Getting Motivated to Travel During FIRE

[Corporate ORphan]

Anyone have trouble getting motivated to travel during FIRE? DH and I would like to relocate but we don't know where. For the last 25 years we spent a lot of time driving, chasing white water so we could kayak (there wasn't much water in the midwest). Now that we are FIRE and we have the time to travel we can't get motivated to do it.

We don't want to stay where we're at but we don't know where we want to relocate plus houses here are just not selling anyway and the weather today is gorgeous and our garden is finally starting to produce tomatoes and peppers!

Oregon is high on our list but it is a 30 hour drive. DH hates to fly plus we were thinking of camping when we get there to save $$$. We looked at the train but then we have to rent a camper when we get there and they are a little pricey.

I told DH we need to sprout a couple of pairs of wings and fly ourselves out there.

Anyway, how do the rest of you get motivated to travel?

 

[Midpack]

I just completed my first relocation trip. It would have been easier to just stay home, but I told all my friends I was going to make the trip, so it would have looked bad if I didn't go. Lame as it is, I probably helped me follow through FWIW.

And it turns out I really enjoyed the 7 day trip, and I learned a lot about what I want and don't want from relocating. Some of what I learned never would have occurred to me without the trip. Food for thought...

As for where, I've just done months/years of research and thinking to pare down the list. It's been a process of elimination, I've eliminated many more places than those that have made the cut, without having to visit every possible location. Starts with figuring out what you want/need - climate?, cost of living?, cultural?, medical care?, etc.

Best of luck!

 

[FIREd]

Seems to me, if you wanted to relocate bad enough, you'd find the motivation to go explore other locations. Perhaps you are not quite ready to move yet?

 

[Nuiloa]

It's the same problem as what I call the "tourist syndrome". There are many great things to see and do in Vancouver, but I never think of going there unless I'm showing someone around town. I always figure there will be time - so it just drives whatever motivation I have right out the window.

Although I don't retire until next year, I know in my heart that I have to get out of Dodge to avoid becoming a tv-holic couch potato. I have 0 motivation to do stuff on weekends - and I'm actually quite fearful about what happens when every day becomes a Saturday.

To solve the problem, I bought a cheap RV. Because of the economy, some of them are going for a song. Since I'm a notorious tightwad, there's no way I'm going to let that particular hunk of metal sit there unused. I will be forced to get up and go.

Motivation by financial pressure

 

[TromboneAl]

I have that problem with an upcoming camping/biking trip to Utah. I know I'll enjoy it, but seems like so much work! No sitting on the recliner watching a movie.

Something must be wrong with me.

 

[REWahoo]

Seems to me, if you wanted to relocate bad enough, you'd find the motivation to go explore other locations. Perhaps you are not quite ready to move yet?

+1

Midpack, my observation is you don't take change lightly - that's not a criticism, only an observation. I recall it took you considerable time to decide to retire and even then you left open an escape hatch to return to work (per your sig line).

I would expect you'd approach relocation the same way and that it will take a while for you to get comfortable committing to moving. You don't seem to have any pressing need to move so you shouldn't rush into making a decision.

 

[REWahoo]

I bought a cheap RV. )

No such thing.

Yes, some are less expensive than others but none are really cheap.

OTOH, you almost certainly won't end up with costs like this guy: True Cost of Owning a Coach - $45k/year for me - iRV2 Forums

 

[Nuiloa]

No such thing.

Yes, some are less expensive than others but none are really cheap.

OTOH, you almost certainly won't end up with costs like this guy: True Cost of Owning a Coach - $45k/year for me - iRV2 Forums

Wow.... even if it's a fraction of that, I may have to consider going back to a tent.

Nui <---- thinking nostalgically about her tenting years while forgetting about her aching knees

 

[Mulligan]

Wow.... even if it's a fraction of that, I may have to consider going back to a tent.

