kids to think of themselves as citizens of the world rather than just one country.

Then, in our mid-50’s, once our kids had left home and had left us with an empty nest, my husband and I decided we no longer needed a home – we just needed a phone – and the resources to travel.

We didn’t have much in the way of cash savings but we did have a house and furniture and cars.

So it came down to a simple choice of staying home or travelling around the world.

PERSONAL TRAVEL DREAMS

We also had a couple of small private pensions we could take early and we knew from life experience that at 54 (the age we were back then) we still had the ways and means and capacity to earn money to support ourselves.

I had my writing and my practical husband could turn his hand to most things.

Although, what he actually ended up doing during our first years travelling, was making his personal dreams come true by training and qualifying as a scuba diving instructor and eventually going on to qualify as a PADI IDC Instructor Trainer .

During the same time, a personal dream come true for me too when I wrote my Backpacking Housewife series of books to be published by HarperCollins.

Living a life of travel and exploring the world in our midlife and older years has afforded us opportunities we would never have believed possible.

Do you have personal dreams and ambitions that you might develop and achieve while travelling in your 50’s and 60’s?

10 REASONS TO TRAVEL IN YOUR 50’S AND 60’S

1. You’ll get to live life with no regrets.

When you are older, you get to realise that time is more important than money.

But, unless you are fortunate to have savings or a big pension pot, affording your dream of travelling the world in midlife could come down to making a few different lifestyle choices or shifting your priorities.

We decided to sell everything we owned to afford long term travel when we were in our mid-50’s and we have no regrets.

I’m not saying that everyone should be spending the kids inheritance like us.

But I am suggesting that you shouldn’t let the idea of leaving money or assets for your loved ones after your death stop you from living your dream of travelling in your later years.

2. You can practice adventure before dementia!

Travel in your 50’s and 60’s will lead to experiencing new places, cultures, languages, and people, have all been proven by scientists to improve cognitive function – it’s good for your aging brain.

Travelling in midlife can keep your brain healthy and keep your mind more alert for longer than if you’d stayed at home.

3. TRAVEL MAKES YOU see the world differently and from a new perspective.

A grown up gap year and time spent travelling broadens the mind and expands both horizons and tolerance.

It can make you perceive everything differently and realise that there is still so much to learn about the world.

4. Travel can give you a new purpose in life.

Why not make a difference and volunteer on conservation or charitable ventures abroad?

There are lots of fabulous organisations all over the world that encourage those over 50 and in retirement to find and volunteer on the perfect project for them.

Organisations like Volunteer World, Work Away, Global Vision International (GVI). Projects Abroad and Volunteer Forever are just a few. Please note that you should do your own comprehensive research into any volunteering opportunities and organisation before making any commitments.

5. Travelling slowly

Spending several weeks or even months at a time in a place can manage jetlag and travel fatigue and help reduce your travelling carbon footprint.

Slow Travel can also help you to truly experience living like a local and give you the chance to make new lifelong friends.

6. Frugal or fabulous?

The choice is yours. If being older and more mature means you are more decerning and you now appreciate your comforts then leave the hostels and hard bunks to others and choose to stay in good quality and comfortable accommodation.

Travelling – even backpacking – can be done in comfort and even on a budget is way more affordable in some countries than in others.

You just have to learn your travel hacks and ways to be fabulously travel savvy.

7. You learn to trust your gut in all situations.

You have the benefit of maturity and wisdom and life experience and so have learned to stay safe and sensible by listening to your gut and trusting your own instincts.

8. Choose to plan or not to plan

Make your plans and live your dreams but don’t forget to leave room for spontaneity and to allow for impulse trips and to take advantage of unexpected and wonderful opportunities that might come your way.

In my experience, that kind of thing happens all the time when travelling.

9. Have fun creating and ticking off your bucket list

Make a list of all the places you’ve dreamed of seeing with your own eyes but don’t forget to include experiences to live and feelings to feel.

10. Write about it!

You can inspire others to be bold and travel in their 50’s and 60’s by keeping a journal of your travels or create an online blog to share your adventures with friends and family back home.

If only so they have an idea of not how you are but where you are!

Are you planning to travel more in your 50’s and 60’s?

Do you have a Midlife Bucket List?

Don’t hesitate to leave a comment as I’d love to hear from you!

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