I sit next to a white bearded gentleman with old eyes and new glasses. Had he been plump, he would have made the perfect Santa Clause.
We are among on older crowd here in San Ignacio Lagoon and my mind is asking a lot of questions about traveling as Tony and I age.
As in all things in life, we have a window of time for travel. Our window is here: it came after the children grew up and before we will wear out. Because of my questions, I've been pretty observant of the people on our trip.
One of the directors tells me that previous to our visit, an 85 and 86 year old both visited the camp together. Two of the men on our trip brought their oxygen tanks to sleep at night. Yet, with very few exceptions, everyone has been in the boat, every trip out to see the whales--having a good time. A very good time.
The Santa Clause look-alike-man tells me that the secret to travel in old age is found in an old retirement cliche. At first your travel is go-go. And then it is slow go, and finally ends in no-go. He laughs heartily when finished. From outward appearances, our fellow travelers all appear to be in go-go mode, until Santa Clause admits that him and his wife are really entering the slow go.
This well known cliche among retirees, reinforces that there is a a time and a season. And that is why when I ask almost every couple what their next trip is, they have not only one answer but several. In April, we'll be in Hawaii, September a few different national parks and in December we are going on a tour to Vietnam. Or an African safari that includes Zimbabwe, South Africa, Tanzania...
They are in the go-go period and definitely taking advantage before it's going, going, gone.
I think of the generation before and ask if their own parents ever traveled so extensively in their golden years. Some of the answers include, "Oh never." Or "They never left their state." "I think they might have traveled over the border to Canada." And finally, "They never had the money to travel like we do." My how times have changed.
Naturally, my questions and curiosity bring me back to Tony and me. And Aging. And will we always travel? How long will we be able? But the happiest assessment comes when I realize that we are not in any of the three stages of retirement travel and therefore in the pre-go-go. And go-go we will.
We are among on older crowd here in San Ignacio Lagoon and my mind is asking a lot of questions about traveling as Tony and I age.
As in all things in life, we have a window of time for travel. Our window is here: it came after the children grew up and before we will wear out. Because of my questions, I've been pretty observant of the people on our trip.
One of the directors tells me that previous to our visit, an 85 and 86 year old both visited the camp together. Two of the men on our trip brought their oxygen tanks to sleep at night. Yet, with very few exceptions, everyone has been in the boat, every trip out to see the whales--having a good time. A very good time.
The Santa Clause look-alike-man tells me that the secret to travel in old age is found in an old retirement cliche. At first your travel is go-go. And then it is slow go, and finally ends in no-go. He laughs heartily when finished. From outward appearances, our fellow travelers all appear to be in go-go mode, until Santa Clause admits that him and his wife are really entering the slow go.
This well known cliche among retirees, reinforces that there is a a time and a season. And that is why when I ask almost every couple what their next trip is, they have not only one answer but several. In April, we'll be in Hawaii, September a few different national parks and in December we are going on a tour to Vietnam. Or an African safari that includes Zimbabwe, South Africa, Tanzania...
They are in the go-go period and definitely taking advantage before it's going, going, gone.
I think of the generation before and ask if their own parents ever traveled so extensively in their golden years. Some of the answers include, "Oh never." Or "They never left their state." "I think they might have traveled over the border to Canada." And finally, "They never had the money to travel like we do." My how times have changed.
Naturally, my questions and curiosity bring me back to Tony and me. And Aging. And will we always travel? How long will we be able? But the happiest assessment comes when I realize that we are not in any of the three stages of retirement travel and therefore in the pre-go-go. And go-go we will.