Age and Travel – The Litmus Test

On By Suzanne@PictureRetirementIn Cruising, Europe, On My Mind

A few weeks ago, Malcolm deemed our July trip abroad a ‘litmus test.’ I didn’t want to think about what that meant to him, and how life would change if things didn’t go well. I have always felt that one day we might ‘age out’ of our desire and ability to travel, but at 68 and 69 it seemed too soon. I salted his words away for inspiration.

There are all types of travelers, from backpackers to luxury concierge patrons, but whether you do all of the planning or none of it, travel is still stressful. Admittedly, it has gotten harder these past few years, so paying attention to what worked and what didn’t was high on my radar.

The central focus of the trip was an eleven-day cruise from Venice to Athens, sandwiched between two destinations – Lugano, Switzerland, and Berchtesgaden, Germany. Each segment required layers of organization – trains, rental cars, hotel reservations, and event tickets.

I will share a few dedicated posts with details about the trip within the next few months, but today I want to share our assessment of how we fared overall.

Thoughts About…

Planning and Organization – It takes time and effort to plan a trip of any duration, but combination trips with multiple destinations and modes of transportation are especially challenging. Doing a good job on the front end goes a long way toward promoting confidence throughout the journey. We each contribute to research and make all decisions together, but Malcolm is the planner. He is meticulous about fitting the puzzle pieces together. With plenty of digital organizers out there, I still prefer organizing our trips the old-fashioned way – in a trip binder. A two-inch binder fits everything we need, organized within plastic pages, by destination. We occasionally use our phones to download boarding tickets or event passes, but mostly it’s all printed on paper. This habit still works for us and I can’t foresee changing how we operate in the future.

Packing – Anyone who travels often will tell you to ‘pack light.’ That sounds like good advice, but the reality is that not all situations are equal. We cruised on a luxury ship that required ‘dressing’ for dinner. Dressy clothes add weight to bags. So do cameras, laptops, shoes, sweaters, raincoats, hats, toiletries, trip documents, first-aid kits, etc. We also packed clothes for temperature changes – with Greece and the Bavarian Alps representing polar opposites. The net result was 2 medium cases weighing apx. 50 pounds each, 2 carry-on bags weighing apx. 15 pounds each, and 1 personal item each. Managing my luggage quickly became part of the ‘litmus test.’ Our rule has always been, ‘You pack it, you carry it’, so there will be modifications for the next long-haul trip.

Managing Chaos – Nothing serious happened, but we did have a few setbacks, including a 4-hour flight delay, a canceled train, and two nasty head colds. Kudos to us for managing what went wrong without a major freakout! Minimizing stress during this trip was a goal, and it was nice to validate that intuition, familiarity, staying calm, and deductive thinking can prevail in most situations. Actually, I think we have refined this skill with age. Go us!

Compromise – Malcolm and I haven’t always been the best travel companions as we tend to have control issues. Over the years we have defined our roles and developed the trust necessary to travel well. He handles logistics and I keep us organized. He drives and I navigate. We consider destinations and activities based on likes and dislikes while maintaining balance. When we hit a bump in the road we communicate and devise a solution. This trip had a few compromises; he paddled with me in the Adriatic Sea, and I visited the BMW Museum. I attempted but did not succeed, at enduring a hairpin turn drive to a restaurant of his choice high in the Bavarian Alps. I tried. It speaks volumes that these few examples were the extent of ‘compromising’ during one month of travel.

Endurance – At thirty days, this itinerary was logistically and physically challenging. Going the distance was a concern for both of us from the beginning. We are not kids anymore. Sixty-five pounds of luggage, steep hills, multiple stairs, time changes, language deficit, long days, changes in diet, and general disruption to our typically routine lifestyle created shock waves. Getting a bad cold on day two for Malcolm and day four for me didn’t help. We blew off the day trips we had planned from Milan and spent three days in our hotel room taking meds and eating soup to shorten our recovery time. It paid off, as we boarded the ship with clear heads, stronger bodies – and no contagions.

Our kids poke fun at us, but we believe ‘down days’ are invaluable for overseas and long-duration travel. The days of hitting it hard are firmly in the past for us. We built several into this trip and were happy to relax with our feet up – guilt-free.

