Alternatives To The Norms

[clobber]

Hi,

I have a while until retirement, but have been researching alternatives to the normal options. I anticipate DW and I *not* wanting to:

1) Pick a retirement location, buy a house. That would be really tough for us. More than likely we would get the location wrong and be stuck trying to sell a place we don't want.

2) RV - not for us.

3) Camping - not for us.

4) Long distance travel. DW and I already up to 90-100 visited countries. No more need.

5) Living overseas. Done that for 20 years, enuff is enuff.

6) Renting a house. Hate the thought, but might be a good option.

What other ideas are out there? I'm wondering if there are some innovative ideas I am missing. I don't need the overseas aspect. What is a financially savvy way to spend a few years in exploring one place (in U.S.A) and then move on?

Thanks!

 

[meierlde]

Hi,

I have a while until retirement, but have been researching alternatives to the normal options. I anticipate DW and I *not* wanting to:

1) Pick a retirement location, buy a house. That would be really tough for us. More than likely we would get the location wrong and be stuck trying to sell a place we don't want.

2) RV - not for us.

3) Camping - not for us.

4) Living overseas. Done that for 20 years, enuff is enuff.

5) Renting a house. Hate the thought, but might be a good option.

What other ideas are out there? I'm wondering if there are some innovative ideas I am missing. I don't need the overseas aspect. What is a financially savvy way to spend a few years in one place and then move on?

Thanks!

Select an area rent for a while and then hunt for a house to buy if you like the area. It is essentially try before you buy for a location. Also then you can house shop at your leisure.

 

[clobber]

Select an area rent for a while and then hunt for a house to buy if you like the area. It is essentially try before you buy for a location. Also then you can house shop at your leisure.

I suppose that would be my default plan.

 

[bingybear]

Hi,

I have a while until retirement, but have been researching alternatives to the normal options. I anticipate DW and I *not* wanting to:

1) Pick a retirement location, buy a house. That would be really tough for us. More than likely we would get the location wrong and be stuck trying to sell a place we don't want.

2) RV - not for us.

3) Camping - not for us.

4) Long distance travel. DW and I already up to 90-100 visited countries. No more need.

5) Living overseas. Done that for 20 years, enuff is enuff.

6) Renting a house. Hate the thought, but might be a good option.

What other ideas are out there? I'm wondering if there are some innovative ideas I am missing. I don't need the overseas aspect. What is a financially savvy way to spend a few years in exploring one place (in U.S.A) and then move on?

Thanks!

clobber, so many things... so little time.
much of this has more to do with what you want to do with your retirement.

you noted RV an d camping as two items... I'm not sure these are two different things in your post. I may be wrong, but I'm guessing that both are what I call "car camping"... camping were you drive to the camping spot. We will do this... but we do backwoods hiking, canoeing and camping ... but that is us. It does keep us in better shape and allows my wife to watch the critters and birds.
We lived over seas for a much shorter time and with kids... did not travel anywhere near as much as you... so international travel is still on our list.

So what do you like to do? giving back to society? working on houses?... something like habitat for humanity might fit.

see the country via motor cycle. I keep kidding DW that we need to do the 3 month motorcycle tour of Alaska.

Sailing? just for fun or competitively race. Or a boat that you can sleep on and travel that way. Be in in coastal waters, the great lakes or others.

I'm not ready to pick a retirement location either.... plus we are helping DMIL as she ages. That will come later.

There are many ways to give back, many ways to just enjoy your time, etc. It would really help both the forum members and yourself to know your interests to help provide suggestions. ... for us, I don't see the "norm" retiree hiking miles away from water and toilets... to camp were few people travel.
If your don't know what you really want to do... try something... don't like that.. modify and go. life is short. When you become ancient.. then look at setting in some retirement home/area if that suits you.

good luck

 

[seraphim]

You haven't mentioned what you *like* to do, so it's hard to make recommendations.


