Why You Shouldn't Wait Until Retirement to Travel

[iancal]

We leave for six weeks in Greece and Cyprus next week.  I am looking at a solo tour to India in either November or March.  Not certain if we will go to SE Asia or Mexico/Costa Rica for our winter snowbird trip.   And Morocco is high on the bucket to do list for the spring.  No plans yet after that.

 

Could be dead, by then so who knows.  As per the other comments, that is exactly why we are doing it now  while we can.  We would prefer to have happy  memories  rather than regrets when we are in our rccking chairs.

Edited August 30, 2019 by iancal

[Bizmark'sMom]

My retired parents are starting to join me on some of my my trips.   There has been some grousing about the faster pace of my travels. I remind them that I am not retired yet and have time limitations. Also, they are welcome to schedule slower, more laid back excursions and spend more time at the destinations than I can.  In 2020, they are joining me on Hurtigruten's Fram for my 50th birthday trip to Antarctica.  We'll see how it goes.

[davekathy]

10 hours ago, babs135 said:

Totally agree with this.  But it does remind me of having booked our 2nd trip to Australia (land based) and telling our son that we would be away for 7 weeks.  His response:  'omg, you really are spending the kids' inheritance'.   🤣🤣🤣

...but it's only a inheritance when your gone. 🤣

[Roz]

On ‎8‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 1:21 PM, Zach1213 said:

 

It's not pessimistic. It's realistic. And, admittedly, my wife and I have it better than most - we do well financially and save well for retirement, however our primary focus is travel now. But the days of making big profits on selling your house are over (which is how many retirees afford to travel), the potential of social security being gone by the time we're old enough to get it is decently high, and climate change has a very real possibility of changing the way all of us live over the next couple of decades (including the possibility of flat out eliminating some places that exist today). Tomorrow isn't given, let alone 30-50 years from now when we can (maybe) retire, so life has to be enjoyed now.

 

I started working after college in 1974, and there were people in my office retiring before they planned to because they thought SS was going bankrupt and if they didn't retire then, they would never be able to draw a monthly SS check.  45 yrs. later and SS is still around.  The full retirement age has been raised (mine went from 65 to 66, and my youngest sister's went from 65 to 67), but it's still around.  I expect there will continue to be changes but I don't think it will go away completely.  Too many people depend on it, and if it goes away, the Federal gov't. would have to provide subsidized housing, issue more food stamps, open soup kitchens, etc. for the millions of seniors who couldn't afford to stay in their homes or apts. and buy groceries.  

 

In the US, real estate almost always appreciates over time unless you live in a severely economically depressed area like Butcher Holler, KY. 🙄  I honestly don't know any retirees who are traveling on the proceeds of a home sale, unless they sold their home and are touring the country in an RV.  I'm sure there are people who lived in NYC or Boston and retired to  some place like Tupelo, MS with gobs of money left over, but I think they are in the minority.  

 

Climate change or no climate change, every place on earth changes over time, so I wouldn't let that deter me.  

 

As I mentioned before, I'm 66 and have lived through some interesting times, some good, some exciting, and some I wished had never happened, but those events have shaped me and the world we live in.  Just to mention a few - the space race, the Cold War, a president's assassination,  the first man on the moon, the Civil Rights movement, the Women's movement, the anti-war movement, the Vietnam War, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union, Woodstock, the British music invasion, Dylan going electric at Newport, the assassinations of MLK Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, Cicero, Watts, and other inner cities on fire, 911, 2 Desert Storms and the War in Afghanistan, the first black US president, personal computers, the internet, cell phones and smart phones, etc.  Need I go on?  It's been interesting, to say the least. 😎

 

Roz

[Mike981]

2 hours ago, Roz said:

 

I started working after college in 1974, and there were people in my office retiring before they planned to because they thought SS was going bankrupt and if they didn't retire then, they would never be able to draw a monthly SS check.  45 yrs. later and SS is still around.  The full retirement age has been raised (mine went from 65 to 66, and my youngest sister's went from 65 to 67), but it's still around.  I expect there will continue to be changes but I don't think it will go away completely.  Too many people depend on it, and if it goes away, the Federal gov't. would have to provide subsidized housing, issue more food stamps, open soup kitchens, etc. for the millions of seniors who couldn't afford to stay in their homes or apts. and buy groceries.  

