The Ultimate Guide to Golden Retirement Travel

How to Travel in Your Golden Years

Bonni and Bob Gumport like to travel a lot now that they are retired. They don’t have to take just one short holiday a year; on average, they take seven long ones. All of their travels have given them a set of rules they follow and useful tips they can use anywhere. They got rid of all the small rooms that are popular in boutique hotels because there were too many of them. They also don’t do walking trips within two days of getting to a new place, because they like to get settled. Lauren, their daughter, calls them “pros on retiree travel,” but they’re not the only ones who can help.

Some former museum managers have learned not to overbook themselves, and people who travel alone always try to learn a few words of the language they’re in. Following someone’s rules will never guarantee a smooth holiday where no flights are ever late, every tour is worth the time, and every meal is delicious. But if you learn from other people, you might have a better time, even when things go wrong. We talked to more than 20 retired tourists to find out how their golden years have changed the way they travel. Some of their best tips for better trips are below.

1. Take the bus tour where you can get on and off at different stops.

As long as she’s in a city with one of those double-decker hop-on, hop-off sightseeing trips, Denver-based Heidi Burtoni, 65, is definitely going to join. She takes many trips a year. She says it’s a great way to plan the rest of her trip, get tips from the tour guide and other travelers, and get a feel for the new place. She says, “It’s the first thing I do to get a feel for the place.” The person who often travels alone because she used to work in sales will “talk to anybody,” so these tours are also a good way to meet new people and make connections.

2. Figure out what you should not do.

Paul and Lynn Zelevansky, 77 and 76 years old, say that traveling is less about seeing all the best places and more about learning where not to go. For them, that means staying away from tourist traps, fairs during the hottest times of the day, and dangerous taxi stands. They go to the Venice Biennale in the fall, now instead of at the beginning, to avoid the worst of the crowds. This also helps them avoid the city’s notorious pickpockets better—Lynn’s wallet was stolen on a busy vaporetto ferry in 2022).

3.This means “Bring Your Own Toilet Paper.”

Karen Butera, who is from Florida and loves to play pickleball and often plans her trips around the sport, says, “Toilet paper in Europe is very scratchy—not good for sensitive parts.” She always brings her own toilet paper with her when she goes abroad. Butera, 66, is taking her niece to see Taylor Swift in Paris this summer. She will, of course, bring toilet paper, because comforts for animals are even more important when you’re not at home.

4. Don’t plan too much.

Former head curator at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) J. Patrice Marandel used to make plans that were jam-packed with things to do, but these days, he prefers to plan things that leave “plenty of time for the unexpected.” Breakfasts, lunches, and dinners are no longer planned every day for Marandel, 79. Instead, he leaves room for something unexpected and “exciting.” It pays off most of the time.

5. Don’t bring too much

Based in Buffalo, New York Lisa LaLonde, 74, and Antoinette Judelsohn, 70, who she’s been traveling with for more than ten years, know how to pack light. LaLonde says that the friends can get by for a month on very little because black pants and tops can be worn with a lot of different things. What’s the deal? Judelsohn says to make a trip uniform, bring only a few different outfits, and wash your underwear as needed. The thought of having big bags full of different clothes is more of a bother than a treat. LaLonde says, “They’re a pain in the neck if you’re getting on or off a train or moving from one city to another.”

6. Do not get too excited

When Judelsohn and LaLonde worked together at the same school in Buffalo, they met. Another good travel rule for Judelsohn is to let go of goals. He says, “I never get excited about a trip.” For the smart tourist, the thrill comes from what’s in front of her at the moment.

7. Don’t go on trips on Sundays

RV owner Jenelle Jones, 64, doesn’t like to drive on Sundays. “Everyone and their brother with an RV travels on Sunday,” she says. The long weekend RVers who have to go back to work on Monday use Sundays to get home, so Jones, who is 64 years old and retired, just skips the day. She also said it was the “biggest day to get in an RV wreck,” which is another reason to take it easy. After all, you don’t need to be anywhere. Make the most of it.

