Travelling in Your 30s: What Changed and What Stayed the Same.

In 2020, when we cut our third (or was it fourth? It all merges into one) big backpacking trip short due to the COVID pandemic, I don’t think we could have ever imagined how the next five years would unfold. 

In our minds, we were heading home for a few months before hitting the road again. Somehow, those “few months” turned into five years, and it wasn’t until 2025 that we finally set off on another big trip.

This time, rather than being in our early 30s, we were now pushing into our late 30s. Shaped by our first real experiences of loss, identity exploration, mental health struggles, and shifting ideas for the future – about work, life, and what we actually want from both.

Different, for better and for worse. But different. 

The vibe in many ways felt more appreciative; of life, of freedom, of time and of the world. But alongside that came the inevitable existential crises that seem to hit somewhere between youth and… whatever this stage is! 

So, if you’re up for some good old-fashioned reflective ramblings from the neurospicy depths of a road-worn traveller, then hop on. The trail that took us through Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South America and back to Asia was a wild one that taught us as much about ourselves as it did the world and the realities of post covid travel. 

Let’s see where this one takes us…

Travelling After COVID: The Trip We’d Waited So Long For!

Travel after COVID is a multifaceted beast… as is travelling in your 30s! 

Firstly, there’s the world and the people in it; many of the younger backpackers grew up or were at uni during the pandemic (talk about making me feel old!), and travel itself feels like it’s completely blown up in all corners of the world. 

Add to that the personal shift in perspective that not only being back home for the longest period of time since we first went travelling, but being older and having been through some life-changing experiences, adds… 

Well, let’s just say, the world and us in it felt different.

Being stuck at home with my parents during COVID after travelling for over five years felt suffocating, especially during the depths of what felt like a never-ending lockdown. I’m not ashamed to admit that my mental health took a nosedive over that period, and it was only the thought of backpacking again that kept even a flicker of light going. 

In the middle of this, my world was turned upside down by the death of my grandad. Having had time to reflect over the few years since, I can honestly say we had the perfect relationship, but with that came the crippling pain of his absence. 

My grandad was my hero, my best friend, my defender and the person I always turned to when something needed fixing. But this time, it was my heart that was broken, and he couldn’t mend it. 

His passing left me feeling lost for a long time. 

First came anger, then guilt, then depression mixed with an existential dread that developed into severe anxiety. So intense at times that I genuinely thought I was having a heart attack or developing a serious illness. To say I had lost all interest in travel at this point was an understatement. 

To make matters worse, we lost our dog a few months later. 

Over this period, weeks became months, which then somehow morphed into years. With lockdowns, deaths, mental health and a semblance of settling, that next backpacking trip felt further and further away. At times, it didn’t even feel real anymore. Saving up had stalled with selling and buying a house, and the distractions of life, especially when you feel trapped and unfulfilled. 

Could we save up enough? Were we too old for backpacking now? Was this entirely irresponsible? Despite the doubts, the questions, the fears… the passion came back, and we began taking shorter trips around Europe. 

This is when we looked at each other and said – Fuck it, let’s do that big trip and go to all those places we’ve been dreaming of. 

All this to say, whilst the world had changed, I realised more than ever that I had. But this trip was to be about both confronting that and escaping it at the same time… plus, you know, seeing cool shit! 

Are We Too Old to Travel… the Same?

The stupid, incessant, grumbling, yelling-at-clouds voice we had looping in our heads… We just couldn’t shut it up. It just kept saying…

Are we too old to go travelling again? 

Now, one of the big questions you start to think about when you’re not in your 20’s anymore, is, “Am I too old for this? I’ve never been one to feel there’s an age limit on anything, but hitting your late thirties, something does change. It’s a weird transitional time in life, where some people think you’re old, some think you’re young! It’s a confusing time. 

I sorta still feel like I’m in my mid twenties, I’ve just got a bad back from carrying all these life experiences I’ve picked up over the years! 

Travel in your 30s is a different vibe, but travelling in your late 30s is even wilder. 

