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Author | Han Mo Blues Stars Review the Past and the Garden
Editor | Bruce
Since the beginning of this year, the tourism industry has recovered, and retired elderly people who can’t sit still are leaving their homes one after another.
These elderly tourists have money and leisure. Not only do they travel for a long time, but they also spend a lot of money. Data shows that in the first half of this year, the elderly group helped more than 20 listed travel companies achieve profitability. It is expected that by 2050, senior tourism will account for more than 50% of the national tourism market.
In fact, these old people can play more and have more fun than they thought. "Ding Focus" found five retired old people who had been trapped by work and family, and had always asked themselves when they could go out to see the great rivers and mountains of the motherland. After retiring, they embarked on a casual journey.
Some people are explorers who like challenges, entering and exiting Tibet three times and driving through no-man's land; some people take pictures of their sojourn life, and are "spotted" by the B&B owner, and then work as B&B housekeepers again; some people are young As I travel across the country for work, I travel around to relax after retirement. I travel with my grandson every year for a month or two to escape the summer heat.
However, travel by the elderly is not always a happy memory. Some people encounter "age discrimination" from B&B owners and break contracts and increase prices. Some people encounter car accidents while driving, but fortunately they are not seriously injured.
However, these old people don't seem to care about the rain, snow, wind and frost on the way. For them, their travel after retirement is completely in their own hands. This is their own life and the process of being themselves.
Below, let's hear their stories.
I drove into Tibet twice, passed through no man’s land, and almost got into a car accident.
Liu Yunfei|62 years old in Beijing
In the past few years after retirement, my wife and I have been traveling by car.
We drove to Xishuangbanna by ourselves at the end of October last year and stayed there until late February this year, and then went to Sanya for more than a month. In late April, I drove from Jinghong, Yunnan to Tibet. I returned to Beijing in June and took a trip to Qingdao and Zibo, making a special trip to "go to Zibo for a barbecue." In August, I headed north to visit relatives in Harbin, passing through Fuxin, Changchun, Tongliao and Chengde.
All of these are self-driving, arrange your own itinerary, and book hotels online.
We have been to many scenic spots across the country, some of them several times, and we review them every two years. While we are relatively young, we want to focus on visiting the second and third tier areas such as the northwest plateau and desert, and then visit the first tier areas along the southeast and northeast coasts.
Among all the itineraries, the one that impressed me the most was the trip to Tibet, which I went to three times in total.
The first time was in June 2018, when I joined a VIP group (5 people). I was worried about my physical discomfort at first, but finally overcame various difficulties and fulfilled my long-cherished wish to enter Tibet but dared not.
The second time was a self-driving trip in March 2022. I took National Highway 214 into Tibet (Mangkang, Qamdo), and then took National Highway 318 out of Tibet. I achieved the stage goal of self-driving 318 (National Highway Mangkang, Tibet – Ya'an, Sichuan), and climbed many mountains, Highly difficult sections such as the Eighteen Bends of Tianlu.
In 2019, we also drove to Tanggula Mountain by ourselves, passing through the Hoh Xil no-man’s land, and experienced the hardships caused by high altitudes of more than 4,000 meters and frozen soil roads.
This laid the foundation for our third trip to Tibet.
In May of this year, we continued to challenge the difficulty and completed a self-driving tour of the Tibet Grand Ring Road, passing through the uninhabited area of Qiangtang with an average altitude of more than 4,500 meters. The whole journey lasted 26 days, driving more than 6,700 kilometers, and visited Ranwu Lake, Medog, Tibet, etc. Tomb of the King, Mount Everest Base Camp, Mount Kailash, Tianshang Ali, Guge Dynasty Site, Bangong Lake, Serincuo, Nagqu, etc.
We originally planned to start from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, and pass through Yunnan, Tibet, Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Hebei to Beijing. Unfortunately, the self-driving tour ended in Dingqing County due to an accident.
Photo provided by interviewee
When I arrived near Dingqing County, which is more than 200 kilometers away from Qamdo City, I thought that after passing through high mountain passes and winding mountain roads in canyons, I was about to enter Qamdo City (where I would stay that night) at a low altitude of about 3,000 meters. I was about to successfully complete this trip. During the Tibet Grand Loop Tour, my tense nerves were immediately relaxed. In addition, I had been driving, sightseeing, and taking pictures on the plateau for a long time. It was also the rest period at 1 p.m., and my body was a little tired and sleepy. At this time, the vehicle It came to an abrupt stop and hit the guardrail on the side of the road.
