5 Reasons To Travel In Your 40s, 50s, And Beyond!
Do you think of travel as a young person's game, full of beer pong, metallic bikinis, and surviving on 15€ per day? Well, you couldn't be more wrong, and if you need reasons to travel in your 40s, you've come to the right place.
What's that Anthony Bourdain quote? "If you’re twenty-two, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel – as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them – wherever you go." Well, we think it needs an update, because, while traveling in your early 20s is a fantastic life experience, we also think you shouldn't write off traveling in your 40s, 50s and far beyond, because in our opinion, travel is like a fine wine, it gets better with age. Here are 5 reasons why you should book a flight RIGHT NOW.
You Know Yourself Better
Getting to know yourself better is always penned as one of the main reasons to travel, and here we are switching it up by recommending travel once you ALREADY know yourself.
Let's be clear, if you're looking to find yourself, ignite your desires, and figure out your purpose in this great big world, there is no greater way to do that than through travel, but on the flip side, if you've already figured yourself out, travel can be so much more enjoyable, and we'll tell you why.
By the time you're in your 40s, you've had a lot of time to get to know, accept, and love yourself, which means that other people's opinions or the sense of what you're 'supposed to do' likely doesn't matter to you very much now. How does that relate to travel in your 40s? Because it allows you to travel in the way that ACTUALLY suits you. You don't need to worry about missing out on parties you didn't want to go to, seeing sites just to tick them off an invisible list, or spending time with travel buddies that suck the life out of you simply for the fear of being alone.
We're going to say it- traveling in your 40s, 50s, and beyond enables you to have the type of travel experience you wished for in your 20s.
I bet you’re nodding your head with understanding right now! We would LOVE to hear your stories and thoughts on traveling in your 40s and beyond! Join our supportive community, a hub for female travelers, which connects women around the globe to share stories, photos, and experiences.
You Have More Disposable Income
We might have more wrinkles now than in our 20s, but it's not the only (or best) thing we have more of. One of the main perks of traveling in your 40s is the extra money you have to book those bucket list trips. An all-inclusive vacation to Bora Bora was off the cards in our 20s, but now? Somebody point us in the direction of a water bungalow. Along with ticking off your dream destinations, you also tend to be able to afford nicer hotels, better seats on the plane, and easy transport.
You're Willing To Pay The Extra Penny
Off the back of our last point, not only do you have more disposable income to book better rooms or stretch your legs out in business class, but you're also more willing to pay for your own comfort and experience. While traveling when you're younger is often centered around the smallest amount of money you can spend on a trip without starving, or catching diseases, as you age, you realize what is worth the extra money (and what's not). Hands up who has taken the world's most uncomfortable bus cross-country for hours, to avoid paying the extra for a 1-hour long domestic flight, when they were younger? Or have you chosen the cheapest tour guide for your bucket list trip, who spoke 3 words of English and kept trying to take you to his cousin's carpet factory? From sharing a bus seat with a chicken to standing at the side of the road with our thumb up because our train was canceled and wondering if we'll live to tell the tale, we've seen it all, and while experiencing those cheap as chips, uncomfortable moments is a rite of passage for all travel lovers, are we glad we can travel in greater comfort now, and are we also happy to pay a premium for it? Errr, is that a trick question?
You Have More Common Sense
Scammers, thieves, and other generally not nice people must see a 20-year-old traveler a mile away and rub their hands together in glee. That's not because they're stupid, or even without common sense. It's just that life experience hasn't taught them some of the most important lessons yet. But by the time you're in your 40s or 50s, you've had the book thrown at you, so you know that hopping into a taxi without agreeing on a price would cost you your life savings, or that the best way to have your iPhone stolen is by waving it around at night when walking alone. That's not to say you'll never get conned again, after all, life never stops, but generally, you have more common sense in your 40s, which makes travel easier and, unsurprisingly, a lot more fun.
Your Travel Buddies Are More Interesting
One of the best parts of traveling is meeting new and interesting people from all walks of life. Traveling when you're young enables you to meet lots of people, but the more fellow travelers you meet, the more they tend to mold into one, with similar backgrounds, hobbies, and purpose in life. But, travel in your 40s and you'll be pleasantly surprised at the array of fascinating, well-rounded, and multi-faceted people you'll meet, with endless tales of decades of adventure. Meeting other world travelers from across the globe will allow you to expand your knowledge, seek out new interests, and understand other cultures.
Final Thoughts
Are you convinced yet? Age is not a factor to stop you from creating memories or exploring new lands. In fact, growing older allows us to take more interesting trips, connect with inspiring people, and enjoy the comforts that were lacking in the adventures we embarked on when we were younger. We hope we’ve inspired you with these 5 reasons to travel in your 40s, and reminded you that your exploring days are only just beginning.
If you liked this post, check out these 7 benefits of solo travel.