The bigger thing is this idea that we need to have our lives figured out by this age, and whether or not buggering off backpacking again for another year is irresponsible, and we’re just running from “real life” once again. 

I’m pretty certain both of these are actually true, but then again, I also don’t have a clue what any of us are really doing on this rock floating through space. We only get a short amount of time, and I, for one, will not be spending it in an office! 

But it turns out, you’re never too old to go travelling. It’s a personal journey, no matter what stage you’re at in your life. It’s about what it means to you, what you make of it and the impact it has on you as an individual… and that’s important at any age. 

I’ll be honest, though, exhaustion from travel hits a bit harder these days, but travelling in your 30s with a bit of experience under your belt might actually be better… or at least that’s one of the lessons I feel travelling has taught me at this age.

The Emotional Reality of Long-Term Travel

I think one of the aspects of long-term travel that a lot of people don’t talk about is the psychological effect of being on the road for a long time. The feeling of being constantly in motion, seeing new things all the time, meeting new people, an unmatched feeling of freedom mixed with feeling disjointed and unsettled. 

It’s liberating, scary, empowering, enlightening and yet isolating all at the same time… especially if you’re an overthinker like me! 

It’s almost as important as the destinations themselves, and in my opinion, can fundamentally change you and your outlook on life, normality and settling. It can make coming home rough, but the ride is even sweeter. It’s a rollercoaster, as is life. 

An Overview of Our Big Trip: Itineraries and Itinerants

Alright, let’s have a look at where we actually went during our big trip. And when I say big, you’ll realise when I note all the places down how little we actually planned our route because we crossed the globe a few too many times! 

Highlights 

• The Craziness of India – After visiting so many places in the world, we weren’t expecting the sheer culture shock of India. For travel experiences, it was one of the best and most intense we’ve had, especially in Varanasi and Bundi. The people were so friendly, the food was amazing, photography was so much fun here, and the Taj Mahal lived up to expectations. 

• Slowing Down in Regional Australia – We spent a month living in the country with our adopted Aussie family, and it was such a cool and different experience from when we lived here. We went fishing, swimming in the river, Gav taught us to shoot, we looked after the chucks, and even saw a brown snake! 

• Campervanning Across New Zealand – When we lived in NZ, we never made it to the North Island after our car broke down, so this time we focused on it. We stayed with good mates in Auckland, hiked Tongariro, visited Hobiton, hit the beach, nipped over to Nelson to see another mate, and just generally fell back in love with Aotearoa on our campervan trip.

• The Variety of Colombia – Colombia was the ultimate introduction to South America, and we just loved how diverse this place is. From the busy streets of Bogota to the Caribbean beats of Cartagena and the vibrant energy of Medellin, we loved our month here. 

• How Much of a Vibe Rio Is – Rio was a place I just knew I would love! It’s one of those cities with a contagious energy. Add to that the passion of the locals, the football on the beaches, the incredible views from the mountains and the amazing weather… I was sold from the start! 

• Staying in Buenos Aires with Margarita – We stayed with a local woman, Margarita, in her apartment in Buenos Aires and getting to know the city through her experience and passion was a privilege. Each morning, she’d bake bread, show us how to drink Mate, tell us all the best spots to eat in and give us the lowdown on where to visit. She became our Argentinian abuela! 

• Visiting Iguazu Falls – The sheer beauty of Iguazu Falls, from both the Brazilian and Argentinian sides, is impossible to put into words. This was one of those “big experiences” that genuinely did not disappoint. The scale, the power, the sheer magnitude of this wonder didn’t feel real at times. Plus, Shorty got chased by a gang of coatis, so it was even more entertaining! 

• Touring the Salt Flats – This really did feel like the adventure of a lifetime. We spent four days exploring the lunar-like landscape of the region, from blood red flamingo-filled lakes, llamas wandering the plains with volcanoes in the distance, and, of course, doing silly poses on the salt flats. We also met a great bunch of people on our multi-day tour, and crossing the border from Chile to Bolivia at over 4000m was pretty memorable! 

