So... what are we all retiring to???

[armor99]

I have enjoyed reading and debating various issues here on the forum for a while, so I thought I might start a thread to find out what some of us are planning on retiring to. Are there dreams, goals, places to see and things to do? I am a bit further away from some others here from ER, but I thought I would ask around to see what sorts of plans people were working on. I thought that near the years end it might be inspiring to hear a bit more what all that time that ER will give you is going towards....

When my wife retires in 2 years we intend to move from Long Island, NY to the southwest, either Reno, southwestern Oregon or Arizona. We want to be in an area with low humidity and with less snow then we have here. We have been playing with the idea of buying a small camper or RV so we can fulfill our desire to visit places we have never been to.

[Sandy]

freedom to call my day my own

[W2R]

I don't like travel, other than by car when I'm not driving.

When I retire, I want to spend time resting and at the gym, to recover from years at work and get really fit again. I want to go for long walks every day, cook healthier food from scratch, and that sort of thing. Also, I want to buy, furnish, and decorate my ER home so that I like it and it feels like home, and that will take a few months.

I am a person who is driven by a whole lot of nearly insatiable curiousity about the universe. So, I'd like to pursue whatever interests me at the time, to my heart's content. There is no way for me to know in advance what that would be, since it changes regularly. But I tend to have intense interests that last for a year or so, and then I move on to something else. The internet is a fantastic resource, and with the addition of a few books from Amazon.com now and then, should be all that I need for this exploration.

Like many people, I'd like to write a book just to experience that. I'd like to buy a digital piano and take up piano again. I want to go bird-watching. I'd like to do some volunteer work. I want to learn to paint (pictures - - I can already paint rooms! ). I want to see a few of the many, many wonderful movies that I missed through the years. And OMG, the computer games!! I could go on, and on.

There's a whole universe of activities out there, waiting for us. And NONE of them involve sitting in a cubicle all day long!!!!!

[tightasadrum]

Check out this thread for a list of things people want to complete before the sand runs through the hourglass.

http://www.early-retirement.org/foru...ist-29019.html?

[cardude]

Sit on my A$$ for awhile and figure out what I want to do (for a job) next, if anything...........

Some things on my list in the mean time:

1. Practice my piano and get good enough to play in a bar/restaurant for fun.
2. Vacation in a new place for two months while the kids are on summer vacation so we can find that perfect spot to move to.
3. Lift weights and become semi-buff and get in better shape overall.
4. Read for at least 2 hours each day.
5. Become a more mechanical and less emotional investor.
6. Spend more time with the kids, and actually teach them important things about life.
7. Learn to weld.
8. Open a hot rod shop for fun.
9. Learn how to snowboard well.
10. Get some more use out of my fishing shack.
11. Start surfing again.
12. Do the cooking at the house.
13. Take some long trips in my rod.
14. Make some new, interesting friends.
15. Take some long trips in the RV.
16. Learn how to play the drums good enough to be in a garage band.

[Fireup2020]

No more "to the office by X...stay until Y..." repeat M-F! If my alarm clock is set after FIRE, it means something exciting is going on (just earlier than my future norm!)

And ditto what Want2Retire wrote So much to do, yet no idea for sure what it will be day to day!

[RunningBum]

- more skiing and golfing
- increasing my running to build up to a 100 mile trail race
- cross training for strength and flexibility to supplement the endurance training
- reading the classics as well as the page turners
- figure out something to keep up the mental skills to replace what I do at work, without the overhead mindnumbing part of the job
- volunteering to give something back to the community
- various house projects I've been putting off
- tracking investments and finances
- web surfing and computer games, but the trick is probably going to be limiting that

I've got a longer list of things I'm considering, some regular activities, some one time events, but the above things are highest on the list.

[maddythebeagle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sandy freedom to call my day my own

I am reminded of REW's todo list that he is still getting to....

[simple girl]

Our hope is to move eventually to semi-retirement for DH (I'm already semi-retired, since I work part-time). We hope he'll be able to work for 4 to 6 months of the year and that I'll be able to find temporary work during that time as well; we plan to live off of that income soley, and let our investments grow (although we likely won't be able to continue to invest any $ due to reduced income).

