Enjoyable overseas trips light up people’s lives. However, until what age elderly people should continue international travel remains unclear. From my perspective, elderly people should refrain from traveling abroad.

Due to their age, senior citizens with the relatively poor physical condition on such trips may encounter difficulties which younger people typically do not. For example, imagine you come to visit a famous tourist destination, like Tibet in China. Young people with stronger immune systems and higher energy levels generally adapt faster and better to the altitude. They all enjoy and marvel at the spectacular mountain scenery but many also suffer from the high altitude, losing the inclination to continue sightseeing. Such a situation would not be uncommon for seniors on foreign trips, especially involving visits to remote places which are often included in travelling plans.

On top of that, some elderly people are also less likely to appreciate foreign trips, owing to a more rigid mindset besetting many older people. Many have developed their own fixed methods of taking in new information which may hinder them from fully embracing what is before them. For instance, suppose an elderly person visits another country where insects are a staple food source. Trying new foods is often a very valuable memory while travelling, but the rigid thinking that insects are inedible may well stop some seniors from trying food made of insects. On the other hand, young people with more flexible mindsets are likely to try more new things.

Furthermore, when people are younger, their desire for new experiences is higher. Curiosity tends to peak at a young age, which foreign trips cater well to. Babies, for instance, want to touch and taste many things around them. If they are stopped, they often become anxious and start to cry. The same is true for adolescents and young adults: their curiosity is demonstrated by the desire to go out and see the world. In contrast, allowing young people to travel internationally, to see different lifestyles and cultures, perfectly suits their desire for exploration.

In conclusion, from the points described above, I firmly believe that people should try to travel abroad when they are younger rather than when they are older.