Do you SKI? Meet the pensioners 'Spending Kids Inheritance' on bucket-list adventure holidays to the Rocky Mountains, Antarctica and beyond

A 'ski' holiday, for most, means snow-capped mountains, apres in the sunshine and whizzing down slopes in France and Italy.But for one select group, it has an entirely different meaning – and absolutely nothing to do with snowsports. Introducing the SKI-ers: older travellers who are 'spending their kids' inheritance' on adventures around the world – and they have plenty to say about their choice. Helen Shelton, 67, and her husband Neil, 70, are both retired, and while they could choose to save all their hard-earned pennies to pass on to their daughter, they are making the most of their time, spending some of their savings on bucket-list trips they finally have the time for.'We're Baby Boomers, so we grew up in the 70s when life was a bit more frugal. My parents learned how to make ends meet, so we'd have one holiday a year, probably the kids bundled in the car down to the coast.''There was never a conscious decision on our part to spend inheritance, because we never had a whole bunch of inheritance to give our daughter, Ruth. She's an only child.'She and her husband are very self-sufficient. They both have good jobs, they both make their own money, and we've helped them out along the way, but it's never been a situation where I've thought, every penny that we have will one day be theirs.'Ruth has not only accepted her parents spending her supposed 'inheritance' – but has actively encouraged it. Helen Shelton, 67, and her husband Neil, 70 are travelling lots during their retirementRuth Shelton, a store manager at Flight Centre in St Albans, told the Daily Mail: 'Having a gap year wasn't really so much of a thing in the 80s, 90s.'People had children younger - when you've got young families, it is more difficult to save for the mortgage and go on that kind of once-in-a-lifetime special holiday.'So it's one of those things that kind of gets bumped down the list. Your kids go to university and have no money, so you have to support them then. 'Once they've retired, and they've got the time and the flexibility, people are saying, do you know what? I always wanted to do that Rocky Mountaineer train in Canada. I'm going to do it.'It's not just her own parents who've jumped on the bandwagon, says Ruth – she's seeing it among her clients and friends.'I first heard this term about three years ago, on my own holiday. I was on this boat on the Mekong River, and there was another British couple on there, who said, "We're on a ski trip".'I thought, to my knowledge, there aren't many mountains in Laos that you can ski down? And they said, "We're spending our kids' inheritance, doing a six-month trip from Tokyo to Delhi.'In the following year, I had two other customers mention that to me. My friends said, why wouldn't we encourage our parents to spend their money? I think people genuinely see how much their parents have worked and saved and what they've done and sacrificed to make their lives better.' Neil's 70th birthday celebratory dinner at The View in New York The pair visited Banff in Canada on one of their top big tripsSo, where did the Sheltons go on their travels? The Rocky Mountaineer was a big one.'It was a fabulous holiday,' says Helen. 'We didn't regret any of it. I think that's really true. If you spend money wisely on a good holiday, you don't regret it. I think you regret not doing things. 'Especially getting older, time's running out for us, we don't know how much longer we've got left on this planet, and we might as well enjoy, while we've still got the strength and the energy and the mobility.''I think for us, spending that kind of money is a treat, because we grew up in an era where you didn't have that kind of money to spend,' says Helen. 'So it does, in some ways, feel extravagant, and I know that not every family can do that. We are blessed in that we do have a few extra pennies to spend on ourselves. But these are big spends, and they happen infrequently.'And they're not alone. One in seven UK parents of children of all ages (15 per cent) prioritise enjoying their money in their retirement over leaving an inheritance, according to a report earlier this year from pension provider Standard Life. The duo have been encouraged on their travels by their daughter Helen and Neil in Columbia Icefield Rocky MountainsPlus, data from Abta, the UK’s largest travel trade association, shows that 82 per cent of over-65s had been on holiday in the past 12 months, a rise of five percentage points from two years ago. The number of over-65s holidaying abroad has risen to 55 per cent, the Independent reported. What are the advantages?'When couples choose to pursue shared experiences, expecially at the cost of providing a financial inheritance to their children, they are going against the status quo, investing in the "us" of their relationship and releasing themselves from rigid role they played for so long,' says Isabelle Minch from Break Free Therapy.'Parents often take the role of providing for their household incredibly seriously and making this choice can sometimes seem like it is in direct opposition to that role, it is not.'In making this choice, you are not just buying a trip, you are pursuing the uninterrupted time needed to rediscover who you are together outside your role of parents which models a deeply connected, vibrant partnership in the later stages of life-a far richer legacy to leave your family than a robust bank account.'And it's not just Britons choosing to 'SKI'. Australians Leanne Ryland and her husband have been retired for six years, and set up a 'SKI' Facebook page. They've spent 20 weeks of each year travelling, visiting every continent - including Antarctica earlier this year - seeing all Seven Wonders of the World, exploring around 80 countries, and more than 40 cruises.Leanne said: 'For us, the SKI trend means making the most of the precious years between finishing work and before health issues arise. It is the first time we have had both the time and finances for this level of travel. 'Our children are very supportive. Both went to university, have great jobs, and love to travel themselves. We have even taken them and their partners on trips, including to Japan and on a Virgin cruise. 'We are currently on a 45-day USA trip. After our 21-night Caribbean cruise, we are heading to Disney World to see the Christmas decorations. Meanwhile, Leanne Ryland has also enjoyed her travels She and her husband have seen the world, spending 20 weeks of the year travelling'Next year, our plans include Vietnam and Cambodia in February; Morocco, Spain, and Portugal from April to June; a Kimberley expedition cruise in Australia in September; and a European Christmas river market cruise visiting Northern Europe and Switzerland in November and December.' Next year, for Helen as well, even more travels are on the horizon, notably a big trip to Botswana, followed by Cape Town - which will be Helen's first trip to Africa. Do these SKI-ers and their children foresee any issues with the trend? Ruth says: 'Every family has different circumstances, so it depends. The cost of care is increasing in the UK, so that could be a potential downfall for it, but most of these people are incredibly smart with how they've managed their future investments and their wealth and so on, and have worked out what they would need to save for the future in case of any eventuality, so this is just the fun money.'And it looks as though things are changing generationally, too. 'The silver generation, the Silver Surfers like ourselves, are much more able and capable and adventurous,' muses Helen. They have explored around 80 countries, and more than 40 cruises'I think my mum's generation were much more stay-at-home. They came out of a different way of thinking. Women weren't as independent. They didn't have so much of their own disposable income.'They hadn't spent all of their money on travel. They did have it in their minds that this was their children's inheritance. So, I do think things are changing.'One thing remains true, though. Far from furious children lamenting the loss of their inheritance, the SKI-ers are being egged on by their youngsters. Long may it continue.Are you spending your children's inheritance on travels? Get in touch at erin.waks@dailymail.co.uk