During the 6 to 8 months off, we would like to travel and spend time near family. Right now we live far away from family and only see them once or twice a year. We probably will purchase an RV for our travels, as this will allow our kitties to travel with us. We'd love to see so many of the great places this country has. DH is also a disc golf "addict", so we'll be spending lots of time in state parks while he explores the free golf courses located all over the states.

Eventually, when our savings have grown enough we'll make the big step to being fully FIRED. Then, when our kitties pass on , we plan to do more international travel, following a similar path to the Kaderli's. We also are looking at doing housesitting for extended periods of time in various parts of the world.

We are so looking forward to getting up, having a leisurely cup of coffee or two, working out as long as we like, having even more time to cook healthy, yummy recipes, and playing in the park as much as possible.

If only it could all start tomorrow! For now, we keep plodding away and reminding ourselves that we both have good jobs that we like which bring in decent salaries. Life could be much, much more difficult, and we have much to be thankful for.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by maddythebeagle I am reminded of REW's todo list that he is still getting to....

I just added another item to my list: Find the todo list...

[Rustic23]

I can remember one of the early Monday mornings in our first year of retirement. I rolled over and ask DW "You know what we have to do today" after a pause she said "Nothing?" we both laughed!

[Coach]

Golf.
Lots of work on the house.
Golf.
Travel.
Some volunteer work.
More golf.

Coach

[Milton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coach Golf.... Golf.... More golf.

Cf. Lee Eisenberg, The Number (2006), page 80.

[kaudrey]

I have two main goals - travel more and volunteer more.

I may do these things together - lately I have been looking at Earthwatch.org, and I'd also like to explore volunteering in national parks - being one of those people who works in the north in the summer and the south in the winter, as a campground host or bus driver or whatever else they might need.

Or I may keep them separate, and travel the world for a while and volunteer at local organizations when I am home.

I also want to spend more time on my hobbies, which are numerous.

Karen

[FinanceDude]

Get some more hobbies.

Go traveling "on a whim"

Golf, golf,and more golf..........

[GatorBuzz]

I'm hopefully retiring to many, many days of drinking my three six-ounce cups of good coffee on my dock watching the fog slowly lift off the river. Every morning. I'm retiring to the ability to wake up at 5:00 a.m. on a Monday to drive to Crescent Beach, FL to see the sunrise over the Atlantic, while sipping a bloody mary, coming home and taking a nap and then driving to Cedar Key, drinking a cold beer, watching that same sun set that evening out in the Gulf of Mexico (credit to Harry Crews for the idea).

I'm retiring to a time when I can actually build furniture for my kids and their kids. A time when I can read in the hammock and fall asleep in the middle of a boring chapter while swinging in the breeze (okay, maybe the Florida heat or skeeters will stop this many months out of the year, but I'm dreaming here!) I'm retiring to a time where DW and I can leave at a moment's notice to go wherever we want. Man, there is so much I'm retiring to that I don't have the time or energy to type it all out. I just wish it weren't so far away, but that's the way it is...

[Ronstar]

Hikes - I want to do some 13ers, maybe 14ers
Bike Rides
Work out more
Read more
Spend time on my pontoon boat
Turn our property into a landscaping mecca
Travel alot
Tinker in my garage

[Khan]

Peace and Quiet
Feeding/watching birds/squirrels/et al
Gardening
Becoming more efficient
Improving health/fitness

[Shawn]

I'm 48, ER is only 2-3 years away. This is what I'm looking towards ...

1) Not work
2) More local athletic activities (running, bicycling, hiking, orienteering, etc)
3) Little things (reading, puzzles, etc)
4) Big adventures (backpack Pacific Crest Trail, summit Everest, Adventure Racing, etc)
5) Travel around the United States

Other things ...

- clean up and organize house
- learn house maintenance and auto mechanics
- revamp astronomy interest
- learn Piano
- take art history class (I don't like art, I have no idea why I want to do this)
- learn gardening
- watch more football
- be contestant on Jeopardy
- take cruise (never done this)
- Disney World
- get pilots license
- put up Christmas lights on house, compete with neighbors
- volunteer (tutor, peace corp, etc)
- lots more