Fortunately, my wife and I were both wearing seat belts. Although we hit the steering wheel and the front glove box respectively, and our chests were hit, we were fine after CT examination at the hospital. After handling the accident, the two took a flight back to Beijing and consigned the vehicle back to Beijing for repairs.
Although this trip has only completed 93% of the journey, we have completely crossed the high-altitude area and have basically completed the Tibet Grand Circle Tour. We will have the opportunity to complete the unfinished parts.
When I was young, I loved going out to learn more and would travel every summer to escape the heat.
Qiuyue|Hubei 66 years old
I am a person who can't sit still. During winter and summer vacations, short vacations and even weekends, I will meet up with a few friends or take my family with me to go out for a walk and relax.
In March this year, my friends and I went to Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and spent half a month touring cities such as Nanjing, Yangzhou, and Hangzhou. In July, my husband and I took our grandson to Guizhou and stayed there for more than a month to escape the summer heat. This is also a traditional habit of our family. Last summer we spent the summer vacation in Shennongjia, Hubei Province.
During this summer vacation, my husband and I took our grandson from Beijing. Another relative drove there from Hubei and met in Guizhou. We rented a B&B for a month and used it as a place to stay. After staying for a few days, we drove to the surrounding areas and visited for three or four days before coming back to rest. In this way, during one summer vacation, we basically visited all the scenic spots around Guizhou, such as Huangguoshu Waterfall, Qianhu Miao Village, Zhenyuan Ancient Town, Qingyan Ancient Town, Libo Xiaoqikong, etc.
Because we have our grandson with us, we are worried that he may not be used to it, so we make adequate preparations before setting off every time. When we go out to play, we can’t rely entirely on our children. We don’t want to disturb them when they are busy, so we have learned to book hotels, find restaurants, make strategies on the APP, and use our own circle of friends to help.
For example, when we went to Guizhou this time, we lived in Jiuba Town, Tongzi County, Zunyi. We asked a friend who had rented a house there for 6 years to help us find a B&B in advance. It turned out to be very reliable in all aspects, and many people brought us Old people whose grandchildren come for the summer also live there.
Since there are many people traveling in summer vacation, we will reserve tickets for scenic spots several days in advance. After making a plan, we will stagger the peaks with the large group. We will stay near the scenic spot on the first day and go to the scenic spot early the next day. Sometimes we will wait until we have finished playing. At that time, a large number of tourists came in one after another.
In addition, the tastes in different places are different. We are accustomed to taking a rice cooker with us when we go out for self-driving. When we encounter places with heavy oily and spicy tastes, we can make some extra meals for our grandchildren. Adults look for restaurants by themselves. Once, we picked an internet celebrity restaurant and queued for 2 hours to get a meal. Sometimes we would go to a good restaurant near our residence for a second or third time.
The more times I go out, I have my own way of controlling expenses and costs.
First, I don’t buy any souvenirs from tourist attractions or airports. According to previous experience, these things take up space and will be thrown away in a few days. Second, every time there are 4-5 people traveling, we will transfer 5,000 yuan per person to a card in advance. I will be responsible for the money and keep track of everything. If the money is spent too fast, I will remind. When the final settlement is made, it will be clear and clear.
This year’s trip to Jiangsu and Zhejiang cost about 5,000 yuan per person, and the per capita trip to Guizhou was about 8,000 yuan, which is quite cost-effective.
In fact, I liked running around when I was young, and my work required me to travel frequently. Whenever I had the opportunity, I would go out and see the world. I also accumulated a group of friends who can see the world together. These friends are still together now, and they often make friends. Traveling and having fun.
Because they are all familiar and friendly friends, everyone’s arrangements are very flexible. Once we went to Nanjing. We went to the Presidential Palace and Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in the morning. In the afternoon, I also wanted to go to the museum, but two of us felt too tired to walk, so we took a taxi back to the hotel to rest. After I finished shopping, everyone went back to Nanjing. The rhythm of gathering together in the restaurant to eat is very comfortable, without any sense of compulsion or accommodation.
In order to maintain the energy to go out for high-intensity play, I have always been in the habit of swimming for exercise. In short, I don't like to sit at home and be bored all day long. In late September, another friend invited me to go to Dunhuang and Qinghai Lake. Soon, I would be on the road again.
Sign up for a senior citizen group, go to senior college, and enjoy a variety of living options.
Yiming|62 years old in Beijing
When the elderly travel, they have to consider a few things: whether their family can support them; whether they have financial support, especially when traveling abroad, whether they can handle unexpected expenses; whether the chosen destination is suitable for us elderly people.
