You are never too old to be an adventurer, and for some, travel is all about the adventure.
If you are game, there is nothing at all wrong with booking a ticket, packing a bag and arriving at your destination with absolutely no plans! This style of travel doesn’t suit everyone, but for those who love it, the ability to be entirely flexible offers remarkable freedom.
Take Tim, who recently found he had three weeks holiday owing. He has always wanted to visit Mexico, so he booked a ticket and went, with no fixed plans, other than he was landing in Mexico City. “I’m going to travel light,” he says. “As soon as I arrive, I’ll find accommodation for the first night. I’ve downloaded guide books on to my iPad and I’ll do some reading and planning on the plane.”
He likes the freedom it affords to go where the inspiration takes him, rather than being tied to an itinerary. “Travelling alone makes it easier to go on this kind of adventure,” he says. “I tried it once with my ex-partner and she wasn’t as enamoured of the idea – she prefers to travel in style!”
“The most important thing I am taking with me is my camera,” he says. “I can’t wait to investigate Mexico City, which is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. I am going to hunt out some ruins and hopefully spend a lot of time sampling the street food and people watching.”
He has researched the safer places to go in Mexico. “There are certain areas with some pretty strong warnings,” he says. “I always take notice of that – there is no point in inviting trouble!”
He also makes sure he keeps in regular contact with his family, who, like his former partner, are not such big fans of his approach. “I’m a grown up and have travelled like this a lot,” he says. “I have had some interesting experiences over the years, but this to me is really living!
“I love having to try and communicate in a new language, I love finding amazing places, I love sitting for hours and watching people just live,” he says. “I am going to travel like this as often as I can, for the rest of my life.”
Marnie - 9 years ago
I agree too! I’m 71 and I’ve travelled on my own for decades, for several reasons. Friends can’t get time off when I’m going, or they don’t want to go to places I want to visit, or they want to make a quick visit to places I want to stay for longer – and vice versa. You do need to have a general plan, keep in contact with family and friends so they know you are safe (Fb is great for this) and keep yourself safe but I have never had a problem and I’ve been to many places. So try it!