This is part of a collection of stories celebrating the many shapes retirement travel can take. Read more here.

Bonni and Bob Gumport travel regularly in their retirement. Not beholden to one short vacation a year (they average seven big ones), their compounding experience has allowed them to develop a code of rules by which they abide—tips and tricks to use wherever they go. After one too many of the small rooms common in boutique hotels, for example, they’ve cut them out entirely. Also out of the question are walking tours within two days of arrival in a new destination, as they prefer to settle in. Their daughter Lauren describes them as “pros on retiree travel,” but they are not the only ones with advice to give.

There are former museum curators who have learned not to overbook themselves; solo travelers who always learn a little of the local language. Adherence to anyone’s rules will never ensure a vacation free of hiccups, where no flight is ever delayed, every tour is worth the hours put in, and every meal sublime. But learning from others may improve your chances of a good time—even when things inevitably go sideways. We’ve spoken to over 20 retired travelers to hear how their Golden Years have informed the way that they travel. Below, find some of their savviest secrets for better trips.

1. Take a ride on the hop-on, hop-off bus tour

If she’s traveling in a city that offers one of those double-decker hop-on, hop-off sightseeing tours, Denver-based Heidi Burtoni, 65, who goes on multiple trips per year, is definitely stepping aboard. Burtoni says it’s a great way to figure out the rest of her itinerary, get tips from other travelers and the tour guide, and get a feel for the new city. “It’s the first thing I do to get the lay of the land,” says Burtoni. Her previous career in sales means the frequent solo traveler will “talk to anybody,” so these tours also open the door for socializing and making connections.

2. Figure out what to avoid

For Paul and Lynn Zelevansky (77 and 76, respectively), travel is less about hitting all the top spots and more about learning where not to go, “whether that means avoiding tourist traps, the most sweltering hours at fairs, or not putting yourself in danger by flagging a taxi when it’s unsafe.” They visit the Venice Biennale in fall, now, rather than at the opening, to avoid the worst of the crushes—it also helps them more effectively skirt the city’s infamous pickpockets (Lynn’s wallet was stolen on a crowded vaporetto ferry in 2022).

3. BYOTP (Bring Your Own Toilet Paper)

“Toilet paper in Europe is very scratchy … not good for sensitive parts,” says Florida native Karen Butera, an avid pickleball player who often travels with the sport in mind. Whenever overseas, she always travels with her own toilet paper. Butera, 66, is taking her granddaughter to see Taylor Swift in Paris this summer, and, yes, she will be packing TP—creature comforts are even more crucial on the road than they are at home.

4. Don’t overschedule

Packed-to-the-brim itineraries used to be J. Patrice Marandel’s MO, but these days, the former chief curator at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is more keen on scheduling “plenty of time for the unexpected.” Gone are the nonstop days with planned breakfasts, lunches, and dinners; instead, Marandel, 79, leaves room for the possibility of something unexpected and “exciting.” It often pays off.

5. Pack light

Buffalo, New York-based Lisa LaLonde, 74, and her travel companion Antoinette Judelsohn, 70, whom she’s been traveling with for over a decade, are pros at packing light. The pals can manage for a month on very little, relying on the versatility of black leggings and black tops, says LaLonde. The trick? Develop a travel uniform, bring just a few versions, and wash undergarments as necessary, says Judelsohn. Big suitcases stuffed to the brim with a ton of different outfits are more of a hassle than a luxury. “They’re a pain in the neck if you’re getting on a train or off a train … or moving from one city to another,” says LaLonde.

6. Don’t get (too) excited

Judelsohn, a former teacher who met LaLonde when they worked together at the same school in Buffalo, has another travel rule that’s served her well: Letting go of expectations. “I never get excited about a trip,” says Judelsohn. Instead, the savvy traveler lets the excitement emerge based on what’s in front of her in the moment.

7. Avoid traveling on Sundays

RVer Jenelle Jones, 64, is against traveling on Sundays. As she puts it, “anybody and their brother with an RV travels on Sunday.” Long weekend RVers who have to get back for work on Monday use Sundays to head home, so retired Jones, 64, simply avoids the day altogether. It’s also, according to her, the “biggest day to get in an RV wreck”— yet another reason to sit back and relax. You have nowhere you need to be, after all. Take advantage.