Nui <---- thinking nostalgically about her tenting years while forgetting about her aching knees

My back just told me, it would rather spend a weekend in jail, than laying on a sleeping bag in a tent! I don't mind traveling by driving to the airport and leaving, but an extended trip in a car does not motivate me at all. If I was looking to move the fact-finding and searching would be fun. The hard part would be the packing, selling, and moving of stuff. I guess you could put the 'ole house up for sale and when it does, the reality of 30 days to get out would motivate you pretty fast to get some things done

 

[Nuiloa]

The hard part would be the packing, selling, and moving of stuff. I guess you could put the 'ole house up for sale and when it does, the reality of 30 days to get out would motivate you pretty fast to get some things done

If you move to an RV, the problem would be solved. No packing, no unpacking, moving constantly.

 

[Gone4Good]

Yeah, we have trouble getting motivated to move more than twice per week. Four days in the South Dakota Badlands was probably more than we needed, but three days here in Custer State Park might not be enough. We might just need to stay a bit longer.

I guess that's why we've only moved 67 times in the last year . . . sometimes it's just difficult to get going.

 

[Midpack]

Midpack, I would expect you'd approach relocation the same way and that it will take a while for you to get comfortable committing to moving. You don't seem to have any pressing need to move so you shouldn't rush into making a decision.

Yes and no. I've moved often my entire life, an army brat growing up, and frequent job transfers as an adult. I am sure we will move and don't fear change at all, we welcome it. But you are right in that the engineer in me will analyze, research and test the waters before we make the actual move...so a good observation.

My larger point to the OP was meant to be, I learned a great deal about what I want and don't want in relocation - I never would have gotten those insights had I not made the trip, with more trips to follow.

 

[Corporate ORphan]

I have that problem with an upcoming camping/biking trip to Utah. I know I'll enjoy it, but seems like so much work! No sitting on the recliner watching a movie.

Something must be wrong with me.

I think this is it exactly! Home is comfortable.

THe actual traveling isn't that much fun but once you get there its fun. I think we are burnt out on driving.

 

[chinaco]

Anyone have trouble getting motivated to travel during FIRE? DH and I would like to relocate but we don't know where. ....

Anyway, how do the rest of you get motivated to travel?

A little confused... travel or relo??

Are you are asking about travel like a vacation... short-term (week or two) or longer extended travel (several months)?

 

[Alan]

No trouble getting motivated in our household. We had planned and researched for years ahead of time and relocated the day after I RE'ed. First year we then had 20 weeks living in rented houses in different places including Canada and England.

2nd year we are coming to the end of of a 7 month stay in England, next year we are already planning 3 months in the Pacific NW and also in Colorado.

But this is us, and you should not do what you think you should do,but what you want to do. Relax, take it easy and ease into things.

 

[DangerMouse]

I'm with Alan, never have any problems getting motivated planning the next trip.

We have so many trips we want to do that once we have the time it is going to be non-stop. We are planning a trip thru Asia, a separate trip to Argentina as well as a European vacation. All these plans are ready to go, just need time to do it.

Instead of thinking about every location as a possible new destination to live, why don't you just get in the car and drive in the general area where you are interested and see what happens. Don't over plan the whole thing.

 

[sinjin]

TLDR

We have traveled a lot trying to find a place to retire. For about 8 years we were convinced that place was Maui. We spent 2-3 months there every summer, 4-6 weeks at Christmas and I went with my Mom for 10 days every spring break. Then our daughter got married and grandchildren entered the picture. We realized we would rarely see them if we we lived on Maui.

So we began an exploration of the mainland by CAMPING! Hahahahaha. The singuy and his family camped all the time. I never camped, ever. So we packed a Costco tent filled up the X5 with stuff we hardly ever used on the trip and went camping for 3 months instead of to Maui. Had a blast but dang, running to the bathroom in the middle of the night was hard on my 50 some bones. The next year we bought a Trailmanor camper, about the only thing we could tow with the X and toured for two more summers following up many friends suggestions of the perfect retirement community. No joy.