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[seraphim]

We chose not to move to to a retirement location, just kept the house - it's paid for. We just don't spend a lot of time in it. There are plenty to see and do in this country, places to go, new experiences to try...

It's difficult to get bored. We just act on whimsy and go.


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[DayDreaming]

Another option: stay right where you are.

 

[ArkTinkerer]

Live on a cruise ship?
Live in hotels?
Commune?
Group retirement living?
Convent/cloister/religious retreat?

 

[clobber]

You haven't mentioned what you *like* to do, so it's hard to make recommendations.


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I like lots of things, dedicated to nothing.

I've been a life long golfer. For the first 10-15 years of retirement I see that as being critical to life. After that, skills deteriorate too much and I wont need it. I also enjoy learning and teaching so will be looking at universities and MOOC etc. I hate the cold (unless there is skiing), but do like summers in the Northern U.S. much better than the South. The food in southern Louisiana Cajun country is much much much (did I say much?) better than any other place in the world. Sorry world, I have been there and it is true. I prefer mild summers and no winter.....have yet to find that. I really enjoy going to baseball games. Would probably gravitate to the minor leagues.

Lots of possibilities with many conflicting desires.

 

[clobber]

We chose not to move to to a retirement location, just kept the house - it's paid for. We just don't spend a lot of time in it. There are plenty to see and do in this country, places to go, new experiences to try...

It's difficult to get bored. We just act on whimsy and go.


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That sounds fantastic. How do you do that for reasonable $$$? I have zero desire to RV. Staying in ~$200/night Hampton Inns adds up quickly. I'm actually on a road trip now.

 

[clobber]

Another option: stay right where you are.

Generally that would be an option for many people. Not for me though.

 

[REWahoo]

That sounds fantastic. How do you do that for reasonable $$$? I have zero desire to RV. Staying in ~$200/night Hampton Inns adds up quickly. I'm actually on a road trip now.

No free lunch. Whether in an RV or Hampton Inn, both cost $.

 

[clobber]

Live on a cruise ship?
Live in hotels?
Commune?
Group retirement living?
Convent/cloister/religious retreat?

I appreciate the ideas, but no, no, no, and no/no/no

 

[REWahoo]

Generally that would be an option for many people. Not for me though.

Don't want to stay where you are - check.
Don't want to RV - check.
Don't want to camp -check
Don't want to spend for hotels - check.
Don't want to cruise -check.
Don't want to rent - check.

Have you considered teleportaion?

 

[ivinsfan]

I suggest you select one area of the country at a time and comb thru the VRBO rentals, they usually rent for anywhere from several days to several months and the longer you stay the cheaper the per night price.

This gives you flexibility and all the comforts of home without actually signing a long term rental contract. For example in the Southwest you have PHX, Sedona, Page AZ, St George, Mesquite NV, Brian Head Ut, Santa FE, NM and on and on. As we get older we prefer the long 2 to 3 weeks stays so we can settle in a little bit. One could easily spend an entire Northern winter doing this and the only extra cost is really lodging and gas. The rest of it is pretty much your normal living patterns.

 

[Texas Proud]

I would suggest extended living hotels....

We have stayed a few times in them.... really surprised how good some of them are...

One we rented was a 2BR and had a nice living room and kitchen... was more like an apartment than a hotel...

Another was in Las Vegas and they had free breakfast and dinner.... it was a 1BR and was smaller than a 1BR apartment (well, at least the ones I had), but was still better than a hotel room....


I would not have had a problem living at either of these for a few months... but they do get expensive... but we never checked if there were long term rents that would make it cheaper...

 

[clobber]

Don't want to stay where you are - check.
Don't want to RV - check.
Don't want to camp -check
Don't want to spend for hotels - check.
Don't want to cruise -check.
Don't want to rent - check.

Have you considered teleportaion?

