5 travel adventures everyone should take when they retire
Retirement shouldn’t be viewed as the end of your adventures, but the start of an exciting new period where you finally have the time to travel at your own pace.
As long as your finances are taken care and you are physically able, there should be no limit to the amount of travel you enjoy as a senior. We’ve taken a look at some of the more intrepid members of the Over60 community, who are using retirement as an opportunity to explore the world. Who knows? They might just inspire your next trip.
1. Caravanning around the world
As far as around the world adventures go, they don’t come much more impressive than the one undertaken by Elizabeth Grey and her husband Gary. In four and a half years this globetrotting couple has caravanned in almost 50 countries, travelling extensively through Europe, Africa, and North and South America.
Elizabeth says, “Travel has always been a dominant feature of our life together… by the time we started to think about retirement we had already travelled to many countries. We day dreamed and talked about travelling more extensively as many people do. Glossy magazines, weekend newspaper articles, other people’s tales and online travel blogs, it all inspired us.”
2. Living like a local around the world
When most people their age are thinking about settling down, the travel bug bit Michael and Debbie Campbell and, at the suggestion of their daughter, decided they had at least once more adventure left in them. Since then they’ve thrown caution to the wind on an once-in-a-lifetime trip which sees them stay in incredible Airbnb properties around the world and live like the locals do.
Michael says, “We’re not on vacation. We’re not retiring in the traditional sense. We’re out seeing the world in Airbnb apartments, because that’s how we can afford to do it.”
3. An incredible home-swapping adventure
Journalist Justine Tyerman is travelling in a similar manner, embarking on many home-swapping adventures that have seen her visit exotic locations like Santorini, Crete, Palm Beach, Paris and the Swiss and French Alps.
Justine writes, “The beauty of this form of travel is that your accommodation costs, usually the most expensive part of a long holiday, are zero. You use your empty house as holiday collateral, making it available as a simultaneous or non-simultaneous swap with other members, or as a means to generate points that you can use anywhere in the world, anytime that suits you, offering huge flexibility.”
4. Walking around Australia
And even if you can’t head overseas, there’s still plenty to see in our backyard. Over60 community contributor Rosie Kennett created a walking group to explore South Australia which culminated in walking the Heysen Trail, the 1,200-kilometre trek stretching from Cape Jervis to the Flinders Ranges.
Rosie writes, “After a few months our numbers grew to 20 and included friends of friends and it was a lovely way to make new acquaintances. We shared humorous stories, sad stories, local news and we shared problems and gave opinions and advice to each other.”
5. Other adventures around the world
We also put a call out to the Over60 community to share some of the trips you’ve enjoyed in retirement. Here are some of our favourite responses:
- Janice Anne Jensen is headed to the Red Centre in the near future, “Next year will be going on two bus tours the first will be to Lightning Ridge for a week then to Uluru for a 15 day tour from there to Darwin will be great.”
- Dianne Stewart has seen it all, but perhaps the best is yet to come, “Norfolk Island, Japan, driving through outback Australia. UK and London, France, Baltic Cruise, Italy. South America and Antarctica next month.”
- Anne Heywood acknowledges how managing your finances is key to being able to enjoy life in retirement, “After saving all our working lives – while others enjoyed holidays overseas, now it is our turn. We travel both extensively both internally and externally.”
- Margaret Curtis’ trip plans read like a copy of Lonely Planet, “USA, Canada, South Africa, Zimbabwe, lots of Europe Mexico, Ireland Croatia Turkey, Greece China Vietnam and Cambodia two months just going to northern territory and Western Australia. Next year booked for USA and South America and Alaska. Feeling very blessed.”
- Tony Altieri reiterates the importance of travelling while you still can, saying, “I am over 60, travelling and enjoying life to the fullest. Everyone has got a choice! Just do it. The only person who is stopping you, is yourself.”
This article has been sponsored by AustralianSuper Pty Ltd ABN 94 006 457 987, AFSL 233788, Trustee of AustralianSuper ABN 65 714 394 898. The views expressed are those of Over60 and not AustralianSuper. For more information about AustralianSuper, please visit australiansuper.com.
Related links:
Men and women: the differences in what we look forward to in retirement
Retirement in the age of financial uncertainty
2 top tips to maintain mental health in retirement