Senior Living: Lessons From 23 Days, 5 Countries, and Countless Memories

Don’t wait too late for your ‘someday’ trip

By BETH DOW, Home Helpers Home Care

We all have those “someday” trips in our heads —you know the ones we imagine saving for retirement, or when our calendars are clear and we can finally take our time.

But after spending 23 days bouncing through five countries last month, here’s what I can tell you: someday isn’t promised. And if you wait too long, you might not have the health, the energy, or even the chance to make it happen.

We just got back from Europe, and let me tell you, it was equal parts breathtaking, chaotic, exhausting and hilarious. Picture postcard-perfect views, a few misadventures I’ll be laughing about forever, and more pasta and gelato than my waistline will forgive. But underneath it all was this big, flashing neon reminder: don’t keep putting off the things you dream about. If we had waited for life to be “perfect,” this trip would have never happened.

Here’s what the journey taught me:

1. Travel isn’t always smooth – but it’s always worth it.

We crammed onto a fast train from Rome to Venice (picture ants with luggage stampeding to the platform), got pulled over in Paris when our Uber driver was arrested — yes, really, and we were briefly detained, too.  We hopped on the wrong water taxi in Venice only to end up right back where we started, and just in time for the rain to start.  None of it was ideal in the moment, but every single “oops” became a story I’ll tell forever.

2. The world is alive right now – go see it.

The ruins of Herculaneum, the grandeur of St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome’s fountains, Tuscany’s hills rolling like patchwork quilts — history and beauty don’t wait. Venice dared us to master its bridges (we would have preferred it not to be in the rain, though that was part of the charm). The Venice Film Festival was happening while we were slogging through flooded alleyways. George Clooney may have had champagne on the red carpet, but honestly, I wouldn’t trade our umbrella march for anything.

3. Age, ability matter more than you think.

Climbing endless cathedral steps, lugging suitcases across cobblestones, or heaving them into a water taxi may be easy when you’re 30. In your late 60s, though, you realize just how quickly those things could become impossible if you wait another decade. This trip was a gift and a reminder: go while you can.

4. The souvenirs that matter aren’t the ones you pack.

Sure, we brought home Murano glass, a bottle of wine (from the Dow vineyard—how cool is that?), canned sardines (the store actually had a sardine tasting room), and more gelato calories than I care to admit. But the real keepsakes? Laughing at our mishaps. Eating dinner under the stars in Rome. Standing in front of art I discovered I actually like. Feeling tiny in the shadow of buildings that have stood for centuries. Those are the souvenirs that last.

5. Life’s too short for “someday.”

Every city, every meal, every moment of wonder whispered the same message: don’t wait. Book the trip. Order the pasta. Take the blurry photo. Let your feet ache. Let the rain ruin your hair. Because someday, you won’t get the chance.

Travel doesn’t have to be 23 days and five countries. It can be a weekend drive, a short flight, or a quick cruise. What matters isn’t the scale – it’s choosing now over “someday.”

Don’t wait for the perfect time. I remind my husband often: we’re not getting any younger, and travel isn’t getting any cheaper. So why not go now?

Beth Dow is a Dementia and Alzheimer’s Educator, CAEd and Geriatric Care Manager. She is also the owner of Home Helpers of GA & AL in Newnan. Readers can contact her by email at [email protected].