May | Giving Back Doesn't Need a Fixed Address

This is an original article by Phil Marsh, DECADES' Retiree in Residence and the writer behind Rookie Retiree. Phil explores retirement as an opportunity for adventure, learning and reinvention, with a practical, lived perspective on life after work.

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Retirement often feels like it presents a choice.

Do we spend our time travelling, or do we spend it giving back?

Volunteering is usually imagined as something closely connected to home. Regular commitments, familiar faces, and a steady routine of community work. Travel, on the other hand, is often seen as the opposite: a chance to step away from responsibility and simply enjoy the freedom of it all.

But perhaps it doesn’t have to be either/or.

Recently, I spoke to two retirees whose volunteering could hardly be more different. Stephanie, a retired GP, raises Guide Dog puppies. Jo, after a long career in the NHS, volunteers as an Independent Custody Visitor, helping ensure people in police custody are treated fairly.

Their roles are very different, but both spoke about the same things; purpose, connection, and the satisfaction of giving back. It was a reminder that volunteering doesn’t have to look the same for everybody.

It also made me think of a couple I met on my first trip to India.

What began as a longer stay in a village slowly turned into something more immersive. They were invited to a local wedding, got to know residents, and before long found themselves helping with community projects.

Nothing had been planned. They hadn’t travelled with volunteering in mind. It just happened quite naturally, through time, familiarity, and the relationships they formed along the way.

By the end of their stay, they weren’t just visitors anymore. And on later trips, they actively built in more time to connect with local communities.

Their experience gently challenges a common assumption: that travel and volunteering are mutually exclusive.

In reality, retirement has a way of blurring those lines.

For some, giving back will always mean long-term commitment to a local cause. For others, it might be something more spontaneous like offering their time or skills while exploring new places and cultures. Neither approach is more meaningful than the other.

Longer stays, in particular, create space for something different to happen. When you’re somewhere for a while, it becomes more immersive. You start to recognise faces, visit the same shops or cafes, and feel a little more connected to local life.

And sometimes, that’s when opportunities to contribute appear naturally.

It might be helping at a local event, joining a conservation project, supporting a school activity, or taking part in something organised through your travel company. Often, it’s only a commitment of a few hours but it can stay with you long after you’ve left.

Of course, this isn’t about obligation.

Not every traveller wants to volunteer, and that’s absolutely fine. Retirement is for enjoying life in whatever way feels right for you, whether that’s exploration, relaxation, or personal adventure.

But for some, those small moments of involvement can quietly become some of the most memorable parts of their trip.

What’s interesting is how often people describe the same feelings, whether volunteering at home or abroad: purpose, connection, and a sense of being part of the community rather than simply observing it.

In that sense, travel and volunteering aren’t so different after all.

Both open us up to people, perspectives, and experiences we wouldn’t otherwise have. Both remind us that the most meaningful moments often involve sharing something with someone else, no matter how different our backgrounds are.

It’s one of the reasons organisations like DECADES build opportunities for community engagement into itineraries. There’s never any expectation, only the option to engage.

Because travel doesn’t have to mean stepping away from giving back.

For many retirees, volunteering will always be connected to home. For others, it may occasionally become part of their time abroad. And for the rest, they will be happy to combine both.

What matters most is simply having the freedom to choose.

And sometimes, that freedom allows us not only to discover new places, but to leave some part of ourselves behind.

More on Retirement, Travel and Reinvention

This is an original article by Phil Marsh, DECADES’ Retiree in Residence and the writer behind Rookie Retiree.

Phil explores retirement as an opportunity for adventure, learning and reinvention, with a practical, lived perspective on life after work.

👉 Read more from Phil here.