You’ve worked hard your entire life; you deserve to enjoy your retirement. With the right planning and budget, you can still enjoy the joys of travel. We asked our travel writer, Kerry Moss, to tell us some of her best tips for travelling in retirement.

Choose your timing
One of the joys of not having to be back at work or fit within the school holidays is that you can travel outside of peak times. Airfares, hotels, touring and even tourist attractions all offer different rates at different times of the year. If you plan it and can travel outside of the peak periods, then the savings can be huge, and the crowds are often less. It’s a win-win.

Talk to the experts

Even if you have the time to plan it yourself, a visit to your travel agent is a smart investment. Travel agents are trained professionals who live and breathe travel. They can offer advice about your destination and also have access to exclusive deals that can include free nights, free inclusions or discounted seniors’ or veterans’ rates. Travel agents will work with you, so you can still be involved in all the decisions, but take advantage of their knowledge and access to better prices.

Join a club
Whether you are a golfer, a gardener, a knitter or a traveller, there is a community club for you. Meetings are held regularly and because you share a common interest, conversations flow freely. Often these clubs are the starting point for the idea of travelling together. Maybe you’ll make a new friend who is interested in travelling with you, or maybe the entire group will have something planned. If you’re a natural organiser, you could even make the suggestion to your club that you start travelling together.

You don’t have to go far, to go far
Travel for a different view, a different perspective, to learn from others and appreciate life. It doesn’t matter how far you go, as long as you go. If you’re on a tighter budget or your health is preventing you from going too far from home, then travel in your own backyard. There are plenty of options available within a day or two that will refresh you, recharge you and remind you that things don’t have to break the bank.

Protect yourself
Travel Insurance is a necessary cost of travel. Whilst it does add cost to your trip, it protects you from unknown situations and unexpected situations. There are a number of travel insurance companies that specialise in travel insurance for seniors and as the saying goes, “If you cant afford travel insurance, then you can’t afford to travel”.

There are more benefits than you’ll ever know
Research confirms it. Travelling in your later years is good for you. Those who travel tend to be more happy and active. It’s linked to boosting physical, cognitive and social health in seniors. It helps keep you connected with old and new friends and with a new experience every day, you’re engaged and stimulated. No doubt that travelling in the later years helps promote healthy ageing, so what are you waiting for?!