Vacations that feel like work (sometimes)

I'm 53 and traveling as much as I can right now. I can see it getting too tiring later, though, for sure. I also want to reduce my itineraries a bit so I only have two major sites per day when I travel. That's just to make the vacation feel more like a "vacation" rather than a checklist I have to complete.

People over 75 likely traveled in the “Good Ol’ Days” before 9/11 when one didn’t have to go through lengthy security lines at every airport. It also was back in a time before popular attractions required advance reservations for specific times. That led to it becoming more or less necessary to have your accommodations also reserved in advance, even if you didn’t realize that reserving hotels also saved you money. Ditto for buying high-speed train tickets in advance.

I remember my first Eurail pass and walking to the big city train stations with my backpack, looking at the train schedules on the overhead split-flap boards listing all the train departures and destinations. I would decide where to go at the last minute. Back then you could travel spontaneously, travel on a shoestring budget with the knowledge that hostels always had space available.

It brought an amazing feeling of adventure.

Those were the days.

I have certainly adjusted how I travel. Pre-covid I traveled independently, with a rolling carry-on size piece of luggage and traveled by train. I had hotel or B&B reservations in hand but all my travel was done point to point tickets. I was in my 40's-60s then. I would fly coach until an absolutely horrid flight (maybe 10 yrs ago) had me switiching to Business class. Never looked back after that.

Post covid, whether it is advancing age or laziness, the idea of dragging even a carry-on onto and off of a train is not appealing and I LOVE train travel. I still fly Business class but also use car services and I have switched to cruising (ocean not river). This option still leaves me with some flexibility but with way fewer hassles. I do realize I am fortunate to be able to travel in this manner. But I worked hard for my money. Spending it now is kind of fun!

realize that some many people at 75 and over still love international travel, although to be honest at some point it's going to be more hard, more of a chore, and more stressful and tiring than it is fun and enjoyable. For some folks that may be 55 and for others 95.

At least you allow that it isn't just age that limits International travel and ones ability to enjoy it. I'm closing fast on that 75 yr mark, and hope to keep travelling for quite a few more years. Do we travel the same way we did in our 20s and 30s? Of course not. We don't even travel the same ways we travelled 10 years ago. We change. Technology changes. Societies change. Everything changes. But that doesn't mean an end to enjoyment. Someone said that Darwin got it wrong... it's not survival of the fittest, it's survival of the most adaptable. And by adapting how we travel, we still manage to enjoy our trips.

Will there come a time when we won't travel internationally anymore? Undoubtedly. But it will more likely happen eventually due to the spirit still being willing but the flesh (or the wallet) has become too weak.

As a retired engineering project manager there’s definitely some work skills that I still utilize for my travel planning. It can feel a bit like a project at times - especially the last two weeks, but it’s still mostly very fun to plan a trip.

Last year I had five international trips (4 to Europe) and thought I would slow it way back down in 2026. But, I just booked an art class week yesterday for Ireland in September (special opportunity), and that brings me back up to four trips to Europe again this year. I keep thinking I have at least a few years left at my current desired multi-cities travel style, but this post also shows that I am allowing myself to savor the moments much more because there is a finite number of trips at some point….or I decide I’d rather spend the money on a relandscaped backyard perhaps.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/thoughts-on-changing-travel-mindset-as-i-age-commenting-before-later-trip-report-italy

This is a great topic. My parents traveled overseas until my father was 82. I'm 72 now, but still in good shape. Normally my wife and I travel independently, and we will continue to do that. Last year, we went on a river cruise, which was nice, but coming home, going through Charles DE Gaulle airport, it was such a hassle, and I was so pissed off, I swore off any more overseas travel. That didn't last long.

On thing we've decided is, if getting there and getting back is going to be such a hassle, make it count. Take longer trips. We've also upgraded for the first time to Business class for our next trip. And we're trying to minimize the number of connections we have to make. From now on, no more than one connection. We're actually trying to spend more money, to make our trips easier and more luxurious. We're just too old to squeeze ourselves into Economy class anymore.
When you're young, you can go go go, take economy class airfares, hop from one place to another, and drag your suitcase on and off planes and trains. It was fun, but I don't want to do that anymore. I just want to go someplace and relax. See all the beautiful things, at leisure, without rushing.
But I'm not going to give up traveling, because to me traveling is living. I have to have it.

I see two different realities playing out in this thread. First: life is hard. Sometimes you have to just "suck it up, cupcake" and get on with it.

