i dont agree with the popular opinion about ageing, that you seem to have mentioned as well at the start. I infact cant wait to be 55+ myself. It seems to only keep getting better where i'm from, where the older generation exploits the youth. As children, one is unaware, judgemental and basically a fool. Its only gotten better every passing year. If one doesn't keep up with their health due to the mentality that life is over when one becomes 60+, then its their loss and their foolish thinking imho. It also feels like most people( sweeping generalisation coming up) under age 40 are pretty delusional! If you think one becomes uglier as they age, then you must understand that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. People mostly seem to find young puppies to be cuter than older dogs ... but at the same time people also find thin scrawny young saplings to not be as beautiful at all as their older lush green fruitful counterparts; trees ! Think before you pigeonhole anything including yourself... So if people exist who think of age in the way of how we do for Dogs, then do remember that people who think of age like we do for trees, ALSO exist.. All shades of the spectrum exist ! What i'm saying is that i have had a different experience, and the roadtrips that i have been taking lately have been wayyyyyyyyy more fun than the ones i took when i was younger.... to me the above seems like a bit of a sob story ( which kind of doesnt exist ) .. dont live in the past ... you have a while left still to live in the future.. i mean no offence to those who turn 55 and then say " i'm still young at heart" and other youth lovers lol ... when you say that " we cant still be doing things we used to ... i disagree... who is to say that a 60 year old cant trek in the Himalayas ? or who is to say that a 60 year old cant have a fresh start to life all over again ? Maybe the reason you welled up while looking at the folder is because in your own mind you have these non-flexible notions about ageing. Because when i look at my past travel photos it only brings me joy and not tears. I think of things like " oh man it used to be so bad when i was a kid, and yet this was such a brilliant road trip with my friends ... i cant wait to see how the next one will pan out".... maybe , just maybe... if you open your mind enough you might just see that the reason why YOU are getting less chances to travel with friends on more road trips is YOU and not everyone's ageing... lol