Did We Pass the Litmus Test?

Mostly. Planning and organization served us well, packing luggage needs improvement, and setbacks were minor and manageable. Combining a luxury cruise with two weeks of independent travel was ambitious and even though we loved the cruise, we won’t likely repeat that mistake. In retrospect, we could have ignored the ‘dress code’ and packed less. Would it have made a significant difference? Maybe.

It has been years since we took a trip of this duration and we honestly were not sure how we might fare. Not to overuse the word ‘validating’, but that is exactly how it feels. Successfully navigating the challenges presented by traveling during the past month reinforced that we are still mentally and physically capable of devising and executing a good plan. Yes, we will make some tweaks in the future, but overall our formula still works. Whew…no rocking chair on the porch for us just yet.

A special thanks to those who followed my Instagram posts throughout the month. I’m sure some of these photos will look familiar to you.

Photo Highlights

Hintersee, Germany
Venice, Italy
Lake Lugano, Switzerlandd
Dinner at La Dame on Silver Ray
Our Cruise Companions
Hvar, Croatia
Dinner on the Silver Ray
Konigsee, Germany
Spinalonga Island – Heraklion, Greece
Ouzo Tasting and Museum Tour – We loved our Spirited Tour Guides – Santorini, Greece
Motor World and BMW Museum Munich, Germany

49 thoughts on “Age and Travel – The Litmus Test”

  1. Hi Suzanne, it looks like you had a fabulous time and that the majority of it went to plan. Big trips like yours are the norm from Australia – because everything is so far away and you need to go for at least 4 weeks to make all the travel time worthwhile. I’m not a fan of longhaul flights and even reading your post reminded me of some of the things that I don’t enjoy about travel. I’m finding I’m getting enough of my travel urges satisfied by watching others do it for now – your photos have ticked my cruising boxes for the foreseeable future – so thanks for the “memories” 🙂

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    1. Hi Leanne, I failed to mention the little stuff, like getting stuck in the exit lane when leaving a paid parking lot because we didn’t understand the pay system. In the US we pay at the exit, not before. We actually did that twice! People behind us were not happy. Or, trying to purchase train tickets through machines that were in German only. Oh, and because the airline confiscated my hairspray (my mistake) I had to buy more in Italy. It’s called laquer there. Needless to say, I was hesitant to spray something that sounded flamable on my head!

      We feel the same way as you about international travel. You can’t just hop a plane and go for two weeks. The flight hassel has to be worthwhile. This trip was worth it.

      The next trip is a short flight, and in September we have a US road trip planned. Both, very managable. It seems we are happiest when keeping it simple. Thanks for remembering I’m still here after the long break. I always appreciate your commennts. Have a great week.

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  3. Judy, thanks for the vote of confidence. We weren’t so sure of ourselves at the beginning. The trip did reinforce maintaining good habits like exercise and healthy eating. I have definitely lost some strength these past couple of years. I’m thinking 40 pounds of luggage is my sweet spot, not 65. I thought of all my ‘gardner friends’ in Lugano, Switzerland. The hydrangas were in full bloom everywhere. Beautiful. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.

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  4. We plan and travel much the same way only I’m the planner. From thinking you can’t take a two week vacation when it takes so much time getting there to down to always carrying copies all conformations and schedules printed on paper. I’m going to be awaiting your posts about your trip and what you thought of Silver Seas. I think Regent may have us spoiled. And you are Definitely Not Too Old. 😘

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    1. Karen, spoiler alert – we were not blown away with Silversea and prefer both Regent and Oceania. I think our expectations for dining was high (given the ship is billed as 6*) and we were disappointed several times with undercooked fish, raw hamburger, and sloppy presentation on the plate. The itinerary was great and the ship was pretty, but not drop dead georgous. Having said that, we will give them another try if the itinerary suits us. Sixty-nine feels very different than sixty-five, but I’m not ready to throw in the towel. Thanks for stopping by.

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  5. That is one ambitious travel itinerary and you did it! Kudos to you both!!! No wonder you need a binder – whew! Sounds like it went “mostly” great and according to plan, and in my experience it is the most one can hope for, when travelling 😉. You obviously rolled with the punches. Great analysis, and a big yes to down days!

