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THESE DAYS, IT SEEMS every other article on retirement talks about a neat division between the go-go, slow-go and no-go years, with retirees moving seamlessly from one to the next.
I don’t remember seeing anything about these stages back in the late 1990s when I was contemplating early retirement. Instead, when I quit full-time work in 2000 at age 53, I just wanted to travel before I got too decrepit.
I did travel—extensively—right up until 2017, when my rheumatoid arthritis came out of remission. Lying on the couch before I started on an effective medication, I was profoundly thankful for those years of travel. Between arthritis and COVID-19, I went directly from go-go to no-go. Since I was immuno-compromised, I spent the COVID years home alone with lots of library books and my computers.
Now my arthritis has gone into remission, and I’ve successfully arranged my move to a continuing care retirement community (CCRC). Between exercise, classes, committee meetings and time with new friends, I’m staying busy. So, for now, it’s no more no-go. But should I shift fully back to go-go? I’m healthy, my finances are in good shape and the world is still out there. What happened to the travel bug?
By the time I was forced to stop traveling, I had the whole process well organized. But times have changed. Flying was always a pain, even in business class, but now it sounds like it’s even worse.
To make long flights worthwhile, I’d spend months at my destinations. At age 77, I don’t think I’m up for a three-month trip, much less six. On the other hand, public transport has significantly improved, with more high-speed trains and the return of night trains with better sleeping accommodation.
I’d always enjoyed staying in bed and breakfasts (old-style B&Bs, not Airbnbs), pensions and small local hotels. But along with friendly fellow travelers, such places came with lots of stairs. My knees have been troublesome, quite aside from the arthritis, and I suspect I now need hotels with elevators.
Another concern: I heard that instead of cash or even credit cards, some countries have moved to apps for payments. I prefer to keep my finances separate from my phone.
And where would I go? By 2017, I’d been round the world four times and visited more than 70 countries. Some places I haven’t gone, like Iran, remain on my no-go list for reasons that haven’t changed. I don’t want to return to countries like China, Russia and Ukraine for obvious reasons.
I’ve also been reading about crowds at popular destinations. I’ve already seen places, which I loved on my first visit, change by the time I returned. When I arrived by bus in 2002, Luang Prabang, in Laos, was a magical, misty town lost in the jungle. When I flew back 10 years later, it still offered beautifully decorated temples and gently fading French colonial architecture, but it was well and truly on the tourist circuit.
The first time I visited Dubrovnik, in 2004, I walked the city walls alone. The last time, in 2011, I had to queue up to get into the old town. Even sadder, a friend visiting Portugal, one of my favorite countries, described encountering huge crowds even in what used to be shoulder season, the period beween peak season and offseason.
I did almost all my travel solo, arranging transport and accommodation myself. I might take an occasional tour when public transport looked iffy, or to break up a long trip, but I preferred setting my own pace. I was even less interested in cruises, although I did enjoy a Hurtigruten trip up the Norwegian coast, and a bare-bones voyage on a cargo boat along the Chilean coast.
Perhaps now is the time to give more thought to tours. I’m not sure I’m in good enough shape for the Rick Steves or Intrepid tours that I used to take. But there is an interesting rail tour of Japan with a new-to-me outfit called Vacations By Rail. Or I could start with a second train trip across the U.S., taking a different route this time. And there are two long rail journeys in Australia I didn’t get to yet.
Do I take advantage of my unexpected return to good health and revert to the go-go years? Or settle into the slow-go life at my CCRC?
Kathy Wilhelm, who comments on HumbleDollar as mytimetotravel, is a former software engineer. She took early retirement so she could travel extensively. Some of Kathy’s trips are chronicled on her blog. Born and educated in England, she has lived in North Carolina since 1975. Check out Kathy’s previous articles.
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Many of us of a “certain age” who have lived through the no-go phase of Covid are facing a similar dilemma, with or without any attendant health issues.
5 years ago, my wife and I took pleasure in the planning and anticipation of each year’s journey. Either alone or with friends, finally having the time to travel without worrying about work or family had become the realization of a life-long dream. Covid brought all of that to an abrupt end.
