‘It was as good aged 61 as it had been at 16’: readers’ favourite trips as older travellers

From Interrailing around Europe to trekking in the Himalayas, our tipsters share their memorable trips made later in life

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I went Interrailing at 16 – so decided to do it again at 61! My wife and I bought our passes for all of Europe (under £500 for one-month unlimited rail trips) and it was great to rediscover the sense of freedom and adventure travelling by train gave. Having a romantic dinner in Paris, getting on the night train and having coffee and croissants for breakfast in Nice on the Côte d’Azur for example. I corrected the teenage mistake of trying to do too much and see too many places so we lingered longer in places such as Poland and Romania, soaking up the atmosphere in Wrocław and Bucharest. It was interesting to compare the speed, quality and comfort of train services too. We found that sometimes slow travel was better – like when we got on the wrong train from Rome to Naples, allowing us to appreciate the scenery, locals and way of life of people who were not in a hurry. The trip was a learning experience at 61 as much as it had been at 16.

Peter

In pursuit of a flight-free adventure, we packed our bikes (and several panniers) on to the Eurostar for a three-week cycling trip across France. Our initial worries about sore legs and flat tyres quickly faded away as we pedalled along comfortable cycle lanes in the picturesque French countryside, fuelled by village boulangeries and cold local beer. We covered 1,040 miles from Saint-Malo to Nice via the Dordogne, staying in B&Bs or rented apartments each night (from £100 per night). Highlights included stops for refreshing swims in rivers, avoiding airport chaos, and proving that holidays in your 60s can be active and fun.