Travel in retirement

Travel after you have retired is clearly one of the most popular and desired pursuits for this phase of life, whether it be day trips by car, cruising the islands or winging across the other world to see family.

Travel does not need to be expensive. In fact, if you are thinking of travelling overseas for a while, you could Airbnb your house! Also, what about a house swap with someone from another country, or even housesitting? You may even have an Aunty Mary overseas who would just love a visit.

There are tours like Intrepid Travels, which have last-minute deals if you are not averse to a few quickfire decisions. While last-minute travel decisions can be exciting, this can rob you of all that fun trip planning, so keep that in mind.

One of the ideas that you can consider is volunteer programmes abroad.

If overseas travel is not for you, why not a road trip? I have only ever done one road trip that I went on with a friend. No destination in mind, just drove and pulled over whenever we felt like it, no accommodation booked. It was great! What an adventure we had.

Maybe retirement is an opportunity to hire a campervan and see New Zealand, or why not try out some of the new cycle tracks that are popping up everywhere?

If you decide overseas travel is for you

Having just visited four European countries in five weeks which involved eight changes of aircraft, I have to admit flying to a single destination, putting on summer clothes and finding a spot on a comfortable deck chair is very appealing. You really do need to consider if you are up for a lot of walking, climbing of stairs and plane travel.

Travel light, and I mean light. I left with 15kg and a small backpack to have in the cabin. It made such a difference not to have to lug around heavy suitcases. I have a friend leaving for nine weeks tomorrow and she has only 10kg in her suitcase.

Save for a little bit longer and upgrade your seats on the plane if you can. What a difference it will make to those tired legs, even if it is only for the trip home. Make sure you invest in a good water bottle and drink plenty of water.

Shows

Some towns have great bus trips to some of the major shows around the country. Some go just for the day, no driving, and no organising. These are fun and you often meet new friends. Worth looking into.

So, whether you decide to holiday in New Zealand or overseas, do your homework, make sure you are prepared and go and enjoy yourself.