I'm 65 and planning to ride to Magadan and back by various routes next year. Actually I planned to do it in 2020 but, y'know.... Keeping an eye on the virus spread and border closures I'm not very optimistic of even that date, but we'll see. I left my travelling late because I did the career and house and kids thing. In some ways it's not ideal because it can be a tough trip for an old bloke, but at least I know I have something nice to come back to. No way could I have been one of the young guys who has a great time for years on the road then comes back to no home, no family and no job. The main thing is to always keep your dreams alive, hope for the best but plan for the worst. You're never too old until your body tells you so... your mind never will

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That is what I did.I sold my house with garden and garage.
Good to have for a family. But a lot of maintenance.
And something you can't just leave.
And bought an apartment in Portugal/Algarve. Very low monthly cost. That I can easily get covered by rented out. Just lock and leave...(A lot of apartments here are empty all winter)
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Same start but different end. But my wife left. The house is sold, kids are spread over the world...
I have nothing left there to come home to.
Total freedom. If not lock downs and state of emergencies due to Covid19.

I also hope that the body will keep healthy enough until Covid19 is under control.

Do you have a plan for after the trip ?

Do you own your house and have a pension that you can retire on ?

Throwing in a good job and coming back skint and having to start fresh in your late 50's may not be the wisest move.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Finding decissions which will fill up the last chapters of your life with satisfaction and happiness is the game we are all in.

Some who start longterm travel travelling are running away from something; some are looking for something. Some will find something which gives their life a new direction; some will loose more and will have a big problem to return to "after travel life".

Think it`s quite normal if you look back to your life that you will detect some wrong and right decissions you made.

Your past will always be your lesson. Your motivation and your discipline will be your future.

So why should I worry or regret about my past if I can`t change it anymore?
I learned to live with my decissions equal if they later showed off as right or wrongs ones.

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We are planning to buy a place in France, somewhere with a couple of gites we can rent out. I have a HGV license (although I’m not working as a driver anymore) and lose plan when we return is to semi retire letting the gite and drive agency 3/4 days a week. Obviously won’t be able to cash the pension in until I get to that age.
I just don’t want to wait until I’m 65(ish) and then go travelling as I may be too old/unable/unfit etc….

Thanks for all the comments guys, really appreciate the input.

The way things are going with HGV drivers at the moment you could take on a job for a month and that'll finance your travel

Retiring to France certainly seems like the way to go although the path isn't as easy post Brexit for Brits as it used to be. There's a lot more paperwork hoops to jump through. We bought a place in the mountains there about fifteen years ago and that's rented out (through a local agency) for about six months of the year (ski rental in the winter and cycling fanatics in the summer). The rental income just about pays the bills. The up side is that it hasn't cost us anything (except during Covid) and the place has risen in value through house prices going up and the pound going down. The down side is that even with a captive market for rental clients the yearly income hasn't been fantastic. That may be easier if you're living above the shop so to speak but if you're doing it yourself marketing costs and time are going to be considerable.

Don't write off life post 65 quite yet I know people vary in how age treats them and you can be unlucky with your share of the gene pool, but with a bit of care - diet / exercise/ not smoking etc, 65 is rapidly becoming the new 50. Not good news for the pensions industry as they have to pay out for longer but post retirement motorcycle gap years are perfectly feasible. My plans are based on it.

That is what we pray for at every AA meeting.
But is equal important for everyone.
Sober alcoholic or not.

But much easier said than done

Vaya con Dios

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Buying a place in a foreign land other than your own may sound like a good idea But if you dont know the language or customs sounds like a bad idea only if you like to rub shoulders with other property owners Its costly but may have benefits for your family that want to go on vacations.
I was in Cape Town a couple years ago my flight was the non stop from Amsterdam Packed to the brim of mostly Dutch for there January vacation. I was surprised when I rented a moto and went cruising along the coast the local beach towns.They were full of Dutch Nationals partying and having a good time , I thought family runs deep in this part of the world the Dutch had a strong hold in this place for many generations. Good for them what way to escape if you are living in Holland one of the most densely populated places on earth
My thinking is if you want to retire or are close to retiring in a foreign place why not rent or lease this is what I do at 61 and have full privileges as a temporary foreigner pensioner in Colombia, I pay300 bucks a month for a modern apartment and 300 for all the food I could possible eat plus 300 a year for my moto to be legal the rest is a adventure

I think it depends on what someone wants from retiring to another country - both me and my sister moved from the UK into Europe (her to Bavaria, me to Catalunya) while still "young" because we felt more comfortable fitting into these places; all but one of the English people I've met who live here are not about learning the language or customs ... it doesn't hold them back from life, though I couldn't live like that.

