The Years Ahead: How travel is helping older Hawke’s Bay residents redefine ageing
David Mitchell, an 87-year-old widower from Hawke’s Bay, shares his experience of returning to solo travel after the death of his wife. He discusses how travel helps him maintain independence and honor his late wife's memory despite personal challenges.
Why it matters
It highlights the importance of social engagement and active lifestyles for the elderly population's mental well-being.
At 87, David Mitchell could have stayed home with his memories.
Instead, nearly three years after losing his wife, Patsy Mitchell, he packed his bags and boarded his first overseas trip alone.
It wasn’t an easy decision, as for more than 60 years, the Hawke’s Bay couple had been travelling around the world together before Patsy died of pancreatic cancer in July 2023, at 81.
“We used to travel for business. We were exporters,” David told Hawke’s Bay Today .
The pair have been to Europe, South America, Africa, China, Russia, and even to the Everest Base Camp.
“That was quite a highlight,” David said.
After Patsy died, David had to decide whether travel still would fit in his life.
“I thought about it a lot, and I know that she would have been telling me to do it,” he said.
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