For me, there is too much wonder and joy in travel to let physicality or age get in the way - that’s an attitude issue, not a physical one. I actually enjoy work, and there are aspects of travel I treat like a job: the deep learning, the reading, and the intensive research. By putting in that work upfront, I've headed off the travel stresses that everyone else seems to experience. I do the work ahead of time so the journey itself is nothing but a privilege.

portions of trips can be less than enjoyable due to traffic, crowds, jet lag, travel snags, illness (IBS for example) weather, and sub-par hotels or meals.

That's just life.

VAP, so much is just attitude and hyperbole and a false sense of reality that is common when looking back in time.

Nothing much has changed for us or the over 75 crowd except for the numbers of people in the tourist trap destinations. That just means that it’s time to visit the other three fourths of the planet or do a little more off-season travel. And the other three fourths is incredibly more accessible than it was 30 years ago. There are a lot more practical options than ever before.

Airport security, that started in 1973 not recently, only takes 5 minutes under most circumstances and most often its just one airport, the airport you depart from. So that hasn’t changed.

The lines and crowds are only up 6% vs 2019 so that’s not an issue. Again, show up a week earlier in the season or go to find a more interesting back door for a holiday.

Enjoy your spur of the moment travel. Just know it will be a bit harder in Rome than in Prague or Budapest or ……… well, pick anyone of 10,000 other places. Trains are still cheap for same day tickets. Cheaper than driving your car one day in the states.

Prices vs income have never been better. The reason tourism is up, is more people can afford it. In 1979 my flight from Houston to Rome cost nearly $2,000 in economy class (in 2026 dollars). Now it can be done in the middle of a jet fuel shortage crisis for about $800.

But sure, iterests and style change. I just finished an old style tour of Rome. It was brutal on my old body. I knew it would be. Not surprise, but it was a great trip. So the next trip is Montenegro where I can relax. I am looking at Moldvoa and Odesa after that and maybe back to Albania to end the summer. All pretty laid back trips but with amazing scenery, people, architecture, food .... Lovely escapes.

When your husband is 72 and still working full-time, quitting travel at 75 isn't really an option.

Kenko, I remember the not-so-good about the old days of travel-people smoking on planes.

I do the work ahead of time so the journey itself is nothing but a
privilege.

Very well said.

Oh, and I got a PM from a RS person telling me that the trip to Budapest had been canceled because of health issues that the person went into just enough detail about to remind me how blessed my life is. Then the persons promise to reschedule for next year made me admire the person for being stronger than I am in both body and mind.

Still traveling alone at 75. Leaving for Italy on Wednesday this week.
I'm aware that it could end at any time so I'm grateful I can still do this.
I'm less tolerant of crowds so I plan my trips with that in mind,including next trip.
I will fly business class because it's better for my body and pack as light as possible.
Focus on staying as healthy and strong as possible for life and travel.

...Everything changes...it's survival of the most adaptable...

Very well said, CJean. One can chose to paddle around the rock in the river, or go over the rock in the river. Trust me, going around it is a much better choice. We've adapted by adopting the idea that if it is too difficult, we just don't do it, or we adapt and paddle around the rock.

Betty and I have been in our 80's for a while and we travel according to Ricks guidance, back pack and small hand carry for open ended trips in Europe for 5 or 6 weeks. We tell ourselves our test is to be able to transit through Heathrow in 30 minutes or less. If you can walk, lighten your load, you can buy anything you need in Europe and who wants to carry around dirty laundry? How many shirts do you need to impress folks? Go for it, do not be in a hurry, shorten any bucket lists you may have. Select things you are interested in slow down and enjoy the roses. Sometimes a light lunch in an out of the way place can be a real highlight.

Every trip abroad, I start out saying it's my last trip, because of the stress of travel. But by the end, I'm always thinking about where to go next. Teleportation would be great.

Full disclosure regarding the man I was referencing, aka Leroy Brown, is a well seasoned traveler. In his office are pics of African safaris, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, along with seemingly most of Europe and the USA. This makes it a bit more understandable as to where he's coming from.

Does he still have a thirty two gun in his pocket for fun and got a razor in his shoe? Still meaner than a junkyard dog?

VAP, I was wondering the same thing!

Yes, it can feel like work, maybe because I did do a lot of travel for work, so airports do not fascinate or excite me, and my itineraries always have one, or more (sometimes 3) layovers, even up to 7 or 8 hours. So the effort to get there is often work.

But once there, we have adapted. We have limited the "whirlwind" itineraries, this trip to Sicily we have spent 4 nights in nearly every stop. We refrain from multiple museums, churches, and other sights, preferring walks, nice dinners, and relaxing.