I totally understand not wanting to wait. It only ever gets harder the older you get. And I think you should definitely do it whilst you can.

I threw away many careers and spent all my savings throughout my 20's and 30s for travel. I Saved for 1-2 years then travelled for six months etc. On and on...

Coming home from those trips penniless was almost suicidal. And incredibly difficult to adapt to, even though I had the benefit of youth, ignorance and boundless energy. The older I got the harder it became. To the point in my early 30's when I had to stop. The travel didn't justify the fallout. It ruined travel for me somewhat. And I had to start planning for my future and retirement.

I've been static for ten years now and I'm close to being able to travel again without having to come back to nothing.

I would never long term travel now without a surefooted exit strategy and return plan. Borrowing money is a huge stress. Looking for work is a huge stress.

Will you be able to enjoy your trip if you're constantly worried about it ending ?

Plan your return before you plan your trip. Have everything (almost) in place for your return. And then it can all be a great success.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

In January 2011, at the age of 33, I set off to travel the world on a motorcycle.

The dream: a quick one year circuit of the world and back to my career.

The expectation: it will never work out. A few months and I'll be finished with travel, probably finished for life.

The reality: more than a decade later I am still traveling the world. 3 years on the motorcycle through the Americas and Europe. Since then, traveling with a backpack. Planning to return to motorcycle travel once covid related border restrictions are less problematic, hopefully 2022.

I admitted a few years ago that this lifestyle is permanent. I love my nomadic life. But I never could have planned this, never could have dreamed my current lifestyle. If you travel long term, meaning more than a few months, it will be nothing like you expect.

Don't focus too much on the money. Long term travel is more about the choice to travel, not the amount of money in your bank account. And there certainly is no such thing as "the wrong side of 50!" Many of my best friends among long-term travelers are in their 60s and 70s.

See you on the road!

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Traveling The World Since: 2011
Blog: The Seductive Life (General Travel)

Hello


How do you travel without money on your bank account?
Every trip costs a different amount of money for other people, but for all money is the mayor factor that enables to travel.


sushi

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My RTW:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrXt660ztenere

Dont focus too much on the money you say. Although I in many ways agree with you and belive that far too many people spend far too much time and energy making money - when we travel we need money. Especially when we travel on a motorbike. The bike needs fuel (and fuel prices are rising painfully the last months…) it needs new oil and filters now and then, new tyres, new chain and sprockets, new brake pads and other wear parts. It also need some repair now then…. Then it needs insurances, it needs freight/shipping from time to time.
And we need food and groceries every day and since we travel and ofte find ourselves in a new country/place we often dont know what gives good value for money as we do in our home place.
We also need accomodation and its most often not free. Theres just so many places you can wildcamp for free…..

Personally I think about money quite a lot, to be specific - where I can save money and where I can get a good deal. So its more about getting the money to last, not how to make as most as possible.

I guess since you have travelled for almost 11 years continually you must have some kind of secure income? Because we all need money to live from day to day, and especially when travelling….

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

I am always amazed at the creative ways people travel with very little money, or even no money. One of the more interesting was a motorcycle traveler do small home repairs. Sometimes he received money, but usually food, gasoline, a place to sleep, etc. If I remember right, he had been traveling a few years this way and rarely used money.

I have seen many times that money has very little relation to how long a personal will travel. I'm not saying don't use money. You can of course, money is a wonderful tool! But if you truly have the drive to travel for years at a time, it will happen no matter your bank account balance. Over the past decade of travel I have run out of money twice and at times been unable to access money in my bank. Never occurred to me to stop traveling for such trivialities.

You may find this blog post I wrote of interest. I talk about both dream vs reality and the choice to travel.

https://seduc.in/blog/the-choice-to-travel-full/

End result to your original question: be creative! If you truly want to travel the world, you will find a way with or without money.

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__________________
Traveling The World Since: 2011
Blog: The Seductive Life (General Travel)