    Deb

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  7. Well, Suzanne, this is an interesting read for lots of reasons. We are a long way apart in the way we go about travel, that’s a definite! We plan very little, and get huge enjoyment from having the freedom to change routes and plans along the way. We usually only have our next two beds booked at any time, and we often arrive at one destination not knowing how we will get to the next one. We only rarely have a flight home booked when we set off. For us that’s the absolute joy of retirement travel, not needing to have too much planned too far ahead. We longed for it when we were committed to returning to work on a certain date, and now that commitment has gone, we can be free. Isn’t it interesting that, within those of us who would call ourselves travellers, there’s so many different styles of travel. And there’s no such thing as a “right way”, except to say, whatever suits you, is the right way. But I have to say that “stressful” is NEVER a word I would use to describe travelling. Neither of us ever feel stress, the whole experience is relaxing, whatever happens. There’s even fun to be had when things go wrong! (Point though…when you haven’t planned too far ahead, it doesn’t matter so much if something goes wrong, I guess). This is exactly why I love reading all kinds of travel blog – there are so many ways to enjoy it. By the way, for reference, I’m 67… Anyway, I’m very pleased that your litmus test was the right colour in the end!

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    1. The fact that we are complete opposites is exactly why I love you guys. It doesn’t hurt that you are a beautiful writer and Michalea has an eye for capturing exquisite detail through her lens. The way you travel is inspirational, and you truly seem to feel and convey in your words the heart and soul of each destination. We are content with beautiful scenery, sampling local cuisine, maybe meeting a local or two, learning a little about the place we are in, and having reliable accommodations. Some of our best experiences have happened completely by accident, but I don’t want a steady diet of that. As you said, it’s not wrong, it’s just different.

      I agree that ‘traveler’ is a word like ‘photographer.’ There are many interpretations and abuses of those terms. Thoughts about stress, I can see how your travel style keeps it at bay. We are always worrying about connecting flights, will our luggage arive with us, will the rental car agency provide the car we requested, will we find our way out of (insert any European town here) without running over a biker or pedestrian, etc. All pretty normal stuff, but potentially stressful, nevertheless.

      Thanks for commenting. As always, I appreciate your perspective and look forward to following your journey. Have a great week.

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  8. I’m the planner in our family, but there are those days when Al and I compete for control. I too, print out everything as a backup which of course has the kids rolling their eyes. Kudos to you two for a successful trip dealing with illness and jet lag. Planning in those days of relaxation was a great idea. I enjoyed following your journey on IG and look forward to your upcoming posts.

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  9. I have enjoyed following your trip along via Instagram, therefore is great to get a more meaty post with your thoughts on the trip.
    Our travels teach us so much about ourselves. Sounds like you had a very successful trip. Looking forward to hearing more about your journey.

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    1. Gilda, this was definitely a ‘learning’ trip. We are not likely to strap on a backpack and see the world, but we did restore some confidence that we can still navigate the long-duration trips without breaking down our bodies and killing our spirits. Good thing, since I’m not ready to set aside my wander lust. Have a great week and thanks for following on Instagram.

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  11. Jan, the weather in Bavaria was constantly changing but always felt wet to us. Maybe that had something to do with your friends getting a cold. Thankfully, we were fully recovered by the time we got there. Other than the unfortunate cold, did your friends love it?

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  12. I’m glad that on balance your trip went so well, and even more glad to hear that you feel you’ve passed that litmus test! I was also very interested to read your general thoughts on the logistics of travelling and compare with our own, especially as we’re the same age as you (both 68). I’m the main planner and organiser, and it’s a job I really enjoy (almost as much as the trip itself!) Chris gets involved with the choice of destinations and will always throw in a few suggestions, but for the most part he’s happy to leave it to me and get some (hopefully) nice surprises on the trip. I’ve had to learn to pack light as I have back problems and although Chris will help me on stairs and getting on and off trains etc., I can’t rely on him all the time. We don’t tend to cruise so we can leave the smart clothes at home, which helps 🙂 And I’m completely with you on down time, although we tend to favour half-days for relaxing, e.g. busy mornings and then chill later. We’ve learned the hard way that trying to see everything in a destination is a mistake. Much better to enjoy seeing fewer sights than ram everything in and have no time to appreciate what you’re seeing!

