One third of adults over 40 feel more ‘adventurous’ now with holidays, survey claims

Research reveals adults still have seven countries on average to visit on their travel bucket list

Thirty-eight per cent of respondents said they preferred 'going off the beaten track' when travelling abroad (Rex Features)

The average 40-something still has seven countries to visit on their travel bucket list with nearly a third feeling more “adventurous” with their holidays than when they were younger, according to a new poll.

The survey of 2,000 adults aged 40 and above revealed travel is not just the domain of the young, with middle-aged Britons still working their way through a wishlist of destinations.

Respondents had only travelled to a quarter of the countries they had dreamed of visiting, with popular backpacking destinations New Zealand, Canada and Australia at the top of the list.

Six in 10 had already booked a trip abroad in 2019, while three in 10 thought they were more “adventurous” with their holiday choices now than they had been in the past, with 38 per cent saying they preferred to go off the beaten track when they travel abroad.

Rather than sitting by the pool, a fifth had tried snorkelling on a trip abroad while more than one in 10 have been on a safari.

“The world is more accessible than ever before, and as a result holidays are something many people can enjoy," said Aimee White, editor at Rough Guides, which commissioned the research. “Many of us have a wishlist of places we want to visit and some even have multiple holidays planned – at least in their heads even if they don’t yet have the funds to book it.”

She added: “The great thing about travel is you can get out of it exactly what you like. If you want a wild adventure, then go ahead – if you’d rather chill out on holiday, that’s fine too. But often our tastes change as we get older, and it’s great to see an appetite for adventure isn’t limited to anyone under the age of 25.”

The survey also found nearly half of respondents went on more holidays now than at any other point of their lives, with six in 10 putting this down to having more money than they did in the past.

A quarter thought it was easier to get away because their children were older, while 46 per cent have more time, according to the research carried out via OnePoll.

Another 40 per cent thought their lives were simpler now, giving them more freedom to travel the globe.

It also emerged more than one in five respondents aged 40 and above had also “gone travelling”, taking a month or more off work to visit different countries.

Ms White added: “Years ago, it was the case that only the rich went on holidays, but with travel being cheaper and modern technology making it easier to research trips, travel is open to more people than ever before, and our research shows that more people are taking advantage of it. But as a society, we need to get away from this assumption that only young people want to travel and have adventures while stereotyping older travellers as wanting a particular type of holiday.

“It is important that the travel industry gives older travellers the same opportunities to have adventurous travel experiences as younger people if they want to and not dismiss them as being too ‘old’ or ‘boring’.”

SWNS