• Living in an Apartment in La Paz – We settled in for a little while in La Paz and fell in love with the city. There’s nothing quite like getting on cable cars instead of buses for public transport, calling in at the witches market and sipping your morning coffee with a view of the mountains. We also took Spanish lessons here. 

• Staying with a Local Family Near Lake Titicaca – Despite being absolutely freezing and at such an altitude that even a casual stroll left you out of breath, staying in Puno near Lake Titicaca with Pedro, Marla, and their two super cute dogs, Trajejo and Matilda, was such a fun and rich experience. They lived in an old adobe house passed down through the generations and were so open and lovely to talk to about the region and Peru as a whole. 

• Slow Travel in Cusco – We decided to spend an extended period in Cusco, and it really paid off. We became locals at the coffee shop, popped into the bakery on our street each morning and bought our groceries from the market. We even borrowed cooking equipment from our neighbours. It was wonderful to get to know this historic city on a deeper level. 

• Of Course: Machu Picchu – Most of our time in South America was dictated by this bucket list experience, and it made it feel even more important. Thankfully, after leaving our slow group behind, we managed to hike the one-day Inca Trail with ease and had enough time to bask in the glory of Machu Picchu – it really did not disappoint, and we got perfect weather. 

• How Insane LA Is – I get why some people hate LA, but for my chaotic ADHD brain, I love the vibe! I mean, it was seriously the most sketchy place we visited the whole trip, but there’s something about the energy and unpredictability here that I thrived off! We also got invited into a lovely lady’s insane garden in the Hollywood Hills, which was a mega fun and unique experience. 

• Returning to Thailand – There’s just something about that feeling of returning to Thailand, it’s like a calm just washes over you. Returning to Southeast Asia after months in South America felt like coming home. I just can’t get enough of this place. We spent most of our time chilling in Koh Samui, a new island for us, and it’s kinda similar to Bali, which is cool.

• Settling Down in Bali – After some hectic months on the road, crisscrossing the globe, we decided to spend two months in Bali. We love it here, and it was the perfect reset to get back into the gym, catch up on work and other life admin, and just slow down and not feel so much pressure to sightsee all the time. We also managed to visit quite a few new places here, including Uluwatu, Amed and Nusa Penida (after surviving the fast boat over!). Our mate Jody from Perth also came over to visit. 

• Motorbikes in Vietnam – We had bigger plans (I’ll go into them below) for getting back on the motorbikes in Nam, but in the end had to settle for slow travel in Hanoi plus a nice jaunt down to Ninh Binh on our trusty old Detch Win’s – which was fun and I’m impressed I remembered how to ride a manual bike after a while out of the game! 

• Being Big Kids in Japan – We had been wanting to return to Japan for a long time, and that was kinda why we ended up planning our trip to end in Asia. Well, in case you don’t know, we love Pokémon. So, between buying Grail cards and making new friends playing Pokémon Go, plus all the other chaos of Japan, we were basically like kids in a sweet shop here! 

• Spending Time with Family – The trip ended with my (Nic) brother and his fiancée coming out to spend a couple of weeks with us in Korea, which included making Shorty feel sick in Lotte World, a blocked toilet, and an American guy actually being sick all over the bus on our DMZ tour… so it was eventful. We also called back into Qatar to stay with family there and had the best time… the highlight being the absolutely huge waterpark! 

Lowlights 

• Taking Too Many Flights – We took a total of 32 flights, many of which were long-haul. For someone who travels A LOT, it might surprise you to learn that I hate flying! Not only that, it just leaves you tired and costs a shit ton of money. Much of it was unavoidable, as South America is a lot harder overland than other regions, but we could have definitely planned our route ahead a bit better to avoid it being such a tiring trip. 

• Feeling Like Machu Picchu Dictated Our Schedule – As much as it lived up to the billing and more, having to book so far in advance meant that it dictated our schedule in South America to the point it felt a little suffocating. We prefer to have a much more open itinerary, and we did as much as we could, but it still limited us to some degree. 

