anybody just want to stay home?

[Danmar]

Well put mouse. Ever notice how many of the posts here are disconnected. People talking about them selves mostly. I am certainly guilty of this, I think.

 

[jacob]

I don't like traveling in the sense it's usually understood as in going somewhere and then going home. However, I do like relocating, so every 2-4 years I feel like "getting out of here" and "set up shop" somewhere else. Consequentially, I try to keep my number of possessions to a minimum to make this very easy. It is said that "moving" is one of the most stressful things someone can do---not this one.

One more observation. For me travel is about the journey rather than the destination. Unfortunately, modern air travel has reduced the journey to the equivalent of sitting in a closet with a vacuum cleaner turned on for 10 hours. Perhaps this has something to do with my dislike of travel.

 

[travelover]

................Unfortunately, modern air travel has reduced the journey to the equivalent of sitting in a closet with a vacuum cleaner turned on for 10 hours.........

Great summation. Maybe some smart airline will come up with an upgrade option between coach and first class. They could call it "Travel Classic".

 

[Major Tom]

Unfortunately, modern air travel has reduced the journey to the equivalent of sitting in a closet with a vacuum cleaner turned on for 10 hours. Perhaps this has something to do with my dislike of travel.

Long distance driving often feels similar, thanks to our freeway system.

 

[Lsbcal]

I am going to have to disagree with you on this one. I don't think it's necessarily a lifestyle or ego thing to go somewhere that maybe considered more exotic. I actually think it comes down to the fact that people only really want to talk about themselves, they don't want to listen to other people. I fear the art of conversation is quickly dying as we all become more self-absorbed. ...(snip)...

Well your certainly right about people having a difficult time putting on their "hearing ears". Maybe there was never an art of conversation? Sometimes I'm embarrassed to recall a conversation and realize I should have asked the other person what they thought. I would have learned a lot more.

So in the future, I'm going to listen to everything you write here Dangermouse!

 

[Nords]

Unfortunately, modern air travel has reduced the journey to the equivalent of sitting in a closet with a vacuum cleaner turned on for 10 hours.

I don't think that modern air travel was ever above that level, let alone reduced the journey. You could always ditch the civilian aircraft and stick to the military versions. Then it's like sitting in a metal dumpster that's being beaten by sledgehammers for 20 hours...

Don't get me started on ocean travel, either. I'd rather freeze on a C-130 jump seat than get to my destination via the "high seas".

Other than as a life metaphor, I'm not sure how far we'd have to regress our transportation mechanisms to get to the point where the journey was more important than the destination.

 

[Major Tom]

Other than as a life metaphor, I'm not sure how far we'd have to regress our transportation mechanisms to get to the point where the journey was more important than the destination.

Bicycles might do it

 

[Nords]

Bicycles might do it

One of our family legends is one of my great-great-grandfathers who got off the boat in 1880s NYC and couldn't find work.

So he walked to Pittsburgh, but didn't like the work there either.

Then he walked to Cincinnati and decided that the work there was acceptable to his standards.

I think his lesson was that after a journey like that, any destination will do...

 

[toofrugalformycat]

I am going to have to disagree with you on this one. I don't think it's necessarily a lifestyle or ego thing to go somewhere that maybe considered more exotic. I actually think it comes down to the fact that people only really want to talk about themselves, they don't want to listen to other people. I fear the art of conversation is quickly dying as we all become more self-absorbed.

I left small town Australia 25 years ago and have travelled the world far and wide. In all my numerous trips back home no-one has so much as expressed an interest in seeing a photo or hearing what I have done.

I wish we were neighbors, DangerMouse. DH and I have traveled a bunch, as have our friends, and I loved the evenings we got together and showed our old-fashioned slides and shared what we experienced. Now slides are out, none of us have anything that'll project our digital photos, and we don't travel as much. Either you're curious about the world, or you're not. Many are not, but some of us are! I can just feel my brain cells expanding (or something) when I struggle with a foreign language and figure out how to do things in a strange place.

That said, just being home is becoming nicer and nicer as I get older. I miss the travel and hope to do more, but I guess it's also good to be able to enjoy being home.

 

[Rambler]

We're not retired yet, I travel about half to two-thirds of my time, mostly international. We take home leave twice a year at home in Cali...about 2 weeks each. We also go to Hawaii for about a week, usually twice a year. I am on email and phone calls at least 2 hours each day (often much more than that) while away. DW also travels with me about one out of three or four of my work trips, and we'll stay the weekend to see the sights.

When I slow down in 2 years, I will travel twice a month from Cali to Asia during the warmer dryer months, and either buy or rent a condo/condotel in Hawaii for 2-4 months of California's wetter and colder months. After 1-3 years of a still working slower pace, we'll probably travel CONUS by car or RV/trailer, and spend a few weeks to a couple months in Hawaii, probably a couple times a year. We like Hawaii, but we also like Cali.

So, bottom line, we'll shift around a little, travel a little, but our home base will still be our Cali home base.

R

 

[afntrn56]

Stay home!

I wouldn't mind staying home after I FIRE but the DW won't stand for any of that so we will most likely compromise a bit. The other plan might be to move closer to the coast and then stay at home more. I think that would still require travel to other places though too!!!!

 

[Lsbcal]

Just want to clarify my previous post a little. While I agree with the OP that travel in retirement can be overated, we have always taken vacations. Recent ones have been domestic car trips as they are fun and relatively cheaper (stocks still in recovery mode + DS in college) then European travel. I'd like to go back to England and Scotland next -- want to visit Edinburgh again.

