Ageing adventurously: Meet those travelling the world in their golden years
These travellers said no to the retirement routine
There was a time when many people, once they reached retirement age, settled into a sedate routine of crosswords and TV with perhaps the odd night out here and there.
Holidays were likely to be either in this country or somewhere warm, but short haul, with some more adventurous souls heading off on cruises or coach tours with other like-minded travellers. But these days, age is no barrier to wanderlust and just because you may not be as sprightly as you once were, there is no reason to curb your enthusiasm for travel and settle for something mundane when retirement is the perfect time to explore the world.
Maura Ward can attest to this, as now, 75, she has been travelling ‘extensively’ for the past 15 years and shows no signs of settling down any time soon.
“I always liked the idea of travel and did a little before I had my two children, but I was a single parent so money was very tight,” she says. “When they became teenagers, we went camping in France a few times and I promised myself that I would travel properly when I was retired and the children no longer needed me.
“So far, I have a country count of about 70. And although I know I haven’t enough time, or money, to get to all 197 and my travels have been somewhat curtailed following a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, it doesn’t stop me completely and this past year, I have managed to go to Dubai, Australia, and Turkmenistan.”
The retired education welfare officer, who is originally from Co Down, but had both of her children in Galway, now divides her time between them in the UK and Thailand, and says that her ‘top destinations are the countries where other people don’t tend to visit’.
“Having lived through the Troubles in Northern Ireland, I am all too aware how easy it is for a country to get blanket bad press, and so I like to see for myself,” she says. “I’ve been to Syria, Eritrea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Burkina Faso and North Korea, and seen a very different side of life. There have been so many memorable experiences, so it’s impossible to isolate one as the best, but a balloon trip over the Serengeti is up there, as is Saddam Hussein’s palace in Iraq and the Beijing Olympics.
“When I was more mobile, I went where the fancy took me — and I could afford — and often going with my son Johnny on one of his organised groups (with Onestep4ward.com) or the two of us would meet somewhere on our own.
“I have also travelled solo, over six weeks in South America, a couple of occasions in Africa, China and the Philippines, and obviously in Europe. Of course, I take my personal safety seriously, and am careful not to take obvious risks but I’ve felt more unsafe in London than I did in South Sudan. And I can’t think of a single negative experience while travelling.
“I don’t have anything planned right now, other than, hopefully, a visit to Singapore. I’d love to go to Mauritania and ride the iron ore train, but much will depend on my health.”
Michael Berry and his wife Wendy, both in their 80s, still love travelling. Their first foray into foreign travel was in the early 1970s, when they spent several weeks camping and travelling around the lesser-known countries of Europe in a VW Beetle.
In the 1980s, they took their daughters to Turkey, without booking accommodation in advance, simply travelling around in buses and finding places to stay en route. Following the success of this, they also took their family to Kenya, using local transport and bicycles to get around — and once their ‘girls’ had grown up and left home, they ‘had the freedom to go further afield’ and this is when their ‘love of travelling really expanded’.
“What excites me is seeing how different people live,” says the 82-year-old. “I like natural wonders, local and indigenous cultures, different food and just being in a country rather than looking at it from the outside. You can have an idea in your head about what somewhere is going to be like and then you arrive and it is completely different. That still surprises me.
“So far, we have been to 68 different countries and it’s very difficult to choose a favourite. But there are a few places and experiences which stand out, including Venezuela where we travelled by boat down the Orinoco Delta with a Warao guide and went fishing for piranha. In Bhutan, we climbed up to the Tiger’s Nest monastery, which was quite a climb but so worth it when we got there. Jordan and Petra was every bit as remarkable as you’d imagine, and we also swam — or rather floated — in the Dead Sea.
“Myanmar, Namibia, Mexico, along with Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan also interested me enormously — and one thing that has struck us has been the respect shown to older people in these countries. There are places I would happily return to again and again, but part of the enjoyment is still discovering somewhere new.”
Michael, who lives in the UK but is from Mayo, and ‘always travels on an Irish passport’ says that ‘adventure doesn’t have to be something extreme’ but simply ‘getting out and about and seeing countries properly’.
“It’s about trying the food, learning about the culture and taking time to wander about on your own rather than being taken to a site, looking at it and leaving again,” he says. “We don’t do as many self-drive trips as we did in the past, but rather than sitting on a coach, we choose trains, flights, walking, boats, and local transport instead. We are happy to be busy and travel in a slightly different way to how we did when we were younger.
“And although we do use escorted tours sometimes, we choose ones that are fairly lose so we have time to go off and do our own thing. Cruising is less appealing as there are simply too many people in one place for my liking, and you are often seeing a destination from the port.
I want to eat locally, walk around, see where people live, and put money into the local economy. But I can absolutely see why cruising suits other people, particularly if they have reduced mobility or want the convenience of having everything in one place. It just isn’t how I want to travel at the moment. I always say that when I get old, perhaps I’ll go on one.”
Proving that age is no barrier, the couple are heading to China this month for almost three weeks, and although they will be part of a National Geographic tour, there are ‘plenty of adventurous elements’ and they will both stay and trek on the Great Wall, travel through the mountains and also ‘get out on the water’.
They are showing no signs of slowing down but would encourage others to do what they feel comfortable with.
“After China, I would like to get back to Central or South America and there are plenty of other places on the list,” says Michael. “Everybody is different, so I don’t think there is one rule for travelling when you are older.
“Confidence comes with experience and Wendy and I know how to pack lightly, how to manage ourselves, and what sort of trip works for us. We didn’t suddenly start doing this in our 80s — we have built up to it through a lifetime of travelling
“If somebody wanted to be more adventurous but was nervous, I suggest starting with a good escorted tour — this means you have the reassurance of somebody knowing where you are going and how you are getting there, but you are not being shepherded around every minute. Also, you don’t need luxury everywhere. We often choose smaller hotels with some local character rather than large international ones. If you are out exploring all day and leaving again the following morning, what you really need is somewhere clean and comfortable with a decent bed.
“Most of all, don’t decide you are too old for something simply because of the number on your passport. Obviously, be sensible about your health and mobility, but if there is somewhere you really want to see, find a way of travelling that works for you.”
Dermod Dwyer has been to more than 60 countries so far, including several in Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East, as well as Europe and North America.
He says that he and his wife, Helen, have never been ones to ‘fly and flop’ and instead have enjoyed self-drive trips and also cycling and trekking. And even though he is now 80, he still enjoys an active break, having been on the Camino last year and trekking in the Pyrenees this summer — and he is looking forward to attending a ‘cycling bootcamp’ in Majorca this autumn.
Having used Untamedborders.com to help organise some of their Asian and Middle Eastern expeditions, they also have a couple of long-haul trips on the horizon and say that you are never too old to enjoy a bit of adventure.
“We are hoping to get to Japan and Canada in the near future, circumstances permitting,” he says. “My advice to anyone who is over 70 and still likes the idea of adventure would be to go for it. Never give up and keep the old man or woman out. Try to stay active: it’s not pain-free, but it’s worth it.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
