Anonymous wrote:We winter in the south and summer in the north and that has really made retirement weather pleasant. I am very active in our winter community so I’m never bored and I’m often overbooked. After my husband retired from full time he worked part time for his old company plus he was on a few company boards that kept him busy enough and paid the bills. He’s now wound that down…mostly….so he plays a lot of golf, spends much of the summer doing things with his grandchildren and we take a couple of big trips a year. Staying mentally busy and physically active is a must. Stopping work and going cold turkey without a plan is not recommended.

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Anonymous wrote:I retired in November 2024 at the age of 58, and the past 13 months have been absolutely fantastic. With a post-tax annual budget of $360K for the rest of my life and staying in good health, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel extensively with my wife, who is ten years younger than me. Over the past year, we've spent a month in each of the following places: Argentina, Florida, San Diego, Italy, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Turkey, Greece, Laos, and Cambodia. We plan to continue living out of suitcases for the next five years before eventually settling down. Honestly, I’m having the time of my life. It is highly recommended.

For people who spend all your time traveling- doesn’t it get old? I spent two months in Europe and it just felt sort of pointless after a while. One more cathedral, one more cafe. I guess it felt like living life as a spectator rather than contributing to something more meaningful. But that’s just me.

Nope. I own a Leopard 48 catamaran and have been sailing around the Med for the past 3 years with my wife and on occasion my two adult children. It is absolutely fantastic with so much freedom. We are either moored, anchored, or pier-side 99% of the time with a passage to a new location every 3-4 weeks during the cruising season. Currently in Lefkada, Greece for most of the winter. Boat maintenance keeps me busy for sure when not exploring on land. We have a compressor onboard to fill our own dive tanks. Hope to eventually sail around the South Pacific but have been enjoying the Med too much. Definitely not for everyone and it’s hard to do properly (nice cat with the proper equipment) without having substantial funds. I can manage my investments using an internet connection with StarLink from anywhere. Life is good.

You are on a sailboat off some med coast and not bored? You sure about that? I guess taking your time to be on an anonymous local housewife forum and tying away means life must be exciting.

I'm from NoVa, hence the DCUM thing, and we still own a nice cabin out by Front Royal that we rent out. It's also the place we stay at when we are back in the States for family or other business. And yes my life is far from boring. If you're bored, you're not doing it right.

Exactly! Do what you want in retirement! If it's travel, that is awesome. If you prefer to sit at home and read books and volunteer, that too is awesome. As long as you are happy!

I'm with the PP, we love to travel and it's so nice to do so without constraints (financial, time, kids at home, etc). When you spend a longer time in an area, you get to see it differently. Rent a villa/apartment and live with the locals---it's amazing.


The lack of time constraints also opens up the option to go for 3-4 weeks somewhere. We are doing Australia in the coming year. We debated doing NZ as well but realized---there is so much to see in 4 weeks, why rush? We know we have the money (and for now good health--we are not yet 60) to return to the other one later. Had we done this trip pre retirement, it would have been a "lets stretch it to 14-16 day trip", as spouse had a job that wasn't conducive to taking 3-4 weeks off at same time.

Now we get to fly business (easier to justify the cost for a month+ trip) and truly explore the area.

Can you maintain close friendships at home while being gone so much?

DP here. How many "close friendships" do you have where you're hanging out more than once every couple weeks?

I work 50-55 hours a week and see my friends individually about once a week (bookclub, pickleball, at church, etc). With spouses, yes, it's much less frequent. But isn't spending a lot more time with friends one of the great benefits of having grown kids and being retired? I want to do all the things in the DMV I don't have time for now - culturally, sports, etc. - plus spend time with friends.

Yawn. No thanks. I like to get away, then come back to my grown kids and grandkids. I take it your grown kids don't live near you anymore?

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe I’ll be retiring on December 31st! I’m excited for the freedom, but I have to admit—I’m also a little nervous about what I’ll do with all that extra time. Sleeping 12 hours a day sounds tempting, but I don’t want my days to just slip away.

I don’t have the money to travel, so I’ll be looking for fun ways to enjoy life at home: walks in the neighborhood, hobbies, reading, maybe even learning something new online. And of course, spending more time with friends and family.

Retirement isn’t just about stopping work—it’s about having the freedom to fill your days with things that make you happy. I can’t wait to figure out my new routine!

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Anonymous wrote:I retired in November 2024 at the age of 58, and the past 13 months have been absolutely fantastic. With a post-tax annual budget of $360K for the rest of my life and staying in good health, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel extensively with my wife, who is ten years younger than me. Over the past year, we've spent a month in each of the following places: Argentina, Florida, San Diego, Italy, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Turkey, Greece, Laos, and Cambodia. We plan to continue living out of suitcases for the next five years before eventually settling down. Honestly, I’m having the time of my life. It is highly recommended.

For people who spend all your time traveling- doesn’t it get old? I spent two months in Europe and it just felt sort of pointless after a while. One more cathedral, one more cafe. I guess it felt like living life as a spectator rather than contributing to something more meaningful. But that’s just me.

