Why travel is best when you are over 57

A generation ago, when women retired at 60 and men at 65, they dreamt of celebrating this major milestone by taking a world cruise or, perhaps, buying a round-the-world air ticket to Singapore, Sydney and San Francisco. But we boomers now entering our 60s have much more expansive travel plans, with the latest statistics showing that 43 per cent of those between 57 and 75 plan to holiday both in the UK and overseas this year. Many of us are lucky enough to be able to fund our trips through private pensions, too, especially if we take the tax-free 25 per cent drawdown and invest it wisely. 

We also have the confidence, the time and the fitness required to leave behind the world of holidays and embrace travel with a big T. To step outside our comfort zone and visit places where an unexpected encounter may lead to a big adventure or a new interest. 

Once we have retired from full-time work, there is no longer the need to recharge our batteries on fly-and-flop holidays. Instead, we can indulge our curiosity about different societies, meet the people behind the news headlines, and get out into landscapes that instil a sense of awe and wonder.

We are lucky in Britain to have so many dedicated specialist travel companies whose staff have done the on-the-ground research and logistics legwork to create interesting itineraries, both for independent travellers and those who wish to join a group tour.

No other country has so many companies with such a deep knowledge of the areas where they operate or that offer such a diversity of themed trips. This is why North Americans, Europ­eans and Australians are increasingly choosing to travel with British tour operators. Many are members of Aito (020 8744 9280; aito.com) – a good place to start looking for a company to fit your needs.

Beware the temptation to tick off countries on a bucket list with a whirlwind tour of the main cities and world heritage sites. This is not the best way to travel once you have time on your side. Slow travel brings far greater rewards: focusing on a small area of a country and mixing headline sights with special ­experiences that introduce you to daily life, local makers and – a growing speciality – new cuisines. Cultural encounters such as these will live longer in your memory than a whirlwind tour of historic monuments.

I would also recommend bracketing an organised tour with a few days on your own as a way to dip your toe into the pleasures of independent travel. It may sound daunting, but the internet has made it so much easier to make such arrangements – as I discovered a few weeks ago in Egypt. 

After taking an organised cruise down the Nile, I decided to tack on a few days in Cairo. I wanted to get under the capital’s skin by walking the streets with a personal guide. I searched for walking tours and came across three promising companies charging about £40 for half a day. I requested female guides, as I find them easier to be with in societies where men are used to having the upper hand.

One day, I strolled with a young mother through Islamic Cairo, discussing contem­porary politics as we explored Mameluke mosques. On another day, I joined three Americans on a Bellies en Route food tour, sampling freshly cooked specialities at hole-in-the-wall cafés before finishing with cocktails at a hotel rooftop bar. They turned out to be the most interesting days of my trip.

For those for whom tramping around a noisy, polluted megacity is their idea of hell, there are myriad themed days out closer to home. In Italy, for example, I use Artviva (artviva.com), which has more than 100 walking, food and cultural tours, all led by experts in their field. You can either join a small group or arrange a private tour.

At this point, I can hear readers saying that this all sounds very exotic and expensive. The good news is that, despite the rise in the pensionable age, discounts for entry to museums and galleries and for ferry, coach and rail travel still kick in at 60 across most of Europe. 

Eurail only offers a 10 per cent discount on its European rail rovers, but individual countries are more generous, offering discounts of up to 50 per cent in Germany, France, Italy and Spain if you buy an annual rail pass for £25-£50 (£5 in Spain). And DFDS ­Ferries offers a 20 per cent discount on Channel crossings. It’s also worth ­contacting hotels and B&Bs directly, instead of using an online travel agent, as there are often discounts for longer stays, especially out of high season. And Airbnb often has rooms to rent for less than the price of a meal out.

Another way to see the world on a budget is to include voluntary work in the mix, especially if you have spent your career in a related field. The British charity Voluntary Service Overseas (020 8780 7500; vsointernational.org) says that 40 per cent of its volunteers are now in their 50s or 60s.

