Traveling as a Way of Life:
Of all the ways of spending time in retired life, one of possibly the most enjoyable is through travelling. Particularly so if you have the physical strength, liking for moving and have some good financial reserves to spare. There are several reasons as to why traveling is considered good and favored by many elders. First, it is action filled life going out and spending time seeing new places. Second, it reminds us of the adventures and romanticism of youth and feel-good factor that we can also move out and run. Third, it gives an opportunity to see and enjoy those places that we wanted to see but could not earlier because of some reasons or the other. Fourth, it induces a sense of confidence and brings positive energy to the mental state of elders. Fifth, travelling always helps to develop new friendship, some long lasting. And finally, finding new life outside home and enjoying diverse type of food / culture in different parts of the country / world have its own charm.
Drivers of Traveling:
For some, traveling is a passion. One of our members Krishnan Narayanan and his wife Lakshmi, traveling is a part of “life habits”. They also have penchant for traveling abroad. They describe proudly seeing so many countries and have dream of visiting many more in future. They also become anxious when they cannot travel because of some restrictions like forced stay at home during Covid. We have another member of ours Vijayalakshmi who is a regular traveler to all adventurous places in company of same or similar group. She has a select group of friends almost in the same age who always travel together and enjoy beauty of nature in different parts of the country. Anjali Vyahare, another member of MRLF very often travels along with her husband, a medical practitioner to different places to enjoy life. We also see a trend among many elders who are not physically active but become very happy to hear the news of marriage of some distant relative in far off place; they want to go there not only to enjoy the marriage but the very idea of travel outside home energizes them to move ahead.
Travel is one the best hobbies; but deep down, there are different drivers for travel for various people. For some, travel means being with nature. They enjoy the proximities with nature whether near or far away from home. For some others, seeing new places is the driver behind travel. They like to see different places, meet new people, and understand their culture. For some, exploration of past and deeper understanding of archives is the driver behind travel. These drivers cut across all ages, but one of the most important ones of travel for many seniors has been “spirituality” and a wish to see the religious places. Religious tours have thus become part of organized activity of many tour planners. We see many state governments taking active role in organizing religious tours for elders taking them around specific places across India like “Shiva Temples” or “Jyoti Lingams” or “Char Dham”, etc. These are very popular modes of travel among seniors at large in India. This has percolated at individual levels as well. Our members Nirmala, S Kumar and Sheela Kumar travel from Mumbai to Vrindavan every year as a part of their religious wish to spend some quality time in the temple town. There are many other such instances as well. Veena Adige and her husband are another such example. Considering the emerging trend of travel savviness among elders, many travel operators have taken this as business opportunity and opened separate domains for travel exclusively for senior citizens.
Precautions to Take:
However, we must remember that elders are among the most vulnerable group for any external infections or physical accidents. They, therefore, need to be extra careful while planning for any travel outside. Carrying medial kit is obligatory along with essential as well as non-essential medicines in extra dose. There have been cases of accidental deaths of elders while traveling to high altitude places due to lack of oxygen. The elders must, therefore, be choosy and careful in selecting the places where they can go considering their physical limitations. “Acts of heroics” must be avoided. They should also be in constant touch with their children and / or other near relatives wherever they are going out for travel with outside friends. If there are traveling in a group that is heterogenous in terms of age, they should avoid those patches of travel that are not age friendly. For example, activins like trekking or swimming or walking for a long time may be avoided. They need to take care of their health besides enjoying the beauty of nature or developing new friends.
Conclusion:
Overall, traveling is a great way of spending time as it enables us to see and feel what we cannot see in our boundaries of daily activities. It also enables us to appreciate majesty of the “Planet” and the “Creator”. Besides inducing a feel-good factor, traveling is an enabler of new energy for elders. For the 2nd and 3rd generation elders (60 to 75 years of age), traveling at least once in two (2) years, health permitting, is an ideal option that every elder should explore. More we travel, wiser we become. It enhances our life experience. Let us try to become “elder travelers” to become better citizens of the world.