For all those who are over 30, 40, 50.... Do you feel less able physically or in any other way to take part in any aspect of travel than you did when you were younger?
This brings to mind a question for all those who are over 30, 40, 50.... Do you feel less able physically or in any other way to take part in any aspect of travel than you did when you were younger? If anything has changed, what is it and why do you think it happened?
Reply to this Good question. My answer is I feel the same when I was in my teenage.
Reply to this My Dad is 82 and is still traveling! Last year he went from the UK to Niagra Falls and also flew the route of the Grand Canyon - something he has always wanted to do. This year he is in the middle of an overland trip from London to Beijing. He's gone with some friends aged 75, 78, and 84!
Their attitude is Life is for Living, and as long as they are physically capable of drawing breath, the desire to see new places and experience different cultures seems to increase their energy levels and keep them young.
Reply to this pmsl well thanks Mell! for making us 30 + feel like s@@t lol! i can honestly inform you, I am probably the same as when I was 25, I can hold my beer better, last longer lol so really speaking in better shape but I will say that I am dreading the big 40 +, i think you need to delete the 30 bit and keep the question aimed at the oldies 😊
Mikey
Reply to this pmsl well thanks Mell! for making us 30 + feel like s@@t lol!
LOL I knew that would get people contributing to this thread. I was telling my boyfriend that there will be a bunch of people in their 30s saying that old age is 40s, and people in their 40s will say it is the 50s..... :D Since I am 39, I certainly dont think that 30s is old either. 😉
Reply to this 😊 yep old age is 40 + sorry to say but then you have the chance to say "life begins at 40" and be lying through your teeth lol!!!
Reply to this And why dont people say 'Life continues at 40' instead of it begins at 40?
Reply to this After 40, I started to really enjoy life. The years before that are only an apprenticeship! 😊
Reply to this After 40, I started to really enjoy life. The years before that are only an apprenticeship!
Now that you mention it, I am also happier now than when I was younger. Life is just too confusing when you are young. You may have youth on your side, but you dont know what to do with it.
Reply to this When I was 40 already enjoy life and at 50 i feel no different but what can In say. Life is sh short so be happy and make good friends out there.
Reply to this Hey. I reached 40 years earlier this year and I will be doing the trip of the lifetime within the next few months (first time ever!). I certainly don't feel 40... We'll see what happens when I meet my first hostel roomies and then see if they say anything!
Reply to this I am staying closer to home until everything unfolds with my new business venture and being in my 40's was a memory not to forget. However there's no difference being 30, 40 or 50 so we just age and thats it but we get wise in our lives. Next?
Reply to this We'll see what happens when I meet my first hostel roomies and then see if they say anything!
I dont think they will care too much about your age, but you might have some interesting conversations with the 20 somethings. I was in a hostel in Berlin last year and the 21 year olds really brought back memories about the types of things that I thought about and said at that age. And I really had to make an effort to keep a straight face when they asked if I am 25 and I answered that I am 38. They looked so confused. And another confused look when they found out I have a partner and child. I think they thought that old people with children dont backpack and they dont look young either. And then there were the extraordinary questions like the one from the one who wanted to know if I am going to Iran because I want to collect visas from all around the world. How does one answer a question like that? :D
Some of them were travelling for the first time and some of the comments and question they had about my travels made me feel like the grandmother of backpacking because I have been doing it for so long and have been to at least 35 more countries than they had.
I was pleased when a 60 something year old guy showed up at the hostel for a change and I got to hear his stories about travelling overland from Europe to India in the year before I was born. His stories were amazing.
Reply to this Hi. Thanks for bringing up this subject. Anyone who says that there is no difference between traveling at age 25 and 55 is not being completely honest...even to themselves. I'm 50 and I've traveled at every age. Every day, and every year, brings a change. There is a lot of energy at an early age, but the BIG 'life questions and decisions' are confusing and complicated. Should I go to school? (tied up in college for 4+ years), should I pursue a career? (could tie you to the same job, with only a 2-3 week yearly vacation, for 10+ years). Should I get married and have children? (here comes the house and the school for the kids, and if you're lucky, you might squeeze in a long trip once a year or so...leaving your children for long periods of time is difficult...for both you AND the kids!) Before you know it, you've waited for the family to get old enough to take care of themselves. Those 30 year olds out there that say they're not getting old yet need to be more honest about those little 'twinges' they get here and there that they didn't feel before. Joints that start feeling like they could use a little oil. Surprise...we're ALL getting old!
And now that I am at 50, I have decided to dedicate the rest of my life to traveling and interacting with those I meet along the way and hopefully making a little bit of difference in the lives of those that could use a hand.
To do this, I can no longer work in my own profession. I have recently taken a couple of courses in the health field so I can get a job anywhere I go (of course it pays 1/4 of what I can make if I stay put). I will work for 3-6 months a year and travel for the rest of the time. I haven't been to Asia or Africa, so I have a LOT of ground to cover. Ageism is always present. Mell, you're right. Those that are 30 , think 40 is old. Those that are 40, think 50 is old, and on and on. Be careful with that...we are all heading for those ages...and will never really feel we are old! So, when talking to that 50, or 60, or 70+ year old traveler at the hostel, remember that although we may feel a lot wiser, and a little more body worn, we don't 'feel' old! I know I don't!!
A. zudro
Reply to this Every day, and every year, brings a change.
What I notice as I get older is the difference in the way I view the world at different ages.
Last year, I went back to some places that I had been to 15 years ago. It was as if I was visiting those places for the first time. I seem to have a lot of energy where travel is concerned at every age, but that energy gets used in different ways as I get older. I am also doing more juggling with my life than I did when I was younger, in order to make sure I get to do some of all the things I want because I think balance is what keeps life interesting.
Reply to this I actually found this topic and the travelling for over 40s quite laughable..what do 20 year olds think they have copywright on travelling????????
I first jumped on a plane solo on my 18th birthday...I am now 44. I am a far better/wiser/gentler and more open traveller now than then. Im more considerate of other cultures and I enjoy the opportunities to laugh my arse off at the 20 something oh so serious round the world independant travellers who think they are the experts at this game. Under the Altitude had a blog recently about hippies....those fake hippies in their fake hippy uniforms being oh so seriously dirty and intense. Get over yourselves!!. The only place ive been spared the move over old person im a serious travellin hippy thing is in Papua - because most of that 'type' cant afford to go to PNG. Now im sounding elitist lol but hey, thats for all you first timers who give us the ohhh old people are here looks when we rock up somewhere thats deemed off the beaten track.
Then again i am probably a youngster in the eyes of many travellers. Ive just dropped my dad off at the airport and hes 68 off to US and Galapagos. I picked my mum up from the airport last week and she is 65 after her round europe jaunt. My 89 year old gran leaves for Tahiti tommorow. I apologise to all you young serious on the roadies with your laptops, spreadsheets, ipads and gadgets for getting in your way while climbing mountains...feel free to overtake if im in the slow lane.
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