Today, as more people once again begin to travel, we’d like to resume our journeys, but face a reality in terms of both our age, as well as the health and willingness of friends to resume traveling. 5 years additional age may not mean much to someone younger, but if you are already in your 70’s, it can be meaningful. On the other hand, we are also more aware that our remaining time to travel has shortened, which creates urgency to go while we still can.
There’s also the issue of medical and evacuation/repatriation insurance. Some companies won’t insure you over 70, some 75 or 80.Those who will become progressively more expensive, with more limited coverage, the older you get.
Kathy, I had the same experience in Dubrovnik, as well as Venice and our beloved Hangzhou, China. Beautiful places eventually get swarmed with tourists.
As to traveling versus laying back, I didn’t make a conscious decision after my cancer-driven rush of touring… it just happened that we dramatically slowed our travel. Maybe because we were already living in a Pacific beach house. But I really hope to get my wife back on the travel trail next year. We’re looking seriously at a New Zealand cruise with National Geographic. Same folks I’m taking a solo cruise with next month, checking out the orcas in the San Juan Islands.
And in the years to come when I can no longer hike (and Mom is no longer around for us to care for), we will undoubtedly do lots of rail trips, especially in the US and Canada. Love traveling by train.
Nice to meet another rail fan! I’m really glad to see night trains making a comeback in Europe. Sadly, you can no longer travel from Scotland to Saigon by rail, as I did in 2004, thanks to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I also no longer want to travel solo by train in India. There is a train that runs across the South Island in NZ, or if you’re headed “down under” there are those trains in Australia….
Kathy, I encourage you to travel as long as you can even if you have to make adjustments to the way you’ve traveled in the past. I can relate to much of what you wrote. I also retired early at 54 in 2008 largely to travel more, only to be diagnosed with RA in early 2010. A rough couple of years but I went into remission in 2014. I got the travel bug while on a job assignment in London, England 1997-2000. During those years my family (wife & 2 teenagers) and I saw a good bit of Europe and had one visit to North Africa. Now 70, we’ve traveled to all 50 states and over 40 countries, until recent years mostly as independent travelers. We cruise occasionally, once every couple of years, but nearly always book private excursions at the ports. We’ve done 3 transatlantic repositioning cruises and have another scheduled next year. For cruising, we’ve shifted from mega ships (thousands of passengers) to smaller (100’s). In 2021 we did a small ship (50 passengers) of the Dalmatian Coast. It was one of the rare tour groups we’ve done. It was with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT). It was excellent. They also do land tours. You may especially be interested in OAT as most of their tours do not charge a singles supplement. I hope this gives some food for thought and that you have many more happy travels!
Thanks. Sadly, I did one disastrous tour with OAT back in the late 90s and swore never to travel with them again. Rick Steves and Intrepid and a few other companies waive the single supplement if you are willing to share with another single. If there are multiple singles you rotate. I have also done one tour each with the Smithsonian, GeoEx and MIR, but I find that the big American outfits tend to be over-protective and include too many shopping ops.
Sorry to hear about your bad experience with OAT. We have friends who have used Rick Steve Tours a few times with very good results. I’ve used his guides and audios since the 90’s and like his style & philosophy of travel.
I’m glad you have returned to health and are considering travel again. Thank you for the article on your prior & possibly upcoming travel adventures. I am ready to start some of my own and found your article inspirational & informative. I’m also going to check out your blg.
You’re welcome. I’m afraid the blog really needs some TLC, the links between posts no longer work. Using the drop down date menu does.
Kathy, I think you’re in an ideal situation. I love hearing that you’re healthy and living a happy and full life in your new home in the CCRC. I’d say look around and see if there’s a tour, cruise, or other option that seems like a good fit and try it out. If you find you hate traveling all these years later, you don’t have to go again, and you know that you have a nice home base to come back to. I do agree with Linda below that at least the occasional change of scenery can be invigorating, but you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. It’s just nice that you CAN. I find it inspiring, really.
Thanks. I’m certainly staying very busy here, and I do have a lot of memories. (Not to mention photos I really should curate…)
Kathy, I am so glad to read about your improved health (sorry if I missed a previous mention). I agree with so many of your opinions about travel (and other topics of course). I think there’s a benefit sometimes just to a change of scenery and environment, even if it’s returning to a familiar place, but you’re not doing what you’d be doing if you were at home. To that end, I just reserved a week in Williamsburg for next February through my timeshare network. I will probably invite a friend to join me, or invite my cousin and wife to come. But I’m really just looking forward to a short break from the grayish PA winter, even if I spend the week by myself.