• Having to miss Patagonia – In order to be in South America during the peak season for Machu Picchu, it meant that we were here over the autumn and winter months, meaning Patagonia wasn’t doable. Plus, given how expensive everything else had turned out to be, it would have pushed us way over. 

• Being More Safety Conscious in South America – In the end, we had no issues in South America, but it’s a region where you need to be much more vigilant than others. Travelling with a laptop, phone, and camera (packing as a digital nomad can be hectic!) can make it feel much more mentally tiring to be constantly on guard. Then there’s not being able to just freely explore without thorough research and having to return to your accommodation once it goes dark. 

• Getting Food Poisoning in Ecuador – After what was an incredible evening with some Ecuadrian friends we’d met in Bolivia, I was struck with the most horrendous case of food poisoning of my life and spent a week on the bathroom floor of our Airbnb! I somehow managed to drag myself up to the Refugio on Cotopaxi (4,864m/15,958ft) after having consumed about 200 calories in a week, whilst wearing shorts! 

• The Food in South America – Ok, I know not everyone will agree and Ok, it’s not all bad, but I am just not taken by the food across South America. It’s kinda bland, very corn-based, and I’m also scarred by Ecuador. The best food was in Argentina by far due to the Italian influence, and we did love the tropical fruits of Colombia. The coffee was great at least! 

• Missing Out on Ha Giang – We fit in Vietnam mostly, so we could do the Ha Giang loop on motorbikes. But in the two weeks we were there, we were hit by three typhoons, which made conditions unsafe, including landslides and flooding. So that was very disappointing, but hey, it’s a good excuse to go back! 

• Eating Too Many Eggs in Japan! – Being pretty much skint at this point in the trip, we ended up living off convenience store food in Japan. Which would be all well and good, but we’re vegetarians, and Japan isn’t exactly a veggie paradise! We did manage to find some amazing veggie restaurants, but on the whole, our diet consisted of that many eggs, I’m struggling to even look at another one for the time being!

• Coming Home! – As much as I needed a rest and to decompress after a hectic trip, I just really do hate coming home. For me, my system needs the constant novelty, stimulation and dopamine of travel. Back home, once the honeymoon phase fades, the drudgery of day-to-day life in an English village hits even harder than before I left. It’s almost like I’ve overloaded my senses and then struggle to find the same pleasure in normal things

Overall Reflections on the Itinerary 

Wow, as you can see, we bloody got about this year and on the whole, I’ve got no regrets. Sure, it was tiring at times, and I would’ve loved longer in a few places. It would have been nice to add in Central America, and once we were back in Southeast Asia, I could’ve stayed there indefinitely. 

I have to say, though, South America is definitely one of the best places to travel in your 30s because it does require a bit of experience. Much of it is also not so great if you’re looking for budget destinations for your trip.

But all things considered, I think we struck a pretty good balance – exploring different regions, working along the way, slowing down when we needed to, and still managing to see so much.

Renegades’ Top 6 Realities of Travel in the Late 30s

So, what was it really like, and how did our expectations of this trip after a five-year hiatus land in reality? From practical to psychological things, a long trip with added complications, emotional baggage and one hell of a build-up kinda hits differently. 

Here are a few of our reality versus expectation experiences. 

Balancing Travel and Work

I’m not going to get all “woe is me” because I’ve got to firstly check my privilege here. I get it, working on the road from my laptop, it’s the dream, right? 

Overall, I fully understand how lucky I am to have lived the digital nomad life. Sure, I’ve worked hard, I’ve made sacrifices, and the uncertainty of this path is an anxious one… but I get to do something a lot of people don’t. 

But I also want to point out that the reality of this trip vs the free and easy feeling of previous backpacking jaunts when it came to work was one of the most jarring. 

It’s a fine balance with digital nomad travel. The security of an income whilst travelling takes some of the pressure off, but having to actually earn it whilst wanting to fully embrace the freedom of the road can be tiring. 

Battling shitty WIFI, catching up with deadlines on an overnight train, and accepting that we have to miss some things and instead stay inside and work. It’s not all coconuts by the pool with your laptop! But the fact that it is sometimes is something I’ll forever be grateful for. 

