Why You Shouldn't Wait Until Retirement to Travel

[Warm Breezes]

13 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

My mum really pushed the me to travel now not later. She always thought she would travel when retired but then a string of health problems and she found her travel options limited. So she tells me travel now while you have all the options available to you. It is one of the reason I try to travel to as many obscure and hard to reach places as I can. Overall my family hasn't had the best luck in the genetic lottery so I try to look after my health as best I can (in many ways travel motivates me to keep healthy)  but if the time comes where I am severely limited at least I will have a stockpile of photos I can look through and remember my amazing adventures🤗.

Since my DH retired a year and a half ago he has been charged going through the 30 years of stuff in our house so we can sell when I retire and downsize.  I love it when he comes across videos we haven't seen in years of the many vacations we have taken together and with our kids since our honeymoon 31 years ago.  The memories are worth more than gold to me.

[Doug R.]

I will be outraged after I get done smiling, even though I have seen this photo 5,393,210 times before. Oh yeah, GET OFF OF MY LAWN!!!

[K32682]

10 hours ago, chipmaster said:

 

Sorry to hear of your loss, but that is even more reason to love what you do and do what you love

 

What I love to do is make money.  That's why I work.  Money can't buy happiness but it can make the search far more comfortable. 

[Roz]

I'm 66 and still working.  Plan is to retire at 70.  For the past 20 years I've been taking 1 or 2 cruises or major trips per year.  I hope to be able to continue to do that after I quit working.

 

Roz

[LoriPhil]

We’re mid-60’s now and have been cruising for the last 12 years at the urging of my very-senior mom whose goal is for us to build our memories and experiences while we are still frisky (as she says, oh to be 90 again).  Our goal is a minimum of 2 vacations - not travel out of state to visit family but trips to interesting locations  - annually.  I love seeing a place on TV, realizing I’ve been there and instantly being back in that moment on our trip.  But hey, you all know that feeling - you’re cruisers too!

[chipmaster]

2 hours ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

To be fair not everyone gets a chance to do what they love. In an ideal world we would all work for the love of it but sometimes circumstances just get in the way and it comes down to needing the money. I don't think it should make you a bad role model😳.

 

Ah, the love what you do, all comes down to attitude.    I worked in a rather intense place, many came and left as they couldn't handle the heat in the kitchen, I was okay with that.  My mom worked till she was 82, that I thought was crazy and it was the city government which made it sound like crazy^2, but it all cam down to attitude, something it took me more than a few years to learn, love what you do 😉 then it becomes do what you love 😁

[chipmaster]

2 hours ago, Warm Breezes said:

This reminded me of something my daughter said just a couple of weeks ago.  She is 22 and is currently in her "Super" Senior year at a local university finishing up her education degree.  She is student teaching this year as well as dancing on the dance team for a local semi-pro basketball team for her 4th season.  Her eventual goal is to teach in an elementary school and be a coach on a high school dance team.  But she has a short term goal next year, after she gets her degree, of dancing on a pro basketball dance team while substitute teaching for a couple of years.  Dancing is her first love.  Teaching kids is her second love.  She told me when she talked about trying out for the pro basketball dance team, "How can I go in front of my students and tell them to pursue their dreams if I don't go out and pursue my own first?"  I think she will make an excellent teacher.

 

Great story, my last one we just sent of, very very far away compared to where sent my other two, but she picked the school for major and dance too, she loves to dance and will now get to do it in-front of a huge crowd and more.   

[Katyoparty]

My inlaws always planned to travel in retirement when my father in law would finally stop going to the farm. He finally did and the first trip they took my mother in law had a heart attack/stroke and never recovered. Died in the city they traveled to on vacation. Before that my husband wasn't as enthusiastic about traveling as I was--that changed immediately.

 

As far as work--I had a very stressful high powered job but mostly kept it in perspective. I worked to live rather than the opposite and at times that caused tension between myself and some coworkers. My attitude was that on my deathbed I would not be wishing I'd worked more but I would regret sacrificing everything for work.  

[George C]

I am 70 love that picture, we used to do Holland America and they had a couple of violin players , there was always a group of older cruisers there and most of them were asleep. We cruise twice a year and have for most of the last 30 years , when wife retires we will still cruise but doubt we will be doing suites.

[dogs4fun]

It has been our experience that our perspective of the places we have visited changed with age.

I love European travel and have been visiting Europe since my late teens - have enjoyed each and every trip. What we have noticed is the huge uptick in tourism over the past 20 years - each year brings larger hordes to the more popular tourist destinations. I would recommend visiting as soon as time and budget allows.

[capriccio]

5 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

In reference to the OP photo, I'm pretty sure these folks were partying until the wee hours the night before this was taken. I've met lots of very active seniors. So much for silly stereotypes.

 

Or suffering from serious jet lag.

