You’re never too old for a new travel adventure!
I was inspired this week by my 93-year-old aunt who took herself off to Turkey last Monday for a holiday. Widowed four years ago and never in the best of health, she got a taxi to Stansted airport at 0330, caught her flight at 0530 and was sending me photos of her by the pool in the afternoon. She is travelling alone but has made friends at the hotel and is having a marvellous time!
All sorts of help are available for the more mature traveller, such as Meet and Greet at the airport, buggy transport through the airport, the comfort of an airport lounge and help embarking and disembarking the plane.
If you are lucky enough to afford to travel in style, it gets even better: premium economy or business class on flights makes a big difference as you have more legroom. If you are visiting relatives in far-flung places like Australia and New Zealand, it can help to break the journey and spend the night in an airport hotel in Dubai or Singapore.
Staying in an elegant hotel, even if you are no longer able to enjoy swimming in the sea or pool, means that you can experience fine dining, feel the warmth of the sun on your face and relax. You’ve worked hard all your life and you deserve it!
Obvious choices for senior luxury travellers are elegant small cruise ships, iconic train journeys and small group tours. Many older clients find themselves alone again after losing a partner, but this does not need to stop you from travelling. The chances are you will meet like-minded travellers and it is never too late to form new friendships.
Some clients of mine, now in their sixties and always great explorers, recently returned from a trip to Costa Rica, having not travelled since just before Covid. They were in raptures about their trip and vowed not to hesitate to do as much long-haul travel as they can over the next ten years or so, while they are physically able. They said they had lost their nerve a bit and thought they were getting too old for adventurous trips, but they have returned with a spring in their step and relieved that the kind of travel they have always loved and looked forward to, is far from over yet!
I think the trick is to choose your holiday carefully and to slow the pace down a little. By all means, go on excursions, but allow downtime as well. Go and see the temples, but not in the midday heat. Ride a tuk-tuk through bustling city centres, hire a local driver to show you the sights in the comfort of an air-conditioned 4×4. Take a cable car or a train to the top of the mountain.
A couple of hotels I know are very good at accommodating more mature travellers are:
–Spice Island, Grenada
–Jamaica Inn, Jamaica
–East Winds, St Lucia (especially welcoming to singles)
–The Body Holiday, St Lucia (great for spas)
So, do not mothball those suitcases, whatever you do and start planning your next big adventure!!
Feeling inspired? Book your next escape now. Get in touch with Lizzi by emailing [email protected] to book your dream trip!
by net effect