As you get older, it’s easy to get stuck in a particular routine whereby you never venture outside your comfort zone and purely stick to the same activities that you’ve been doing for years. This can get boring and it’s often the fear of trying something new or unusual that stops us from giving it a go.
Rest assured, trying something new or unusual needn’t be the daunting task that some people assume it is, especially since we’ve got plenty of suggestions for you to try.
1. Hydroponics Gardening
Gardening is quite a common hobby, especially for the older generations who were/are more likely to have a large home with both a front and back garden. However, with the advent of hydroponics, the days of needing to go digging around in soil are over.
So what is hydroponics? Well, the clue is in the name. Hydroponics uses water as the foundation for growing your plants and herbs rather than soil, whilst also having in-built lights to maintain optimal temperatures and necessary light exposure.
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Because the systems are so easy to use, you can pretty much get started straight away by planting your seeds and watching them grow over the coming weeks or years into blossoming flowers or tasty herbs.
2. Go
Go is a strategy game that is most commonly played in China and other central Asian countries. The goal is to beat your opponent by claiming as much territory on the board as possible.
It requires wit, logical decision-making, and the ability to plan ahead, and is arguably one of the hardest board games with one of the steepest learning curves.
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It’s also thought to be one of the oldest board games in human history that are still played to this day.
If you want to get started, we recommend finding a friend to play with and also investing in a Go set — You may also want to grab a Go rule book to get familiar with the basics.
3. Geocaching
Geocaching is an outdoor hobby that is akin to a modern-day treasure hunt. It can be played solo but is usually more fun when partnered with friends or other team members to combine your efforts in finding the clues.
The most common way to get involved with geocaching is by downloading the official Geocaching app for your smartphone as it’ll allow you to find events in your local area. If you don’t have a smartphone then we recommend doing a web search for geocaching events in your area through your browser as that’ll be the quickest way to sign up for events and meet with other people.
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In terms of navigation and finding the clues, it’s also recommended to invest in a GPS device as it’ll help you coordinate your efforts far better than by wit alone.
4. Hikaru Dorodango
Hikaru dorodango is a rather unique hobby that involves smoothing down dirt to form beautiful, spherical objects. It takes a bit of time and often requires filtering your dirt to a fine powder before it becomes usable. The dirt powder is also combined with hay or other materials to hold the sphere together better once you’ve filtered it down enough by using a sieve or other filtration techniques.
Because the process is quite intricate, we really recommend reading Dorodango by Bruce Gardner (above) as it’ll teach you everything you need to know about getting started.
5. Drone Flying
You might be too old to fly a plane but you’re definitely not too old to give drone flying a go. In fact, as a hobby, drone flying has taken off, quite literally, and is now one of the most popular pastimes for both young and old.
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Some enthusiasts even use drones to film dramatic movie shots or use them to take photographs that wouldn’t usually be possible whilst on the ground. You can really get creative with drones and can use them for a wide variety of activities; it’s up to you what you do with them, though, you may want to get familiar with your local regulations so you don’t break any laws.
6. Eco-Projects & City Clean-Ups
Over the years, more focus has been put on becoming more eco-friendly as a society and holding ourselves more accountable when it comes to keeping our local areas cleaner or free from pollutants.
One of the main pollutants that often end up in our oceans and rivers is plastic. Plastic is a nightmare material for our natural world, mainly because it does not biodegrade and often breaks up into microplastics over time which can end up in almost everything, including the foods we eat such as fish.
For this reason, eco-projects and scheduled city clean-ups have become a popular pastime for people looking to get together with like-minded individuals to help keep our cities or natural spaces free from damaging pollutants.
If you’re not sure how to get started then we recommend speaking to your local government office to find events in your area or doing a quick Google search for more ideas on how you can help.
7. Virtual Reality
Virtual reality is something that people had conceptualized many decades ago but it wasn’t till recently that the concept has been realized in a powerful and efficient form factor — virtual reality headsets!
Yes, that’s right, you can now adorn a VR headset like the cutting-edge Meta Quest Pro (below) that’ll allow you to ride rollercoasters, sore to the edge of space, and even play interactive games regardless of your location or setup.
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It’ll also allow you to travel in 3D space to different places across the world, meaning you can tangibly visit exotic destinations without spending thousands of dollars to get there. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to virtual reality and what it can allow you to do.
In fact, every year brings new developments, including the recent announcement from Facebook (recently changed to Meta) that they intend to expand their business by bringing AR (augmented reality) to the masses.
8. Comic Book Collecting
Comic books have been around for a long time, but never have they been as popular as they are today, especially since it’s so easy to produce and publish them as a standalone entity. Because of this, your choice of comic book collecting material is rather vast, not to mention all the associated graphic novels that are available too.
We often pick comic books based on our interests and what we identify with, or perhaps, as a way to transform ourselves into something (or someone) we wish we were more like.
This is what makes comic book collecting such a good hobby; they allow us to live out our fantasies through easily available material that we can purchase online or from local outlets.
They’re designed in an abundance of colors, styles, and art forms, meaning you’ll never be stuck finding something you want to add to your collection to make it stand out even more.
9. Study Philosophy
Philosophy is a way in which we can enrich our perception of the world around us and make sense of things that don’t always seem apparent.
It’s the lens we apply to life and its study helps us filter things in a way that makes them more complete by enabling us to ask better questions.
As a hobby, philosophy can help you live a more fulfilling life by not only asking the right questions, but also by helping you understand the underlying reasons why we do what we do, and why we think the way we think.
Some topics of study include the works of Socrates, Plato, Marcus Aurelius, and even more recent philosophical works from Nietzsche.
