'Not Travelling Enough' Top Regret for Over 50s

Posted by Sue Anderson, 25th Feb 2013

Our latest survey has revealed that 'not travelling enough' is the top regret for Britons over the age of 50; with the majority of those taking part claiming that they'd been on holiday, on average, 'less than once a year' throughout their lifetime.

Not seeing enough of the world seems to be something that concerns adults across the UK, as our latest survey has revealed that out of all the things that those over the age of 50 regret, 'not travelling enough' is top of the poll.

We carried out the poll as part of ongoing research into the travel and holiday experiences of people in the UK; particularly those over the age of 50. 2,107 UK adults over the age of 50 took part in the study and answered questions about the holidays they had been on and what regrets, if any, they had in life.

Not travelling, career choice and bad relationships topped the list



When asked, 'What do you regret, if anything, from your life so far?' and asked to select all that applied from a list of possible answers, the most common response given by the taking part was 'not travelling enough'.

According to the study, the top 10 regrets of those over the age of 50 in the UK were as follows:

1. Not travelling enough - 91%

2. Career choice - 72%

3. Bad relationship choices - 64%

4. Not staying healthy (diet/exercise) - 55%

5. Losing touch with certain friends - 53%

6. Being careless with money - 46%

7. Having children too early - 27%

8. Worrying too much - 25%

9. Not being a 'yes' person - 19%

10. Having children too late - 8%

Australia, the USA and South Africa topped the dream destinations list



When asked how many holidays abroad, on average, they had been on throughout their lifetime so far, the majority, 64%, said 'less than once a year'. When asked what places they would most like to have visited that they hadn't got round to yet, Australia, the USA and South Africa were the top answers given, with 78%, 71% and 65% of the vote respectively. Furthermore, 63% said they planned to see more of the world once they'd retired.

Many people consider travelling to be a very important thing that they get to do during their lives, so it's no surprise to hear that not travelling enough tops the list of regrets. Travelling doesn't always have to involve long trips to exotic locations, even just a weekend away in Paris can give you plenty of stories to tell and it doesn't have to leave too much of a dent in your bank balance.
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