Getting Old

Just spent 31 days bouncing around the UK and Europe. 3 days in London; a Eurostar train through the Chunnel followed by 9 days driving in France, with stops in Paris, Reims, Strasbourg, Colmar and Lyon; a plane ride to Vienna followed by 3 days in rural Austria (with a day trip to the Czech Republic); a flight from Vienna to Manchester followed by a 2 hour drive to North Yorkshire, where we spent 9 rainy days before a 6 hour drive to London…for the final 5 days of the visit. Oh, and there were the transatlantic flights before and after all the Euro wanderings.

As I write this it all seems like a blur.

I love to travel, and it has surprised me a little in recent years that I am ready to come home earlier and earlier each year. What was once adventure is turning into work for this 65-year-old body. My partner and I both have physical issues that are not unusual for people of our age. The thing you discover is that it is far easier to manage these issues in your “normal” environment. It’s easier to maintain your proper diet and exercise regimen at home. It’s easier to stick to a schedule at home. Jet lag seems to take a bigger toll than it used to. Walking 15,000 - 20,000 steps a day is a little more difficult than it was 10 years ago.

Will we continue to travel? Definitely. Will there be more month-long trips? Probably not. Will the itineraries be as ambitious? Uh, no. We’ll get to a place and stay there for a bit. Why do it? Well, we have met a lot of people in a lot of places and we like to check in with them. We like to meet knew people and get their perspectives on life. We can’t do that as well from home, so the road will continue to call us. We’ve just reached an age where we have to manage it all differently, and better. We have to acknowledge that our bodies have aged and need proper care no matter where we happen to be.

I write this because many people delay their travels until retirement. They think that, at age 65, they’ll take off to explore the world. My advice…start much earlier. Make the time in your 40s and 50s to take the BIG trips. 10+ hour flights are more taxing on an old body. Living out of a suitcase for weeks on end can be exhausting. Do the rugged hikes while you’re still rugged.

There’s plenty of adventure and fun to be had in our “golden years”. We just have to pace ourselves. Cheers!