How to Travel Overseas After 60 Without the Stress
Travelling overseas after 60 can be one of the best parts of retirement.
You finally have more freedom to travel outside school holidays, spend longer in each destination and explore without squeezing everything into two weeks of annual leave.
But a great overseas holiday does require some planning.
Long flights, medication, travel insurance, unfamiliar transport, luggage and changing hotels can turn an exciting trip into an exhausting one if you try to do too much.
The solution is not to stop travelling.
It is to travel differently.
Here is how to make overseas travel after 60 easier, more comfortable and considerably less stressful.
1. Travel Slower
This is probably the single biggest change we recommend.
Do not try to see everything.
If you have three weeks in Europe, you do not need to visit eight countries.
If you have two weeks in Thailand, you do not need to change hotels every second night.
Give yourself enough time to actually enjoy each destination.
Slower travel means fewer airports, fewer train stations, less packing and more time to recover between busy days.
A simple rule is to ask yourself:
Would I still enjoy this itinerary if I was tired?
If the answer is no, remove something.
2. Choose Fewer Destinations
Every additional destination creates another travel day.
That means checking out, moving luggage, getting to an airport or station, waiting, travelling, finding your new accommodation and unpacking again.
Sometimes the best itinerary is surprisingly simple.
Instead of:
London
Paris
Amsterdam
Rome
Florence
Venice
Athens
Santorini
Consider choosing two or three regions and exploring them properly.
Retirement gives you something younger travellers often do not have.
Time.
Use it.
3. Give Yourself an Easy First Day
Do not plan a major tour six hours after your international flight lands.
Your first day should be simple.
Arrive.
Get to your accommodation.
Eat.
Walk around the neighbourhood if you feel like it.
Go to bed.
Start properly the next morning.
You have spent thousands of dollars getting there. Missing one afternoon of sightseeing will not ruin the holiday.
4. Check Your Passport Early
Do not discover a passport problem two weeks before departure.
Check your passport when you begin planning.
Look at the expiry date and then check the entry requirements for every country you intend to visit.
Some destinations require your passport to remain valid for a certain period beyond your planned stay.
Visa and entry requirements also vary by destination and can change.
For Australians, Smartraveller is a useful starting point for checking current destination advice before departure.
Always confirm the current entry requirements for the countries on your itinerary.
5. Sort Out Medication Before You Leave
If you take regular medication, deal with this early.
Make sure you have enough for the entire trip and consider possible delays.
Keep important medication accessible while travelling rather than putting everything in checked luggage.
Different countries can also have different rules around medications and controlled substances.
Check the requirements for your destination before travelling.
If you are unsure about travelling with a particular medication, speak with your doctor, pharmacist and the relevant authorities before departure.
6. Take Travel Insurance Seriously
Travel insurance becomes particularly important when travelling internationally.
Do not simply choose the cheapest policy.
Read what is actually covered.
Things worth checking include:
Medical expenses
Existing medical conditions
Cancellation
Luggage and personal belongings
Medical evacuation
Rental vehicles if relevant
Cruise cover if relevant
Activities you plan to participate in
Policy exclusions
The right policy depends on your health, destination and travel plans.
We have a separate guide explaining travel insurance for Australians over 60.
7. Make Long Flights Easier
For Australians, getting overseas often means spending a long time in the air.
A little preparation makes a difference.
Choose a seat that suits you.
An aisle seat can make getting up during the flight easier.
Drink water regularly.
Wear comfortable clothing.
Move periodically when it is safe to do so.
Keep medication and other essentials in your carry on bag.
And think carefully about your itinerary after landing.
If you are flying from Australia to Europe, you probably do not want to land and immediately begin a packed sightseeing schedule.
We have more tips in our guide to flying long haul after 60.
8. Leave More Time Between Flights
A cheap flight with a very short connection is not necessarily a bargain.
Airports can be enormous.
You may need to clear security again, change terminals or walk a considerable distance.
A slightly longer connection can remove a lot of unnecessary stress.
When comparing flights, look beyond the price.
Consider:
Total journey time
Number of stops
Connection times
Arrival time
Departure time
Baggage arrangements
Airport changes
Sometimes paying slightly more for a simpler itinerary is worth it.
9. Choose Accommodation for Location
A beautiful hotel is not much use if getting anywhere requires an expensive taxi or a long walk.
Location becomes one of the most important accommodation considerations when you want an easier holiday.
Look for accommodation near the things you actually plan to do.
That might mean staying near:
Restaurants
Public transport
Major attractions
A supermarket
The beach
A train station
A slightly more expensive hotel in the right location can sometimes make the entire holiday easier.
10. Check Accessibility Before Booking
Never assume a hotel is accessible because it looks modern.
If stairs, showers, walking distances or mobility are important to you, investigate before paying.
Check:
Whether the hotel has a lift
Whether your room can be reached without stairs
Bathroom layout
Shower access
Distance between rooms and facilities
Pool access
Whether taxis can reach the entrance
Accessible room availability
If the information online is unclear, contact the hotel directly.
