Travel Has Many Benefits For Retirees
If we had to list our favorite retirement hobby, travel would probably be it because it involves so many different things. Travel has many benefits for retirees as well as for anyone who is fortunate enough to engage in this wonderful experience. It may be the most exciting way to learn and to see first-hand different cultures and new locations. It might surprise you to see how many things people in different countries have in common with us.
When you travel with a company, such as a cruise line, there is a sense of security that allows you to go places you may not have attempted on our own. Our favorite is Viking and we have been on their ocean, expedition and river cruises and we have complete faith in what they offer. As soon as you see the red Viking sign in the airport, all of your worries are over in the sense that they will be with you every step of the way. If you have ever traveled on your own to a foreign country, you know that, at times, it can be a little daunting. A different language, a foreign currency and almost no idea exactly where you’re going can cause a little anxiety. With Viking we have felt completely comfortable in Europe, South America, Africa and Asia so we know how important it is to have that sense of security. After gaining familiarity with a package tour, you can become confident enough to embark on a return visit unescorted, and we have done that several times although we still employed the services of a professional guide in the big cities. Travel has many benefits for retirees but learning about a location’s history and exploring new cuisines and experiences top the list.
Travel has many benefits for retirees and for anyone else who likes to learn new things.
Travel doesn’t have to involve distant lands. We tend to overlook some of the things that are in our own backyard. Over the years our family has traveled by car to get to most of our vacation spots and there are always new things to explore, no matter how remote a place might seem. Although travel has many benefits for retirees, it may have even more to offer children and young adults. I happen to love history and could not bear for either of children to not have an appreciation for our heritage and how this country was built. Our children saw Mount Vernon, Monticello, Sagamore Hill and Hyde Park sooner and more often than any of their friends and we always combined with an amusement park, the beach or something else that would interest them. I am very happy to say that it worked. They both appreciate history in their own way and our son has extended his travel explorations to encompass the best of the local dining scene wherever he goes. As a very fussy eater as a child, we like to think a change in his dietary experience may have started on a trip to Alexandria in Virginia. After a ferry ride on the Potomac, we had dinner at Gadsby’s Tavern which entertained George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and quite a few others. It’s a lovely restaurant that tries to give a colonial feel to its diners and offers food that our founding fathers might have sampled during their visits to this charming city across the river from our nation’s capital. One of specials that summer evening was Strawberry Soup which was served cold. We were delighted to see our son’s face with his first taste. I have to say that family dining got a little more expensive after that, but it was well worth it. Our son continued his interest in food and has worked at some of the finest restaurants in the country. Our granddaughter is partial to fruit as well but, even though she’s a couple years away from kindergarten, she has already had street corn, caviar, poached pears, shrimp cocktail and seems open to trying anything new. Travel is a way to expand any traveler’s experience and can become a lifelong habit.
The amount of knowledge that you accumulate during an extended journey is amazing. It brings the world closer in a way that is hard to describe. When Notre Dame burned down in Paris, our experience there the previous summer brought home that tragedy in a way that could never have happened just by watching the news. We felt terrible for the people who watched the pride of their city go up in flames and we admired how that city came together to rebuild. Hopefully, we can visit the shrine again on a future trip. We’ve developed a soft spot for some of the European capitals and, although there’s a lot of other places to see, going back to the City of Lights would not be a bad thing. Travel has many benefits for retirees and being able to feel at home in a foreign land is something you don’t understand until it happens. If more people were able to travel, I think our chances for world peace would be a lot stronger. Wouldn’t it be nice if all the money invested in bombs could be used to encourage more travel and build stronger relationships around the world? I’m willing to do my part. A food journey around the world to sample the baguettes in Paris, fish ‘n chips in England, pizza in Naples, tacos in Madrid, jambalaya in New Orleans and a gigantic steak in Kansas City might be a trip I could take again and again. But then you're leaving out a "chowder crawl" in Cape Cod, wiener schnitzel in Vienna, goulash in Prague, Dungeness Crab and Sourdough Bread in San Francisco and we haven't even gotten to the great wines from around the world. There's too much to see and too little time!
Once you start listing the places you’ve been that hold a special place in your heart, it’s hard to stop. When you associate each place with a restaurant or particular food or drink, you’ve got a conversation starter that can extend a dinner party into the early morning hours, and you would never exhaust the subject because there will always be a new place to discover. Travel has many benefits for retirees and just about everyone who is willing to meet new people and explore new things. Maybe the best benefit, however, is the way that travel can bring people together. It’s a great way to demonstrate that in spite of all the differences that may exist from country to country, we all want the same things. I’m waiting for some creative entrepreneur to start a company based on the theme “Travel for Peace” where the whole experience leads to a greater understanding of how different ways of life, different cultures, different foods and experiences can all be brought together to tear down the things that separate us. Travel has been a wonderful part of our life, and we know we’ve got years ahead of us because we’ve barely scratched the surface. Go and look at a map of the world and pick out even the most remote location and plan a visit. Chances are you’ll have more than you thought possible and you might even come back with a new recipe to try. Go ahead. It’s time to Enjoy Retired Life!
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