Retirement Rehearsal Went Well

[Nuiloa]

Sorry I haven't been around much lately, but I was off in my RV, doing a retirement trial run.

I took 3 months off this summer to see what life would be like with no deadlines. I learned that I have an almost limitless ability to sit and stare at beautiful scenery for hours at a time. I never got bored, never ran out of things to do and never once did I miss anything or anyone connected with w*rk.

I do find that my habit of procrastination does not improve when I have more time to do the stuff I keep putting off until I have time to do it. Seems on a motivation-meter, I'm about at a zero. So, I have to learn to set artificial deadlines: like inviting someone for dinner in order to kick-start the housework.

I also found out that driving an RV is kind of an expensive hobby. The gas prices aren't so bad, but it seems that some major thing breaks down every time I move the thing.

All in all, it was a good summer and I have informed the powers that be that I'm out of here as of May 1st. This will give me a bit more time to build up the RV repair fund.

 

[pb4uski]

.....I do find that my habit of procrastination does not improve when I have more time to do the stuff I keep putting off until I have time to do it. Seems on a motivation-meter, I'm about at a zero. ....

+1

This has probably been the biggest surprise of my retirement thus far. Its seems that it will always be a better day tomorrow to do the chore that at its core I really don't care to do and am avoiding.

More important to check the latest posts are early-retirement.org!

 

[Nuiloa]

BTW - this was my first road trip across the western USA and it was amazing. No one beats the Americans for friendliness and helpfulness!

 

[Alan]

Welcome back Nuiloa

This summer we also did our first ever road trip across the western USA and fully agree with your comments. (we didn't do it an RV, but had rented cabins or condos in several locations with plenty of time between stops to stay at B&B's and hotels).

Congratulations on your setting of a date for ER.

 

[Jay_Gatsby]

The best thing about being retired is not having to do most things on a set schedule, mostly revolving around w*rk.

 

[Mulligan]

Glad you are off to a nice start. Once you have lost the ability to become bored, you don't have to entertain the crazy thought of needing to go back to work. Looks like you have also caught the "piddling" disease. It is very contagious. Before long it will take you forever to get any work done even though you now have more time in which to do it. I caught this disease and now it takes me all day to get done what I used to could do after getting off work.

 

[Nuiloa]

Looks like you have also caught the "piddling" disease. It is very contagious. Before long it will take you forever to get any work done even though you now have more time in which to do it. I caught this disease and now it takes me all day to get done what I used to could do after getting off work.

I hope I don't fall into the same trap as my friend: if he has more than 3 things to do at any given time, he panics and tells the world how busy he is. It takes him longer to tell people that than it is to actually do the work. Eventually, he winds up paying someone else to do it! Idiot.

 

[MBAustin]

Welcome back! Glad to hear you are a firm member of the class of 2013. Have fun catching up!

 

[Koolau]

Hi, Nuiloa. Glad to have you posting again.

We'd all love to hear a trip report on your travels.

As a much younger person, I had the wander lust and thought RVing would be fun. As I've gotten older and wiser (or maybe more to the point, decrepit) I've decided RVing is not in my future. Still, it sounds fun. Sorry you had (expensive) issues with the RV. How you dealt with them on the road would probably be of interest to those contemplating RVing. I was surprised you mentioned fuel not being too big an issue. I would think (in most situations) that would be the major expense, though, YMMV.

Thanks for the compliment on American friendliness and helpfulness. I think part of that comes out because we just love to "show off" our country. I love to visit with Canadian (and other) snow-birds here in Paradise. I can hear about the snow I "missed" back on the frozen tundra. Makes the expense of living here seem more worth while, heh, heh.

Keep those trip details coming.

 

[traineeinvestor]

The best thing about being retired is not having to do most things on a set schedule, mostly revolving around w*rk.

Unfortunately, my wife has other ideas....

 

[HFWR]

I, too, have concluded that an RV is out of budgetary reach, but I may well rent or buy one for at least one extended roadtrip.

I'm an expert piddler and putzer as well...

 

[Helen]

+1 on the roadtrip report. I would love to know where you went and where you stayed. Did you stay in RV parks? What were they like and what were the people like that you met?

I may be two weeks behind you, I'm hoping to retire mid May of 2013.

 

[REWahoo]

I, too, have concluded that an RV is out of budgetary reach, but I may well rent or buy one for at least one extended roadtrip.

We're on an extended RV trip "out West" and I am astounded by the number of rental RV's we've seen. They are everywhere. At Monument Valley more than half the RV's we saw were Camping World, El Monte, or Cruise America units.

 

[Alan]

We're on an extended RV trip "out West" and I am astounded by the number of rental RV's we've seen. They are everywhere. At Monument Valley more than half the RV's we saw were Camping World, El Monte, or Cruise America units.

We noticed that as well. Wit it being our first road trip out west we just assumed seeing all those rental RV's was normal.

 

[REWahoo]

It may be normal for that part of the country, but I've never seen that level of concentration anywhere else. A significant number appeared to be rented by folks visiting from outside the US.

 

[omni550]

I spent 3 weeks last September touring all over British Columbia, including Jasper, Banff, and Vancouver Island.

During my 2500 miles of driving, I saw TONS of rental RVs there also. Seemed to be a very popular thing to do.

omni

 

[Rambler]

Nuiloa, what kinds of things needed to be fixed on your RV? Is it a relatively new one, or more than 5 years old? Curious, as we are looking to buy an RV or travel trailer with some hope of doing possibly a shorter version of your trip next summer or the summer after that.

Thx

R

 

[HFWR]

It may be normal for that part of the country, but I've never seen that level of concentration anywhere else. A significant number appeared to be rented by folks visiting from outside the US.

Texas?

 

[MichaelB]

Unfortunately, my wife has other ideas....

+1

And (in my case) is not hesitant to express them at every opportunity