Starting Again in our fifties and sixties: What I've Learned About Taking Chances Later in Life

At what age are we supposed to stop doing outrageous things?

Is there some unwritten rule that once we've reached fifty, sixty or seventy, we're expected to become sensible, predictable and content with our everyday life?

If there is, I've just ignored it.

I've always been curious about what lies around the next corner. Another village, another country, another experience, another interesting person with a story to tell. And somewhere along the way, a place with good coffee or great wine ...

Seriously though, over the years, I've discovered that taking chances later in life isn't simply about travel. It's about being willing to step outside the comfortable little world we've created for ourselves.

And that's not always easy.

Comfort Can Be like a Warm Jersey - hard to take off

By the time we reach our fifties and sixties, most of us have established a rhythm to our lives - we have our familiar routines, our friend circle, maybe family nearby, favourite haunts, and which supermarket aisle contains the olive oil. Those rhythms are so reassuring.

But comfort can also be a little sneaky. Before we know it, the years disappear! I've certainly realised it this year, as we deliberately chose to 'stay home', apart from trips to the family in Australia. Suddenly one year becomes another, and the things we've always dreamed of doing are subsumed and relegated to the one day list.

One day, we'll spend a few months in France.

One day, we'll explore those little Italian villages.

One day, we'll do something completely different.

But when, exactly, is one day?

You Don't Have to Know How Everything Will Turn Out

When Steve and I made the decision to move abroad in our fifties, we certainly didn't have all the answers. And when we did it again at sixty, we still didn't!

There were practicalities to consider, of course. Finances, accommodation, employment and all the other administrative details that accompany any shift or adventure. But I truly feel that if you wait until every possible problem has been anticipated and resolved, you'll probably never leave home!

Sometimes you simply have to make the decision, do your homework, pack your bags and trust yourself to deal with whatever comes next. Although, in our case, whatever came next occasionally tested my resolve! Especially during our first foray into working in France.

Age Has Its Advantages

One of the unexpected pleasures of growing older is discovering that you care considerably less about what other people think of you. In our younger years, we're so preoccupied with careers, mortgages, raising children and meeting life's expectations — i.e., working 9-5 until you reach retirement age!

Later in life, it's wonderful knowing that you don't need to impress anyone. You can be curious without being ambitious. Adventurous without being reckless. Enthusiastic without worrying whether you're making a fool of yourself. And if you do make a fool of yourself? Laugh! There'll be a good story in the retelling of it. I've collected a few of those...

People Are Often More Memorable Than Places

I've been fortunate to stand inside magnificent cathedrals, wander through extraordinary historic houses and explore some of Europe's most beautiful towns and villages.

But when I look back on our travels, it's usually the people that stay uppermost in my mind. The stranger who becomes a friend. The local who shares a fascinating piece of history. The person whose life has taken an unexpected turn, but can still smile and is kind and good to those around them.

And, of course, those wonderful occasions when a conversation begins over coffee and somehow continues through lunch and well into the afternoon. That's the magic for me.

Travel has taught me that the world is full of interesting people. We just need to stop long enough to listen.

Things Will Go Wrong ...

Sometimes, when contemplating a new adventure, we imagine that everything will go smoothly.

It won't.

I plan our trips to within an inch of its life and yet - trains will be missed, plans will unravel, accommodation will disappoint and the weather may not cooperate. It's how you deal with those things that matters.

And I've discovered that some of our most memorable experiences have emerged from precisely those challenging moments. Not necessarily at the time, mind you... The horrible Airbnb in Liverpool springs to mind. Our train being cancelled, while we're waiting on the platform ...

On those occasions, I would have cheerfully exchanged the entire adventure for a comfortable chair, a large glass of wine and a one-way ticket home. No, that's not true... But, with the benefit of hindsight, even those difficult times have become part of the rich tapestry of our lives. And they've certainly provided plenty of material for my books!

Starting Again Doesn't Have to Mean Moving Abroad

I know that packing up your life and moving halfway around the world isn't everyone's idea of fun. It doesn't have to be. Starting again might mean learning a language, joining a group, travelling somewhere unfamiliar, taking up painting, volunteering, writing that long-promised book or simply saying yes to an invitation you'd normally decline.

"It's not the scale of the adventure that matters. It's the willingness to try something new."

We don't stop being curious because we grow older.

So, What's Stopping You?

I'm the first person to wonder how on earth I got to this point in my life, where I now have five travel memoirs to my name, two quite extraordinary chapters of our lives spent living abroad, and a collection of memories that I wouldn't exchange for anything. And it all began from saying 'yes, I can do this.'

And I'm not done and dusted - yet.

There are still places to be explored, people to be met, fabulous food to savour and stories waiting to be told. I may approach new adventures with a little more thought than I did 15 years ago, but the enthusiasm remains undeminished. So, if there's something you've always wanted to do, perhaps it's time to make it happen. Not next year. Not when everything is perfectly organised. Not when you feel sufficiently brave.

Now.

Because, just thinking how we're now mid-October and another year has nearly come to an end, I'd hate to reach the end of my life wondering why I didn't do more of the things that made me happy.

After all, we could have a long wait in the 'departure lounge' and I don't mean at an airport!!!

Annemarie Rawson is a New Zealand author of five travel memoirs, including My French Platter and the Late Life Adventures series, sharing stories of living in France, moving to London at sixty and exploring Britain and Europe.