[wwcruisers]

16 hours ago, fyree39 said:

 When I get home from a vacation I can unpack, do laundry, run to the store and stock up the fridge and don't have to rush around because I have to be at work the next morning. "Joy of going back to work." I get hives just thinking about it.

 

LOL -- and don't forget about all the time you have to spend begging the cat's forgiveness, for going off and leaving him/her!😜

[ashank1m]

In Asian community, old way of living is still a thing.  Parents always told me work hard in your youth and enjoy your retirement.  But, as the pic shows, traveling is not an easy thing to do when you are old, also, those who didn't travel young are most like not to travel in old age.  Why? they don't know how and everything seems to be a challenge as well as physically demanding.

Parents didn't save but gave all to kids helping with house down payment, short falls, etc.  Now I support mom after pop passed, she goes to trips with my family 1 -2 times a year.  We mix, cruises, theme parks, ski resorts, Cities, etc.  She still gets allowance from my siblings and uses my CC to spend and save her money, then gives to grandkids, and I have to save money to send her tours with her friends.  Well, that old way stops with me.  I am saving much as I can and planning my future.  Way I see, if you do it right, you don't need to work until 67 to retire and have a rich kids that can support you.  So, I planned to retire at 60 and use my IRA and home equity to fund my world travel for 7 years.  2 yr RVing in USA 49 states (I have it mapped out already, 28123 miles point to point), 5 years WC and segment B2B cruising, mix with air, train, cruise around Asia, Europe, Africa.  Then retire on a sailing boat to Caribbeans with intermittent cruises and places I have missed.

 

[cruizergal70]

With the rise of the internet and YouTube, more people are exposed to travel. This shows people that anyone can travel at any age or budget. Thus, fewer people are waiting until retirement. 

[iancal]

We have always traveled.   Did three months driving through NA in a VW camper when I was 19.  After marriage, quit our jobs, sold the house, and went to tour Europe in a VW van for four months.  We have been traveling ever since.   Lots of international trips in between then and retirement.  Son has the travel bug, daughter does not.  We retired early eight years ago.  One of the main reasons was that I wanted to travel. So now we do 2 two month trips per year plus others in between.  

 

You only live once so we want o make the best of it while we can and while we have the health and the disposition to enjoy it.  When we retired we changed our lifestyle to facilitate travel.  No plants, not pets.  We can lock and leave at the drop of a hat.

Edited August 29, 2019 by iancal

[Zach1213]

1 hour ago, cruizergal70 said:

With the rise of the internet and YouTube, more people are exposed to travel. This shows people that anyone can travel at any age or budget. Thus, fewer people are waiting until retirement. 

 

In my opinion, it's more of a "the future may not be great, so let's enjoy it now" attitude in my (Millenial and younger) generation. Retirement is far from a given, and if it is, who knows at what age. Social security is questionable - most of us believe we're paying in to something we'll never see on the other end. Housing is significantly more expensive now, so the prospects of selling our houses (if we can even afford them) down the road and making lots of money to travel on are slim to none. Add things like climate change in to that and a "who knows what the world will look like in 20-30 years?" mindset, and it makes sense why so many young folks, like my wife and I, are choosing to focus on traveling the world at younger and younger ages.

 

And, of course, the world is more connected than ever, so traveling the world is easier (and cheaper) than ever. But combine that with the above and voila.

Edited August 29, 2019 by Zach1213

[Roz]

2 hours ago, Zach1213 said:

 

In my opinion, it's more of a "the future may not be great, so let's enjoy it now" attitude in my (Millenial and younger) generation. Retirement is far from a given, and if it is, who knows at what age. Social security is questionable - most of us believe we're paying in to something we'll never see on the other end. Housing is significantly more expensive now, so the prospects of selling our houses (if we can even afford them) down the road and making lots of money to travel on are slim to none. Add things like climate change in to that and a "who knows what the world will look like in 20-30 years?" mindset, and it makes sense why so many young folks, like my wife and I, are choosing to focus on traveling the world at younger and younger ages.

 

And, of course, the world is more connected than ever, so traveling the world is easier (and cheaper) than ever. But combine that with the above and voila.

 

I'm sorry that as a young person you have such a pessimistic view of the future.  

 

Roz

[Warm Breezes]

2 hours ago, Zach1213 said:

 

In my opinion, it's more of a "the future may not be great, so let's enjoy it now" attitude in my (Millenial and younger) generation. Retirement is far from a given, and if it is, who knows at what age. Social security is questionable - most of us believe we're paying in to something we'll never see on the other end. Housing is significantly more expensive now, so the prospects of selling our houses (if we can even afford them) down the road and making lots of money to travel on are slim to none. Add things like climate change in to that and a "who knows what the world will look like in 20-30 years?" mindset, and it makes sense why so many young folks, like my wife and I, are choosing to focus on traveling the world at younger and younger ages.