Not sure if we will ever do a tour, the pace seems too quick, and we are too set in our travel ways to conform to the group. We are early 60's, take a couple trips a year, 8-12 weeks total. I do not see much change to that, the four nights may drift to spending a week or more in some places, but we hope to easily travel into our seventies, health will determine the end eventually.

Edit: I can also add that I find we spend a bit more for rooms, check for elevators, take more Uber and taxi rides, things we never really worried about or did before. Small things to ease the effort

Just adding a little background on "Downtown" LeRoy Brown, not his real name but close enough for us guys at work to rib him about it. He cringes a bit but we all give each other a hard time in a good natured way, which is common among men in particular. Good times and we all have to "take some abuse" so to speak.

LeRoy flies with the lie-down beds whenever possible, but he said a recent 15-hour flight to the South Pacific, commercial food, early wake-ups for transportation, and frequent moving around wore him out. He said in particular he and his wife had difficulty dealing with the jet lag this time.

As an aside a couple of song lyrics come to mind that remind me that Father Time is undefeated and untied. For example George Harrison's All Things Must Pass: Sunrise doesn't last all morning, A cloudburst doesn't last all day

Or from Bruce Springsteen: In the end what you don't surrender, well the world just strips away.

Paul, I can relate to "small things that ease the effort." Those small things can certainly enhance the quality of a trip, often substantially.

VAP and jeanm, I just addressed that in the above post. "LeRoy" is nothing like the character in the song but we give him a hard time about it anyway. He's a good sport.

suck it up, cupcake

People have been saying this to me a lot lately. I wonder why.

Happily, I can not relate to travel seeming too much like work. I still find that travel feeds my soul and I hope I can keep doing it for the next few years. I’m a 1950 model and turn 76 in June. I’ve upped my travel in recent years to 3 overseas trips a year, most of them solo. Then my husband and I travel together, pulling a travel trailer camping here and there or flying up to AK to visit grandkids. Flying from DFW to Fairbanks is almost like going to Europe and so far air travel isn't exactly enjoyable but still very doable at our advanced years; humor implied here.

But we are very cognizant that 75 to 80 is one thing and 80 to 85 is a whole other thing frequently. This observation comes from remembering our parents, and observing our siblings and friends. Fingers crossed we stay healthy, don’t trip over the dog, and we can keep moving and see and do until we can’t. But I’m very, very grateful that I’m booked in for Germany this October, and planning Paris in February, Ireland in April and Poland in October next year and never take it for granted.

"I intend to live forever. So far, so good." - Steven Wright

What's the best way to live? Adventure travel! Skydiving! Long naps! (oh my. I may be aging too)

Happy travels.

Thanks everyone for some chuckles along the way, and lots of head nodding on my part. The short answer is - Not if I can help it. I think what we might be discussing is hassle versus reward? Yes of course I've changed my style of travel, but not in any way that detracts from the enjoyment. Hubby really likes to stay in one hotel for a week & get to know a place, I've come to enjoy that as well. And now I fly business class, since chronic pain convinced me it was that or ruin my trips.

I wonder if this might be comparing people who just plonk themselves down in XYZ capital in summertime, with little thought to planning ahead, to us here on the Forum who love to plan & read about others planning and taking trips?? My hubby says my mood improves when I start planning a trip, (months ahead)!

Agree with Paul, unlikely to take a tour anytime soon. Especially as I love planning!! Why would I let anyone else do it??

jimr777 - thank you for the encouragement. Your attitude about relaxing and enjoying where you are reminded me - My Italian relatives always got a big kick out of foreigners racing through Rome. By definition 'La Passeggiata' is a stroll!

Leroy Brown, is a well seasoned traveler. In his office are pics of African safaris, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, along with seemingly most of Europe and the USA.

To me, it sounds like he is content with the places he has seen and just wants a more relaxing lifestyle. The change in style may be as much about experience as it is about age. If it starts to feel like work, it is time to try something different.

Blockquote
I love planning. Why would I let anyone else do it?
Blockquote

That has been me for 25 years. I’m now 81, female and traveling solo at this point. I’m currently on a European trip that I planned - three weeks on my own and then the RS Basque Country tour. A couple of nights ago I realized that I was looking forward to the tour because I will sleep better without middle-of-the-night worries about my complicated train trip the next day. I did it to myself and everything has gone smoothly, but i’m thinking there may be more tours for me in the future!