When I was young, I didn't have many opportunities to travel. I went to many tourist attractions with my work team. Later, I opened my own shop and factory, and I was too busy to have time to travel. At that time, I often thought, when can I take a good look at the great rivers and mountains of my motherland?
After my daughter got married, I started planning my stay. In terms of safety, in addition to basic insurance, I also have accident insurance and medical insurance; in terms of expenses, I mainly live on dividends from previous investments. If the investment is risky, I will misappropriate the deposits.
With the support of my family, in 2019, I officially started living the sojourn life I had longed for. For more than half a year, I lived in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, and stayed in no fewer than fifty hotels and B&Bs.
I spent half of the time in Shanghai because I signed up for piano lessons and calligraphy classes at the University for the Elderly. The fees were not expensive and the atmosphere was very harmonious. Many of the friends I met at that time still communicate on WeChat.
During the epidemic, traveling was inconvenient, so I happened to go home to help my daughter take care of her three-year-old baby. In April this year, I resumed my travels and took the Yunnan-Guizhou route.
According to the original plan, I should have left Guizhou in September, but now I am still in Dali. Because it’s so comfortable to live here, in the hottest months of July and August, you don’t even need to turn on the fan, and the cost is lower than I thought. My expenses are mainly more than 2,000 yuan per month for homestay, plus basic living expenses, the total is less than 4,000 yuan.
I "walk" slower because I feel that my body is not as good as before, and this slow-paced place is more suitable for me. I usually go to Erhai Lake in the morning and do Tai Chi while waiting to enjoy the sunrise. At this time, young people always come up to me and ask me if I can help take pictures. This is the most beautiful moment in Erhai Lake. Who wouldn’t want to record it and share it with friends?
If I feel that my physical condition is okay, I will join the "senior group" and drive to the surrounding areas. This is a group formed by a few old friends who also live in the local area. They often rent cars to travel around, and I occasionally join them.
I will get tired of seeing the same scenery too much. Fortunately, I am a person who is used to being alone. I often go shopping nearby by myself, and when I get tired, I go back to write and draw.
But living as an elderly person is not entirely a happy experience. For example, when I go out alone, I have encountered situations where I was "discriminated" by B&B owners because I was too old and unwilling to rent to me. In Dali, I also encountered B&B landlords who broke the contract and increased the price.
My traveling life will continue, and it’s hard to say whether other new places will be unlocked in the second half of the year. The life you want can be whatever you want. We become parents when we are young, and become grandparents when we are old. After retirement, it is time to be ourselves.
I like to travel and become a B&B housekeeper so that I can find a new way of life after retirement.
Hat Aunt | 60 years old in Wuhan
I particularly like Jiezi Ancient Town in Chengdu. This is my third stay here.
Compared to traveling in a group with lots of people and bustling people, I am an independent person and after trying it once, I feel that traveling alone is more suitable for me. So, I rented two bedrooms and one living room in Jiezi Ancient Town, and I come here to stay for a period of time almost every year. This time, I have lived here for almost a year.
There are many things that attract me to this ancient town, and it fits my current pursuit of life. On the one hand, it is not far from my hometown of Wuhan, so it is very convenient to go home whenever you want. On the other hand, the natural scenery here is very good, the ultraviolet rays are not strong, and it is very comfortable to live here. I can do what I want to do here, drink tea, read books, and enjoy the nourishment of life.
The cost of living here is mainly divided into two parts, rent and living expenses. I rented my current house for one year, which cost about 10,000 yuan. In terms of living expenses, about 2,000 yuan a month is enough.
Because I like to record, I post some clips of my travels on social media every day, including my daily life, local customs, etc., which also gave me a special experience.
My video was seen by a B&B owner, who invited me to be a B&B housekeeper. I was hesitant at first, fearing that becoming a housekeeper would mean I would be stuck at work every day and lose the meaning of traveling. With the boss's guarantee that I would not be tired at work, I decided to give it a try. Unexpectedly, I have been working for more than three months now and am responsible for online booking, room operation, room arrangement, reception and other tasks every day.
During my stay, I also met all kinds of interesting people and made many friends. For example, a guest came from Beijing. The guest said that he was a poet and came here specially to meditate. There are also many fans who come to me from all over the world to make tea and enjoy ginkgo biloba together. I will also make Wuhan hot dry noodles for everyone to eat.
