One out of five baby boomers in the United States say one of their biggest regrets in life is that they didn’t travel more when they were young and more able. However, half of them say they just don’t have the money to travel during retirement.
One out of five baby boomers in the United States say one of their biggest regrets in life is that they didn’t travel more when they were young and more able. However, half of them say they just don’t have the money to travel during retirement. This was a British Airways Holidays survey of 2,000 people in the U.S. who were 55 and older. The survey also found that more than one in five say work commitments have kept them from traveling overseas, with 17 percent of men saying working too much is one of their biggest regrets. Only 8 percent of women said they regret working too much.
Almost two in five say they have never had a passport.
OK, all of this can be remedied. Get a passport and plan a trip. Start with planning a vacation in the land from whence came your ancestors.
One of the biggest benefits of tripping out is the boost in your feeling of well-being. So many of us are so busy with our to-do lists, we just don’t think we should include an ounce of room for fun and relaxation. If we do take a vacation, many of us take our work with us and use that “off time” to catch up.
Ugh.
Start with baby steps. Plan a weekend somewhere and don’t take your computer or cell phone. Believe it or not, before 25 years ago, no one had those things.
After you make it through an entire weekend sans gadgets, you can graduate to a full-fledged vacation of relaxation, enjoyment with your family and activities doing what you want to do instead of what you think you need to do.
You may even get to the point where you can entertain the idea that the world can go on without you.
Traveling is a stress reducer. While not all vacations are stress-free, travel can be a source of liberation if it is well-planned. A trip with a tour group will eliminate the need to even plan. Or you can work with a travel agent to arrange a schedule and details of your trip to give you a better chance for a stress-free vacation. That way you can leave behind the problems and anxiety of work. Taking a break from the “gotta do thises” will help you gain a better perspective on what you can accomplish when you come home. Not only will you be able to perform better, you’ll be able to handle future stress with increased capability.
A vacation will actually increase your energy. Think of yourself as a well-engineered machine that runs on gas. When your tank is empty, you need to fill it up and give the engine a rest. Food and water will keep you fueled — and positive travel will give you the rest to keep you running smoothly.
No question about it, travel will enhance meaning in your life. It’s educational. It’s eye-opening. It will impact your life. You will come to see purpose and meaning by learning about other peoples and cultures. New experiences bring new ideas and alternate perspectives. Travel changes how you see the world, how you see yourself and how you see those around you. You’ll also find the opportunity to create new friendships and strengthen relationships already formed.
One of the greatest values of travel is the memories created. I remember every trip I took as a child with my parents, including three at Christmastime and two where we celebrated my birthday during the journey — plus more than a dozen others. I can only remember one Christmas gift: an electric train. One birthday gift: a bicycle. Every vacation is an indelible, happy memory.
Life will always have plenty of busy work. My advice is that you give yourself and your family some great memories, boost your and their feeling of well-being, reduce your and your family’s stress, increase everyone’s energy and enhance the whole gang’s meaning of life.
When people look back on their lives, no one has ever reported regrets over not working more.