Age no bar for Travel

India has been a land long associated with the love of travel. This love goes centuries back. From Asoka to Akbar, each ruler set up several guest houses throughout their kingdoms to encourage travel. From Jatakas to Panchatantras, the stories are filled with traders and village men taking up journeys and encountering adventures.

We carry the passion for travel running in our veins, so much so that is almost a part of our culture and age is certainly not a barrier. Even at the ages of 80 and 90, Indians crave to visit and experience certain holy places and travel they certainly do. Nothing can hold them back from their “teerth yatra”, which is about as much fun as devotion.

Times are slowly changing and the senior citizens of our country are getting more adventurous. No longer are they restricting themselves to pilgrimage trips but are excessively going around exploring the world. This change has occurred due to several reasons like increase in disposable income, rise in the segment of seniors with fixed income (pension or investment-led), lesser dependence on and by children, availability of easy credit, improvement in healthcare facilities, exposure to many more places via media and a general increase in propensity to spend on the self.

Senior tourism is a recent term which is used to refer to the senior citizens going out for tours and travel. The billion-dollar travel industry has seen a sudden boom in the number of elderly travellers which will only grow in the coming years. For many people retiring these days, they want to spend their free time into leisure activities and doing what they love the most. Gone are the days when the old preferred to stay at home and live the mundane routine. Now they actively go out and engage themselves with adventurous activities, some even more adventurous than their children.

Travel has been seen to have a magical effect on their lives as well. It makes them more lively and cheerful. For many experiencing monotony and loneliness, it helps them stay young at heart while discovering new places. Not only this, but it helps the physical, mental and spiritual self as well. It keeps them physically fit and going, bringing in more energy and enthusiasm in their bodies. The mental and spiritual self, see a considerable growth, with travel bringing into perspective the different aspects of life providing them with a wholesome experience. Leisure has a positive influence on the lives of elderly people and, in particular, their satisfaction with life.

A lot of people wonder about countries most suitable for the elderly to travel. The answer to this would be that there is no such place or every place. The saying that age is just a number plays very true in such a context, especially in today’s world. You have 65 year olds happily going for treks and sailing down rivers in unknown countries. It all depends on what you are looking for. If your aim is to relax and have peace of mind, then you could have a scenic quiet holiday. But if it is to bring in an adrenaline rush and feel young again, then a more adventurous trip is your thing.

A popular misconception in India is that travel should be avoided in case of medical issues and other restrictions in terms of diet etc. But with the growing industry of personalization in travel, any requirement can be catered to – specialised care at every step, specific meals taking care of dietary requirement, safety and medical care to name a few…

So, the next time to plan to travel and tick things off your bucket list, don’t hesitate… Don’t allow your age to be a hindrance. After all, age is just a number and as they say, you only live once – make the most of it… Live it up…