Itinerant Western Retirees in S. E. Asia: emancipation through mobility

Abstract

Western retirees as permanent tourists in S. E. Asia are the focus of this article. Itinerant seniors are a rising category of mobile individuals, bridging the concepts travelers, tourists, and migrants. This sector reflects the aging population worldwide. My investigation took place in Malaysia and Cambodia in 2015 and 2016. The participants, all aged 60+, were from Australia and Europe. The great attractions of S. E. Asia were its low costs, convenience, and general respect for older people. These non-affluent individuals wanted the cheapest rent, food and transport, along with social acceptance. Their home was now no particular country, but a generalised S. E. Asia. They moved across borders Vietnam Thailand, Indonesia - as finances and whim required. Mobility is their solution to the economic and social impediments of aging in their home nations.