8. Learn a few words of the local language

Charlotte Simpson, whose blog Traveling Black Widow documents her travels (100 countries and counting so far), says her number one travel rule is to learn a few key phrases—hello, goodbye, please, thank you—in the dominant language of the places she visits. Simpson says her efforts are always well received. “I just find, inevitably, it sort of stuns people when I even just say good morning.” Simpson, who prefers not to reveal her age, says she gets a lot out of bridging the language gap with just a few words: “It just makes people so friendly and so happy that you took this moment to learn [their language].”

9. Travel slower

When you cram too much into a single trip, “the whole experience just kind of becomes a blur,” say Gillian Batt, 43, and Stephanie Myers, 51, whose blog Our Freedom Years documents their early retirement and subsequent travels. The couple, who hail from Ontario, Canada, say staying in one place for an extended period of time helps them avoid travel burnout, keep costs low, and enjoy the whole experience more. All that rushing around on limited PTO? Well behind them.

10. Go your own way

The pandemic crystallized things for Kim Kelly Stamp, 65, and her wife Liz Schick, 62, who left it all behind and decided to travel around the country in a red 21-foot teardrop trailer. They’ve since gotten really good at going with the flow. “We know where we’re going to stay along the way, but we hold that really loosely and give ourselves the opportunity to make something else happen,” explains Stamp. This approach led them to Laurel, Mississippi, where the HGTV show Hometown—of which Stamp and Schick are big fans of, is based. Instead of following a regimented schedule, they followed their passion when the road forked, literally.

11. Keep an open heart and mind

In spite of being seasoned travelers, John and Bev Martin, 60, who started the RetirementTravelers site to share their journey with others, admit they still need to remind themselves that they can’t control everything. “We have to be patient and receptive to the lessons the world is trying to teach,” says the couple. One that keeps coming up? “Retirement is not the time to stop dreaming about new and different routes in life.”

12. Do your research

The Gumports appreciate getting a taste of the local culture wherever they are traveling, and they’re not opposed to tours or experiences that deliver on this front. But Bonni has a few words of advice: “If you’re looking at purchasing something that uses words such as ‘bespoke, artisanal, farm-to-table’ and more fluffy adjectives, make sure these experiences are as authentic as they sound.” Read reviews thoroughly and take the time to research before you buy, advises Bonni. It’s fun to be spontaneous, but it’s easy to be misled by clever marketing and buzzwords.

13. It’s a marathon—not a sprint

It wasn’t long before Brenda Huyhn adopted—and adapted— a popular van-lifer rule: Don’t travel more than 3 hours, get in by 3 p.m., and stay at least 3 nights. Huyhn, who at 47 retired earlier than many, is adamant about not trying to do too much in one day to avoid burnout. She and her husband take their time, prioritizing “quality over quantity” with their stops and stays. It makes the entire experience all the richer.

14. You can always head home

Diana Petterson is on track to hit the 100-country mark just in time for her 70th birthday in 2026. But as much as the Black solo traveler loves seeing the world, she’s not afraid to ditch a trip if something isn’t working out. “Wherever I am in the world, if for whatever reason I am uncomfortable, or I don’t feel well … I’m going to plop down that credit card, and get home.”

15. Start the day early to avoid the crowds

Artist Simma Liebman, 76, enjoys going to museums while visiting new cities and places. But since the retiree is immunocompromised, she plans these outings a little differently. Now Liebman hits the museums “as early in the day as possible” and masks up while taking in the art “unless there are very few people inside.” Whatever your motivation, rising early is something you can be sure the hordes of 20-something backpackers won’t be doing. Beat them to all the best spots.

16. Base yourself strategically

Betty, 80, an art collector who declined to share her last name, has found that mid-sized hotels (meaning about 200 rooms) in central locations, with just enough of the services she wants and needs, do the job. “I like a very good hotel, but not necessarily the best,” says Betty. As long as you have the basics covered, it’s really about location, location, location.

17. Don’t wait for tomorrow

Instead of putting off travel for a later date, Chicago-based Ruthie Maldonado-Delwiche advises those interested in exploring the world to get out there and “do it now.” Because “tomorrow isn’t promised,” Maldonado-Delwiche, who’s been traveling since she retired in 2017, says. Don’t wait if there’s something you want to do or a place you want to visit.

Former psychiatrist Ann Heaslett, 60, who aims to run the six major world marathons in her retirement, feels exactly the same way. “There’s no time like the present.”

