Why I Think Travelling In Retirement Is Great

I was recently commissioned by Premier Care to give my thoughts on the following topic.

Before my father passed away, he really took to retirement. In fact, he actually retired twice – once earlier on in his sixties before returning back to the company for a few more years and finally retiring properly. Once retired, he spent a lot of time in his garden, growing fruit and vegetables – and we as a family often got to reap the benefits with lots of homegrown produce. However he also really took to travelling too.

My Dad was always keen on travelling around the UK for short breaks. He spent a lot of time abroad with work so enjoyed spending his holidays in the UK to make it a little different. He always tried to head away once or twice a year but once he retired, he suddenly had all this opportunity and boy, did he take advantage of it.

Not only did we all still have family holidays but he also had breaks away with just my mum and even had a ‘lads weekend’ with Steve and one of my Dad’s friends – can you call it a lad’s weekend if just one is under the age of 30 at the time?! He really enjoyed seeing different parts of the country and it was such a shame as he became more frail and fragile, seeing how it impacted him and his life. It not only impacted his day to day life but also his ability to travel which is something I think really affected him.

He got so frail that we were considering adaptations for him so that he could still maintain some independence. He was a fiercely stubborn man, very independent and didn’t like people waiting on him, even to the very end. It’s just a shame he couldn’t continue doing what he wanted to do, right until he passed away.

So why do I think travelling in retirement is great?

First of all, it’s the freedom. You’re not tied down with restrictions on dates and times you can travel – you can go whenever you like, however you like. My Dad travelled in cars, on trains, on buses and on ferries – no transport was too much.

Another is the opportunity to see more of the country you were born in. You may have seen my travel series about us visiting different places in the UK; this was mainly borne out of wanting to continue my father’s legacy. He was always so passionate about taking me around the UK and I feel the same about my children too.

Finally, I think travelling in retirement is so important as it can be all too easy to get bogged down by it all. Some people take to retirement like a duck to water, others don’t seem to enjoy it as much. I very much doubt my mother will take to retirement as well as my Dad did, she likes working too much I think!

No matter what, I hope to be travelling in my retirement and well into my old age – what can be better than the freedom to go and explore our green and pleasant land? Until then, I hope to continue on with my Dad’s legacy. Wish me luck!