Prioritising Comfort Over Socialising

One of my favourite parts of backpacking and long-term travelling has always been the social side of it. You just seem to meet people who “get it” without having you explain why you actually enjoyed spending 27 hours on a cramped sleeper train in China. 

You know, the ones you’re chatting to in the hostel kitchen at 3 am, like you’re old mates. The ones you meet up with all over the world, and those who’ve even given you a place to stay when you’re in their city. 

We’ve made some connections over the years that have been a highlight of our time on the road. But sometimes, as you get a bit older, you find yourself needing more space to yourself, more quiet reflecting time and honestly, more comforts. 

In the end, on this trip, we stayed in a lot more Airbnbs and guesthouses than hostels, and it’s for several reasons. 

Firstly, hostels are actually hella expensive in South America, and as much as I love them, I’m not paying the same for a dorm bed as I can get for an Airbnb! 

Secondly, comes the aforementioned work. It meant we needed more space to work without distractions, plus being able to keep our gear safer than in a shared space. 

Look, I’m not against staying in hostels in your 30s; we did it a lot on our last backpacking trip! But when it comes to travel expectations vs reality, for the most part, we were over it (but hey, we’ve done our time in the dorms of the world!)

But, we’re not talking splashing out on luxury here, we still very much travelled on a budget! Trust me, we still had our fair share of shocking accommodation experiences on this trip… sleeping on a mattress out of a tip in Paraty, anyone?! 

Instead, we opted for janky guest houses, private rooms in houses with locals or apartments where we’d ask our neighbours to borrow the casserole dish and become regulars at the local cafe. 

What we lost in connecting to other travellers, we often gained in access to local people and culture. But that wasn’t always the case; in some places, we gained a better connection, in others, we felt isolated and cut off. And it wasn’t always evident from the off which category each place would fall into, but I guess life is full of surprises, as Cilla used to say! 

Questioning the Journey 

The thing with long-term travel is that within the chaos of constant movement, once-in-a-lifetime experiences every other day and eye-opening encounters that make you question everything you know… There are plenty of quieter moments for reflection, especially when it comes to travel in your 30s. 

It’s the combination of discovering something new inside yourself… and the quiet that follows that brings about moments of existential melancholy. 

Or at least, for this tormented mind it does. Maybe everyone else is just happy to be there. 

It’s that moment you realise you’re leaving your heart in pieces around the world, when you leave somewhere you love, somewhere you might never visit again, or at least in the same way. The longing is the part you carry with you. 

Sometimes all that motion, freedom, beauty, reality, experience… comes a moment when it’s 2 am on the night bus, and everyone else is asleep, and you think “but what is this all for?”

Should I be at home paying off my mortgage? Should I be worried I’ve not got a pension? Will I ever feel settled anywhere after this? Have I missed the boat for a proper career with “meaning” or to move somewhere else permanently? What happens when I get home, where do all these moments live in the banality of the everyday? 

Maybe I should just put a movie on when I’m on overnight transport… 

Wanting to Slow the Fuck Down

Whether it’s being older travellers or just having experienced faster-paced travel before and finally being over it, on this trip, we yearned for slow travel. It wasn’t always easy. We had a year and a lot of places we wanted to visit, but we also wanted deeper connections and to just have time to wander. 

But, sometimes it can be a mental juggling act to figure out when we need to slow down to catch up or just soak things in a little more and when to move on and see the next city or country. Just that in itself can be tiring! 

Slowing down can sometimes mean missing out on other places, but in turn, it means discovering more about the ones you stay longer in. Avoiding travel burnout is even more important when you’re travelling in your 30s. And to be honest, the cynical part of me realises that some of those places you miss are just overrated tourist attractions anyway and being more present is more important.

For example, most people just rush right through places like Cusco and La Paz, using them as stopping points for “bigger” adventures. But we spent two weeks in each, and could have spent two more. It’s experiences like stopping at the bakery down the road each day, shopping in the market of a morning and having coffee in the same shop that stay with us just as much as hiking to Machu Picchu. 