If the first two times I stayed here were more out of curiosity about a new place, then now, I am already immersed in the life of a sojourn.
Some people are strong at work but not necessarily good at life, so they will feel bored after retirement, but I think that at every stage of life, you should find a way to live your life, and that's what I do. I started working at the age of 20 and worked in a bank for more than 20 years. I later left my job to go into business and ran a sock shop. Until I was 55, I chose to close the shop and travel, and started a slow-paced sojourn life at the age of 57. Now I At 60 years old, I am still traveling, but I have an additional identity, that of a B&B housekeeper.
Enjoying different states at different ages is a fun life. It can also eliminate the fear of age and love yourself more and more now.
Many people may think that this slow-paced sojourn life is very suitable for the elderly who have just retired. Many friends around me will also tell me that they want to live in sojourn, but I want to tell you that it is not suitable for everyone and there are many factors to consider. , such as your physical condition and personality, if you cannot quickly integrate into the local customs, it will also increase the difficulty of traveling.
However, if you have retired, you can try more whether traveling or living, and you can always find the way that suits you best. This is not just about finding something to do when you are bored, but also an attitude towards life.
I traveled more than 10 times in half a year and spent more than 30,000 yuan. I feel better and my body is better.
Sister Joan|Anhui 60 years old
I loved traveling before I retired, but due to limited time, I could only go out two or three times a year. This year I officially retired and finally had time to organize my life at my own pace. My daughter is in Shanghai and I have no ties to my family for the time being. I can start traveling almost at any time.
Since the beginning of this year, I have taken three inter-provincial trips and six or seven self-driving trips to surrounding areas, basically within a radius of dozens of kilometers. In addition to the part paid by my daughter, my personal expenses are about more than 30,000.
In March this year, my daughter and I drove to Mogan Mountain and found a B&B in the mountains. The mountains and bamboo forests could be seen outside the large glass window of the room. The air was also very good, and we could relax while soaking in the hot springs. The B&B is relatively expensive, costing more than 2,000 yuan. Others are pretty normal, with the overall cost around 5,000 yuan.
In July, a friend invited me to go to Hong Kong. Because my friend owns a house in Hong Kong, my biggest expense was buying a bag, which cost nearly 20,000 yuan. After returning from Hong Kong, my family and I drove to Huangshan Mountain. Because of the hot weather, we climbed a mountain that is not very high. After Huangshan Mountain, we also went to Ma’anshan. The total cost was about 3,000 yuan.
When traveling, I usually choose places with beautiful natural scenery. The city is too noisy. For example, Yaoluoping in Yuexi County, which I have been to before, is suitable for summer escape. There is no need to turn on the air conditioner in July and August, and you need to cover yourself with a quilt when sleeping. The natural environment is also good, it is almost a natural oxygen bar. I have a bad cervical spine and often feel dizzy. I felt very energetic after staying there for two nights for the first time. I went there twice last year and the year before last.
Because I can drive and am very capable of taking care of myself, I basically organize, make guides, and book flights and hotels when going out with friends. I also do all the preparations before traveling. For example, if an elderly person is not in good health, I will check in advance whether the destination is far from the hospital. I must bring enough blood pressure-lowering medicine before going out, and I must bring more to prevent accidents. Medical supplies for emergencies.
I don’t like to travel in a group. If it’s nearby, we drive. If it’s too far, I’ll take the high-speed rail or plane. Because we have plenty of time, there’s no need to be too nervous with a tour group.
I feel that my spending on travel is not too much and is within my affordability. When I was young, my first job had a monthly salary of 80 yuan. No one could understand that I could use one month’s salary to buy a leather skirt. In fact, this is because everyone has different consumption concepts. I am willing to spend money on maintenance, buying clothes, traveling, fitness, etc.
Using this money to spend is just to make me happy. It makes me feel better, which is good for my health, and going out is equivalent to exercise. Traveling can also help me gain insights. Although I am getting older, I don’t want to fall behind. For example, when I went to Mogan Mountain, I couldn’t understand the style of the B&B decoration. My daughter told me that it was wabi-sabi style.
I don’t want to live in the city anymore in the future. I have recently considered buying a house in a hot spring village near us and transforming it into a B&B. I can plant some flowers and plants in the yard, raise a cat and puppy, and travel from time to time, such as Maldives, this kind of old life is what I yearn for.
*The title picture and the accompanying pictures in the text are all from. At the request of the interviewees, the names of Sister Joan, Qiuyue, Liu Yunfei and Yiming in the article are pseudonyms.