Teaching English abroad is another way to help fund your travels and experience a country in more depth. Teaching English as a Foreign Language (Tefl) courses are increasingly popular with early retirees. The basic course takes 120 hours of intensive study and costs about £300 with Tefl (01349 800600; tefl.org). Its accredited qualification is accepted by government organisations, charities and private schools in most countries around the world. You can work for a month or a year, and you’ll get a real sense of fulfilment in knowing that you are giving people a hand up rather than a handout.

By Gill Charlton

Trips to take in your 60s

Enjoy a luxury break in Vienna

The joy of travelling at an older age is that you can indulge your passions with a focus that your younger self – constrained by children or the youthful need for giddy excitement – could never manage. There may be an element of this type of thinking to the opera ­holidays to Vienna offered by Pettitts Travel (01892 515966; pettitts.co.uk). These four-day breaks combine a luxury hotel in the heart of the Austrian capital – a base from which to visit the likes of the enormous Hofburg palace and St Stephen’s Cathedral – with tickets for a performance at the Vienna State Opera. From £590 per person, including flights and transfers.

Covid rules

Proof of full vaccination and either proof of booster or negative PCR not more than 72 hours old. Unvaccinated travellers without proof of recovery cannot enter.

Explore art in Florence

Art is always an excellent reason for a holiday that takes its time – pausing in front of flawless paintings, in galleries alive with works by the great masters. Martin Randall Travel (020 8742 3355; martinrandall.com) goes straight to the source with the Art of Florence – Cradle of the Renaissance, a seven-day group getaway that follows in the footsteps of heavyweights – from paintings by Da Vinci and Botticelli in the Uffizi to the elaborate frescoes that adorn the Brancacci Chapel of Santa Maria del Carmine. The next departure is scheduled for March 21, from £2,610 per person, including flights.

Covid rules

You must fill in a passenger locator form and show proof that you are fully vaccinated, as well as have a negative PCR taken within 48 hours before entering Italy, or a negative antigen test taken within 24 hours before entering Italy.

Paint in Provence

If you would prefer to pick up your own brush rather than admire the achievements of those who once wielded them with genius, a holiday that combines painting with a stint in the sun will always be a splendid idea. Alpha Painting Holidays (01934 733877; alphapainting­holidays.com) offers a range of such breaks in destinations across Europe – including to the corner of France that most lends itself to ­cele­bra­tion on canvas. Two separate weeks of watercolour study and tuition in Provence are slated for September, both turning their eye to the villages of the Luberon. From £1,495 per person (flights extra).

Covid rules

All arrivals over 12 must present proof of full vaccination and a negative PCR or antigen test result taken within 48 hours of departure, and complete a “sworn statement” (déclaration sur l’honneur) saying they are symptom-free.

Delve into history in Portugal

Unlike art, war is rarely a good reason for travel – unless, of course, the war is long over and has been leaping out at you from the pages of a history book. Kirker Holidays (020 7593 1899; kirkerholidays.com) will delve into just such a conflict this year – eschewing the trenches of the First World War for more distant 19th-century machinations in northern Spain and Portugal. Its seven-night the Duke of Wellington & the Peninsular War group tour will trace Britain’s struggles with Napoleon in the likes of Porto and Salamanca in the early 1800s, ending in the latter, where a key battle took place in 1812. Two trips are currently slated (April 20; October 5), from £2,147 per person, including flights.

Covid rules

Visitors can enter Portugal with proof of full vaccination or recovery, or an antigen test. Pre-departure PCR test required for mainland Portugal but not Madeira or the Azores. Under-12s exempt. All travellers to Portugal are required to complete a passenger locator form before arrival. For Spain, an online health form (spth.gob.es) must be submitted for all passengers prior to departure. Fully vaccinated tourists and children under 12 can enter the country without testing – but, at present, unvaccinated tourists aren’t permitted to visit.

Tour the sights and delights of India

The dawn of our more senior years can mean a chance to consider destinations that may have felt implausible in ­earlier decades – too far away, too tricky with children. India, although a country that many of us regard as an essential part of a lifetime’s journeys, perhaps falls into this category. If you are planning to visit it for the first time, it makes sense to book a tour that moves at a gentle pace while also cramming in the brightest highlights. The 17-day Grand Tour of India offered by Cox & Kings (0333 060 8874; coxandkings.co.uk) certainly does this, gliding between Delhi, Agra (for the Taj Mahal), Amritsar (for the Golden Temple) and the palaces of Rajasthan. From £2,695 per person, including flights.

