Remember how once we were all heading for the 'golden years' of retirement? That gentle, easy life when we'd potter around the house or play a leisurely round of golf?

Not any more. A recent survey of older peoples' goals revealed that today's third age aims to smash the stereotypes and live life to the full. Compiled especially for the first ever generationXperience Older People's Day on 1st October 2007, the list of 60 goals for the over 60s (PDF 501KB) makes uplifting reading.

Moving targets
Top of the wish list comes 'Seeing the world' - and it's certainly true that once we're free of weighty commitments like full-time work, the kids and the mortgage, the current over 50s tend to develop itchy feet. Older generations now make the most of increased leisure time and cheap air fares, taking an average of eight or nine holidays and short breaks per year compared with just one or two in 1957. What's more, our travel destinations are often far more adventurous than those we chose in our younger years. For example (finances permitting), we're replacing Torquay with Thailand and Benidorm with Brazil.

More than one-third of over 50s have visited more than 20 countries and almost a fifth have spent some of their holiday time trying out 'extreme' activities like swimming with sharks or abseiling.

The older are getting younger…
That same vibrant spirit of adventure is a key feature of the 60 goals list. It shows how the traditional concepts of granny knitting in her favourite chair, or grandpa contentedly watering his vegetable patch, have to change. Radically. The over 60s' list is littered with tough challenges that reflect our fitter, more active lives and higher expectations. Taking up a martial art, parachuting, hang gliding, bungee jumping, hot air ballooning, taking flying lessons, running a marathon and breaking a world record all feature.

We can only guess at the list of 60 goals that our parents' and grandparents' generations might have put together, but figures show that today's over 50s behave more like the twenty-somethings of 50 years ago than their fifty-something equivalents.

In fact, compared with their counterparts in 1957, today's over 50s devote 185 fewer hours each year to household cleaning and maintenance. That amounts to 12 days less time spent on chores - enough time to take another holiday, complete a course in computer skills or try out an exciting new challenge.

Another way of looking at this is that over the course of our modern, post-retirement lives (currently about 18.5 years in length, and rising fast), the 21st century senior citizen will spend 7.5 months doing whatever they choose instead of being stuck in household drudgery.

A different future
All in all, the picture of over 50's leisure time is upbeat and exciting. It's no longer limited to rest and relaxation. Instead, our later years are being seen and enjoyed as a time for opportunity and reinvention.

We may not all have the funds, the fitness, or the inclination to go for the most extreme options, but everyone can raise their expectations and aim higher. Life for the over 50s is definitely for living to the max!

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