No Rest, No Routine

Being on the road can be tiring and can cause travel burnout. When you’re moving faster or just heading out exploring each day, it can feel like there’s no rest in sight. Add to that the lack of routine when you’re on the road, it’s hard to do “normal” things like hitting the gym, eating well or working. 

It can make your life feel even more chaotic, and let’s be honest, when you’re not sure what continent you’ll be in next Tuesday, that’s saying something! 

There’s this double-edged sword feeling to this. On the one hand, “real life” always seems to be so structured that it doesn’t give you much freedom to just be. But sometimes, after a while, that freedom can tip into feeling a bit lost and needing some sort of anchor to keep you from floating away. 

The answer to this… Yeah, already said it, slow the fuck down! This is where we realised that staying even just a couple of days longer somewhere and creating a sorta “mini routine” around that place works well to give you a touch of stability and give your mind a break. 

Travelling for me works because my brain needs constant novelty and stimulation, but it doesn’t always know what’s best for itself! 

Backpacking involves a constant stream of micro decisions, figuring stuff out on the daily, especially things we’d take for granted at home. It’s good stress (for some of us at least), but you still need a break from it from time to time. Travel fatigue is very real, especially when you’re travelling in your 30s! 

You Can’t Escape Your Own Mind

After coming home from this trip, one thing I’ve realised is that travel serves multiple purposes for me. Of course, it’s all about the adventure, the journey, the experience, the cultures, food, people, ya know, discovering the riches of the world and all those romantic notions. 

BUT… for me personally, what I’ve really discovered is that long-term travel is escapism. A break from the more difficult realities of “normal” life. Sure, travel is good for mental health, but for me, it’s also been about avoiding dealing with it.

I’ve known for a long time that I’m an outsider in whatever everyone else seems to think is “ordinary life”, and backpacking hits that sweet spot for me of anonymity, novelty, stimulation and distraction. 

What I came to realise is this: at a certain point, all of it – the crippling anxiety, the tidal wave of grief, the uncertainty about the future, the discomfort in your identity, the fear of ageing doesn’t disappear. It just gets drowned out by Colombian vallenato, beeping Indian horns, the chanting of Thai monks, and the morning calls of Aussie cockatoos.

Make no mistake, it’s boarding that one-way flight to Bangkok without you realising… and that motherfucker is travelling in first-class! The older I get, the more it lingers – even with all the noise. And when I return home, it’s deafening. 

It might just be a sign that my time of outrunning it is coming to an end, and I damn well need to book some therapy and sort my shit out.  But let’s be honest… I’m already planning the next trip!

The Final Report: Travel in Our Late 30s: What We Learned

After it’s all said and done, and we’re back home (for now), how do we feel, what did we learn, do we have any regrets, and was it worth it? 

Five years of saving up, the overbearing realities of living with parents to make it happen, dealing with death, with soul searching, identity finding, getting older, worrying about the future, travel expectations adding pressure…  I wouldn’t change it for the world. 

Could the money have been used for more sensible things, like studying, investing in a new property, or buying rare Pokémon cards? Probably. Could this time have been used more “wisely” to help us settle down or figure out what we should be doing with our lives? Most definitely. 

It’s hard to balance feeling like we’re being irresponsible at this age and not using this time and money to become the “proper people” we’ve always run from, with the feeling that if we didn’t do it, we’d regret it in later life. 

Having said all this, we went into this trip thinking it might be our “last big backpacking trip” before finally settling down. But after coming home and getting back into the mundane shit of normal life, we’re already getting itchy feet.

But is this a different type of itchy feet, one with a greater purpose, to move and settle overseas? Or is it to embrace the slow nomadic pace more, base ourselves in countries and regions for months at a time and have that deeper connection. 

The true reflection is this: Travel used to be freedom and adventure, and now it’s also processing, meaning, and self-understanding.

So, travelling in your 30s… are we tired from travelling? Yes, we bloody are! Do we regret it? Nah mate! Are we ready for more? You bet we are! 

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