GOLDEN MEMORIES:The old adage says that life begins at 40, but it seems not to to apply to travel.
A survey by the tour operator Kuoni has revealed that 34 is the golden year when we have our most memorable travel experiences.
Of the 1,000 travellers polled about their perfect holiday moments, it seems gap years and childhood holidays pale in comparison to the recollections of your average globetrotting thirtysomething.
So what insights do 34-year-old travellers have over the rest of the passport-wielding population? For starters, they're more likely to have a better budget than their backpacking peers - out are the cheap but cheerful hostels with lumpy beds and in come constant hot running water and fully functioning air conditioning.
By our 30s we are also probably travel-savvy enough to know what we want from our holidays, or perhaps it's because people in their 30s are more prone to re-evaluating their lot and changing their lives before life passes them by. Who does not have a friend who has jacked in the high-flying stress- riddled career to volunteer or simply broaden their horizons and see the world?
Martin Conway, professor of cognitive psychology at the University of Leeds, who was involved in compiling the survey, says: "Thirty-four is an age when a lot of people are thinking about nesting, so they are either likely to be enjoying those last holidays with freedom or perhaps taking their young children on a first holiday abroad."
On closer inspection, the survey reveals that women have their perfect holiday moments aged 31, while for men those idyllic memories are experienced at 36. The majority of 16- to 24-year-olds polled also said their childhood holidays were more cherished than gap years. There is also good news for the over 30s: more than a third of 65-year-olds surveyed claimed their best holiday had been taken during their retirement.