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    1. Sarah, we tend to do the half day thing also. Sometimes we combine a couple of ‘outings’ on the same day and drag in late afternoon, but not often. I get involved with the planning, and I certainly offer my opinion, but Malcolm loves the challenge so most of it falls to him. He says the same thing as you, ‘planning is almost as fun as the trip.’

      We tend to enjoy the moment and not worry about what we might be missing. Our cruise companions chose different excursions than we did in almost every port. It was interesting to compare notes. Not once did we question our choices.

      The one thing I regret overall is that I didn’t take my laptop and couldn’t process and organize my photos on a daily basis. That was a mistake. It took way too much time to get through 1500 camera photos and countless phone photos. Next time I’ll leave Malcolm’s suit and my dresses and shoes home and pack the laptop!

      Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week.

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      1. I have a mini tablet I travel with, and I use that to download and sort photos to some extent. There’s still work to be done on them on my return, but at least I can use it to select the best ones from each day and file them. It also means I have a back-up should anything happen to the memory card or camera, and it’s much lighter than a laptop. Plus it holds all my reading matter on Kindle, and all my planning notes. I can use it for blogging, emailing and social media during downtime in hotels too. All that in a device smaller than the average book!

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  14. I enjoyed watching your travels on Instagram. It really looked like a great trip. Kudos to you on everything, including getting a blog out. We thoroughly enjoyed our 3 weeks away and benefited from the travel advice provided by you and others. I’m with you on hair pin turn drives. It’s a very tough compromise!! Welcome home!

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  15. Hi Tracey, thanks for following on Instagram. I had fun posting and kept up with it almost every day. Yep, that drive was too much for me. Malcolm was so sweet about it. He asked me very quietly if I was okay or should he go back. I’m not sure my response was audible, but he understood. Have a wonderful week.

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  17. Suzanne, Kudos to you and Malcolm for completing an ambitious travel itinerary! I enjoy viewing the photo highlights on your blog as I’m not on IG. I agree with you about down days and staying calm when experiencing a setback on a trip. I’m glad that you gained confidence from this trip and are ready to plan your next adventures. Have a wonderful week!

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  18. Your photos and stories from your recent trip are wonderful. You saw and did so much. I know that travel is more complicated now than it used to be but litmus test passed. Well done.

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  19. Suzanne, I enjoyed so much reading your honest thoughts and feelings about your most recent travel adventure. I’ve been thinking recently about why I don’t feel the same enthusiasm about travel as I once did. I’m a couple of years older than you are, but I don’t think it’s age as much as it is that I’m still adjusting to an entirely different mode of travel. I miss our RV! It was wonderful to always have our home and all of our “stuff” with us. But times change, and Eric no longer wants to tow a trailer. So…

    We’re currently considering a four-month road trip to the Southwest this winter. That means a LOT of Airbnb stays. If we’re going to do it, I need to get busy making reservations! So glad you had a good trip and are figuring out what will make travel even better going forward. I loved seeing your photos, and I especially love that you kayaked in the Adriatic. That’s one of my most favorite places I’ve ever been.

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  20. Hi Laurel, it sounds like Eric faced the same fears we were facing and made a decision. We all get there. Airbnb is a good way to go and should serve you well for a four-month trip.

    Kayaking in the Adriatic was the best. We usually paddle in the river, so it was more challenging than we are used to. Thank goodness it was only 45 minutes, beach, swim, return. Thanks for stopping by.

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  21. That was a trip of epic proportions! Congratulations on the planning and execution. In reality, things often turn out differently than planned or anticipated. And, as you know, I’m totally onboard with off days when you travel. It’s an exhausting lifestyle!