I feel like I've been adapting my travels since 2000, which was my last trip with only a reservation for the first night. Obviously, with the internet, etc., that system is gone. There was a huge feeling of accomplishment after one of those trips. I was really out of my safety net and built a huge sense of adventure and self-confidence. Since then I have adapted my independent and mostly solo trips to begin the moment I lock the door, or, in reality, the moment my H drops me at the bus/train.
As I said in another post, I might be over RS tours after my upcoming 14 day Ireland tour. Not because I can't do it, but because it does make me tired by the time they are finished. I don't see myself stopping traveling, but perhaps soon absolutely enjoying the cities I love: Stockholm, London...or maybe just Paris. I have already adapted my transportation periods to be fun and relaxing...day flights, nice hotels, rooms service. LOL

Will I get tired of it? Perhaps, but the adventure of travel (and the packing) calls me after a certain time at home. I've seen what I want to see in the US and that just doesn't have the adventure of foreign travel, IMO, but I do try to find it here. My grandparents went to Florida, by car, into their late 80's, even down to the last one. That was their adventure. Mine must be to Europe... Thank goodness for MedJetAssist. LOL

A couple from my church just observed their 50th wedding anniversary, and are both in their 80s. He has decided he is done w overseas travel, she is not. She goes on group tours w a roommate, he stays here. I share as an obvious compromise from a lovely couple.

I think there is a reason retirement advisers and calculators use the phrase/idea "Go-Go, Slow-Go, No-Go" to delineate the three "normal" stages of retirement and allocate $$$ and strategies accordingly.

Broadly speaking, the Go-Go era is that 65-75 window is where retired folks have their greatest ability to go hard and get in all their retirement dreams - whether travel related or not. After that, maybe the 75-85 window, folks slow down (Slow-Go), but can be more focused in the time, energy, and $$$. And then for most folks - if they live long enough - the No-Go years come in. Not necessarily "do nothing" years (possible with illness or mobility issues, though), but a realistic look at how aging slows most folks down and enjoying home life takes priority over chasing new horizons.

I hope most folks have a "near full bucket" of life experiences by the time they hit 75, so being more selective in using time, energy, and money makes a LOT of sense (to me). I also think that the world (and the US) is HUGE, so substituting a home in the Deep South or a lake house in Minnesota, or a mountainside cabin in WV, for vacations to Europe or other international spots is not a bad or lesser thing. We've always tried to mix our trips up - US travel, European travel, and other non-US travel, and I think that has been a nice balance, and one which shows there is no obvious "better" place to relax, take a vacation, or to retire.

We spent far too much time planning our last EU trip this Spring, and it felt like ‘work’. The planning is no longer enjoyable for me, ironically because the choices have exploded making decisions harder. But, I do believe the trip flowed well chiefly as a result of excessive planning. There were still the usual surprises (some good, some not), but that is expected on any adventure. The trip part was definitely not work, even though we moved quite a bit (average 2-3 night stays each location).

We debate constantly if it is time to sign up for a tour, and let others do the planning. We did once sign up for several full-day tours in Scotland. It was a small group (approximately 12) which we prefer. They had to be booked well in advance which is not a problem. However, the weather on our days was so awful, nearly nothing was visible. The poor guide was apologetic, but made no attempt to reroute or change the itinerary. We simply drove through nearly constant fog.

The problem with most tours is the lack of flexibility. We like the ability to change plans depending on weather, or just sit with a glass or dessert, and watch others when we become too tired. We prefer to mix days of “go” with days of rest, and so far, have been fortunate with more “go” days than sit days.

We thought the RS “MyWay” tours might be a good compromise, but frankly unless solo travel, these seem pricey compared to what it would cost to do ourselves with 2-4 traveling together. However, at some point, having others plan all the logistics will probably be worth the cost. Currently, the MyWay options are also very limited. Anyone know of other planning or flexible tour options?

I don't find them to be work. I find them to be adventures. And I love planning so much, that part is never work. However, I definitely see the need to change my style of travel as I get older.

When you're young, you can go go go, take economy class airfares, hop from one place to another, and drag your suitcase on and >off planes and trains. It was fun, but I don't want to do that anymore. I just want to go someplace and relax. See all the beautiful >things, at leisure, without rushing.
But I'm not going to give up traveling, because to me traveling is living. I have to have it.

I very much relate to this, Other Marty.

Tom R, your post reflected our sentiments regarding travel. Mary and I are both 65 and in good shape because we emphasize diet and exercise, but realistically around 75 I'd expect we'll slow down a bit. That gives us about a 10-year window for bucket list items and that should be enough. After that a VRBO somewhere Down South during a couple of months in the winter sounds great. I'd expect we would still travel but not as intensely as we have, and that's just fine.

I'd just reiterate that there is a limited amount of time for any of us to travel as Father Time is undefeated and untied, so keep that in mind when planning your bucket list for travel. In other words like you said, we will all transition from go-go to some-go to no-to. That's just reality.