This is part of a collection of stories celebrating the many shapes retirement travel can take. Read more here.

When I was growing up, my parents traveled the globe working in the art world. My mother, Lynn Zelevansky, now 76, spent her career as a contemporary curator and museum director, focusing outside the classic New York and European spheres of that time on artists from South Korea, Mexico, and beyond. My father, Paul Zelevansky, 77, a visual artist and professor, traveled with her as often as he could, soaking up every culture like a sponge. When my mother was curating an enormous installation—constructed from church candles and cow bones—by Brazilian conceptual artist Cildo Meireles at MoMA, for example, feijoada brunches became a norm in our household. When my parents traveled back and forth to Tokyo as she organized a Yayoi Kusama retrospective at LACMA, Japanese techno became our daily soundtrack.

When my mother retired from working full-time at institutions and my father stopped teaching, I wondered what they might do.

Keep traveling—that’s what.

Their adventures have persisted as predictably as their omnipresent black wardrobe, whether they’re hitting the Venice Biennale every fall without fail, touring Spain’s Basque Country after an opening for an Ad Reinhardt show in Madrid, or meeting art world friends in Vietnam a talk on minimalism, given by my mother, in Singapore.

Lured by a sense of intrigue, community, social connection, and multilayered cultural experience, a widening circle of retirees (and semi-retirees) are spending their newfound leisure time traversing the globe from Berlin to Morocco to Mexico City in pursuit of art, attending bustling art fairs, lavish parties, intimate artist studio visits, private gallery tours, and museum openings, not only to see and buy art, but also to connect and stay stimulated while immersed in beauty. “The art world is really a global community,” my mother muses.

Because the artistic sphere is both a social network and an industry, retirement-age people who travel for art are both former insiders and hobbyists. “The social element of the art world is very central to what it is,” says Paul. “And so you go to these events to meet people, reconnect, make new connections.”

J. Patrice Marandel, 79, a Frenchman with an infectious smile, missed the ease of that social and professional overlap as well as the nearly constant travel to acquire work when he retired from being chief curator of European painting at Los Angeles County Museum of Art after twenty-three years in 2017. “I used to say that my real residence was the Frankfurt airport because I changed planes there so often,” he jokes. “After I retired, there were less opportunities to see the people who are more friends than colleagues.”

The only solution was to continue traveling in art circles, sometimes as a consultant for private individuals and institutions, and otherwise for pure enjoyment. As a retiree, he has freedom to pursue his own passions, jet-setting for a recent Frans Hals (a Dutch Golden Age painter) exhibit in London, to see 17th and 18th century French painting shows in France, and to explore a newer interest in Islamic art (inspired by long ago trips to countries including Afghanistan). “Before, my travel was based on what I was going to achieve and bring home,” he says. “Now, it’s about my pleasure.”

It can be overwhelming to try to find the best places to retire in the US. While it’s always nice to dream about our golden years, when we put our OOO notification on forever and settle down in a new place, the United States has plenty of options for retirees seeking an ideal place to settle down. (And no, they’re not all in Florida.) But what separates a great hometown earlier in life from the perfect bases in retirement?

When it comes to choosing a place to retire, affordability is always key—after all, those savings accounts can drain pretty quickly if you aren’t mindful. But it’s also important to consider factors like healthcare quality and safety, as well as recreational opportunities, weather, walking scores, and much more.

To help folks strike that perfect balance between stretching your dollar and having fun, WalletHub has released its annual Best & Worst Places to Retire list—a ranking of 182 cities across the United States (including the 150 most populated US cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state) based on affordability, activities, quality of life, and healthcare.

Each of the four metrics takes several factors into consideration. “Affordability” looks at adjusted cost of living and taxpayer-friendliness (among others); “activities” looks at golf courses and art galleries per capita; “quality of life” looks at weather and strength of elder abuse protections; and “healthcare” looks at vaccination rates and quality of public hospitals.

Not surprisingly, Florida continues to prove itself as a retiree hot spot, occupying 5 slots in the top 15. But the list really runs the gamut of both geography and demographics. (In case you’re wondering, WalletHub considers Bridgeport, Connecticut, to be the “worst” city for retirees, followed by Newark, New Jersey.)

Read on for this year’s top 15 best places to retire in the U.S. and decide where you’d like to hang your hat… or, more accurately, park your vintage convertible. (Hey, you deserve it.)