 

And, of course, the world is more connected than ever, so traveling the world is easier (and cheaper) than ever. But combine that with the above and voila.

I'm not so sure it starts with attitude of the Millennials.  I am Generation X and raised 1 Millennial and 1 Gen Y.  We took our children on as many trips as we had the time and the funds to take them on.  At a minimum 1-2 week long+ trips per year plus many, many long weekend trips.  My parents, who were Baby Boomers, took me on a few week end camping trips.  Period.  Travel was a luxury we couldn't afford.  My first air plane flight was for my honeymoon.  Both of our kids flew for the first time at 6 months old and rode across the country in a car by 3.  They learned to love to travel from their parents, Generation X.  Many of our friends and family were the same as us.  The only difference between us and  our friends is we plan on retiring early to travel.  Not to say we didn't travel before, but we want to travel more than ever before while we are still healthy enough to do so.  You Millennials definitely do not hold the monopoly on the traveling while you can mindset.  Many of us have been doing so as soon as we were able, 31 years of wonderful traveling so far for DH and myself.

Edited August 29, 2019 by Warm Breezes

[Zach1213]

24 minutes ago, Roz said:

 

I'm sorry that as a young person you have such a pessimistic view of the future.  

 

Roz

 

It's not pessimistic. It's realistic. And, admittedly, my wife and I have it better than most - we do well financially and save well for retirement, however our primary focus is travel now. But the days of making big profits on selling your house are over (which is how many retirees afford to travel), the potential of social security being gone by the time we're old enough to get it is decently high, and climate change has a very real possibility of changing the way all of us live over the next couple of decades (including the possibility of flat out eliminating some places that exist today). Tomorrow isn't given, let alone 30-50 years from now when we can (maybe) retire, so life has to be enjoyed now.

Edited August 29, 2019 by Zach1213

[ldubs]

32 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:

 

It's not pessimistic. It's realistic. And, admittedly, my wife and I have it better than most - we do well financially and save well for retirement, however our primary focus is travel now. But the days of making big profits on selling your house are over (which is how many retirees afford to travel), the potential of social security being gone by the time we're old enough to get it is decently high, and climate change has a very real possibility of changing the way all of us live over the next couple of decades (including the possibility of flat out eliminating some places that exist today). Tomorrow isn't given, let alone 30-50 years from now when we can (maybe) retire, so life has to be enjoyed now.

 

That concern about SSN was around when I was still a young person.   Now I happily collect it every month.   My comment is not really worth much other than that particular concern is not a new one.  The rules for buying real estate have certainly changed.  Anyway, I remember older folks telling us we should enjoy travel while we are still young.  I guess that still applies. 

 

You know, based on what I've seen in my lifetime, I would be excited about what things will be like 30 -50 years from now.  

Edited August 29, 2019 by ldubs

[lenquixote66]

My father was born in the 19th century and it is amazing how many things he experienced such as the telephone,radio,television,automobile and so many other things.

[wwcruisers]

The best philosophy I ever heard on this general topic is this (and, for the life of me -- I cannot remember where I first heard it): 'Plan like you are going to live forever, and live like you are going to die tomorrow.'

[davekathy]

1 hour ago, wwcruisers said:

The best philosophy I ever heard on this general topic is this (and, for the life of me -- I cannot remember where I first heard it): 'Plan like you are going to live forever, and live like you are going to die tomorrow.'

Yeah, spend your money now before your kids do. 

Edited August 30, 2019 by davekathy

[getting older slowly]

8 hours ago, wwcruisers said:

'Plan like you are going to live forever, and live like you are going to die tomorrow.'

Yes I do like it,   didn't meet the better half until I was 40...... travel our country.... started sight seeing holidays   ( never stopped more than 2 nights anywhere, generally single nights )

 

then moved to more relaxing holiday go to different place for a week or so.......

 

Then go back to place really like and spent a  couple of weeks   ( stop and smell the roses )

 

Once turning 60 and forced into early retirement .. found Cruising   Wow   Relaxing... somebody doing everything for you

 

Now just do thing we like.... don't really plan... and decide  things on the moment....

 

and looking forward  in under 3 months our first B2B two 13 night cruises ( the same cruise ) so 26 nights on board......

 

Why because we can..... and it gives us time to small the roses....  

 

So basically Do you when you think about it.... do not keep on putting thing off.....  And do not regret not doing something

 

and look at the bright side of life......

 

Cheers Don ( about to get my G&T ) .

[babs135]

8 hours ago, davekathy said:

Yeah, spend your money now before your kids do. 

Totally agree with this.  But it does remind me of having booked our 2nd trip to Australia (land based) and telling our son that we would be away for 7 weeks.  His response:  'omg, you really are spending the kids' inheritance'.   🤣🤣🤣