Never Too Old To Travel

“We’re having churros!” was the caption of a photo my uncle sent in our big family’s Whats App group. It’s him, my two aunts, and my parents having a churros fiesta in some café in Barcelona, posing with two churros ‘bartenders’.  Whoa, they took my advice on trying the snack that’s been a hit in Jakarta in its hometown!

Yup, these 63 – 72 years old folks are having the time of their lives, enjoying the fun and beauty of the other side of the world. It’s my parents’ 4^th Euro trip (this time combined with Morocco and Egypt), with the first one done in 2009.

If you think traveling is only for young and adventurous people, you can’t be any more wrong. Traveling is something a lot of older people do as well. They have saved up, no more children to be fed and paid tuitions for, some are retired (like my dad), some have reached a point in their career where they can manage their own time to work (like my Mom at often times), and some have companies run by subordinates. Working and saving up hard in their productive years, then traveling when they’re older, is a common thing people do.

Nowadays more often I hear my friends say that they prefer to travel a lot when they’re young, so they can enjoy the journeys better, with no back ache or knee pain. Well, it’s up to anyone. I think both have good reasons on deciding when to travel. But if you manage your money and health the right way, I think most likely you can travel when you’re young AND keep doing it when you’re old.

My parents are never the consumptive ones. My Mom doesn’t splurge on clothes, bags, let alone diamonds. Her wardrobe almost doesn’t change for years. My Dad used to wear the same high-quality shoes and watch for decades. “Human eats to live, not lives to eat,” my Mom used to say when my siblings or I wanted to have second or third servings after our complete meals. Nevertheless, we traveled a lot as family in my grade years. We didn’t stay in 5-star hotels, but we road tripped and saw a lot, from Sumatra to Bali, from Michigan to Florida (thank god I didn’t get motion sickness). My mom and dad set the priorities, and it looks like their priority quite rubs off on me.

I’m happy that my parents keep that traveling spirit until now. Of course, whatever they encounter don’t amaze them as much as it would’ve decades before, because aparently that’s how it is for seniors. They’ve seen too many things and too many things have happened in their lives, almost nothing overwhelms them anymore. Amazing things simply remind my parents of how great God is and how cocky we could be for much smaller achievements. Nonetheless, excitement radiates from their eyes when telling us about their travel experiences, everytime!

Similar to my parents, were this sweet couple, Mike and Marta from the US. They’re my AirBnB guests who stayed for a night before they joined a tour to Yogyakarta and Bali. Diyan and I had endless conversations with them, exchanging travel stories. They’ve been all over the world, yet still finding more places to explore and enjoy.

These folks, mi familia and people like my guests, I find inspiring. Their stories and journeys (especially my parents' because it's what I know more) make me excited and assure Diyan and me how we want to live our lives when we're 70 or older!

Notes: Eurotrip photos are courtesy of my uncle.