Covid rules

Visitors must submit a self-declaration form on the online “Air Suvidha” portal and show either proof of being fully vaccinated or a negative RT-PCR taken within 72 hours of departure. You must also self-monitor for 14 days.

Pick Argentina for your first trip

South America may also feature on the list of destinations you avoided earlier in life – 30 years ago, the most tantalisingly tropical of the continents was a place that came with worrying headlines and warnings of peril. It is much changed in 2022, and much better connected to Europe than it once was. Argentina is maybe the best choice for a first trip – restrained of temperature, genteel on the avenues of Buenos Aires, superbly scenic in Patagonia. The 12-day Classic Argentina holiday from Last Frontiers (01296 653000; lastfrontiers.com) is a fine introduction. From £3,785 per person (with flights).

Covid rules

Proof of full vaccination, an electronic “sworn statement” form, Covid medical insurance, and a negative PCR taken within 72 hours of departing the UK or antigen test taken within 48 hours. Unvaccinated non-citizens of Argentina may not enter.

Take in the majesty of America’s national parks

The USA remains less of a leap of faith for those unsure of the wisdom of travelling long haul, especially while the uncertainty of the pandemic continues to swirl around us. And there is reassurance to be found in booking a group tour – not least if you want to see some of those craggier areas that require a long road trip if visited independently. Insight Vacations (0808 271 7307; insightvacations.com) has America’s Magnificent National Parks – a 15-day escorted journey through the hard places of Utah and Arizona (Grand Canyon and Monument Valley included). Thirty-five trips are planned this year, from £5,180 per person (flights extra).

Covid rules

Proof of full vaccination, plus negative PCR or lateral flow test taken no more than 24 hours before travel (all travellers aged two and over). Adults must complete an attestation form before arrival.

Cruise a little differently

The happy convenience of group travel is at its fullest on a river cruise. Not only do you have company throughout a holiday that is organised at every stage, but enjoying the scenery involves little more than turning your head to the window. Viking River Cruises (0800 319 6660; vikingrivercruises.co.uk) adds an extra layer of simplicity by including return flights in its prices, and offers something different to the Rhine and Danube in a 10-day Elegant Elbe journey that forges from Berlin to Prague. From £2,595 per person.

Covid rules

For Germany, you need proof of at least two doses of approved vaccine (you must be a German citizen to enter if unvaccinated). For the Czech Republic, you need a passenger locator form and three doses of approved vaccine or two doses and negative PCR, otherwise you are only permitted entry for essential reasons.

Enjoy untethered freedom

One of the obvious joys of later-in-life travel is that, untethered from the rituals of the school term, you can go away whenever you please. A midweek dash to Paris in May, when the academic year is firmly in session and the Tuileries are not awash with little voices? Why not? Abercrombie & Kent offers luxurious three-night breaks to the French capital from £940 per person (with flights). Accommodation options include the Hotel Pont Royal in Saint-Germain (03301 623455; abercrombiekent.co.uk).

Covid rules

All arrivals over 12 must present proof of full vaccination and a negative PCR or antigen test result taken within 48 hours of departure and complete a “sworn statement” saying they are symptom-free.

Relax in the south of Greece

If you are going to zip to Paris outside the most obvious windows for travel, why not take the same approach to Greece? And to Crete – which, as the country’s most southerly island, can be as hot in high summer as it is full of tourists. Swap July for May, however, and you can expect quieter beaches and warmth in the mid-20s. For added tranquility, go to the less-visited south coast. A week in May at the Manos Studios in Paleochora starts at £821 per person, with flights, with Sunvil (020 8758 4758; sunvil.co.uk).

Covid rules

Passenger locator form, and either proof of at least two doses of an approved vaccine, or a negative PCR taken no more than 72 hours before arrival, or a negative RAT taken no more than 24 hours before.

By Chris Leadbeater