So I don't want anyone reading this to feel defensive about their travel plans. Travel can be fun even if it's exhausting. Wish we could go everywhere first class as that would probably be easier but I'm too frugal for that.

 

[Khan]

One of our family legends is one of my great-great-grandfathers who got off the boat in 1880s NYC and couldn't find work.

So he walked to Pittsburgh, but didn't like the work there either.

Then he walked to Cincinnati and decided that the work there was acceptable to his standards.

I think his lesson was that after a journey like that, any destination will do...

A shorter version was my grandfather's journey, got off the boat and walked from NYC to Albany.

 

[DangerMouse]

Think one thing that must be kept in mind is different strokes for different folks. NOthing wrong if you want to stay home 24/7 365 days of the year. Same as there is nothing wrong if you want to hit the road for the same period of time. Whether you do it el cheapo or first class as long as you are enjoying it and can afford it, it really doesn't matter.

 

[haha]

The other plan might be to move closer to the coast and then stay at home more. I think that would still require travel to other places though too!!!!

To me this is huge. Unless you have a specific reason to travel- to see particular architecture or certain pieces in museums, a lot of the reasons to travel about disappear when you are in a very attractive and stimulating place to begin with.

Not much will get me away from my home city in the warm months!

Ha

 

[Ksols]

So I don't want anyone reading this to feel defensive about their travel plans. Travel can be fun even if it's exhausting. Wish we could go everywhere first class as that would probably be easier but I'm too frugal for that.

Plan to retire in about 2 years. Right now I notice its almost more fun planning and looking forward to travel than the actual event. Probably because it gets me thru the w*rk day. I imagine it will be different later?

 

[Lsbcal]

Welcome here Ksol, noticed it's your first post.

Travel doesn't really have to have a different outcome in retirement. It depends on so many things and your moods and your health. If you're doing a road trip and don't have to deal with reservations you can feel a bit freer with time -- no job to get back to.

ER travel can be the icing on the cake (of anticipation). But I guess that goes for work vacations too.

 

[meierlde]

If you're doing a road trip and don't have to deal with reservations you can feel a bit freer with time -- no job to get back to.

.

And today with so many motel chains on the web, you can make reservations online very easily.
The way I put it flying in the lower 48 is for the time constrained. There are so many interesting places between here and there in the US, why not see some of them?

 

[Redbugdave]

I have a little over 2 years before retirement and can't wait.

I am happy working in my workshop...welding on stuff, hunting and fishing. For me personally, if I were to travel it would be to experience some of the last remaining wildernesses left in the world. I don't care to see any cities, (unless they have a good natural history museum, etc). I really don't have any yearning to travel anymore. Growing up, (eons ago), as a kid...my family moved every couple of years. All over the country. Like a bunch of gypsies. And when I got on my own, I moved around a bit, too. And so...I am burned out on traveling. Happiness is inside your head.

I am truly happy messing around at my hunt club, fishing along the coast, messing around with the tractor and just hanging out with my friends. Having to work and fit all that in right now is near impossible. Work sure gets in the way of life! I find that having an itinerary and schedule are too confining for real happiness. I like to "wing it" and be more spontaneous. Especially after years of being tied down to having to be somewhere all the time at so and so time. If traveling, I am constantly thinking of all the neat things I could be doing at home, instead.

A great quote from one of our ER master minds, (Goonie), sums it up for me...
"Remember when you were a little kid...before the big people sent you to kindergarten? Remember those seemingly endless days of play? Those days when you got up and ate breakfast, then went out to play? Then you'd come in for lunch and a nap, and then go back out to play until supper time? Then after supper you'd go out to play until dark or until bedtime....whichever you could get away with? Then you'd start all over the next day? Well, that's what retirement is like!!!"

 

[SarahW]

Think one thing that must be kept in mind is different strokes for different folks. NOthing wrong if you want to stay home 24/7 365 days of the year. Same as there is nothing wrong if you want to hit the road for the same period of time. Whether you do it el cheapo or first class as long as you are enjoying it and can afford it, it really doesn't matter.

Exactly. I'm a homebody and I love it. No place I'd rather be.

 

[Zoocat]

Most of the time I like to stay home. I work at home and just hang around my town or go hiking with my dog. But occasionally I like to really get out of my environment. I've been to Africa, Costa Rica, and Ecuador and Peru. I don't find traveling exhausting unless I have to deal with frigid cold weather getting to the airport.

But,really, most of the time I am so happy to have nothing to do each day, to have the day free of difficulties, that I could live out the rest of my life this way.

 

[NW-Bound]

Well, I cannot be a perpetual traveler like some people. On the other hand, we enjoy being home too, but one long trip or two a year would be good to break the monotony. In the past, after about 2 weeks trekking around on the Eurail, we would start to miss home.

RV'ing seems to work out well for us, as it is really another home on wheels. We have gone for a 1-month long trip, and that time, both of us wanted to keep goin'. Will go for a longer trip this summer to see when we will want to turn back.

 

[LightningDawg]

I can't wait. Five more years until ER.

I will enjoy boating and fishing whenever I want to. Nothing is more relaxing than a day on the water.

 

[lovinglife1]

I agree with you Dangermouse. I've lived in 6 countries and visited almost 80 and actually, I dont talk about it to some people since I know they are really not that interested....unless it fits appropriately in the conversation.

 

[52andout]

two weeks and still on topic!

Lots of great replies and viewpoints. Even with the storm raging outside I am glad to be home with my good book and cat on my lap. We might take a trip next year but so far still content - but the key is for each of us to just be happy whatever that means.