ABSTRACT
From time to time we have stated that American pensioners were more mobile than British, but we have not seriously considered their comings and goings outside the home. At the outset we must dispel any idea that in either country pensioners are unenterprising stay-at-homes. A few are but the majority are not. In Britain, as one said, ‘I’ve not had to stop doing anything in the last five years. I do more, I feel mentally keener now. I’m going on to the end—active;’ he was younger than most, only 66 years, and, unusually for Britain, he drove a car in which, in company with friends, he and his wife went for picnics whenever the weather was fit. They said they were both appreciating the fact that they now had more time to indulge themselves with reading and music than when the husband was at work. This couple was slightly better-off financially and this and their car, their cultural activities and, above all, their zest for life made them in many respects more like a typical American household. But, most pensioners get out when they can and when they have a purpose—sometimes they manufacture one, for example by leaving the visit to the post office or the piece of bacon at the grocers for next day. Naturally, the ability to get out and about, and the range of activities, varies with the pensioner and the household, and in this and the following two chapters we shall look in some detail at pensioners’ out-of-home interests beginning with shopping and embracing mobility generally, vacations and attending church, clubs and in recreation.
