The Beginning
When I had just a few months left until retirement, when I would have turned 66 years, 2 months, and 2 days old, I truly dared to start sketching out plans. I was clear that I wanted to travel. The order was to be defined, but it was something like this: the first year in Latin America, then Africa, followed by Asia, and then Polynesia. In between, I’d visit individual countries in Europe and the Middle East that I hadn’t been to before. By then, I’d be 70 years old, and I suppose I’ll have decided where and how I want to live.
I was sitting in the living room at home when I thought of this. When friends asked me what I wanted to do in retirement, I would tell them about it. They would look at me with incredulous expressions and chuckles. What bothered me the most were the pats on the back and comments like, “Well, now you have time, you can travel.” It was these pats on the back and chuckles that made me so aware of society’s attitude toward older people. It seems that the words “retirement,” “elderly,” and “senior” are somewhat pejorative and represent the current stereotype in society, where everyone over 65 is lumped together. The prevailing image is that of a lonely woman gazing out of the window, a happy gray-haired couple enjoying their trip through a senior citizens’ program on the beach, and a 90-year-old lady skydiving. These absurd stereotypes have little to do with the reality of women (and men) over 65, pre-retirees, and retirees, who are in excellent physical and mental shape, with the time and means to spend as they please.
The stigma against older people is present in the media, in politics, and in corporate marketing. I can’t change that, of course. But what I did set out to do was to reach women over 50 and tell them that the best is yet to come, that retirement is a wonderful stage of life, and that they should take care of themselves physically and mentally to reach it, so they can have a different way of spending their time (thinking about working women). And of course, they can travel! Alone or with companions, there’s still so much of the world to explore, learn from, and contribute to.
That, along with those pats on the back, strengthened my resolve to take my project seriously.
I had traveled alone to various places before, and I had also been on business trips to some capital cities in Latin America. But it’s not the same as planning a 5-month trip to 7 countries with just carry-on luggage and a backpack (no, I wasn’t going to lug around a 65L backpack).
I was clear about which countries I wanted to visit, which areas to see, and where to publish to reach my target audience.
In the end, the route was going to include these countries:
- Brazil: Curitiba, Iguazu Falls, Manaus Amazonas
- Argentina: Ushuaia, Patagonia
- Chile: Patagonia, Santiago, Viña de Mar, Antofagasta, Atacama Desert
- Bolivia: Uyuni Salt Flats, Oruro, La Paz
- Peru: Lima (I had already visited the other main spots like Machu Picchu)
- Ecuador: Galapagos, live-aboard diving
- Colombia: To be determined based on the time I have and how I feel after 4 months of traveling…
- Costa Rica
And for the second half of April, I’ll be back in Europe.
Brazil was relatively easy, but Patagonia is a challenge. There’s so much information online, and what I ultimately learned is that it’s difficult, if not impossible, to cover ALL of Patagonia (Chilean and Argentine), including Chilean national parks, in one trip. There are so many ways to plan the route in Latin America that, in the end, anything goes. After the trip, I’ll know what I could have done differently :-).
Typical 2-3 week vacation trips are very intense, usually involving flights, transfers, and a rush to the main points of interest. When there are no time constraints, the approach is different.
I planned the route for the first month of the trip because it included the holiday season in Latin America, Christmas and New Year’s. I couldn’t risk not making reservations, but at the same time, I was annoyed at having to make reservations and tie my trip so tightly, without knowing which place I would like more and where I would want to extend my stay.
I never liked planning everything to the last detail, without leaving room for maneuver. But with those dates approaching, there was no choice. Plus, there were logistical issues to manage, such as travel insurance, luggage type, credit cards, medical/dental check-up before the trip, backup of phone/tablet, appropriate clothing and footwear for the trip, vaccinations, document photocopies, etc.
What I found very useful were blogs from various travelers who had left invaluable information (literally) about their recent journeys and experiences in those places.
With everything done or noted on the to-do list, I sat down at the laptop and bought tickets and booked accommodation for the first 45 days.
Want to know how it went?
Stay tuned for the next installment!
