At a party in Bucharest last fall, I met a stocky, middle-aged Austrian who hinted broadly that he’d had sex with all the best women in the city. Not for the first time, I reflected that one of the enormous advantages of getting older was not having to worry that he would attempt to add me to his collection, requiring all sorts of tedious defensive maneuvers on my part. There wasn’t nearly enough left of my drink for me to waste any of it on his face. This small incident got me thinking about other advantages of growing older. Friends no longer recruit you to help them move a sofa up four flights of stairs. Yoga teachers aren’t as demanding and you have less to prove, making classes far more relaxing. And it’s a lot easier to sneak into places. When shopping in downtown Seville, I often walk confidently into one of the private clubs to use their ladies’ room; I’ve done it for so many years now that I’m pretty sure the staff is under the mistaken impression that I’m a member, and are probably worrying about why they never see me at the annual dinner. Of course, to me the greatest single advantage of this phase of life is our freedom to travel. Some of my retired friends brag, “I have six Saturdays and a Sunday every week. I never do anything!” But for many of us, this age brings the long-awaited opportunity to go places — whether that’s fishing at a favorite lake or a jaunt to another country — without worrying about having to show up at the office on Monday morning in good working condition. During our careers in Cleveland, Rich and I chose vacations that would get us “out there” – that is, off the tourist track, past the boundaries of common routes, to the cultural equivalent of places where, in ancient times, the maps would be marked, “Here there be dragons.” Last year, when we were planning our three-month train trip through Central and Eastern Europe, I realized with something of a shock that activities I’d undertaken without hesitation in my twenties, even my forties, raised new questions now. Rich and I were both active and reasonably healthy, but there was no getting around the fact that we were in our sixties (or, as Rich likes to put it, sexagenarians) and had lost our taste for traveling rough. But we hadn’t lost our desire to get far enough out there to feel the spine-tingling zing of being truly alive. We started referring to the train trip as The Experiment, a test to see how a couple of sexagenarians might survive several months on the road. The rules were simple. We would walk out our door in Seville, stroll to the train station, and simply go, with just a rough itinerary and no fixed schedule or advance reservations. Our accommodations would mostly be Airbnb apartments and hostels. We’d pack very light. And if at any time it got to be too much, we’d give in gracefully and fly home. The trip covered 4627 miles (7446 kilometers). We had a few scary moments, encountered some pretty dodgy lodgings, and used a number of unspeakably ghastly public rest rooms. But mostly we had fun, made friends, and learned a lot about how and why we all travel. Rich and I consider The Experiment a success, as we proved to ourselves that being retirement age had not dimmed our ability to have grand adventures. The Spanish word for retired is jubilado, from the Latin word jubilant, which means “shout for joy.” I love this attitude. Hitting retirement age is something to celebrate. After all, as recently as 1900, the life expectancy in the US and in Britain was just 47 years. I consider every year after that to be a gift. What will you do with yours?
14 Comments
5/21/2014 09:08:41 am
I'd just been getting ready to do a blog post of a similar nature about our road trip through Greece this spring. It really does make us feel 'more alive' when we travel (of course that could be because we are too busy experiencing life to worry about how much of it we have left) and we too, are in the . . .ahem. . .60's. You brought a smile to my face with this post. . .it is almost like sharing a secret. . .if only our friends knew how much fun travel can be at this ripe old age!
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Karen McCann
5/22/2014 03:11:41 am
Yes, let's keep it our secret, Jackie. Otherwise, everyone will want to be a sexagenarian! Can't wait to read the post on your Greece trip. I'm sure it will provide further proof that you can have grand adventures at any age.
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5/22/2014 10:29:51 am
love to read posts from successful mature travelers....have 2 questions:
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Karen McCann
5/22/2014 10:39:14 am
Yes, we keep a home base in Seville, Spain, where we rest and recharge our batteries between trips. As to comparing our experiences to solo travel – well, clearly it's much more challenging on your own, although I know lots of people who do it. Wandering Earl has been on the road solo since 1999, although now he organizes group trips from time to time. We loved the Hostel Mostel in Veliko Tornovo - but we did spring for the private room with its own bath (about $20). Good luck with all your journeys, Lee! Let me know how it goes out there!
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whitey
5/22/2014 10:29:59 am
OK rest up then I have your next assignment...I want you to do China...I will layout your route. I have several Chinese female physicians that would like to marry me!! they are really hot hot hot.. I would like you to interview them and make a recommendation..please do this before asia goes up for grabs.
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Karen McCann
5/22/2014 10:42:10 am
Sorry, Brad, but China isn't on our itinerary at the moment, so you're going to have to vet the matrimonial prospects on your own. Good luck with that.
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Sandy
5/22/2014 10:33:54 am
Last February, I in my 60' s and another lady age 91 took a bus from Torremolinos to Madrid, where we spent the night in the bunk beds of a youth hostel. The next day we toured a museum and then walked maybe a mile to the main train station. After transferring to a second Madrid train station we took the train to Oviedo, the capital of Asturias. Yet that night we spent some hours in a cider house that was very lively. The next morning the elder lady was up and ready to go before I was. We bought some sweets to go and walked to the bus station to head back to Madrid. Once in Madrid we waited until 11 PM for our all night crowded bus ride back to Torremolinos. We were laughing like crazy when we arrived at the reception of our hotel. We had to walk quite a ways from where the bus had let us off in the wee hours of the morning. Our friends had been worried about us, especially the other lady, and we're in awe of our adventure! Yes, it's worth it to just get out there and do it.
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Karen McCann
5/22/2014 10:45:07 am
What a grand adventure, Sandy! Sounds like you have found the right travel companion, an intrepid 91-year-old with a sense of humor. My hat's off to you both! Thanks for sharing your marvelous story.
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Tobey Hiller
5/22/2014 09:56:49 pm
Grand, Karen. I love being--well I guess it's now a septuagenarian! I have no idea how I ever had time to work. Whether it's travel, or all the other things I've somehow found to do, I find that I'm grateful, just plain grateful, for the fun of it all. Which includes crows in the back yard, sitting down to draw or paint when I want, martinis with friends, and odd moments lost on the Asian side of Istanbul. And by the way, you look spectacular in that blue polka-dot flamenco dress.
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Karen McCann
5/23/2014 01:15:56 am
It is fun, isn't it? Having the freedom to create your own life in a whole new way is one of the exciting things about being what the Spanish call "the third age." And wearing a bright blue polka-dot dress with huge flounces is just one of the perks! Thanks for your kind words and your wisdom, Tobey.
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5/23/2014 08:29:24 am
Karen, you and Tobey have hit the freedom feeling , dead on! why everyone must wait until they are 'mature' to finally be free is a true tradgedy. of course here in the usa they needed the millions of us to work to pay into the retirement fund for the country....having a choice of what to do EVERY day is reward i treasure every morning. 5/23/2014 10:27:44 am
A wonderful piece reminding me of how being adventurous is vital to staying alive on so many levels. Go jubilados!
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Karen McCann
5/24/2014 02:12:47 am
Thanks, Susan! I'm sitting here wearing my t-shirt that reads:"Out there is an adventure. Let's go,' which has become my motto. Adventures come in all shapes and sizes; travel is just one, others are much closer to home. As Tobey and Lee say above, it's the fun of freedom!
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Joe Kinsella
5/27/2014 04:34:02 pm
Ciao Dona Karen -
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Winner of the 2023 Firebird Book Award for Travel
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