What’s the ‘micro-retirement’ trend – and where should you go?

Many people see retirement as an opportunity to finally do some travelling for longer than a week or two – but a new trend emerging is proving not everyone wants to wait that long.

Coined ‘micro-retirement’, travellers are taking an extended period of time off while still working.

Research by Explore Worldwide of 2,000 people in the UK found that one to three months is the sweet spot, and a third of people (29%) are considering it, with nearly half (48%) planning to use the time to travel.

“Among mid- and later-life age groups, millennials are at 75% ‘likely’, Gen X 38%, and boomers 42%,” explains Explore Worldwide MD, Michael Edwards.

“Taking a micro-retirement is about stepping back, resetting and rediscovering. It’s a chance to get away from the daily grind and immerse yourself in new places – offering a fresh perspective that no office routine can provide.”

While it may be more common for younger generations to take career breaks to travel (typically before having children), taking a break in mid-life – or later – has some obvious perks, including the likelihood of better financial stability, “with many people in a far better position to travel than they were when they were younger,” says Edwards.

“As we live and work longer, retirement can feel so far away there’s a sense of ‘why should I wait?’ None of us know what the future holds and for many retirement might feel too late to do the sort of travelling we have our heart set on.

“Mid-life is also a time of change, and as older children fly the nest we can find we have more time and income to spend on ourselves.”

Plus, it may make sense from a health perspective to do adventurous travel while you’re in peak health, in case of any health issues down the line.

At the same time, Edwards says, “Mid-life pressures such as ageing parents, potential relationship breakdowns and work burnout make a micro-retirement the perfect antidote to reassess and recharge.”

The research also showed, among those who’ve taken a sabbatical, 84% felt positive returning and 96% reported a renewed sense of purpose.

So how do you decide what kind of long trip is right for you?

“There are a variety of factors to consider when choosing the right trip: time constraints, energy levels and interests (to name a few),” says Edwards. The travel company has launched a smart new tool on their website that helps match explorers to their perfect micro-retirement trip, asking users to input their age, job situation, and stress levels – before suggesting the best time and continent.

Here’s some inspiration for that pre-retirement, long trip…

Travel the Silk Road route through the ‘Five Stans’ – 21 days

Still largely undiscovered by many British tourists, the ‘Five Stans’ of Central Asia – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan – offers a chance to travel the ancient Silk Road (a network of ancient trade routes used from the 2nd century BC to the mid-15th century). You need a longer trip to really see it all and this three-week expedition offers a fast-paced way to see this area of the world, with its diverse, wild landscapes of fertile valleys and desert plains, nomadic traditions and Soviet history.

Travel is a mixture of rail, road and internal flights, with highlights including the Fann Mountains and ‘Seven Lakes’ of western Tajikistan, the architecture of Kiva, Bukhara and Samarkand, as well as sleeping in a traditional yurt on the shoes of ‘The Pearl of Kyrgyzstan’ Lake Issyk Kul, which never freezes over due to its high salt content.

How to book: Explore Worldwide (explore.co.uk) offer a 21-day trip, The Five Stans of The Silk Road from £5,195

Road trip in the Patagonian wilderness – 60 days

If you want to extend your micro-retirement to two months, the southern part of Chile and Argentina offers an off-the-beaten path adventure by road. Pura Aventura has just launched a new trip designed for travellers who want an extended overland adventure, criss-crossing Chile and Argentina, including the stunning Lake District, the bird-rich Osorno Volcano, the iconic Torres del Paine and Ruta 40 – a 3,200 mile highway in Argentina running parallel to the Andes Mountains, with dramatic scenery.

Activities can include hiking, kayaking and horse riding. It ends with an expedition cruise to Cape Horn – the southernmost headland on Hornos Island, in southern Chile’s Tierra del Fuego archipelago – and includes stays in characterful hotels, home-cooked food, wine tastings, puma spotting, canyoning, rafting, night life in Buenos Aires, and learning about the rural gaucho lifestyle.

How to Book: Pura Aventura’s Route of Parks: Ultimate Patagonia Trip includes 59 nights’ accommodation, transport, most meals and guided activities, from £23,950pp sharing. Visit pura-aventura.com or call 01273 676712.

A 15-country cruise – 110 nights

Long cruises are growing in popularity with some travellers not just seeing a cruise as a holiday, but as a way to live differently for a while. Celebrity Cruises have launched a ‘Grand Voyage’ for 2026 on a newly refurbished Celebrity Solstice ship (with a capacity for 2,852 passengers) so you can see out the last three months of the year at sea. The voyage stops at 58 destinations in 15 countries – the United States, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Fiji, New Caledonia, Indonesia, Vanuatu, Taiwan, China and Canada – that’s four hemispheres.

It’s made up of nine different sailings which can also be booked individually, but the 3.5 month adventure offers a unique way to see a lot of the world, hassle-free, without having to repack and move once. With 65 days ashore and eight overnight port stays (in places including Thailand’s Phuket, Vietnam’s Halong Bay and New Zealand’s Auckland) there’s also adults-only spaces on board and a lawn club.

How to book: The all-inclusive Grand Voyage (www.celebritycruises.com, 0344 493 2043) sets off sail on September 13 until December 31, 2026, price from £ 11,109pp.