Thanks Linda, enjoy Williamsburg. I went way back in 1975, when I first came to the US and didn’t know I would be staying. I went again with my second husband to enjoy the Christmas decorations.
I’m a big fan of solo travel. I feel that if you are with someone your attention is divided between your companion and what you came to see. Apparently there is a lot more of it these days.
I say you should go for it – – – one step at a time, a quick trip here, a longer excursion there – – – just to get used to it again.
Kathy, thanks – it sounds like you’ve had some amazing adventures. Our recent small-group Alaska trip on Road Scholar was our first “tour” with a legit travel company. Prior to that we planned and executed all our trips. The RS trip was great and RS did a very good job with a wide variety of ages and physical conditions. Our fellow travelers were our age or better, educated, very interesting and friendly folks. The guides were first-rate. Maybe something like that would be a good compromise. Best of luck.
My parents were not “cruisers” by any stretch of the imagination. But when my mother’s dementia became more problematic they started taking European river cruises on “barges”.
The boats are smaller, they could unpack once, and see several sites without schlepping from one hotels to the other, with the concomitant transportation headaches.
if my mother was having a bad day they would just enjoy the amenities on the boat while their fellow travelers would visit the day’s sites.
Group travel isn’t our thing now, but I have to admit my experiences with it years ago were all really good in their own ways. While in the Middle East I did bus tours in Syria and Iran and a cruise on the Nile. A couple more bus tours in Europe if you count army staff rides. Would certainly consider something like the Road Scholar variety.
A number of people in my CCRC use Road Scholar. I really prefer traveling solo, and I once looked seriously at doing Alaska using the ferry system, but it may be time to consider tours. I did get a recommendation for a company that does cruises using really small ships.
I’m not sure which company you are looking at for a small ship tour. I took such a trip with my brother and sister-in-law this year. Our ship could berth only 50 passengers beyond its crew and our tour coordinators. Some of the travelers were in their early 80s, most were in their 60s or 70s, a handful were younger (50s maybe) who were taking the trip with their dad. Most of the travelers had used this company a number of times before so it seemed to suit them well.
I also prefer independent travel, but it is getting more difficult to schlep my bag from airports to train stations to hotels. I’ve had fantasies of doing the Camino in Spain or the Appalachian Trail but maybe too many people and maybe I’m not robust enough. Last time I slept on a thin pad in a pup tent I didn’t much enjoy it. My last trip to Rome I was shocked at the crowds and I also feel bad for the people for whom Barcelona is home. Venice seems to be devolving into a freestanding “world heritage site” rather than a city of its own.
Park visits, day hikes and home in my own bed at night, this seems most attractive to me now.
Lots of people travel Alaska by the ferry and most of the cities where the ferry stops are compact. That might actually work for you.
When my wife and I visited Venice years ago she had what I felt was a perfect description of it, that it was more like visiting Disney than a real city with locals. Venice was the least favorite of our stop on a two week trip to Italy.
The cruise company is Alaskan Dream Cruises.
I’m not sure if you enjoy going to US National Parks or not.
I found my time at Glacier National Park in Montana to be an almost Transcendentalexperience.
Yosemite is outstanding. The views from the valley floor are great even if you don’t take any of the hiking trails. Go on weekdays, not weekends.
I’ve been to a few, but not Glacier. Of course, if I’m going to go, I should go soon. I did visit glaciers in southern Argentina, and it was an amazing experience. Moved Alaska up the places-to-go list.
If you ever come out to Yosemite, let me know. I don’t live that far away, and I’d love to meet you in person!
Thank you!!
Your desire to travel seems as strong as ever Kathy. I say go for it. I’m rooting for you!
Thanks. I really should visit my family in England. Maybe that will get me re-started.
That sounds like a great idea. For one flight experience you could stay for months. Also how much traveling have you done in the UK itself? Exploring one area can be enjoyably different from the next. Right now we’re in Yorkshire for the first time and enjoying how different being here is from being in the Cotswolds or Cornwall. And that’s just England! You’d have the safety net of having family in the same country if you were traveling solo.