11. Pack Less
Most people take too much.
Then they spend the entire holiday dragging it through airports, stations and hotels.
Lay everything you think you need on the bed.
Then remove some of it.
If you are travelling for several weeks, doing laundry is usually easier than carrying several weeks of clothes.
Packing cubes can also make changing hotels easier because you do not have to completely reorganise your suitcase every time.
12. Keep Important Documents Together
Create one place for your important travel documents.
That could include:
Passport
Visa information
Travel insurance details
Flight information
Accommodation details
Emergency contacts
Copies of prescriptions where appropriate
A travel document organiser can help keep physical documents together.
See our travel document organiser pick on Amazon
It is also sensible to keep secure backup copies of important documents separately.
13. Carry a Power Bank
Your phone has become one of the most useful travel tools you own.
It can hold your boarding pass, maps, hotel details, translation apps, transport apps and emergency contacts.
That makes a flat battery considerably more annoying overseas than it is at home.
Carry a charged power bank during longer travel and sightseeing days.
See our power bank pick on Amazon
14. Do Not Keep Everything in One Place
Think about what would happen if your wallet disappeared.
If every card and every dollar you have is inside it, you suddenly have a major problem.
Consider separating your payment methods.
For example, carry one card and some cash while keeping another payment method securely elsewhere.
The same principle applies to important documents.
Redundancy makes problems easier to solve.
15. Understand How You Will Pay
Before leaving Australia, understand how your cards work overseas.
Check international transaction fees and ATM fees.
Make sure you know what to do if a card is lost or blocked.
Carry more than one payment option.
When withdrawing money, use reputable ATMs and pay attention to any fees or currency conversion options presented before confirming the transaction.
16. Download What You Need Before Leaving
Do not assume you will always have internet access.
Before departure, download useful information to your phone.
That might include:
Offline maps
Airline apps
Hotel information
Travel insurance details
Copies of important documents
Translation tools
Transport apps
Entertainment for flights
You might never need the offline versions.
But when you do, you will be glad they are there.
17. Learn How You Will Get From the Airport to the Hotel
This sounds minor until you land tired in an unfamiliar country.
Work it out before leaving Australia.
Know whether you are taking:
A hotel transfer
Train
Taxi
Airport bus
Ride service
Private transfer
Save the hotel address on your phone.
If the destination uses another language or alphabet, having the address available in the local language can also be useful.
18. Give Yourself Rest Days
Not every day needs an itinerary.
One of the advantages of travelling after retirement is that you do not need to maximise every minute.
After several busy days, have a slower one.
Sleep in.
Have a long breakfast.
Walk around the neighbourhood.
Sit somewhere with a coffee.
Spend an afternoon by the pool.
Travel should not feel like work.
19. Check Current Travel Advice
Conditions can change.
Before departure, check current Australian Government travel advice for every destination you are visiting.
Look at entry requirements, local laws, safety information and any destination specific issues that could affect your trip.
Do this again shortly before departure rather than relying entirely on information you read months earlier.
20. Have a Simple Emergency Plan
You do not need to travel expecting something to go wrong.
But you should know what you would do if it did.
Keep important contact details accessible.
Know how to contact your travel insurer.
Know how to cancel your cards.
Know where your passport copies are stored.
Know how to contact Australian consular services if necessary.
Having a plan removes some of the panic if something unexpected happens.
A Simple Overseas Travel Checklist
A Few Months Before
Check your passport
Research visa and entry requirements
Choose travel insurance
Book major flights
Book important accommodation
Check whether you need vaccinations or other travel health advice
Review any medication requirements
A Few Weeks Before
Confirm bookings
Check current travel advice
Organise medication
Arrange phone and internet access
Check cards and overseas payment arrangements
Download important apps
Save copies of documents
Plan airport transfers
Before Leaving Home
Passport
Wallet
Medication
Phone
Chargers
Power bank
Travel documents
Insurance details
Glasses or hearing aids if required
Any essential medical equipment
Everything else is easier to replace.
Where Should You Travel?
Once the practical planning is under control, you can focus on the enjoyable part.
Where do you actually want to go?
If Europe is on your list, read our guide to the best places to visit in Europe for travellers over 60.
For Greece specifically, see our guide to the best places to visit in Greece for travellers over 60.
If Asia interests you, our guides to Vietnam vs Thailand and Bali vs Thailand can help narrow down your options.
The Secret to Stress Free Travel After 60
You do not need to travel the way you did at 25.
You do not need the cheapest flight.
You do not need to visit every attraction.
And you definitely do not need to change cities every second day.
Spend a little more when it genuinely makes the trip easier.
Stay longer.
Pack lighter.
Leave space in the itinerary.
Prepare for the things that matter and stop trying to control every detail.
The goal is not to see the most.
It is to come home thinking:
I would happily do that again.
