When visiting travel forums and other online discussion rooms, I sometimes read questions like “Is 38 too old to travel?”, “I’m in my 50s. Am I too old to travel?”, or “When is it too late to take a gap year and see the world?”
As long as you are not hospitalized or have any physical or mental illness that prevents you from leaving your home, the answer is never. You are NEVER too old to travel.
In September, my 80-year-old grandmother went to London for five days to visit my cousin who works as an au-pair for a family in Fulham. Last year, she and her 70-something friend traveled to Kos in Cyprus, where they rented an apartment near the beach. Her earlier trips include Madeira, New York, and Spain.
If someone tells you that you are too old to travel, or even implies it, don’t listen. Just book that next trip.
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I travel with groups of people of ALL ages, and I will add: you are also never too young.
Thus far, the oldest person to go on one of my trips was a gentleman who was 75 years old, and he made it look easy.
I will say, too, if health is a concern, there are all kinds of arrangements that can be made to alleviate that anxiety. Use a travel professional — or travel with me! In Italy, for example, I have contacts who are available to me 24 hours-a-day in case there something happens, and we do have to navigate the Italian health care system. That in and of itself is a great relief to many travelers.
And I can tell you from personal experience: getting sick in a foreign country is no fun, but it certainly isn’t the end of the world, either.
Very true..in fact I think that traveling keeps you young!
I’ll travel until i am dead!
i will travel till i die. world is very big and beautiful. life is too short… i wish could have had more time to travel. Its just that one need to take care of the age and health while planning the travel.
Never too old to travel, as long as you stay healthy with an open mind!
Anyone can travel!
How can anyone be too old to travel, especially at 38?
There is no age limit, only a common sense limit, if a person can’t find their way back from the mailbox then no they should not be traveling but that is not solely an age thing.
So true. In fact we see more old people traveling here than the young ones. It is the will to travel, adventure & fun than the age itself that matters.
I completely agree, there’s no such thing as too old. Be warned though, travel insurance will be more expensive, and it’s always worth checking the upper age limit if you plan to hire a car.
We all assume it’s young people that like to take travel risks and live dangerously, but I’ve just written an article for the Auto Europe blog about the massive rise in speeding fines being dished out to drivers over the age of 60!
@Angela Nickerson, That’s true. You can never be too young either. More and more people travel with their newborns these days.
@Petulia, Yes, it certainly does!
@Nomadic Matt, Same here!
@Dhruv, I agree completely. Life is too short to not travel.
@Debo Hobo, I thought the same thing. It amazes me how people can even ask these questions in the first place, because to me – and many others – the answer is so obvious.
@dodders and @Skylab, Well said!
@Nepal Trekking, You’re right. It’s not the age that matters, it’s your attitude. Age is just a number.
@Gemma, Over the age of 60!? That does suprise me. I don’t think I’ve never even heard of anyone above 60 get speeding fines before. Usually it’s only younger guys who’ve just got their license.