Healthy Thinking for Baby Boomer and Retirees:

What if I can’t keep up with other family members while hiking the Jungfrau in the Bernese Alps?

What if I’m not strong enough for kayaking the wild, wind-swept waves in Byron Bay, Australia?

What if my husband and I can’t find anyone who speaks English in the jungles of Panama?

What if we rent a car in Tuscany and can’t figure out the gas pumps because instructions are in French and Italian?

How will we find our way through the bustling Mexico City bus terminal? Or make our connections in the sprawling Charles De Gaulle Aéroport in Paris?

Yes, we’ve experienced all those questions at one time or another when we’ve traveled overseas.  Just like anyone else who gets away from their comfort zone and into the unknown.

Healthy thinking is the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland.

These questions are common because we like to know ahead of time how to handle things.  That’s why boomers and retirees even go so far as to sometimes give up traveling.  It just seems like too much work and worry to plan the trip, or we aren’t comfortable with being away from our medical professionals, or we just don’t like long flights and stressful travel arrangements.

Eventually, even short excursions seem to be not worth the effort and expense.

But let me back up . . . because this article is not about perceived challenges of travel.  It’s about positive, healthy thinking.

It’s about changing our perception.  Because it impacts everything we do, whether at home or half a world away.

Are the Challenges Real?  Or a Temporary Inconvenience?

Travel allows us to live a more adventurous . . . and some might say, glamorous . . . lifestyle.  Because it is truly amazing to walk the same streets that Michelangelo walked, or witness a parade in France dedicated to the American troops of World War II, or travel by long boat down the Rhine River with perfect views of fairytale castles that Disneyland could never outdo.

But besides the sightseeing, it’s amazing to immerse yourself in different cultures, learn a foreign language, walk famous cobbled streets, and experience the cuisine.

When you look at travel with this perspective, it’s not a challenge.  It’s a necessity!

If you find yourself with an obstacle that’s holding you back from planning your next travel adventure, however near or far away, it would be advantageous to find a solution to that obstacle.

Too much of a hassle to plan for flights and lodging?  That’s an easy fix; use a travel agent.  They can plan the entire trip, including lodging and transportation, or just the details you request.  It oftentimes is a cost savings to go through a travel agent, too.

Worried about a medical emergency?  Many countries in Central America, Asia, and Europe have excellent healthcare.  Instead of worrying, why not enroll in a temporary health insurance that covers medical costs when you’re out of the country.  They’re relatively inexpensive, have varied options for coverage, and you can rest assured you’ll get good care if you need it.

Airline seats just too uncomfortable for more than a few hours?  It’s always a good thing to lose a few pounds before taking a trip because there will be lots of opportunity to try authentic cuisine wherever you’re going.  If you lose weight before you go, you will not have added a few extra pounds while on your holiday.

Not in good enough shape for fun physical activities?    If your trip includes hiking, biking, or some other type of activity, start preparing now.  Fitness is not just for the younger generations.  Build up your confidence, strength, and stamina by doing exercises before you go.   If you’re not currently doing some sort of a daily exercise, you should be.  But it is especially important to prepare for overseas adventures that will make your trip even more memorable.

Yes, travel can be stressful but a real challenge to me would be not doing everything we can to maintain our emotional and physical health.  To be strong enough to travel the world for as many years as we can.  And to experience each trip as another adventure of a lifetime.

Staying Motivated

The other day, I came across a quote that, when I read it, I had to stop and go back and read it again.  And again.  And I’ve read it every day since.  The quote was, “Don’t let age steal your life away.”

It’s a quote by Al Serin, a copywriter who had written the sentence in one of his most highly successful sales letters.  I believe one of the reasons the letter was so successful was because when people read that statement, they decided it was true.  And since that statement was true, the rest of the letter must be true, too, so they bought the product he was writing about.

But for us today, the statement, “Don’t let age steal your life away,” sums up many of the excuses we use on a regular basis.  Mr. Serin just rolled them all up into one six-word sentence.

Whatever age we’ve conjured up in our minds can become an excuse for why we can’t accomplish something.  If that happens, it means our perception has stolen at least some of the good life away from us.

Although many of us in our 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, and beyond, many of us are still healthy and can make these years some of the most adventurous of our lives.