Travel is one of the leisure-time pursuits future retirees say they’re looking forward to the most. It’s right up there with spending time with friends and family.
Many retirees carry through on their plans to explore more of the world. For those who can’t, for whatever reason, and those who are on a break between voyages, armchair traveling can satisfy the quest for new experiences.
Armchair Travel for Seniors
While some older adults continue to enjoy the exhilaration of travel well into their 80s and 90s, others may find the physical demands of traveling become more and more challenging.
Fortunately, armchair travel offers a safe and convenient way for senior travelers to quench their wanderlust. Best of all, armchair travel adventures are always available.
Sharing the experience with friends, family members, or a group of fellow virtual travelers can make indulging in armchair travel all the more delightful — and memorable!
Armchair Travel Takes Many Forms
Basically, armchair travel is an activity that transports the mind to another place.
In that light, reading a novel set in a fictional place is a form of armchair travel. So is perusing a picture book replete with stunning photos of faraway destinations. Other travel book ideas include travel planning guides (these might come in handy for future in-person excursions) and travel journals, or photo diaries from trips taken in the past.
Watching travel shows and documentaries, or movies filmed on location, is another type of armchair travel that’s accessible to nearly anyone. National Geographic, part of Disney+, is a fruitful place to begin.
The internet offers a cornucopia of options for armchair traveling that can be educational, entertaining, and utterly fascinating, all at the same time. To get started, try these resources:
- Google Earth, where you can build location-specific projects (tutorials for using Google Earth are available on YouTube and elsewhere)
- National Geographic, the original gold standard for traveling afar from the comfort of home
- Online classes available for a broad range of topics, from international cuisine classes for those who love to cook to history and foreign language courses for seniors interested in maintaining their mental acumen
- Streaming services that allow viewers to virtually attend concerts and other live performances (PBS’ Great Performances is a similar alternative)
- Travel blogs, vlogs, and podcasts created by people who’ve been to the far reaches of the world
- Virtual tours of museums, galleries, natural parks, and other intriguing attractions worldwide (see if specific places offer virtual tours or try a site like Google Arts & Culture)
- YouTube’s Travel Channel, which offers an incredible variety of videos within some truly quirky categories
Those seeking a completely captivating experience can investigate virtual reality travel for seniors. Donning a virtual reality headset can open up an entire universe of immersive travel adventures. Travel apps like National Geographic Explore VR and Wander VR provide amazing encounters.
Ideas for Interactive Armchair Travel
As mentioned earlier, armchair travel can be far more satisfying as a group activity.
These can be simple options such as travel trivia and quizzes, or travel-themed games such as Around the World in 80 Days, Discover: Lands Unknown, Passport to Culture: Travel Edition, Ticket to Ride, and Trip Chaser.
Seniors who are active on social media can search for travel groups within their favorite apps. Joining one or more of these groups will provide opportunities to share (and relive) trips they’ve taken in the past and learn about new places from others in the group.
Themed Events
Another option is to create a travel-themed dinner or party, like the events we have at Park Senior Villas. Choose a theme focused on a single country or region, or one featuring multiple “destinations.”
You can serve an assortment of healthy cultural foods appropriate for the themed locale. Look for healthy international recipes online or buy (or borrow) a country-specific cookbook.
To make the event even more festive, decorate and play music from the featured country. Encourage everyone who’ll attend to dress in a way that represents the country. This can be as effortless as wearing the same colors as those in the country’s flag.
Turning Inspiration Into Actual Travel
For older adults who are up to it, travel can help them stay young in spirit. Armchair travel can supplement in-person travel, serving as a springboard for planning future trips or a way to tide them over until their next trip.
Do you have a parent or other older family member who’s a travel enthusiast? If so, urge them to read up on travel tips for senior citizens, which can provide useful information about travel insurance, getting medical help and prescription refills in other countries, and discounts on transportation and sightseeing tours in the areas they’ll be visiting.
The AARP Travel Center is one of many online resources offering reliable senior travel tips and ideas.
Maintaining an Active Lifestyle at Park Senior Villas
Our activities teams pour their talents — and their hearts — into making sure all residents in our communities can engage in a variety of social, physical, and intellectual activities.
As an example, residents had a prime opportunity to do some armchair traveling when we celebrated National Assisted Living Week in September with an Ageless Adventure theme. Each Park Senior Villas community created an enticing five-day agenda chock-full of sensory experiences from lands near and far, such as:
- Chinese water color painting
- Japanese tea ceremony
- Music from France, Germany, Greece, the Philippines, and Spain, including live performances and a drum circle reminiscent of Kenya
- Parrot feather craft and tasty treats of Brazil
- Venetian mask making and stained glass art in the Italian tradition
- Virtual reality tour of Greece in partnership with Aegis
All of our activities are purposefully designed to help residents maintain their own level of independence as long as possible. While participation is gently encouraged, it’s always optional.
To see what’s going on in any of our four communities (and to RSVP if you see an event you’d like to attend), check out our events page.
Featured Image: PeopleImages / Shutterstock
