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Retirement. For many it conjures images of relaxed mornings at home, time to play with the grand kids, or afternoons spent golfing with friends. And definitely travel. According to the Travel Industry Association of America, seniors are traveling in record numbers.While some are content to ride sight-seeing buses through beautiful countryside, others are looking for something more engaging. In fact, 43% of seniors polled stated that "experiencing cultures firsthand" was their number one reason to travel. Sound familiar?
Over the last ten years, the number of GCN senior volunteers has risen significantly, and many don't stop with just one trip. Frank Braun, 76, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, has been to Kenya twice, the Navajo nation twice, and Belize once. Next he'll be joining an exploratory trip to Tanzania in January, 2004. What keeps Frank coming back? "For seniors, there's still time in your life to have experiences that are significant enough to change your orientation," he said. "You're not dead in the water." Not only are there benefits for senior volunteers, but for the community members as well. Frank recalled two women in their 70s who were part of his group in Kenya. "I can't say enough about how well-received they were, how much they contributed to our acceptance in the community. They had so much to share."
Helen Daly, a 60-something volunteer from Wheat Ridge, Colorado, has volunteered on two GCN trips, one to Mexico and another to Guatemala. She also appreciated the age variations within her groups, which included teenagers. "Our leader's flexibility was wonderful. It really allowed for individual differences." On one trip, while the rest of the team was mixing cement and making a wall, Helen worked with the local women in the kitchen. "I learned so much from those ladies and kids," she reflected. "I was always encouraged to follow my own interests, to use my own talents and skills. I even taught a class on making dream catchers."
Bill Olszewski, 70, from St. Paul, Minnesota, had a chance to use his eaching skills as well. On a trip to St. Vincent, a small island in the Caribbean, he was asked to teach a class on computers. "It was a village that had no electricity. Only one person had ever experienced computers, but that's what the local people were interested in hearing about." In addition to his trip to St. Vincent, Bill has traveled to Belize, Bolivia and Mexico with GCN, and is also part of the January trip to Tanzania. He started olunteering with GCN when he was still working as a professor. "I was 58. A student of mine came to me and asked whether she could get credit for a volunteer trip she was aking to Poland. Then she came back and wanted credit for a trip to Guatemala and Tonga and finally Tanzania. She was 73."
Advice for seniors who are interested in volunteering? "Relax and enjoy," said Helen. Don't be so goal-oriented. The only thing I'd do differently is to learn a few Spanish words. We got along without it, but a few nouns and verbs would go a long way."
"Seize the moment," said Bill. "If you have your health and the means to do it, then go. There will come a time when it's difficult or impossible." Why should seniors consider a GCN trip, given all the attractive options available during retirement? "It can give you some direction and add yet another dimension to your life," said Frank. "To be suddenly geographically separated, to leave the comforts and assurance of your own habits can dramatically open up your view of the world."
"There's a fascination with other cultures, a desire to learn how varied life and human cultures are," said Bill. "But I think it's something a little deeper, too. We sometimes have a special awareness of mortality...instead of lying on a beach somewhere we may want to do work of some substance, like building a clinic. There's a desire to give back for lives that have been quite blessed."
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