8. Get to know a few words in the language

Charlotte Simpson’s blog, Traveling Black Widow, records her travels to more than 100 countries. She says that her most important travel rule is to learn a few key phrases in the main language of the places she goes, like “hello,” “goodbye,” “please,” and “thank you.” Simpson says that people always appreciate what she does. “I just find that people are always surprised when I say ‘good morning.'” Simpson doesn’t want to say how old she is, but she says that meeting people who speak a different language makes her feel good: “It just makes people so friendly and so happy that you took this moment to learn [their language].”

9. Move more slowly

When you pack too much into one trip, “the whole experience just kind of becomes a blur,” say Gillian Batt, 43, and Stephanie Myers, 51. Their blog, Our Freedom Years, is about their early retirement and the trips they took afterward. The Canadian couple says that sticking in one place for a long time keeps them from getting tired of traveling, saves them money, and makes them enjoy the experience more. All that rushing around with little PTO? A long way behind them.

10. Do what you want

For Kim Kelly Stamp, 65, and her wife Liz Schick, 62, the pandemic made things clear. They quit their jobs and chose to travel the country in a red 21-foot teardrop trailer. Since then, they’ve become very good at going with the flow. Stamp says, “We know where we’re going to stay along the way, but we keep that very loose and give ourselves the chance to make something else happen.” The path they took led them to Laurel, Mississippi, which is home to the HGTV show Hometown, which Stamp and Schick really enjoy. They didn’t stick to a set plan; instead, they followed their passion when the road split.

11. Keep your mind and heart open

John and Bev Martin, 60, started the RetirementTravelers website so that other people could share their journey. Even though they’ve traveled a lot, they still need to tell themselves that they can’t control everything. They say, “We have to be patient and open to the lessons the world is trying to teach us.” That keeps coming up? “Retirement isn’t the end of your dreams for new and different paths in life.”

12. Find out more

It’s important to the Gumports to experience some of the local culture when they travel, and they’re not against tours or other activities that do this. Bonni does, however, have some advice: “If you’re thinking about buying something that uses fluffy words like ‘bespoke, artisanal, farm-to-table,’ make sure that the experience is as real as it sounds.” Take the time to read reviews carefully and do study before you buy, says Bonni. Being on the spot is fun, but smart marketing and buzzwords can lead you astray.

13. It’s not a sprint, it’s a run

Brenda Huyhn quickly took on and changed a common rule for van-lifers: don’t drive more than three hours, get in by three o’clock, and stay for at least three nights. Huyhn retired younger than most people, at age 47. To avoid getting burned out, she is adamant that she doesn’t try to do too much in one day. She and her husband take their time and choose “quality over quantity” when they stay and stop somewhere. It makes the whole thing more enjoyable.

14. You can always go home

Diana Petterson is on track to visit 100 countries by the time she turns 70 in 2026. The Black woman who travels alone loves to see the world, but she’s not afraid to cancel a trip if things don’t go as planned. “No matter where I am in the world, if I feel bad or uncomfortable for any reason… “I’m going to put down that credit card and go home.”

15. Get up early to beat the crowds

Simma Liebman, an artist who is 76 years old, likes visiting new towns and museums. But because the retiree’s immune system is weak, she plans these trips in a different way. Liebman now goes to museums “as early in the day as possible” and wears a mask while looking at art “unless there are very few people inside.” No matter what your reason is for getting up early, you can be sure that the hordes of tourists in their 20s won’t be. Get to all the good spots before they do.

16. Make plans for yourself

As an art collector, Betty, who didn’t want to give her last name, is 80 years old. She has found that mid-sized hotels (about 200 rooms) in central areas with just the right amount of services work for her. Betty says, “I like a very good hotel, but not always the best.” It’s all about location, location, location as long as you take care of the basics.

17. Don’t wait until tomorrow

People who want to see the world should not wait to go on trips; instead, Ruthie Maldonado-Delwiche, who lives in Chicago, says they should “do it now.” Because “tomorrow isn’t promised,” says Maldonado-Delwiche, who has been traveling since she retired in 2017. If you want to do or see something, don’t wait.