Ageless wanderlust

CHENNAI: When 68-year-old Seetha Muthiah went white water rafting in Bhutan last year, she chose to do it with her close friends, as she knew her husband would have panicked. "With every passing year, I know there are fewer 'adventures' I can try. So I want to experience them all before I am told I cannot," says Muthiah, co-director of Jayant Packaging Pvt Ltd who adds that she has found a like-minded travel companion in her 70-year-old neighbour and friend Uma Muthuswamy.Together, the two have explored caves in Poland and trekked through Poland, Bhutan, and Slovenia, and will be off this weekend to Myanmar. Bungee jumping, parasailing, horseback riding, white water rafting - these adrenaline pumping activities were rarely on the itinerary of those above 60 till a few years ago. Now, breaking conventional stereotypes are new-age senior citizens who stay fit and believe exploring is not just for the young in years, but the young at heart.
After solo women travellers, it is tourism for senior citizens that seems to have picked up in the past couple of years, says Sharat Dhall, president of the travel website Yatra.com. "The trend of senior citizens travelling to various destinations has been observed since 2014," he adds. Travel company Thomas Cook has witnessed more than 27% bookings from senior citizens, said Rajeev D Kale, president & country head Leisure Travel, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd.
While these travel companies are gauging the trend and not yet coming up with adventure sports activities, smaller firms are more open to customizing adventure holidays. So, when Sangita Bhattacharya noticed that there were several post-retirement travellers in India seeking adrenaline highs rather than spiritual upliftment during their travels, she decided to launch her travel outfit 50 Plus Voyagers. "We only take on clients who are over the age of 50 because there's enough already out there for young adventure seekers," says Bhattacharyya, adding that since 2014, when she started her company, she has taken more than 250 over-50s groups on adventure holidays that have ranged from white water rafting to parasailing.
Padma Sangali, 53, originally from Chennai, now living in Bangalore, recently took a horseback riding trip with 50 Plus Voyagers. "I have always had a bucket list of places to see and adventures to try after my husband passed away," says Sangali, who adds that now that she is finding time to travel, as her son has grown up. "I didn't expect that there would be so many people out there who wanted to try adventure trips after they turned 50 and 60. But life has a wonderful way of surprising you. A lot more senior citizens are getting adventurous, looking to make friends, and trying things they never had a chance to earlier," she says.
With more disposable income and time on their hands after retirement, senior citizens are looking for off-beat destinations, expeditions, trekking and are ready to explore local cuisines with no dietary restrictions. When a group of eight retired people approached Shankar Ram, a holiday consultant at the Chennai-based travel firm Footprint for a trip to New Zealand a year ago, he offered them the usual "senior package" of sightseeing and south Indian cuisine but they shocked him by specifically requesting jet-boarding and bungee jumping. Ram adds that the firm, which is known for their tailor-made holidays, has seen more requests from elderly groups who are college alumni members, or friends and have lined up a Scandinavian cruise in June for a group that involves rafting and canoeing in the fjords. "This group of college friends between 60 and 65 want the journey to be like an expedition and not like a commercial cruise filled with entertainment, dining, and onboard shopping," says Ram.
For Muthiah and her three friends, who are all set for a week in Myanmar with Footprint, it's the peace, quiet and financial stability that comes with age, which has allowed them to plan holidays with friends. "I believe in staying active and living a full life. While I have been extensively travelling with my family , my trip with friends is a different experience," says Muthuswamy. Despite being a strict vegetarian, she has asked for no dietary restrictions during her travel and considers all of it as an experience. "You never know when you are going to get another chance. So grab an adventure whenever you can," says Muthiah.