Did your retirement "dreams" change a lot over the years?

[Katsmeow]

Interesting thread.

First - I had no retirement dreams. When I was younger I just never thought of retirement. It seemed something so far away as to not even be anything to things about. I married in my late 30s and DH's employer had a DB plan. I was clueless and didn't realize how valuable that was (he did realize it). Early on I bought into the you must have x% of income in retirement and came up with an impossibly high number for future retirement.

We had kids late (well, DH had kids early as well but that was another wife) and I had this idea that he would wait until our daughter graduated high school and retire which would have been his full retirement age of 66 and that I would keep working until my full retirement age of 66. I didn't really have a picture in my mind of anyone retiring early unless forced to by health or some other negative event.

Then several things happened. In my early 50s I realized that retirement was approaching faster than I realized. I still didn't have much of a "dream" of retirement. But I realized at some point just how valuable DH's DB was (he ended up taking it as a lump sum which far exceeded what I had thought it would be). I also came across this forum at some point and started for the first time to thing about early retirement. DH retired 4 years earlier than the original plan.

At that point we planned to downsize to a retirement home in a specific locale. That ended up changing and we bought about 60 miles away in a different area. But so far pretty much what we were thinking when DH retired.

 

[Al in Ohio]

We always talked about travelling for a year in an RV, then finding a place in the mountains to live. We've been travelling - spent a total of three months on road since June 1, but with stops back at home. We still want to sell the house and move elsewhere, but we're not in a hurry. We'll probably spend half our time on the road, and half back at the house, getting it ready to sell. By the time the house is ready, we may have an idea where we want to move to...

I envy you . Sounds like a good plan but my DW would never RV with me ( so she says so far).

Anyone have any idea of how much it costs per month to rent a mid sized new model RV and has anyone done that?

 

[REWahoo]

Anyone have any idea of how much it costs per month to rent a mid sized new model RV ...?

Cruise America: RV Rentals, Motorhome Rentals

 

[LoneAspen]

I'm hoping to (semi?) retire in Feb 2015. Even if it's not full retirement, I'm at least taking a couple years off, leaving the IT field, and going back to Colorado to enjoy the mountains again, and all the things I've wanted to do for years without a job hanging over me...hiking, backpacking, skiing, snowboarding, etc.

One thing that's really inspired me, and it happened quite recently, was me wanting to get my private pilot's certificate. I live under the flight path of a local GA airport, and one day I saw the small planes flying overhead, and it dawned on me the incredible degree of freedom that provides. I want to do more travelling (mostly national parks, ski resorts, etc), but I hate driving long distances, and I absolutely HATE flying commercial. I just can't deal with airline scheduling, airports, security, taking shoes off, waiting around, delays, being shoved in small seats in coach, crying babies, etc. I hate it.

But...if I had my own small plane, weather permitting, I could fly anywhere I wanted to on my own time. Just wake up one morning and say, "I want to fly to Jackson Hole today", go to the airport, get in my own plane, and go. Just go! That really appeals to me.

I've actually started to rethink my housing plans when I move back. Maybe instead of a larger home or acreage in Colorado, get a smaller house (I'm really not a shared-walls person like condos or townhomes...I can't deal with noisy neighbors, I have to have a house), which would enable me to afford a little more expensive plane.

And before anybody mentions it...yes, I'm fully aware of all the costs involved in maintaining a plane. They're worse than boats. But I wouldn't ever attempt to financially justify owning a private plane - it's impossible All I know is, there's a price to pay for such freedom and fun, and as long as I can reasonably afford it, I'm going for it.

My only problem is staying motivated to deal with the BS at work for another year or so. All while seeing the planes flying overhead and wishing I was up there

 

[swilson]

My husband and I retired about 1.5 yrs. ago. We are now 49 and 48 respectively. We planned for a good 20 yrs. to make early retirement happen. Now we spend lots of time traveling and are gone about 40% of the year. Last year we spent 3 months in Canada rock climbing and mountain biking and this past summer we did the same activities for 2 months in Colorado. Currently we are Bend, OR doing the same. So, yes, this is what we envisioned doing with our free time. I know there will come a point in time where we'll have to scale back our activities but for now, we are making the most of our health and free time. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

 

[Meadbh]

My husband and I retired about 1.5 yrs. ago. We are now 49 and 48 respectively. We planned for a good 20 yrs. to make early retirement happen. Now we spend lots of time traveling and are gone about 40% of the year. Last year we spent 3 months in Canada rock climbing and mountain biking and this past summer we did the same activities for 2 months in Colorado. Currently we are Bend, OR doing the same. So, yes, this is what we envisioned doing with our free time. I know there will come a point in time where we'll have to scale back our activities but for now, we are making the most of our health and free time. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Welcome swilson! Are you from Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador, or Placentia, California?

 

[swilson]

We are from Placentia, CA.

 

[Meadbh]

We are from Placentia, CA.

Thanks for clarifying. It appears that both towns' names were derived from the French word "plaisance" meaning "pleasant". Does Placentia live up to its name and are you planning to stay?

I am an ex baby doctor and if you take out the "I" the name means something entirely different to me! See my thread on the importance of spelling here:

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f27/spelling-rant-68749.html

 

[swilson]

Yep, a lot of people mispronounce Placentia. We like living in Southern California and plan to stay there for the foreseeable future. We have a group group of friends, community and family in the area.

 

[seraphim]

Al

Everyone's different; she would probably enjoy it if you found the right rig and style of campground you would like.
Some people want a lot of room to live IN their RV, and like resort campgrounds with lots of amenities. We are outdoor people who like to live OUT of our RV. We have a larger truck camper. We sleep in it, and spend quiet time in it, when we're not walking, biking, canoeing or cooking on the campfire. We prefer primitive and/or dispersed campsites with few other people around. The truck camper permits us to camp in areas larger styles of RVs can't even get to.



Rent a mid sized one for a week and give it a try. Attempt different sizes and different styles of campgrounds until you find a combination you'd like, or you decide it's not for you. Three years ago, we'd have laughed if anyone had said we'd be in a truck camper. But it's perfect for us.


Untitled by jglennhart, on Flickr