Hello, I’m Alison and I believe that no matter your age, it’s never too late to live the life you dream of.
For me, that dream is about having the time and freedom to travel where and when I want in retirement. That’s why I created Restless Retiree: to share practical steps, guidance and resources to help you do the same.
If you’re here, I imagine you’re a restless retiree too. Like me, you’re not interested in winding down. You want adventure, exploration and new experiences. You want to use your time well.
But once you start thinking seriously about your travel plans, it can quickly feel overwhelming. There are endless destinations, endless opinions and more information than any one person can process. It’s easy to spend hours researching and still feel no closer to a decision.
I understand, because I’ve been there. And here’s what I’ve learned: you don’t need more information. You need clarity, structure and a way to turn your ideas into a plan that fits you.
That’s what Restless Retiree is here to help you do.
Hello, I’m Alison and I believe that no matter your age, it’s never too late to live the life you dream of.
For me, that dream is about having the time and freedom to travel where and when I want in retirement. That’s why I created Restless Retiree: to share practical steps, guidance and resources to help you do the same.
If you’re here, I imagine you’re a restless retiree too. Like me, you’re not interested in winding down. You want adventure, exploration and new experiences. You want to use your time well.
But once you start thinking seriously about your travel plans, it can quickly feel overwhelming. There are so many destinations, endless opinions and more information than any one person can process. It’s easy to spend hours researching and still feel no closer to a decision.
I understand, because I’ve been there. And here’s what I’ve learned: you don’t need more information. You need clarity, structure and a way to turn your ideas into a plan that fits you.
That’s what Restless Retiree is here to help you do.
My road to restlessness
If there’s one thread that has run through my life, it’s a restless curiosity about the world.
Long before retirement was on the horizon, I knew I didn’t want a life boxed in by routine. I wanted to explore new cities, visit places I’d only read about, taste unfamiliar food and understand how other people live. Travel, for me, has always been about discovery.
That curiosity first drew me to South America in my early thirties. Inspired by Bruce Chatwin’s travel classic In Patagonia, I took an eight-week sabbatical and travelled through Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Paraguay. I hiked through snow-capped mountains, saw glaciers up close, stood beside penguins in Peninsula Valdés, took a helicopter ride over the Iguazú Falls and danced at the Rio Carnival.
That trip cemented my passion for travel. Not long after returning, I left my job to go freelance so I could have more flexibility and make travel a bigger part of my life.
A few years later, in my early forties, I set off again – this time for nine months on a round-the-world journey. I returned to South Africa, my birthplace, for the first time since childhood, then travelled through Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
Some of that trip was with a friend. Some of it I travelled alone. During the solo stretch, I met several women older than me travelling confidently and independently. They showed me that adventure doesn’t have an age limit or expiry date.
Eventually I returned to work and family life, having met my now-husband while travelling. But the desire to keep exploring never left me.
So now, with my husband retired and our daughter preparing to fly the nest, I’m determined to make the most of the time ahead. I’m also more aware than I was in my forties that time, energy and money matter. That doesn’t make travel less important. It makes planning it well more important.
My round-the-world trip was extraordinary, but I still came home with regrets. There were places I rushed, experiences I skipped and opportunities I assumed I’d come back to “one day”.
Since then, I’ve travelled widely and returned to several of the places I missed. But that experience taught me something valuable: without clarity, even a dream trip can feel unfinished.
That’s why I’m so committed to helping other restless retirees travel with intention rather than assumption.
Why I created Restless Retiree
When I began planning my next big period of travel, I expected to feel excited. Instead, I felt overwhelmed.
Twenty years ago, travel planning meant guidebooks and paper maps. Today, it means blogs, forums, comparison sites, social media, travel apps and hundreds of “must-see” lists. The internet has made travel easier to access, but more confusing and harder to filter.
I found that I’d sit down to research one city and emerge hours later with ten browser tabs open, three conflicting recommendations and no clearer sense of what really mattered to me. I worried about missing something important or wasting time and money on the wrong choices.
And it isn’t just destinations. There are practical considerations too: health, insurance, finances, home security, staying connected, keeping documents organised. Add technology into the mix and planning can start to feel like a full-time job.
I began to realise the problem wasn’t information. It was structure.
So I created my own framework. I pulled together my scattered notes and ideas into a clear process that helped me prioritise what mattered most and organise the practical details without feeling overwhelmed. Planning stopped feeling chaotic and started feeling purposeful.
That process became the foundation of Restless Retiree.
Who Restless Retiree is For
Restless Retiree is for independent, curious, culture-loving retirees and soon-to-be retirees who aren’t ready to slow down.
You may have a long list of places you want to visit. You may have saved articles and screenshots. You may even feel an uneasy sense of urgency, aware that time is precious.
What you don’t need is more noise. You need clarity.
My background in journalism and marketing has given me nearly 40 years’ experience researching complex topics, cutting through confusion and explaining things clearly. I know how overwhelming information can feel. I also know how empowering it is when it’s organised and relevant.
Alongside that professional background, I have decades of personal travel experience: long-haul journeys, solo travel, overland trips, cultural city breaks, family travel and the practical realities of extended time away from home.
I understand both the excitement of planning a big trip and the responsibility that comes with travelling later in life.
What you'll find here
Restless Retiree isn’t about ticking off destinations. It’s about travelling with intention and confidence.
Here you’ll find:
- Guidance to help you clarify what you really want from your travels
- Practical tools to organise your plans without overwhelm
- Checklists and frameworks designed for later-life travellers
- Honest reflections on preparing for longer trips
- Encouragement to make thoughtful decisions rather than rushed ones
Good planning doesn’t restrict freedom. It protects it. It means you board the plane feeling prepared rather than anxious. You arrive ready to experience a place fully instead of second-guessing your choices. You come home fulfilled rather than wishing you’d done things differently.
Why this matters now
Retirement gives us something rare: time.
Time to travel more slowly. Time to explore deeply. Time to immerse ourselves in history, culture and new experiences rather than squeezing everything into a week.
But time is also precious. I don’t want to look back and wish I’d been clearer about what mattered most. I want to travel with intention, and help others do the same.
If you’re ready to move from scattered ideas to confident plans, you’re in the right place.
Take the first small step towards organising the trip you keep thinking about by checking out the blog and exploring the resources on this website.
Because retirement isn’t about stepping back from life. It’s about finally travelling the way you always meant to.
And that begins with clarity.
Alison Hjul
Founder, Restless Retiree
