Retired and not having the desire to travel

Lc jones

Senior Member
I retired two years ago and we relocated from Nevada to Florida. Is it strange that I don’t feel like traveling at all? I would think as a new retiree that I would be ready to travel around and see the world but I have no desire to. My daughter and I are going to France next year and even that is not exciting me. I did travel around a lot with my family when I was young we would move every few years with my father’s job and then I married a man who was in the service and we moved around for 10 years. Could it be that I am just traveled out? How about some insight?
 

Lc,
You could very well be "traveled out." When you traveled overseas in conjunction with the military, you actually lived there and probably visited other nearby countries as well. You got the "full experience." I was in the Navy for 31 years and lived overseas for nine years in addition to visiting numerous countries while assigned to ships.
My wife and I have made two trips to Europe as civilians in the last 12 years and we are "Traveled Out" just like you. Among our reasons for not finding travel very exciting include:
Many airports are a mess, and going through security is well …..
Long flights have become flat-out unpleasant with lots of additional irritating fees.
Packing and unpacking, well ……
Americans are not welcomed like they used to be.
Long lines, forget it.
Crime has picked up in many countries and Americans seem to be targets.
and finally, there is a lot to be seen right here in the USA and our tastes have changed.
 
I am the same way. I have no more interest in travel. Not that I was a big traveler in the past. With all the issues with airline travel these days, defective planes, all the security, it hardly seems worth it. Plus I have never LIKED flying. Though I will admit that a train trip somewhere seems nice.
Like @Aunt Bea I am more a stay at home person. I will do a day trip now and then, but I like coming home to my own house at night.
 
We have done a lot of traveling since retiring. We were out of the country twice, but a lot of trips inside the 48, plus Hawaii. I would like to go to Alaska. I really enjoyed San Francisco and San Diego.
 
I retired two years ago and we relocated from Nevada to Florida. Is it strange that I don’t feel like traveling at all? I would think as a new retiree that I would be ready to travel around and see the world but I have no desire to. My daughter and I are going to France next year and even that is not exciting me. I did travel around a lot with my family when I was young we would move every few years with my father’s job and then I married a man who was in the service and we moved around for 10 years. Could it be that I am just traveled out? How about some insight?

I totally understand this. .. I have no desire anymore to pack up and go anywhere. ... I'm on my own for one thing, and I just really enjoy listening to others travel adventures now. That's enough for me.
All my married life my husband loved nothing more than traveling. We hit all the states, Canada, Mexico, Central America and Islands in the Pacific. It was fun back then.
I feel traveled out and just have no desire to do any of that again.
 
I totally understand this. .. I have no desire anymore to pack up and go anywhere. ... I'm on my own for one thing, and I just really enjoy listening to others travel adventures now. That's enough for me.
All my married life my husband loved nothing more than traveling. We hit all the states, Canada, Mexico, Central America and Islands in the Pacific. It was fun back then.
I feel traveled out and just have no desire to do any of that again.
Yep, traveled out is a good term. We traveled so much with our business for years, both in and out of the country . To me the term is "Value Received" about everything we spend our time and/or money on now...its gotta meet that criteria for us, and travel ain't got what it takes - one hotel room looks pretty much like another one, and lets face it, you get a whole lot more frustration thrown in these days. Lotta "been there, done thats", so why bother.
 
I neither fly or travel by train. My favorite mode is a private auto. I have been in every state save one (N Dakota) somehow missed that. The most fun trip we (my wife & I) took was a trip back east. I let my wife man the Atlas, I told her to avoid the Interstates as much as possible. We were gone 4 weeks, I think we went through 26 states. We discovered many out of the way places, Boonesboro KY (Dan’l Boone’s Fort), Jim Thorpe's home in OK, the Will Rogers Museum OK, got invited to dine free with a church group (Bar-b-que & fixin's) near Eli Whitney's home in PA. Discovered the indoor flea market (had tiny fresh fried donuts & a Pennsylvania Dutch lunch) along Route 13 in Del. Stopped at the 'Good-n-Plenty' in Lancaster Co. PA. Had an Amish meal in N Ohio. Flea markets galore. A large Cave in VA, which I didn't care for, claustrophobic. Stopped at a little wine cellar in MO, reminded me of the Idaho potato cellars, bought 2 bottles of wine both with floaters in them.

I'm reading a book called Blue Highways the author took the trip after a complete breakdown of his marriage & job. The blue highways refer to the color of the older roads not the interstates. He visited some of the places I've been to. Visited Gatlinburg TN before the big tourist traps found it. Bought a carving of an old man & his wife by an artist that was over 80. Since passed on could be worth millions or not. Travel along as much of Route 66 as I best could. Visited Hannibal MO (OMG for the humidity!). Huck & Tom's hometown. Made it to Graceland in Memphis TN. Who was his decorator? Discovered the beauty that is western Arkansas. Toured the outer banks in NC. All in all I still like to take the 2 lane roads to where they lead. Ate at one of the original Cracker Barrels in TN when there were only 8.

Some of my trips were before I retired but even now still like to leave on a whim & see things.
 
I have traveled a good part of my working life and I loved every minute of it. When I retired I found myself content not to travel. Driving is boring if you drive the interstates. Trains & planes are out. I think part of it is knowing I can pack a bag and go whenever I feel like it so it's no big thrill.
 
I have no desire to travel either. I enjoyed vacations with my parents when I was young. Mostly going through the New England states. I did enjoy two trips across country to see my daughter when she lived on the west coast. The hubby and I differ in what we call a vacation. If I do travel I like to meander with no destination in mind. He, on the other hand needs a destination and time schedule. Breakfast is early in the morning, I like to sleep until the maid knocks on the door. He likes hot weather, I like cold. I'm staying home.
 