    I didn’t know what a litmus test was, but I can gather it from the context of your blog and I’m glad you passed! I often “dream” of comfortable, luxurious days without challenges, but when on an ongoing adventure, those rarely happen. This is all to say that I’m enjoying my “off days” in Belgium! 🙂

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  22. Liesbet, it’s funny how terms (this one is scientific) become common language in some cultures. Litmus test is widly used to predict results by examining responses. We threw a lot at the wall during this long-haul trip and had a lot to examine – mostly attitudes and abilities. We honestly didn’t know if we still had it in us to manage all the moving parts. I know that sounds strange to you, as your lifestyle involves managing moving parts every single day.

    I am glad you are enjoying your off days in Belgium and hopefully being spoiled by your family. Take care.

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  23. Suzanne,

    This post was a well-written, assessment of travel and the challenge of age. I think you covered all points well. I despise airline travel, so our RV has served as a great sub for seeing the country. We’re both 76 and still have the desire to go and do. I plan and make reservations, while Helen chooses the activities at each stop. As you said, compromise is the key to making it work (very proud of you for the BMW Museum visit). We’re into the third month on this coast-to-coast trip, and so far, all is well. Another element that you mentioned is down-time–no more of trying to do it all. One major activity is enough, but we try to stay at our stops longer that in the past to take in more of a region. We’re in Las Vegas now, and it’s 112°, so we may cut it short, our poor dog is suffering. I’ll stop rambling about me to say your trip looked fabulous and your pictures are your usual artistic best. Can’t wait to read more. Joe

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  24. Joe, I have to admit, my eyes glazed over a couple of times at the BMW museum, but Malcolm was more engaged than I’ve seen him since we visited the Louisville Slugger museum in Kentucky! Boys and their toys. I can’t imagine what 112 feels like and I’m sure poor Mortiner is suffering. I hope you get to cooler temps soon. I am encouraged by you and Helen and your desire to continue to ease along… Take care.

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  25. Fabulous tips! We are currently traveling (hence the late comment to your post) so I can relate to much of what you’ve written. We try to pack light and also have the “you pack it, you carry it” rule (although my husband often takes pity on me a bit). We also have a “get out of jail free” rule for travel days. Since they are often high stress, we try to give each other some extra grace for crankiness and/or bad behavior.

    I hope that if your upcoming US road trip brings you to SoCal, you’ll let me know.

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  27. What a fabulous trip you’ve had, lots of new sights and experience, a perfect escape and adventure👌

    I’m glad you skipped some of the planned trips to give yourself rest time, and felt better for it. During the planning stage it all looks so easy on paper – scheduling lots of things in. I’ve spontaneously ditched planned trip ideas in favour of a ‘slow’ go with the flow day, on many occasions and never regretted it – accepting that I don’t need to see and do everything.

    Age aside, I really do think down days are an absolute must if you value your health and wellbeing and want a quality experience – if there isn’t scope for this then fair enough but I always aim to factor them into any trip.✨

    Likewise, I also organise my trips printing off bits, booking confirmations and itineraries etc all held in a plastic sleeve paged folder…more reassuring to have hard copies as back up to anything online. If I’m travelling with anyone else I give them a copy too (not that they seem to welcome it)….and I’m a stickler for planning, I enjoy it as well, it’s just as much fun as the trip itself lol (i don’t trust anyone else to choose/book holidays/hotels and flights on my behalf, that’s a scary thought) 😄

    Personality also has a lot to do with how well we travel and the types of traveller we are too – not everyone is an ideal travel companion – we all value different things, but those little things make a big difference.

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  28. Suzanne, I followed you along on Instagram and it looked like a fabulous trip. I agree with you on needing down days during a trip. If you are too tired to enjoy a place what is the point. I agree with you about the luggage, too. I could go on and on with stories about dealing with luggage in airports, getting it from a rental car to a hotel, or getting on and off a train.

    I admire you and Malcolm for doing all the planning and organizing yourselves. When we started planning our trip to Ireland and Scotland a few years ago I realized it was too much to do on our own. Lucky for me one of my high school friends is a travel agent and she was a life saver. We told her what we wanted to do and she made it happen. Now we go through her for our cruises.

    I hope you and Malcolm continue to travel as long as you can. Keep on checking those things off your bucket list!

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  29. Pingback: Not the Post I had Planned… – Picture Retirement

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