Travel in retirement is at its best when you have time on your side. Slow travel means fewer places, longer stays and the chance to really get to know somewhere, whether it’s overseas or a few hours up the road.
Travel in retirement has one big advantage over every holiday you took while you were working: time. There’s no annual leave to ration, no rushing home for Monday and no squeezing three cities into ten days. That freedom makes retirement a wonderful moment to try slow travel.
Slow travel simply means going to fewer places and staying longer in each. You trade the dash between sights for the feel of a place: the morning walk to the bakery, the Saturday market, the café owner who starts to remember your order. It tends to be gentler on the body, it often stretches the travel budget further, and it leaves room for the unplanned moments that turn into the best stories. Here are eight ways to travel slowly, whether you’re heading overseas or exploring closer to home.
- Stay a month, not a night. Rather than hopping between hotels, rent an apartment or cottage for a few weeks and make it your base. You unpack once, cook some of your own meals and settle into an easy routine of day trips and slow mornings. By the second week you’ll know the shortcuts, the best coffee and the quiet spots the tour buses miss. A longer stay also builds in rest days, which makes the whole trip more enjoyable.
- Travel outside the school holidays. Retirement frees you from the busy peak seasons. The shoulder seasons, the weeks either side of the crowded months, usually bring milder weather, quieter streets and easier bookings. Popular places feel very different when you aren’t sharing them with everyone else, and it’s often simpler to find accommodation for a longer stay.
- Let the train do the work. There’s something special about watching the country roll past a window. A long rail journey turns the getting-there into part of the holiday, with time to read, talk and doze. Closer to home, regional trains make day trips and weekends away possible without the drive. Either way, you arrive rested rather than worn out from the road or the airport.
- Try house-sitting or a home swap. House-sitting lets you live in someone else’s home, often caring for a much-loved pet, in return for a place to stay. A home swap works in a similar way, with another household staying in your home while you stay in theirs. Both give you a real neighbourhood rather than a tourist strip. Take your time choosing an arrangement, check references and agree the details in writing so everyone knows what to expect.
- Take the long way round at home. Some of the best slow travel starts at your own front door. A road trip through Gippsland, the high country or along the Great Ocean Road is a different experience when you can stop wherever takes your fancy, whether that’s a country bakery, a lookout or a small-town museum you’d usually drive straight past. Plan short driving days and leave plenty of room for detours. Australia rewards travellers who take their time.
- Follow the water. Rivers and coastlines set their own unhurried pace. A houseboat on the Murray, a few nights in a fishing village or a river cruise lets the scenery come to you. Days on the water have a calming rhythm, and they suit anyone who would rather sit and watch the world than race from one sight to the next.
- Learn something while you’re there. A cooking class, a short language course, a painting workshop or a guided walk with a local historian adds depth to any trip. You come home with a new skill as well as your photos, and you meet people who share your interests along the way. If this side of travel appeals, our piece on learning something new in retirement has plenty more ideas.
- Stay long enough to be part of family life. If family lives interstate or overseas, slow travel lets you visit properly. Instead of a rushed week of catch-ups, a longer stay means school pick-ups, ordinary dinners and the everyday moments that make you part of their lives. Renting somewhere nearby gives everyone a little breathing room, and makes it easier to say yes to a return visit.
A few practical thoughts
If travel is a big part of how you picture retirement, it’s worth building it into your plans early, so you know what you can comfortably spend each year and can book with confidence. Slow travel often goes further than people expect, because longer stays usually cost less per night and cooking some of your own meals keeps daily spending down.
Read your travel insurance policy carefully before you go, particularly the sections on pre-existing medical conditions and longer trips. And if you receive the Age Pension, longer stays overseas can change your payments, so check with Services Australia before you book an extended trip abroad. Staying active on the road also helps you enjoy every day of it; our article on living well in retirement has some simple habits that travel well.
The beauty of slow travel is that there’s no single right way to do it. One person’s perfect trip is a month in a Tuscan village; another’s is a fortnight wandering the coast of Gippsland with no fixed plans at all. What they share is the time to notice things, to get to know a place and to come home refreshed rather than exhausted. So pull out a map, think about the place you’ve always wanted to know better, and pencil in a month rather than a weekend. Then pack lightly, leave room for the unexpected and let the journey unfold at your pace.
About the Author
FCA (ICAEW) at Plan4wealth | Mary Benton is a seasoned retirement advisor with a wealth of experience and qualifications to guide you towards financial security and peace of mind.
Mary Benton brings decades of experience in retirement planning and financial management to the table. As a qualified financial planner and retirement specialist, Mary has helped countless individuals and couples navigate the complexities of retirement planning with confidence and clarity.
