5 reasons to use your retirement to travel longer and further

We spend our working life looking forward to that 2-week holiday, that time in the year to really switch off and reset from work (if we’re lucky). But when work’s no longer your barrier - the world is literally, your oyster. This is your time for new experiences, to see new cultures and countries in more depth at a pace that suits you. Here’s why:

1. The slower you travel, the more you’ll see

It’s simply not possible to see everything in a country in 2 weeks. I know when I go away, my head and heart are torn between wanting to see as much as possible, whilst fitting in time to lay on a sun bed and read a book.

With longer-term travel there are no compromises. You sightsee when you feel like it, you relax when you feel like it. You don’t stay in a city that’s not your cup of tea for longer that you have to. Everything is on your terms.

The longer you have, the more you’ll find that you experience the real culture of a place. You’ll get a better vibe of how real people live. You’ll find that your money goes further because you can use slower and more relaxing methods of transport. And you’ll feel more efficient as you’ll spend your time in places that you naturally connect with.

2. You make more memories, collect better stories - and your relationships at home get stronger

One common travel concern I hear when I talk about long-term travel is that people are worried that life at home will go on without them and they’ll feel left behind. I can whole-heartedly tell you from experience that this is not the case. If anything, you’ll find that you keep in touch with people at home even more. You have new, exciting stories to share - your loved ones want to hear all about it and in fact, it’s even strengthened many of my relationships.

Also, life at home doesn’t really change that much. And when you do come home, everyone is so excited to see you - and you’ll have the most interesting stories and memories to share for years to come.

3. It’s the chance to take time for you

Cliché yes, but so important. Travel gives you the headspace away from the noise of home, to better connect with yourself again. It puts you first and can ultimately make you a nicer, kinder person to be around when you’re back.

Home stresses and worries fade away, and you gain perspective and a fresh sense of self.

4. Life admin goes away

I don’t know about you but I’ve just spent this morning defrosting the freezer, prepping meals for the week ahead and sorting laundry. Long-term travel means that these mundane ‘life admin things’ fade away. They don’t exist. The focus is on what to see and do, where to stay, which street food to try. It’s incredibly freeing and makes you wonder what on earth you used to do with your time. In the Retire & Roam 121 sessions we run through everything you need to do to prepare for your trip before you go to enable you to have the same feeling of freedom.

5. You’ll make new and unexpected connections

Longer-term travel means that you are able to slow down and really connect better with others. Whether it’s asking for help at your accommodation, tips from a city tour guide, bumping into others from the same home country on a bus trip - you’ll find that people are so friendly, warm and open. In a totally different way to just a holiday. It’s a sense of community, it’s a buzz, and you can be as involved or reserved from it as what feels comfortable to you. Just know that as and when you need help, you’ll easily find it from a fellow friendly traveller.

I hope you found this insightful, feel free to get in touch to let me know what you’ll add to this list and I can do a part 2!

Kiarna