Terrific Travel

Time To Get Going?

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?

Image: Pixabay

6 thoughts on “Time To Get Going?”

  1. Good Morning Mr. Firestation,

    I was going to comment but your website is no longer accessible. I’ll try again later.

    Thanks for all of your content. I love reading your blog.

    David

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  2. We do a major trip twice annually. I am 63 and wife is 70. Business air is a requirement for long flights. US to Sydney is a tough one but our most challenging adjustment wise was Hong Kong to LAX.

    We generally don’t book further than 18 months out and avoid summer and holiday travel.

    We are not as vigorous as we were a few years ago, so we get centrally located hotels with a straight rail shot from airport or quick taxi.

    2026 we will in the spring visit son and DIL in Poland and see Prague and Berlin. Fall we will see Naples and Rome and then cruise from Rome to Barcelona.

    Travel is the area in which we have zero guilt with spending money. It is the only time annually in which we pull from investments other than to pay taxes.

    We also use credit card points to book nice hotels as it is rarely easy or worth it to exchange them for flights

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    1. I agree – travel is an easy splurge at our age & budget. No guilt at this point going wherever we can.

      That sounds like a busy schedule you’ve been keeping. Not slowing down at all!?

      We don’t have any issues with the 7-8 hour flights to Europe. We usually do “Comfort+”. Last time we did “Premium Select” (Business Class). Asia is a lot longer flight, so we really need to upgrade those to at least Business Class.

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      1. From a flight time perspective you are a lot closer to Europe than Los Angeles.

        We flew coach to Tahiti from LAX and it wasn’t so bad despite 8 hours in the air. The time difference was only three hours. It is a long distance but one is transferring the tropics which are pretty wide.

        I have had to wake up calls to support travel now. My younger sister had lymphoma (age 61) a year ago and made for a miserable 8 months but she is fine now. My brother age 66 was just diagnosed early Alzheimer’s. After 60, health issues arise more than they do at younger ages. Despite genetics, diet and exercise, stuff happens

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      2. I once flew 11 hours to Japan (direct) from Minneapolis in Coach. Not my favorite flight, but that’s all that MegaCorp would pay at the time to get the work done. Wasn’t a great experience, but I was happy to get my first trip to Asia. Have gone “Comfort+” on my own trips to Asia.

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