Wilma is spending the inheritance money on travel, and her daughter couldn’t be happier

Wilma Skupch has travelled her entire life, but only in retirement has she become a true globetrotter.

In the past year, the Sydney-based former nurse travelled to Fiji and New Zealand and stepped aboard a cruise to South Australia’s Kangaroo Island, which included stops in Hobart and Melbourne.

Wilma Skupch has travelled all her life, but she has become a jet-setter in retirement.Credit: Nick Moir

Skupch will travel to Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Hong Kong in February, ahead of a trip to Iceland in October.

“We’re doing it while we still have our marbles and still can book,” said Skupch, aged 74 and retired for 10 years. “We’ve worked hard, and enough’s enough.”

Skupch is among the increasing number of senior Australians choosing frequent and sometimes extravagant holiday options in older age, as retirees forsake traditional saving habits and adopt the new “spending the kids’ inheritance” (SKI) travel mantra.

The motto has seen older Australians splash out on adventurous holidays for both themselves and their extended families, including their children and grandchildren, rather than banking the money saved across their working lives for their next of kin to inherit.

Katrina Barry, chief executive and managing director of Webjet, has seen an increased appetite for travel among middle-aged and senior Australians after years locked inside during the pandemic, with bookings for over-45s rising by seven per cent in 2024.

The number of senior Australians taking long and sometimes extravagant trips has surged in recent years.Credit: Bloomberg

“They’re now saying ‘stuff you’; they’ve over-provided in terms of buying cars, house deposits, and now they’re going to spend the inheritance,” Barry said.

“Baby Boomers are stronger, healthier and fitter, so we might see two grandparents taking the grandchildren on a holiday while the parents work during the school holidays.”

No age group spent more on holidays in 2024 than Baby Boomers, with Flight Centre Australia managing director James Kavanagh saying a mix of “time on their hands, hard-earned savings in the bank and a desire to explore” was behind an influx in travel.

“While some are spending what would be their kids’ inheritance on travel, others are bringing the whole family along for the experience,” Kavanagh said.

“We expect both the SKI and multi-generational travel trends to continue into 2025 as Australians increasingly view travel as a non-negotiable aspect of their lifestyle, even more so later in life.”

Wilma Skupch has travelled across the world in retirement.

Skupch can spend tens of thousands on one journey and has the blessing of her daughter, who has told her to “go for it” while she still can. While Skupch often travels with her husband she also journeys with her daughter, who has holidayed in South-East Asia and gone on safari with her mother.

An increased level of urgency to travel struck Skupch seven years ago after her husband underwent open-heart surgery, while travel insurance premiums – which can soar with each year in elderly age - also weighed on her mind.

“There’s more behind us than in front of us, and I suspect that if I don’t do it now, I’ll be really old when I do it,” Skupch said when asked about the attitude spurring a travel boom among older Australians.

“I understand the plight of young ones, and I understand it must be hard to see some people think ‘Mum, what about me, struggling to pay rent or the mortgage’ … so I do feel for the young ones.”

Todd Lacey, regional manager at Booking.com, said the trend represented an opportunity for the travel sector to “tailor their offering for older travellers in Australia, and the specific ways they like to holiday”.

“The trend highlights some of the potential challenges that come with travelling in a mixed-generation group whilst also shining a light on the elements that make a trip like this so memorable and worthwhile.”

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