We have traveled out of country a bit when we were younger, but, as others have said, with the hassles of airports etc, we only travel now in one of our two portable house's, AKA Todd and Margo :) (motor homes). One is decked out for long term boondocking, the other for shorter trips. Neither of us have any great desire to venture outside the US anymore. There are still plenty of places and things to see and do in our great country.

Todd and Margo.JPG
 
Yep, traveled out is a good term. We traveled so much with our business for years, both in and out of the country . To me the term is "Value Received" about everything we spend our time and/or money on now...its gotta meet that criteria for us, and travel ain't got what it takes - one hotel room looks pretty much like another one, and lets face it, you get a whole lot more frustration thrown in these days. Lotta "been there, done thats", so why bother.

Yep ... 'been there, done that' ... my motto..:)
 
Traveling is exhausting which is why I've never traveled abroad. With autoimmune issues, my full-time working was "live to work." I could hold down a job, but had nothing much left in the tank for other things. When I did travel while working full-time, I made sure to take off several days after returning home to rest up before going back to work. Now that I'm working part-time, I do want to travel. I've been coast to coast (both north and south ends of each) in the US and a good bit in between, and there's so much more here that I want to see. I'm researching small Class C or Class B RVs for that so I can take it easy and rest when I need to. I do, however, want to visit the UK once because of genealogy. Am hoping to do that in 2020 or 2021. Some of the other places abroad I once wanted to visit no longer interest me.
 
Last edited:
No urge to travel now at all...my itch got worn right out.Years travelling doing my job did that. Now I do like day trips here and there.
Best time for me to do it was when I was young enough to make the most of it.
 
I have always thought of travel as something that is not for everyone. My one sister has Agoraphobia and she won't even leave her house to come and visit me, which is only about 15 minutes away. About the only time she leaves her house is to go to the doctor's office. She has had numerous panic attacks and emergency room visits. This is a terrible mental illness to have to suffer with.

I have invited her to go along on numerous trips that my wife and I have taken, but she won't budge. She does have medication available to take, so that she can go away, but she won't take it because she says it makes her feel funny. I think she means that it makes her feel strange, scary or weird.

If I want to see her, I have to do the visiting. She has her groceries home delivered now, thankfully, because I was the bag boy before that.
 
Last edited:
I do want to travel a bit although I get stressed with all the planning. My hubby likes to travel and he is expecting to when he retires later this year. We are going to Nevada in Nov. but that is for his birthday and our anniversay. Part of the problem is the places he wants to go to aren't the ones I want to go to and yes, we do try to pick different places that each other would like but it isn't any fun.
 
Traveling is not for the faint of heart. As others have said, it has become more and more difficult because of the masses of tourists, so I can understand how you might feel "Traveled Out". I have been fortunate enough to have traveled extensively, all for vacations and pleasure. At last count, I have been to 55 foreign countries and every continent except Antarctica, so I don't really have any plans to go overseas any time soon. But I was fortunate enough, when I was still working, to spend 2 years with a company that sent me to just about every state in the USA, so there are still plenty of places here I would like to go back to as a visitor.

I see that you live in Florida so have you any desire to escape the hot/humid summers, at least for a little while?
 
Being in other countries on work related ventures is OKish for a few days. Months? Not so much.
Trying to learn another language while in country is somewhat tedious.
Thought my Mandarin and Cantonese was gettin' pretty good
One night in Y2K I found myself attending some sorta variety show at the top of a five star hotel in in the Guangzhou area.
Very loud
Weak drinks
In the middle of the MCs dialogue, the spotlight was turned on me
I was prodded to stand up
I was sure I just said 'thank you, thank you very much'
waved and sat down
The crowd roared
Later, my broker told me I'd said something more in the realm of 'I've gotta pee, I've gotta pee very much'

Anymore, I don't care to go anywhere I can't get home before dark.
 
Traveling is not for the faint of heart. As others have said, it has become more and more difficult because of the masses of tourists, so I can understand how you might feel "Traveled Out". I have been fortunate enough to have traveled extensively, all for vacations and pleasure. At last count, I have been to 55 foreign countries and every continent except Antarctica, so I don't really have any plans to go overseas any time soon. But I was fortunate enough, when I was still working, to spend 2 years with a company that sent me to just about every state in the USA, so there are still plenty of places here I would like to go back to as a visitor.

I see that you live in Florida so have you any desire to escape the hot/humid summers, at least for a little while?
No we just relocated here from Nevada which is the high desert country very dry and cool so the humidity is wonderful it’s especially wonderful for me for breathing purposes and also we are now at sea level and I can breathe much more easily, it was very difficult in Nevada as I had high altitude sickness quite a bit
 
Traveling is exhausting which is why I've never traveled abroad. With autoimmune issues, my full-time working life has been "live to work." I could hold down a job, but had nothing much left in the tank for other things. When I did travel while working full-time, I made sure to take off several days after returning home to rest up before going back to work. Now that I'm working part-time, I do want to travel. I've been coast to coast (both north and south ends) in the US and a good bit in between, and there's so much more here that I want to see. I'm researching small Class C or a Class B RVs for that so I can take it easy and rest when I need to. I do, however, want to visit the UK once because of genealogy. Am hoping to do that in 2020 or 2021. Some of the other places abroad I once wanted to visit no longer interest me.
Yes I also have some medical issues and you just never know what’s gonna happen when you’re traveling I like that my doctors and the hospital arenearby that gives me a sense of peace.
 
That reminds me of what John Kennedy said when Berlin was cut off by the Soviets. According to some reports, JFK should have said "Ich bin Berliner" ("I am a citizen of Berlin"), because "Ich bin ein Berliner" means "I am a jelly doughnut." A Berliner is, in fact, a type of jelly doughnut made in Berlin.
Yum and that’s funny too 😂
 


Back
Top