Last summer, while hiking on the paths near the fjords in Newfoundland, I found myself rushing to keep up with two sisters in their 80s (I am in my 70s). “When I get home,” I promised myself, “I have got to start training earlier, so I am not the last in the pack and hyperventilating.” Of course, I know that getting in shape is more than just working out.
Benefits of Traveling
There are many wonderful benefits of traveling. It’s mind – and mindset – too. I sometimes find myself wrestling with words these days and reading about how cognitive abilities diminish with age. More and more, I need my husband to remember the names of the films I see and books I read – and sometimes to simply finish my sentences. I also find myself engaging in what my cohort laughingly calls “organ recitals,” involving discussions of upcoming replacement of body parts and various illnesses. As a dedicated traveler and travel writer, I believe that both preparing for and getting out into the world can inspire us to take an active role in aging healthfully in both body and mind.
Travel Supports Four Pillars of Healthy Aging
“Travel brings with it a sense of adventure, and that requires adaptability, mental and physical agility, and open-mindedness. These skills get stronger with practice, particularly as we age, and travel helps us become stronger emotionally and intellectually, helping us maintain our independence.” James Moses, President and CEO of Road Scholar According to Road Scholar’s free online lecture series Age Well, successful aging involves four major goals.
Aging Successfully Requires:
- Keeping in good physical health with exercise, nutrition, and preventive care.
- Sharpening cognitive health by reading, learning, and problem-solving.
- Creating and maintaining a circle of friends and emotional connections.
- Discovering and developing a sense of purpose.
How Travel Prepares Us For a Fit Future
A recent study by the Global Coalition on Aging found that travel contributes to improvements in our mood and outlook, stress levels, physical well-being, friendship, mental stimulation, and general health.
Physical Health: The Perks of Getting Into Shape for Travel
According to David Wilson on the Age Well Blog, “It is very important that we keep asking ourselves, ‘What can I do?’ rather than just assuming that because I’m a certain age, I can’t. I actually teach classes for people who are going to be traveling and want to prepare their bodies to be able to manage with greater ease and comfort the challenges they’re likely to encounter.”. For me, just starting to plan a journey begins the process of facing the eventual physical and mental challenges. I kind of panicked last year when I read that there were more than 100 stairs from the hotel to the main street in Taormina for a Sicily cooking trip. I knew that I had to prepare, so I took daily walks for several months before I left. I started slowly, but built up to three or four miles a day. I also found a trainer at my gym who helped me work to strengthen my legs and calves. In the end, I managed the stairs and the long walks, including one in the snow along the craters of Mt. Etna.
Cognitive Benefits of Travel
In March 2025, the Global Coalition on Aging hosted an expert round table on ways to foster healthy aging through travel. Their report outlines key recommendations to maximize the benefits of travel for older adults. According to their report, “Regular travel has been shown to reduce mortality risk by 36.6% and lower Alzheimer’s risk by up to 47% through culturally enriching activities like museum visits, attending live music performances, and exploring historical landmarks.”
Resources for Travel at Age 50Plus
The process of researching and heading out into the world certainly flexes and expands the mind. I usually start my search online. My research often includes questions about destinations on Facebook sites populated by people who like to see the world the way I do. My favorite groups include Over 60 Women Travel and Meetup, Over 50 Women Travelers Community and Resource Sharing, and Women of Road Scholar. I peruse travel sites online all the time. Right now, I am researching ways to see puffins in the Orkneys of Scotland. I look at websites, companies, and general destination information on Google. Learning about destinations by reading geography, history, and even fiction serves to focus and sharpen our brains in the pursuit of a personal experience. People seeking inspiration for their journeys can also join classes at places like OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute), a national lifelong learning network for adults. OLLI operates on the campuses of 125 institutions of higher education from Maine to Hawaii and Alaska. The latest course I took at the University of Delaware OLLI in Wilmington was about opera houses and performances in Europe. It was great preparation for visiting Italy. OLLI also offers language, history, and geography classes taught by retired professionals and community members well-versed in their subjects.
Maintaining and Widening Your Circle of Friends
Going solo in an organized group is certainly a good way to meet friends, but just chatting with others on the road is a way I’ve made lifelong pals. If open to it, it is easy to meet new people when you are on the road, whether at your destination or on the way. I met someone in line for my flight to London six years ago, and we ended up laughing and chatting all night. A few years later, I decided to go on a group trip to India, and someone dropped out. I called my airplane friend, and she jumped right in. We have been friends and travel mates ever since. I am also still in touch with others I have met along the way. For example, I met someone on a ferry in Hong Kong 40 years ago who ended up traveling with me in Thailand. I also met a friend of a friend who later became my hiking partner on a trip to Tibet in the 1980s. Some may think that it is more difficult to make friends as we age. I really have experienced the opposite. I find that my cohort enjoys connecting with others through classes, community groups, volunteering, and going on trips. Many people thirst for new contacts and new connections. It often just takes a leap of faith and action on our part to reach out and talk to strangers. 
Finding a Sense of Purpose in Travel and Life
I met Theresa on a trip to Cuba several years ago. She was with two friends, and I was with my cousin. The more I talked to Theresa, the more I became fascinated by the way she travels. This is what she told me: “I pick projects in which I have an interest. That includes mostly conservation, but I’ve also taken trips in which I can work with people with special needs and with the elderly. To a lesser degree, I pick countries that I have an interest in exploring. I spend anywhere from three weeks to three months in each place. I have volunteered in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Bali. The best part of traveling in this way is the feeling I get in becoming part of the country and engaging in activities with locals, getting to know their customs, and learning their language. I have become friends with both locals and volunteers from all over the world. In my travels, I saw people who were so happy with so little, but they were all grateful for help. I never felt like I was missing the comforts of home. I used local transportation, be it buses (with lots of chickens) in Guatemala, riding a bike on dirt roads in Zambia, or going on several bush drives and walks to cut roads and plant trees in Zimbabwe. There were so many unique experiences. It was magical and among the best trips of my life.”
Ways to Travel Mindfully
But there are many ways in which to travel mindfully and to help others. Several other folks I know volunteered with a language program in Spain, in which they spent part of their time talking with people wanting to develop their abilities in English conversation. These programs are often free or low-cost to attend. And of course, there are many ways to help others and do volunteer work in one’s own community and country. But by taking a trip with a purpose, one can see the world while contributing one’s own knowledge and experience. In doing this, we challenge our bodies and minds, widen our social circles, and pay it forward all at the same time.
The Bottom Line: Travel Is Good for You
Travel does many things: it inspires us to walk and move, it widens our knowledge of the world and challenges our brains with new perspectives, it allows us to meet and engage with locals and tourists, and it offers us the opportunity to share our own insight and expertise. In short, travel can change our hearts, minds, and even the direction of our lives.
About the Author: Barbara Winard
Barbara began her solo travels in college, and during her 20s and 30s, solo-traveled to Europe, Asia, and North and South America. After returning from a 6-month trip to Asia, she wandered off the street and was hired by the Asia Society in New York City to produce films and print materials for adults and children about Asian culture. She also worked as a film programmer and traveled to film festivals around the world. Barbara got her start in film with New York City’s public television station, WNET/13, and was a freelance documentary writer and producer for ten years. A Jersey girl, Barbara, and her husband moved from Jersey City to New Castle, Delaware, last year. She has been writing for Road Scholar, TravelAwaits.com, and several other online magazines; her blog is the Babyboomer. blog.
Leslie Farin is the Publisher and Founder of 50PlusToday. She is an experienced communications and marketing professional passionate about working with older adults and their families. She works with a team of writers to provide essential and cutting-edge information related to the 50Plus community.