YouTube also has an excellent selection of philosophical information to learn from, including some particularly special gems such as Kurzgesagt – in a nutshell, who produce visual cartoons to go along with their topics of question; this includes a mixture of scientific and philosophical topics.
10. Listen to Podcasts
Podcasts are the modern generation’s way of staying informed and keeping up to date with current affairs.
They’re also a great way to discover new things in your chosen topics of interest and potentially an even better way to find new things that you didn’t know you’d like.
In fact, podcasts make total sense over traditional media outlets, mainly because humanity is a vast, nuanced mesh of ideas and cultures — mainstream media cannot compete, mainly because they’re attempting to capture the attention of too many people, therefore diluting the content they’re allowed to produce.
Podcasts take you straight to the experts on the topics and in most cases, can be listened to either totally free through YouTube, or by subscribing to an audio service such as Spotify or Amazon Audible.
11. Attend a Jazz Club
Jazz clubs are great for people who appreciate the complexity and beauty that music can bring. Whether it’s the soft slaps of the hi-hat, the smooth flow of the saxophone, or that perfectly positioned off-note, Jazz has something that everyone can appreciate. And better yet, Jazz has become increasingly popular over the years meaning there are even more ways to go out and experience it just a stone’s throw away.
Plus, because of the wide range of appeal that jazz has, you’ll never struggle to meet like-minded people from a variety of age groups making this one of the best social hobbies we can think of.
12. Spirituality
Practicing spirituality is seen as rather unusual these days, mainly because people have become conditioned to accept science as the de facto answer to modern problems.
However, what we’ve seen is that the inverse is actually true and that spirituality can be a useful tool for people who struggle with finding meaning in their lives.
Part of the issue with its adoption in the modern age is the perception of what spirituality is in that most people will assume you mean evangelists or religious zealots.
In truth, many things can be spiritual, whether it’s getting more in touch with nature, connecting with different cultures, or even something more on-the-nose like visiting spiritual places like Buddhist temples.
Becoming spiritual means getting in touch with things that aren’t always rooted in the physicality of the world and trying to find deeper meaning.
As a hobby, the potential is limitless, and it will be an educational journey, just as much as it is a spiritual one.
13. Write a Memoir
Writing a memoir is a useful activity for reliving past experiences and to help convey your life’s journey in a more concise format.
In essence, a memoir is a collection of notes, teachings, and passed-down knowledge.
It provides a glimpse into your life and the experiences you’ve had, including the lessons learned throughout it.
Ultimately, this will be a very personal hobby and will be something you can do as often or as little as you want.
14. Start a YouTube Channel
YouTube is something that has taken over the globe by storm and is something that constantly influences our lives for a wide variety of reasons, whether it be to learn something new or to get an idea of a product you’re wanting to buy.
Video content is in heavy demand and it’s not just for youngsters anymore, even older folk are getting involved by sharing their stories, hobbies, and pearls of wisdom with everyone around the world.
All you need is something to record on such as a smartphone and then you can simply upload that video to YouTube to be shared with billions of people instantly.
15. RC Car Racing
RC cars are a great way to pass the time, especially since you’ll be able to race them in your own backyard, or perhaps, at dedicated RC car events where you can meet other like-minded folks.
In fact, RC cars are a great way to scratch that petrolhead itch without spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on life-sized vehicles.
RC cars can be just as intricate from an engineering standpoint without all the hassle that can come with maintaining your own car.
Better yet, RC cars are excellent for seniors as you can control everything from a pad without having to get overly physical.
16. LEGO
If you have a creative personality, LEGO can be the perfect conduit to channel those energies into a special project or something of significance.
You can buy premade kits, though, we think the most fun comes with using the LEGO creative kits to make an assortment of your own models or miniatures.
It’s easy-going, easy to learn, and is the perfect hobby for any senior looking for something a little more unusual to help pass the time.
17. Meditation
Meditation is the perfect hobby for someone wanting a little extra help with relaxation for their day-to-day living.
It involves silencing the mind and isolating specific thoughts to help you overcome stresses, anxieties, and negative thinking patterns.
As a senior, it can be practiced regardless of your disposition which makes it the perfect hobby, especially since not all older folk will be capable of more challenging physical pastimes.
It’s not the least popular hobby ever but it is seen as a little unusual for some of the older western generations, though, science is starting to show its efficacy as a process making it easier to get on board with.
18. Jam Making
Making jams was a popular hobby many years ago, though, has fallen out of favor in recent years due to the efficiency of modern manufacturing processes being able to make a wide variety of jam flavors for very little cost.
However, we think it’s still an interesting hobby to take up, especially if you’re wanting to be a little more experimental with your flavors — plus, it’s rather easy-going and can be done whenever you please.
In some cases, you can even combine jam-making with gardening your own fruits as you’ll be able to add them to the jams you’re making.
19. Video Games
Video games are still rather unpopular with the older generations, though, are becoming more acceptable as time goes on, especially since they’re able to deliver meaningful, interactive stories in a convenient form factor that can be played in your own home.
In most cases, most of the hard work is already done when you buy a games console such as an XBOX or a Playstation, purely because they’re designed to work straight out of the box.
That means no faffing on with setting things up or installing additional software.
You can simply turn it on, fill out a few details quickly, and be ready to play some games in no time flat.
Relevant Articles
Still haven’t found what you’re looking for? Why not try browsing some alternative articles below:
- 14 Stimulating Hobbies for Seniors With Limited Mobility (Feel More Untethered)
- 6 Reasons Why Life Doesn’t Have to Get Boring as You Get Older
- 50 Life-Expanding Hobbies for Men Over 50 (Broaden Your Horizons Now)
- 31 Quirky Hobbies for People Who Enjoy Something a Little Different (Not to Be Missed)
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Or you can simply browse our full list of hobbies.
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