Three years ago we traded the X for a 2500HD and then the Trailmanor for an Airstream when we (non-gamblers) ended up stuck in Vegas for a week, idle hands and all that. Then our son and his wife moved to DC and we, formerly NY'ers, went back to the east coast for the first time in over 20 years. Long lost friends popped up every day on Facebook and we eventually visited one couple at their vacation home on Oak Island*, NC. Talk about love at first sight. We left twice and went back (got as far as Dover the first time) and then went back again at Christmas and bought a salty piece of land.

We hope to build a house <1/3 the size of the house we just sold in the next year. It took us a long time and a lot of miles to find the place we want to live for the first part of our ER. Nothing is forever.

*hope it's still there next week!

 

[TromboneAl]

My back just told me, it would rather spend a weekend in jail, than laying on a sleeping bag in a tent!

That problem is solved with one of these:

(as long as you don't get a leak).

 

[haha]

If you move to an RV, the problem would be solved. No packing, no unpacking, moving constantly.

No commnet of this-but I love your sigline.

Ha

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

That problem is solved with one of these:

(as long as you don't get a leak).

Al, if this is the one with the built-in air pump, I slept on one of those for years. Not in a camping-in-a-tent situation, though. It was fine for me.

 

[megacorp-firee]

Didn't have an issue with traveling. About 1 week after pulling the cord, we rented a condo in Las Vegas for 2 months and never looked back. Been all over the place since. ... taking the winter off ... DW says she needs a rest from long airplane flights. ... lol

 

[W2R]

We don't want to stay where we're at but we don't know where we want to relocate plus houses here are just not selling anyway and the weather today is gorgeous and our garden is finally starting to produce tomatoes and peppers!

Sounds to me like you have some perfectly good reasons for not traveling right now. So enjoy the tomatos and peppers, and the beautiful weather. Eventually the housing market has got to get better, and maybe gasoline prices will be lower then, too.

Meanwhile, you can always do online research on where you might like to relocate, which will probably help at some point.

We haven't really traveled much since retiring. It seems like we don't have any reason to want to leave.

 

[ItDontMeanAThing]

Motivation to travel was in short supply the first 2 years of retirement. What turned it around was realizing how important the calendar is to enjoying the destinations. For example I'm headed for Singapore and Malaysia in the window between the end of the Borneo burning season in Nov and the beginning of the high season hordes in December. Knowing it's that or wait until next year motivates me because the number of 'next years' is running out. Headed for the beaches of Southern Calif? July is the month because May is not warm enough, the locals call June weather 'June Gloom' and the two hottest months of the year are August and Sept, which doesn't affect the beaches much but makes the inland unpleasant.

 

[flyfishnevada]

We spent a lot of time traveling back and forth to Bandon, OR taking care of my FIL and his estate this last winter/spring. We were really burned out on driving for a while, still are to an extent. 11 hours for us. We know way too much about Bandon now. If interested, PM me.

I look at it this way. If it seems like work, you're probably not ready. I mean why force yourself to travel if you don't want too. Enjoy where you are for a while until the bug bites.

On the other hand, if you think this might be some mild depression setting in, going might be the best thing for you. Sometimes the best thing you can do when you feel unmotivated is force yourself to do something.

I think I effectively covered both sides of the argument there. Seriously, you gotta examine what's holding you back. There are legitimate reasons to not want to travel and then there's boredom and depression.

We have mostly gotten over our hesitation. We are going to Cancun in October, Disneyland (our 1st second home) with the boys in January, Miami and Jamaica (our 2nd second home) in March and SoCal/Disneyland for an extended stay with the boys in June. I hope we're ready.

 

[Birchwood]

We plan to move to a bigger city about 3 hrs away and make it as our home base. Then, comes the plan to travel. We are not sure if we like to do a lot of road trips. I'm into photography and I will enjoy that. My wife. I'm not so sure. Perhaps, we'll try a few short ones, about 3 to 5 hours away. If that work fine, we'll do more. Or else, we just have to fly to some interesting places. I dream of driving all the way to Alaska, but I doubt, my wife will take it.