Btw as your family will tell you better than me, many places offer and prefer payment by app, but very very few won’t accept cash.
You would have to pick your lodgings carefully. At least you can know that the chain hotels will be the UK equivalent of ADA compliant. It’s not as quaint as the room over the pub, but a small negative.
My son was stationed at an RAF base for 4.5 years around 2009, and lived in Ramsey St. Mary’s. There was a bus stop in front of their house, and we took it to Cambridge, staying for several days in a small local hotel. We also took the train to York, and stayed in rugged place for a few days. We didn’t have a car, but public transportation was excellent.
We’d get on a bus, and as soon as we spoke, they knew we weren’t locals. We found the female driver to be most helpful; they’d question us about where we were going, then advised on the best ticket to purchase. Our son drove us around when he wasn’t working; we toured Sandringham and loved it. We’d go back to the UK in a heartbeat!
I’ve done a fair amount of travel in Great Britain, but very little in Northern Ireland and none in the Republic. Recently it’s been by train, which worked better than I expected – there are cross-country routes now which didn’t exist when I was growing up.
My last visit, when my knees gave out, I stayed at Premier Inns, which were fine. Good sized rooms even in London, with plenty of hot water, AC, restaurants and friendly staff. I also like staying in student accommodation, which is especially fun in Oxford and Cambridge.
We spent a week in London at the end of June and took a day trip to Oxford, where we did an “Inklings” (C.S. Lewis/Tolkien)-focused walking tour and a river cruise with high tea. It was fun.
The not-fun part was the train to and from London. I’d purchased tickets in advance with assigned seats, but the train was packed both ways, people standing for the whole hour-long trip, and on both trips, I had to be quite assertive about kicking people out of our assigned seats. Apparently, they give confusing mixed messages over the PA system (“just take any available seat”), but there are electronic red and green signs above the seats that indicate which seats are actually “available,” as in “not purchased.” On the way back from Oxford, the American woman and her daughter who were in our seats were NOT gracious about moving. The mom was swearing and throwing a fit. The whole situation was kind of a mess, surprisingly so.
We’ve taken trains in Spain and Italy and even Amtrak in the U.S. where things went like clockwork. From what I heard, the trains in England, or at least in the London area, are notoriously overbooked and chaotic. In fact, when we were in Oxford between tours and at a local pub, they were urging us to take a bus back to London instead of the train.
I believe the new Labour government is talking about renationalizing the railways, which Thatcher denationalized. I think there would be a huge sigh of relief.
And yes, there is a good bus service between London and Oxford.
We unexpectedly spent our first anniversary in student housing at Oxford. Nice memory.
Easy to hub and spoke from the UK for multiple shorter trips if you have a welcome ” home base”.
True that. Relatively speaking the mediocre RyanAir (or equivalent) experience is definitely worth putting up with for what it enables you to see and do easily and cheaply.
Interesting article, Kathy, thank you. You certainly had a successful travel “career” in your go-go stage. Perhaps it’s time to test out an encore “gig” and report out on it to the HD community.
Thanks. It was a wonderful fifteen years but my travel style did take a lot of energy. I am very glad I took early retirement!
Kathy, you may remember that I’m not an avid traveler, but I like this article. You obviously love to travel, and became quite good at it. I hope you find a way to give it a try once again. I know that RA can be nasty, glad to hear it’s back under control.
Thanks. I’m extremely fortunate that it went back in remission. (A close encounter with Covid may have caused it!)
That’s easy. GO, travel, never give up. We were on a tour in Poland once and there was a 92 year old man. He never missed a beat the whole trip.
That CCRC is not a cage.
Have you traveled extensively in the US?
We have a friend coming from Paris next month to visit us on the Cape. Last we saw her she had filled six passports and still going.
Of course my CCRC isn’t a cage. It’s a comfortable home with loads to do. I haven’t counted states, but travel in the US is a bit problematic. I don’t like flying, and now I would worry about Covid. Train routes are very, very sparse. I no longer enjoy driving, and in any case there is a lot of empty space. I haven’t forgotten trips down I-95 to visit the mother-in-law from hell. South Carolina was nothing but sand and pine trees with one lake in the middle. I haven’t driven on a foreign trip since 2004, even in the UK.