Trevor and Dee - How we travel with confidence in retirement

After retiring, Trevor and Dee changed their approach to travel by introducing flexibility, spontaneity and adventure. This is their story:

Did you have a travel plan or a list of places to visit in mind before you retired?  

Yes and no. There were a handful of ‘big ticket’ places that we definitely hoped to go to - the usual suspects like the Galapagos Islands and Japan. However, after a lifetime of trying to make the most of our precious holiday entitlement, we decided that we wanted to introduce the occasional moment of spontaneity to our travels. This included short trips, maybe taking advantage of deals to go somewhere we hadn’t necessarily considered before.   

Trevor and Dee on their retirement travels

Is there anything you do to prepare for longer trips?  

Something we do without fail is start taking probiotic tablets a couple of weeks before we go. The helpful bacteria gives our immune function a quick boost and we find we are much less likely to suffer from a dodgy stomach or other unwanted ailments while we’re away. 

Where has your favourite place to travel been since retiring and why?  

The place we’d single out is Georgia. We loved its ‘Europe meets Asia’ feel and were fascinated by the food, culture and history.  The most memorable moment of this trip was the drive from Tbilisi to Kazbegi along the Georgian Military Highway. Breathtaking views, incredible monuments and a driver with nerves of steel, completely unfazed by oncoming juggernauts! The funniest moment was being liberally soaped and scrubbed to within an inch of our lives in one of the many Sulphur Baths. Definitely an experience not to be missed.

What would you say to someone who is thinking of travelling further afield in retirement, but might be feeling apprehensive?

We’re fortunate to have a few very good friends who have also retired - or are about to. It can be helpful to have others assist with planning a trip, as well as making decisions that arise while you’re away. So if you do have anyone who fancies travelling with you, it can add a lot of fun and make heading off to a new, strange place a little less scary.   

What do you have planned for your next trip?

We tend to stay local during the summer to enjoy the best of the weather in Britain - but we have a busy September and October planned. We recently passed a big wedding anniversary so we’re celebrating that with a triple bill of travel: island hopping in Croatia, followed by a wine festival in Moldova and, after a week or two to catch our breath, a trip to Japan.  

Any other comments, tips or advice you’d like to share? 

We recently read an article that introduced us to the German concept of ‘vorfreude’ and we’re trying to make this a definite part of our travel plans. There’s no exact English equivalent, but it’s the opposite of the better known ‘schadenfreude’ and roughly translates as ‘joyful anticipation’.  We have found that a lot of enjoyment can be found in spending time thinking about where we are going, why we want to go, how it might be when we’re there - and even who we might travel with as more of our friends retire. 

🙏 Thank you, Trevor and Dee for sharing your experience with us!