If you thought Australia’s seniors were quietly knitting away their twilight years, think again. The nation’s over-60s have flung open the suitcase, polished the passport, and decided that their hard-earned savings, even the kids’ inheritance, are better spent on cocktails at sea, rail journeys through Europe, or escaping to warmer climes.
According to the Grey Gap Year Report 2025, commissioned by Australian Seniors, nearly two in five (39%) older Australians embarked on a so-called “big holiday” in the past year. That’s more than double the figure in 2022, when fewer than one in five dared to dream beyond the garden gate. Clearly, the golden years are no longer about shrinking horizons but about expanding them.
And here’s the kicker: nine in 10 seniors readily admit holidays are becoming pricier, yet three in four (75%) still have future travel plans firmly pinned to the fridge. To fund their escapes, more than eight in 10 (81%) are happily trimming life’s frills — fewer impulse buys, fewer restaurant splurges. The shopping centre loses, but the cruise terminal wins.
“We’re Spending the Kids’ Inheritance”
As Associate Professor Gabby Walters, a specialist in tourism marketing, quipped:
“This research confirms that travel is becoming increasingly important to Australian seniors, despite rising cost-of-living pressures. Seniors are choosing travel over other non-discretionary spending … and spending the kids’ inheritance!”
And spend it they do. One in 10 (10%) seniors openly admit dipping into their offspring’s financial nest. Do they feel bad? Not in the slightest. Nearly seven in 10 (68%) declare they’re not worried, and an almost equal number shrug off guilt. After all, what’s the point of hoarding a legacy if you’re not alive to enjoy it?
Interestingly, according to the Australian Seniors Inheritance & Retirement Report 2024, only 65% of seniors believe their children or grandchildren expect an inheritance. Perhaps that explains the rise of the SKI trend, Spending the Kids’ Inheritance, and the surge in multigenerational holidays, where families travel together now instead of waiting for the reading of the will.
Cruises, Slow Travel, and the Joy of Missing Out
If one holiday style is stealing the spotlight, it’s cruising. Almost three in 10 seniors (29%) now choose to holiday at sea, up from 22% in 2022. The reasons are simple: value, convenience, and the chance to unpack once while the world sails by.
Beyond cruising, seniors embrace slow travel and even JOMO, the Joy of Missing Out. Forget the frantic, 12-countries-in-two-weeks tours. Instead, more than a third (33%) prefer leisurely itineraries, where the joy lies in sipping coffee in a piazza, rather than ticking monuments off a list.
And here’s a surprise: solo travel is booming. Nearly three in 10 (29%) have ventured out alone in the past five years, and 16% are considering it. As Walters notes:
“The growth in solo travel reflects increasing confidence and self-efficacy. Today’s seniors are healthier, more independent, and living longer than previous generations.”
There’s also the matter of subjective age bias, the charming phenomenon where a 75-year-old feels like 55 inside. In short, seniors travel like millennials, with better shoes and more sensible travel insurance.
Memories Over Money
The shift is clear: seniors now prize experiences over financial legacies. More than two in five (43%) say creating travel memories trumps leaving behind an inheritance. And with two in five (40%) already taking multigenerational trips, the family photo albums are bulging.
Nearly three in 10 (27%) would consider gifting a family holiday instead of a financial payout. Picture it: “Here’s your inheritance, kids it leaves Sydney on Saturday, deck 8, midship cabin.”
The top travel motivations are relaxation (60%), family time (45%), and learning about the world (44%). Money might make the world go round, but memory-making keeps it spinning.
Travel Insurance and Barriers
While our seniors are adventurous, they’re also pragmatic. Seven in 10 (72%) take out insurance for overseas trips. Yet, curiously, the number buying comprehensive cover has fallen — just 48% now, compared with 62% in 2022. Meanwhile, the number of brave souls skipping international insurance has increased to 20%.
Domestic travel is even more casual: 56% of seniors forgo insurance. Whether this reflects confidence, thrift, or a touch of denial is up for debate.
Of course, barriers remain. The leading hurdles are financial constraints (62%), health issues (35%, rising to 62% among the Silent Generation), and home responsibilities (35%), ranging from pets to property.
The Golden Age of Travel
The Grey Gap Year Report 2025 reveals a demographic rewriting retirement with gusto. Australian seniors are no longer content to sit back and wait for postcards from others. They’re buying the postcards themselves, often on board a cruise ship somewhere in the Mediterranean.
And let’s face it: whether it’s a luxury cruise, a train through the Rockies, or a campervan up the coast, today’s retirees ensure their later years are marked by adventure, not austerity.
Their mantra could be borrowed from the classic car ads: “Drive it like you stole it”, except in this case, it’s “Spend it like you earned it”. And that, surely, is the inheritance that counts.
By Susan Ng
