The Grey Gap Year: 会合，会う the people using 退職 to see the world (and have a look at some ideas for 逃亡s of your own!)
広告 Feature by Age Co
When you read this, John Chilton will be on holiday in New Zealand, marvelling at its 素晴らしい natural beauty and learning about Maori culture.
In March he's jetting off to Dubai, September will see him in the US, and by Christmas, he'll have fitted in another trip ? 目的地 yet to be decided.
In total, 78-year-old John will spend around nine or ten weeks this year on holiday.
And it's only possible because he's retired and ? like so many other Brits ? using the freedom it gives him to 調査する the world.
Loving life: John Chilton, 78, from Exeter, is using his 退職 to see the world
'Before, my wife Patricia and I were 制限するd to my five weeks a year holiday entitlement at work,' John says. 'But when I retired in 2001, I was 解放する／自由な all the time.
'Our children both went abroad to work and live ? we'd visit my son 定期的に in first New York and then Dubai, and my daughter in Malaysia,?which was a jumping off point for other 旅行s.
'We also enjoyed 巡航するing around the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Alaska, the Norwegian fjords, the Florida 重要なs and the Bahamas and Baltic.'
Sadly Patricia died eight years ago, but John, who worked in 年金s, 公約するd to carry on travelling.
'I began using a company that specialises in group travel for 選び出す／独身, 離婚d and 未亡人d people,' he says. 'I've been to Cuba, Peru, Japan and now New Zealand with them and done lots of European 小旅行するs too.'
Cambodia adventure: John says he always makes sure he has good travel 保険
John, from Exeter, has always loved travelling.
'I see sights on TV and want to be there,' he explains. 'I've always had the bug ? it's a かわき for knowledge, experience and plain enjoyment.
'You make new friends. It keeps you alive rather than just stagnating at home. It encourages you to be reasonably fit and walk around ? and to have a good stomach to eat anything!'
The one thing he won't travel without is 保険. 'When I was in Peru, I fell eight feet when a balustrade gave way , breaking two vertebrae in my 支援する and 10 or 11 ribs.
'I was flown to Lima by 空気／公表する 救急車, spent two weeks in hospital there, then an 空気／公表する 救急車 ? a Lear jet ? took me 支援する to England with two Canadian paramedics on board.
'I spoke to a nurse who 概算の it would have cost about £200,000. That's why I'd never travel without 保険.'
However, as you get older, it's not always 平易な to get travel 保険. 賞与金s can 急に上がる as you age, 特に if you have a 医療の 条件, with many companies 簡単に 辞退するing to cover anyone above a 確かな age.
Sadly, this can put many people off travelling.
That's where Age Co comes in. They're 100% owned by the charity Age UK and were 始める，決める up to 申し込む／申し出 製品s ふさわしい to the needs of people over 50, such as travel 保険.
That's why Age Co Travel 保険 has no upper age 限界, and covers a 大規模な 1,300 different pre-存在するing 医療の 条件s, 同様に as 申し込む／申し出ing a 24/7 医療の 援助 helpline as 基準.
Whether you holiday in the UK, Europe or 世界的な, 制限のない 緊急 医療の and 本国送還 cover is 利用できる as is 取り消し cover, even for Covid.
And there are plenty of optional extras, such as 政策s that 含む ゴルフ, 巡航する and 保護 in the event of a natural 災害.
And if you're on a waiting 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） for an op ? that can be covered too.
But the best thing? Age Co 利益（をあげる）s go 支援する to help Age UK 基金 their amazing work with 攻撃を受けやすい older people.
So not only can you feel good about having peace of mind when you go away, but that you're helping others too.
'We can go where we want, when we want'
Retired 主要な／長／主犯 自然保護 officer Christine Anders, 61, lives in St Helens, Merseyside, with husband Stephen, 64. They have two adult children.
She says: 'We've always loved travelling and it was something that we 手配中の，お尋ね者 to continue doing when we retired. That happened sooner than 推定する／予想するd - myself at 53, Stephen at 55.
'And once we weren't 制限するd to 25 days a year, we travelled a lot more in both the UK and abroad.
'We probably have two trips abroad each year and probably five or six around the UK ? we're rarely home.'
'It keeps you young': Stephen and Christine Anders, 64 and 61, make seven or eight trips a year
She 追加するs: 'We've 巡航するd around the Caribbean and the Norwegian fjords, done a river 巡航する along the Rhone and visited Croatia, Poland, Prague, Rome and Barcelona 同様に as Belfast, Northumberland, the Lake 地区, Scotland and むちの跡s. We cycle, we （軍の）野営地，陣営, we use B&Bs...We can go anywhere we want, any season.
'It's fabulous 存在 retired and able to travel. I love 存在 able to go to different places whenever we want to ? we could go tomorrow if we 手配中の，お尋ね者.
'We both love seeing different places, walking and cycling and 会合 different people, trying different things and different foods.
Christine and Stephen say they love 存在 able to wherever they want at a moment's notice
'I think keeping active and mixing with new people keeps you young and you do both of those when you're travelling.
'And we have to use IT to 調書をとる／予約する and 数字表示式の stuff when we're out there so we keep up with new 科学（工学）技術 too.?'
So, where are you off to next?
When you're retired, the world is your oyster. Here are a few ideas for trips you might not have thought of:
Buenos 空気／公表するs ? a beautiful city 十分な of art, culture and history that has a real 尊敬（する）・点 for older people, often 申し込む／申し出ing 割引s to 上級のs.
The Glacier 表明する ? enjoy panoramic 見解（をとる）s of the スイスの アルプス山脈 on Europe's slowest 表明する train taking more than seven hours to travel the 180 miles between St Moritz and Zermatt.
Travel inspiration: The Glacier 表明する 削減（する）s a 劇の path through the スイスの アルプス山脈
Istanbul ? 投票（する）d one of the best 目的地s for 上級のs, this city has so much to do from visiting the Blue イスラム教寺院 and Hagia Sophia to Bosphorus 巡航する.
Japan ? 安全な and friendly, this country has a 抱擁する 尊敬（する）・点 for older people which makes visiting Tokyo, Kyoto or any 地域 a joy.
The American 深い South?? a coach 小旅行する linking Memphis, Nashville and New Orleans in an 絶対の must for music lovers.
Charming Charleston: A trip to the 深い South means fabulous food and music
