Last year, I marked my 50th birthday by going on my first safari. It was up there with my other most extraordinary trips, such as riding the Trans-Siberian Railway, galloping a Marwari horse across Rajasthan, diving in Indonesia’s Banda Sea and watching the Northern Lights after a spectacular day’s heli-skiing in Iceland.

Hitting mid-life has brought into focus an urgency to travel and experience those “always wanted to” moments. Yet by 50, we often have increased demands – from ageing parents and tricky teenagers, to big mortgages and busy careers. It makes getting on a plane and leaving the house, for even a week, more heavily weighted than ever before.

At this stage of life, the way we travel has begun to shift. We might, if we’re lucky, have more to spend than when we were young, and while seeking adventure, are less inclined to want to rough it. Some of us might not be as fit as before (hampered by five knee operations, in my case).…