After decades of waiting, working and saving, you’ve made it to retirement. Without many workaday responsibilities, you suddenly have plenty of something that’s always been hard to come by: time. Remember that trip to Paris you always promised your spouse? Or how about that trip to Thailand you’ve wanted to take since you were a kid? Now is the time to put those adventures on the calendar.
Not quite sure where you want to go? Feeling a little wanderlost? Here’s some travel inspiration for seniors just like you.
Some of the Best (and Most Relaxing) Trip Ideas for Seniors
Caribbean getaways aren’t just for spring-breakers and honeymooners. Take a tour of the Bahamas or soak up the sun in Jamaica. Head over to Hawaii for a little stateside paradise. You’re never too old to lounge on the beach drinking cocktails out of pineapples.
Cruises offer some of the most relaxing travel experiences around and is a great option for vacations for seniors. All-you-can-eat buffets, room service, unbeatable views, onboard activities for everyone. Cruise Lines have thought of everything, right down to the bath towel elephants. There’s also a literal choose-your-own-adventure element to cruises. They offer a wide range of off-ship excursions–everything from town tours with lunches to UTV trails– you can opt in for if you want to get to know the ports of call a little better.
For American residents looking to stay in the country, a road trip might be just the thing. The beauty of a road trip is that you have complete control. Feel like stopping for the night? Want to stretch your legs at a rest area? A billboard boosting the exit for the world’s largest ball of twine suddenly calling to you? It’s all up to you. And if you don’t feel like putting mileage on your own car you can always rent one. Trip insurance can help with that!
Vacation home rentals are another amazing route to a more relaxing trip. You have all the comforts of home, without any of the fuss. When you stay at a vacation home rental, you’re not worried about the garage door you haven’t fixed yet, or cleaning out the refrigerator. It’s all out of sight out of mind at someone else’s place. Plus, you can cook whatever you want and have much more privacy than you would at any hotel.
How to Make Travel More Adventurous
If you’re feeling more sporty, there are plenty of domestic and international adventures to pique your interest. Here are some trip ideas that’ll get you moving.
How about a hike? From the many U.S. national parks, to the Alps, there are great opportunities for hikers of every skill-set and ability.
How about a bike? There are plenty of cycling tours all over the world. And you don’t have to be a Tour de France-level cyclist to join in on the fun.
Love the water? Scuba dive in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, kayak in the Colorado River. Go whale watching in Maui. The world’s rivers, lakes and oceans set the stage for many amazing adventures.
Looking for something a little different? How about a balloon ride in Paris? Or a camel ride in Egypt? If you’re up to splurging on a longer-term adventure, visit ports of call around the world aboard the Queen Mary. World cruises aren’t for everyone, but if sailing around the world for four months straight isn’t a deal-breaker for you, imagine how extraordinary it would be to experience all corners of the globe.
Take Your Grandkids on a Trip They’ll Never Forget
Multigenerational trips and skip-gen vacations are on the rise! Travel is one of the best ways to connect with your grandkids. Think about what your grandchildren like to do and odds are you can build a trip around that.
Whether they’re into Disney or Legos, or they just really, really like chocolate, take them on a road trip to the theme park of their dreams in Orlando (or Los Angeles), Carlsbad, California or Hershey, Pennsylvania. Have you got a budding astronaut on your hands? Take them to Cape Canaveral for a rocket launch.
Or take them someplace that has a special meaning to you. If you are a U.S. immigrant, take them on a life-changing journey back to where you were born and, really, where they came from. Let them experience a bit of your personal history firsthand.
What’s the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen? Maybe the Northern Lights in Alaska, or the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, or the Taj Mahal in India? Wherever it is, be the first to introduce it to your grandkids. Seeing it through their eyes will be a whole new level of awe inspiring.
And always remember that when you treat your grandchildren to these unforgettable experiences, you’re also treating their mom and dad to some much needed, very restorative alone time.
Solo Senior Travel? Yes. You. Can.
If the idea of solo travel intimidates you, you’re not alone. Travelers of any age can feel a little anxious about it. But you’ve lived enough to know that getting out of your comfort zone enriches your life and keeps you young.
Think of a place you’ve always wanted to visit ever since childhood. Maybe lack of time or lack of money talked you out of it. Maybe life, as they say, got in the way. Maybe you’re looking for romance and might be interested in a senior singles vacation. The thing about retirement is that it’s ‘you’ time. You’ve spent a long time working for someone else, providing for other people, and putting your wants and needs a bit lower on the list. But now it’s goodbye to all that. You’re retired now. You’ve earned the right to focus on what you want to do.
And that’s the beauty of the solo trip, they are literally all about you.
When you’re thinking up ideas for solo adventures, you might want to center your choices around your interests. The only downside of a solo trip is that it might get a little lonely. When you build an itinerary around your passions, you’ll not only keep yourself busy, but you’ll likely find other people who share those same interests. So, go ahead, apply to that artist’ colony in Tuscany, practice meditation at that ashram in India, take your Ancestry.com tree to the next level and visit the places your ancestors lived.
Need a Travel Buddy? No Problem
If solo travel isn’t for you and you can’t find anyone as excited about taking pictures of baby sea turtles in the Galapagos Islands as you, you can always hire a travel companion. Many home healthcare workers will also serve as travel companions. Even if you don’t have a regular home healthcare worker, you could still hire one to assist you when you travel. This is especially useful for travelers with mobility limitations or other medical issues that may require an extra hand.
How about a senior travel group?
A tour group is an excellent way to travel, especially as we get older. Traveling with a group of interesting people can give you an added sense of security and broaden your social circle. After all, you’ll always have things in common; everyone in your group is headed to the same destinations and obviously loves to travel. People who love to travel also tend to be lifelong learners. A lot of tour groups for seniors, like Road Scholar, pair travel with education. You learn about the places as you experience them. Whether you want to take a bus to Vermont for the changing of the leaves, or explore the monasteries of Kyoto, there’s a tour group for that.
Never Too Old to Travel! Age is Just a Number
If you’re in good physical health and your doctor has no qualms about you adventuring around the world, neither should you. The key, though, is to feel confident and secure in yourself. If you’re traveling internationally, a travel medical insurance plan with emergency medical evacuation coverage can work wonders on your confidence. Just knowing it’s there if you need it can give you the boost you need to explore the world. There’s even some travel insurance for seniors that cover pre-existing conditions. For Americans traveling, whether traveling abroad or keeping your trips between the states, trip insurance offers financial assistance for things like flight cancellation, missed connections, and baggage issues as well as some medical coverage. You may not ever need to use it, but if you do, you’ll definitely be glad you have it. Travel insurance for seniors can often be the difference between not going on your dream trip and making it a reality.
When it Comes to Senior Travel Health Insurance, Count on VisitorsCoverage
Ready to book your dream trip but still have questions about seniors travel insurance? Our award-winning customer success team of licensed travel insurance experts is happy to help.