Why don't we have that yet

I think that's why I started this thread. That list would be the widely known options and I was looking for any lesser known alternatives. I guess there is not a service like that. I could see paying $X/year to have something like that in the U.S.A. Live in Nevada a year, then California....oops want to stay for 2 years in California...no big deal. No rent contracts to worry about. Kinda like a time share on steroids I guess. And no, timeshares are not on my list either.

 

[clobber]

I suggest you select one area of the country at a time and comb thru the VRBO rentals, they usually rent for anywhere from several days to several months and the longer you stay the cheaper the per night price.

I have started looking at VRBO and Airbnb. Thanks

 

[clobber]

I would suggest extended living hotels....

We have stayed a few times in them.... really surprised how good some of them are...

Can you give me some examples?

On multiple occasions I've need to stay long term in Residence Inn's, Extended Stay America, and other places like that. I think the max was about 4 weeks. Its not bad, but gets old quick. And the one in Maine looks just like the one in California looks just like the one in South Dakota. Boring.

This is a viable option though. FYI - in many places in Europe you can get very good deals the longer you stay. I once got a 200 Euro/night hotel for 80/night (center of Rome) by staying a couple of months.

 

[ArkTinkerer]

Don't want to stay where you are - check.
Don't want to RV - check.
Don't want to camp -check
Don't want to spend for hotels - check.
Don't want to cruise -check.
Don't want to rent - check.

Have you considered teleportaion?

I think we are going about this the wrong way. All this is about shelter. What we need to ask is not where you want to live but WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?

If the answer is read books then maybe you should live in a condo by a library. If the answer is snow skiing then it will be something completely different. So, give us a list of things you enjoy, or think you might enjoy, doing on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. What matters to you?

 

[Texas Proud]

Why don't we have that yet

I think that's why I started this thread. That list would be the widely known options and I was looking for any lesser known alternatives. I guess there is not a service like that. I could see paying $X/year to have something like that in the U.S.A. Live in Nevada a year, then California....oops want to stay for 2 years in California...no big deal. No rent contracts to worry about. Kinda like a time share on steroids I guess. And no, timeshares are not on my list either.

You are starting to sound like a salesman for them....

Nothing that most people do seems to be what you like... but you have a different way that seems 'better'.... and hawking some new way of living and asking in a sly way if we have heard of it.... and you are only 9 post in (and all on this thread)....


BTW, went to look and there is ZERO info on price.... so I am out of here....

 

[Sojourner]

Based on everything posted here, I would say Airbnb is your best bet. Mix in some VRBO if you're not finding exactly what you want in a certain area. I've used both numerous times and have been pretty pleased overall. I think as I get more into full-time retirement, I'll be doing a lot of roaming and will rely pretty heavily on Airbnb.

 

[clobber]

You are starting to sound like a salesman for them....

Nothing that most people do seems to be what you like... but you have a different way that seems 'better'.... and hawking some new way of living and asking in a sly way if we have heard of it.... and you are only 9 post in (and all on this thread)....


BTW, went to look and there is ZERO info on price.... so I am out of here....

I can understand that. I did just sign up after reading the forums for a few weeks. All I can say, is nope not a salesman for them and I'll go delete that name out of the post.

Edit: except it looks like I can't

 

[ivinsfan]

I have started looking at VRBO and Airbnb. Thanks

That's a good start I have never used Airbnb, on VRBO unless you are staying somewhere at peak time, expect to get a reduction even on the monthly rate. Sometimes you can get the monthly price per night on a 2 or 3 week rental. Many areas, if you stay for 30 days no lodging tax will be added to your rental.

St George Utah is a particularly good place to get discounts as there is a big oversupply of rentals. Just keep emailing owners until you get one ready to deal.

 

[MichaelB]

I can understand that. I did just sign up after reading the forums for a few weeks. All I can say, is nope not a salesman for them and I'll go delete that name out of the post.

Edit: except it looks like I can't

That's ok, I'll take care of it.