SECOND WIND
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If you're feeling jaded don't despair - Americans get their 'second wind' at the age of 56, and almost three quarters are convinced that age really is just a number.
A new survey of 2,000 Americans over the age of 50 found as many as seven in ten felt they gained a completely new zest for life after turning fifty - with 56 the average age this is experienced.
One in three said an inspiring travel experience was the leading cause of a freshly positive take on life, while one in six said the loss of a friend or family member put things into perspective and caused them to approach life with a renewed vigor.
Whether traveling to far flung places, having children move out, or simply making up for lost time, the research found a specific event prompted many towards a rapid change of lifestyle.
Over a third even admitted to tucking into their savings in order to embrace life and pursue new adventures.
The research was conducted by market researchers, OnePoll, and commissioned by Exodus Travels, one of the world’s oldest active adventure tour companies which specializes in walking, cultural, cycling and responsible wildlife tours to 100+ countries across the globe.
Hitting retirement gave a third of the people surveyed a refreshed emphasis to take on all life could throw at them, while finally getting fed up of the familiar routine, or a health scare also made the top five things causing people to seek the most out of life.
Traveling abroad is the number one experience those who have found their second wind followed by finally visiting famous U.S. landmarks never before ticked off.
A third simply craved more time outdoors, enjoying more cycling and hiking, while a similar number decided to do something good and volunteer.
A fifth found a passion for experimenting with different cultural cuisines and the same number pursued a brand-new hobby. One in ten even gained a new lease of life by entering into a new relationship.
The study proved that, if you choose, the adventures don’t ever have to stop – 64 percent of those surveyed said they are MORE adventurous and daring now than they were before they turned 50.
One third have booked a trip of a lifetime since turning 50, a number that increases the older the respondent is - with more than 40 percent of people over 70+ saying they have booked a trip of a lifetime.
Travel and Tourism Expert Robin Brooks from Exodus Travels said: “This new research reaffirms that age is not in any way a limitation to adventure travel and that if anything the older we become, the more likely the timing for your trip of a lifetime is to be had, whether it is learning to make pizza in Italy, hiking the Inca Trail in Peru, seeing elephants on an African safari or cycling through Thailand and Vietnam.”
Over a third said they’ve been more active overall than they were before turning the big 5-0. Perhaps that’s why 48 percent of the 2,000 polled said they currently have more fun now than they did in their twenties.
In fact, the results show the older they are the more they consider going on a guided group trip - with seven in ten thinking about going on a guided group tour abroad.
A quarter of people who said yes, said they’d go on a group tour on their own/solo (more women than men), but most would bring their partner along.
A third of those surveyed felt they weren’t adventurous enough in their past and so are making up for it now, while more than half of respondents want to revisit past adventures by journeying to places they visited as youngsters.
Perhaps that’s why three quarters of those polled said their travel experiences have influenced the kind of person they are today- and it won’t stop soon with eight in ten planning future forays to unknown places.
Brooks added: “After 43 years of designing adventure tours, those of us at Exodus have personally seen the positive effects travel has on people in all stages of life. It doesn’t matter if you’re 9 or 90, the wonder of the experience of adventure travel really has no age limits.”
“When you travel abroad, you gain a new perspective and appreciation for different cultures and environments, learn something new about the world, yourself and broaden your horizons for the better.”
TOP 5 THINGS THAT BRING A FRESH PERSPECTIVE ON LIFE
1. Retirement
2. A travel experience
3. Fed up of the same routine
4. Loss of a friend or family member
5. Health scare
TOP 10 THINGS DONE SINCE TURNING 50
1. Family vacation
2. Going on a cruise
3. Vacation with friends
4. Becoming more active day to day
5. Volunteered or charity work
6. Visited an amusement park
7. Booked the trip of a lifetime
8. Stayed out really late
9. Enjoyed music supposedly for younger people
10. Gone to a nightclub
*****This survey of 2000 US adults aged 50+ with a passport was conducted between December 05, 2016 and December 12,2016 by Market Researchers OnePoll and commissioned by Exodus Travel.
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