Rediscovering your youth, one journey at a time

You hear it all the time, “40 is the new 20” or even “50 is the new 30”. And while it’s true that most women in their 50s definitely don’t want to revisit the complexities of their younger years, many are instead redefining the meaning of ‘finding your inner youth’ and are reclaiming their happiness through a range of outlets, including travel.

Despite the rigours that sometimes accompany travelling, many older women say it is the perfect way to reinvigorate yourself, no matter your age. You get a refreshing change of scenery while having an opportunity to learn about new cultures and interact with new people. In fact, being in an entirely new environment often awakens a childlike sense of curiosity that, unfortunately, sometimes takes a back seat as you go through the routine of everyday life.

A life-changing experience

One woman who is most certainly the poster girl for female globetrotting is the recently appointed general manager of Supreme Ventures Racing & Entertainment, Lorna Gooden. She notes, “For me, travel has been a life-changing experience. I just love to immerse myself in a new culture and learn about how the history of people from different parts of the world and see how they live.”

Gooden has even found an effective way to mix her passion for seeing the world with her professional and extracurricular responsibilities. “Whenever I have to travel for work or even when I go to Optimist International meetings, I arrive a day earlier or leave a day later to give myself some time to see the sights.”

So far, her travels have taken her to a long list of places, including the US, Scotland, Greece, Trinidad & Tobago, Curaçao, Cayman Island, the Bahamas, St Lucia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The most meaningful journey, however, has been her travels to southern Africa where she had a chance to visit Nelson Mandela’s former prison and interact with her favourite animal – elephants. “The cultures of Africa are colourful and engaging. Being in South Africa felt so much like home to me.”

Lorna has her sights set on a trip to Ghana as her next adventure.