We’re thinking of taking a couple of overseas trips in the next 12-14 months. 

We’ve wanted to get to Ireland for a few years and might go this Autumn.  We also want to take the big flight to the Southern Hemisphere and experience Australia & New Zealand, which would likely be in early-2027, given the difference in seasons. 

We wouldn’t typically plan two big overseas trips so close to each other.  Over the last decade, we’ve done about 1 big trip like this per year, but we are sensing the need to accelerate.  After all, we both turn 60 this year and if not now, when? 

Our age is central to the planning.  We’ve been talking travel with some of our Florida neighbors and we hear people say they started feeling subtle but real changes in their enjoyment of travel in their early 60s.

Long flights, transfers, frequent packing, and time-zone changes start taking a bigger toll at that age.  Long touring days feel heavier, physical recovery slows, and ambitious itineraries turn vacations into hard work.  It’s not impossible to do these trips later, it just may not be as enjoyable.  

We particularly think that going sooner will be important to get to Australia / NZ.  It is 18 hours in the air from Minneapolis to Sydney, stopping for a connection at LAX.  That’s a lot of time and time zones for our bodies! 

I guess now that we are 10 years into retirement, we’re facing the reality that while our portfolio has substantially compounded in value, our time and health have continually declining balances.  Better to invest those assets now to tackle these longtime travel dreams, than let them become more challenging later.

What challenging adventures do you think you better get moving on soon?

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