Over-60s Take a Train Trip Down Memory Lane

• Taking a trip to where they grew up, bumping into someone from their past and meeting old friends are the amongst the things that Brits consider an utterly brilliant way to feel nostalgic 

• Railcard.co.uk have teamed up with iconic 1980s TV presenter Timmy Mallett to encourage more trips to rediscover those nostalgic memories 

• A Senior Railcard offers over-60s the chance to relive nostalgic journeys with up to 1/3 off train travel 

2 November 2023, London: After a poll found that trains are the most nostalgic form of transport amongst the over 60s, Railcard.co.uk wanted to delve deeper into the benefits of travelling to moments past and find out which memories are the most important to those with more life experiences.  

Turns out there's no harm in looking back to years gone by with recent studies showing that revisiting past memories can have a positive effect on mental health and wellbeing. Nostalgia has been proven to have a multitude of benefits, including heightened social connectedness, uplifting moods, and can act as an antidote to loneliness.

Britain’s over-60s most treasured memories were formed in their 20s, with the top 5 lifetime moments overall found to be: 

• First child 

• Getting married 

• Retiring 

• First house 

• Becoming a grandparent 

With retirement coming in as the third most significant moment for over-60s (41%), golden agers have more free time and opportunities to revisit places from the past, so much so that nearly a third (30%) say they visit places from their childhood at least once a year. In fact, taking a trip to where they grew up is one of the activities making those over 60 feel most nostalgic (45%), as well as bumping into someone from their past (40%) and meeting up with old friends (40%). Other activities that can ignite a feeling of nostalgia include listening to music from their childhood (50%), and looking at old photos and videos (63%).

Railcard.co.uk has teamed up with a nostalgic face, Timmy Mallett, iconic 1980s TV presenter, to encourage people to reap the positive effects of cherishing past memories.

See what Timmy has to say:

Timmy adds, “the joy far surpasses any momentary twinge of embarrassment or playful teasing! Research also backs this up, with over a third (38%) saying that reliving past memories makes them feel happy”.

Not only can the benefits of nostalgia be experienced once reaching the destination of a treasured milestone, but the research also highlighted nostalgic memories of train travel itself. Watching the world pass by the window is said to be the most memorable moment (39%), especially for those in the North West and Scotland (41%), areas blessed with beautiful landscapes.    

Keen train traveller Timmy also says, “I’m delighted to be working with Railcard.co.uk to promote the Senior Railcard. I am a big fan of travelling by train with my bicycle and have been inspired to visit some of the places from my past. First on my list is where I went to school; such happy times!” 

A Senior Railcard can help over-60s rediscover some of those special times by offering up to 1/3 off of train travel, for just £30 a year. With trains being heralded as the most nostalgic form of travel for over-60s, the Senior Railcard is perfect for recreating those cherished memories at a reduced cost.