Nope. I own a Leopard 48 catamaran and have been sailing around the Med for the past 3 years with my wife and on occasion my two adult children. It is absolutely fantastic with so much freedom. We are either moored, anchored, or pier-side 99% of the time with a passage to a new location every 3-4 weeks during the cruising season. Currently in Lefkada, Greece for most of the winter. Boat maintenance keeps me busy for sure when not exploring on land. We have a compressor onboard to fill our own dive tanks. Hope to eventually sail around the South Pacific but have been enjoying the Med too much. Definitely not for everyone and it’s hard to do properly (nice cat with the proper equipment) without having substantial funds. I can manage my investments using an internet connection with StarLink from anywhere. Life is good.

You are on a sailboat off some med coast and not bored? You sure about that? I guess taking your time to be on an anonymous local housewife forum and tying away means life must be exciting.

I'm from NoVa, hence the DCUM thing, and we still own a nice cabin out by Front Royal that we rent out. It's also the place we stay at when we are back in the States for family or other business. And yes my life is far from boring. If you're bored, you're not doing it right.

Exactly! Do what you want in retirement! If it's travel, that is awesome. If you prefer to sit at home and read books and volunteer, that too is awesome. As long as you are happy!

I'm with the PP, we love to travel and it's so nice to do so without constraints (financial, time, kids at home, etc). When you spend a longer time in an area, you get to see it differently. Rent a villa/apartment and live with the locals---it's amazing.


The lack of time constraints also opens up the option to go for 3-4 weeks somewhere. We are doing Australia in the coming year. We debated doing NZ as well but realized---there is so much to see in 4 weeks, why rush? We know we have the money (and for now good health--we are not yet 60) to return to the other one later. Had we done this trip pre retirement, it would have been a "lets stretch it to 14-16 day trip", as spouse had a job that wasn't conducive to taking 3-4 weeks off at same time.

Now we get to fly business (easier to justify the cost for a month+ trip) and truly explore the area.

Can you maintain close friendships at home while being gone so much?

DP here. How many "close friendships" do you have where you're hanging out more than once every couple weeks?

I work 50-55 hours a week and see my friends individually about once a week (bookclub, pickleball, at church, etc). With spouses, yes, it's much less frequent. But isn't spending a lot more time with friends one of the great benefits of having grown kids and being retired? I want to do all the things in the DMV I don't have time for now - culturally, sports, etc. - plus spend time with friends.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I retired in November 2024 at the age of 58, and the past 13 months have been absolutely fantastic. With a post-tax annual budget of $360K for the rest of my life and staying in good health, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel extensively with my wife, who is ten years younger than me. Over the past year, we've spent a month in each of the following places: Argentina, Florida, San Diego, Italy, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Turkey, Greece, Laos, and Cambodia. We plan to continue living out of suitcases for the next five years before eventually settling down. Honestly, I’m having the time of my life. It is highly recommended.

For people who spend all your time traveling- doesn’t it get old? I spent two months in Europe and it just felt sort of pointless after a while. One more cathedral, one more cafe. I guess it felt like living life as a spectator rather than contributing to something more meaningful. But that’s just me.

Nope. I own a Leopard 48 catamaran and have been sailing around the Med for the past 3 years with my wife and on occasion my two adult children. It is absolutely fantastic with so much freedom. We are either moored, anchored, or pier-side 99% of the time with a passage to a new location every 3-4 weeks during the cruising season. Currently in Lefkada, Greece for most of the winter. Boat maintenance keeps me busy for sure when not exploring on land. We have a compressor onboard to fill our own dive tanks. Hope to eventually sail around the South Pacific but have been enjoying the Med too much. Definitely not for everyone and it’s hard to do properly (nice cat with the proper equipment) without having substantial funds. I can manage my investments using an internet connection with StarLink from anywhere. Life is good.

You are on a sailboat off some med coast and not bored? You sure about that? I guess taking your time to be on an anonymous local housewife forum and tying away means life must be exciting.

I'm from NoVa, hence the DCUM thing, and we still own a nice cabin out by Front Royal that we rent out. It's also the place we stay at when we are back in the States for family or other business. And yes my life is far from boring. If you're bored, you're not doing it right.

Exactly! Do what you want in retirement! If it's travel, that is awesome. If you prefer to sit at home and read books and volunteer, that too is awesome. As long as you are happy!

I'm with the PP, we love to travel and it's so nice to do so without constraints (financial, time, kids at home, etc). When you spend a longer time in an area, you get to see it differently. Rent a villa/apartment and live with the locals---it's amazing.


The lack of time constraints also opens up the option to go for 3-4 weeks somewhere. We are doing Australia in the coming year. We debated doing NZ as well but realized---there is so much to see in 4 weeks, why rush? We know we have the money (and for now good health--we are not yet 60) to return to the other one later. Had we done this trip pre retirement, it would have been a "lets stretch it to 14-16 day trip", as spouse had a job that wasn't conducive to taking 3-4 weeks off at same time.

Now we get to fly business (easier to justify the cost for a month+ trip) and truly explore the area.

Can you maintain close friendships at home while being gone so much?

DP here. How many "close friendships" do you have where you're hanging out more than once every couple weeks?