 

In the US, real estate almost always appreciates over time unless you live in a severely economically depressed area like Butcher Holler, KY. 🙄  I honestly don't know any retirees who are traveling on the proceeds of a home sale, unless they sold their home and are touring the country in an RV.  I'm sure there are people who lived in NYC or Boston and retired to  some place like Tupelo, MS with gobs of money left over, but I think they are in the minority.  

 

Climate change or no climate change, every place on earth changes over time, so I wouldn't let that deter me.  

 

As I mentioned before, I'm 66 and have lived through some interesting times, some good, some exciting, and some I wished had never happened, but those events have shaped me and the world we live in.  Just to mention a few - the space race, the Cold War, a president's assassination,  the first man on the moon, the Civil Rights movement, the Women's movement, the anti-war movement, the Vietnam War, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union, Woodstock, the British music invasion, Dylan going electric at Newport, the assassinations of MLK Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, Cicero, Watts, and other inner cities on fire, 911, 2 Desert Storms and the War in Afghanistan, the first black US president, personal computers, the internet, cell phones and smart phones, etc.  Need I go on?  It's been interesting, to say the least. 😎

 

Roz

 

Thank you for sharing and taking the time for this great post.

[chipmaster]

4 hours ago, Roz said:

 

I started working after college in 1974, and there were people in my office retiring before they planned to because they thought SS was going bankrupt and if they didn't retire then, they would never be able to draw a monthly SS check.  45 yrs. later and SS is still around.  The full retirement age has been raised (mine went from 65 to 66, and my youngest sister's went from 65 to 67), but it's still around.  I expect there will continue to be changes but I don't think it will go away completely.  Too many people depend on it, and if it goes away, the Federal gov't. would have to provide subsidized housing, issue more food stamps, open soup kitchens, etc. for the millions of seniors who couldn't afford to stay in their homes or apts. and buy groceries.  

 

In the US, real estate almost always appreciates over time unless you live in a severely economically depressed area like Butcher Holler, KY. 🙄  I honestly don't know any retirees who are traveling on the proceeds of a home sale, unless they sold their home and are touring the country in an RV.  I'm sure there are people who lived in NYC or Boston and retired to  some place like Tupborelo, MS with gobs of money left over, but I think they are in the minority.  

 

Climate change or no climate change, every place on earth changes over time, so I wouldn't let that deter me.  

 

As I mentioned before, I'm 66 and have lived through some interesting times, some good, some exciting, and some I wished had never happened, but those events have shaped me and the world we live in.  Just to mention a few - the space race, the Cold War, a president's assassination,  the first man on the moon, the Civil Rights movement, the Women's movement, the anti-war movement, the Vietnam War, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union, Woodstock, the British music invasion, Dylan going electric at Newport, the assassinations of MLK Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, Cicero, Watts, and other inner cities on fire, 911, 2 Desert Storms and the War in Afghanistan, the first black US president, personal computers, the internet, cell phones and smart phones, etc.  Need I go on?  It's been interesting, to say the least. 😎

 

Roz

 

Pace of change is changing, to quote a author, someone born in the 1500 and waking up in the 1600 or 1700 AD wouldn't notice too much, but someone born in the 1800 or 1900 and waking up in 2000 might think he has gone to a complete differentl world and couldn't even go an hour with out total confusion at what the world has become,   imagine what Moore the next 20 years will bring by looking at where we were in 2000 and accelerated it by 2x, exciting times indeed!

 

 

[lenquixote66]

4 hours ago, Roz said:

 

I started working after college in 1974, and there were people in my office retiring before they planned to because they thought SS was going bankrupt and if they didn't retire then, they would never be able to draw a monthly SS check.  45 yrs. later and SS is still around.  The full retirement age has been raised (mine went from 65 to 66, and my youngest sister's went from 65 to 67), but it's still around.  I expect there will continue to be changes but I don't think it will go away completely.  Too many people depend on it, and if it goes away, the Federal gov't. would have to provide subsidized housing, issue more food stamps, open soup kitchens, etc. for the millions of seniors who couldn't afford to stay in their homes or apts. and buy groceries.  

 

In the US, real estate almost always appreciates over time unless you live in a severely economically depressed area like Butcher Holler, KY. 🙄  I honestly don't know any retirees who are traveling on the proceeds of a home sale, unless they sold their home and are touring the country in an RV.  I'm sure there are people who lived in NYC or Boston and retired to  some place like Tupelo, MS with gobs of money left over, but I think they are in the minority.  

 

Climate change or no climate change, every place on earth changes over time, so I wouldn't let that deter me.  

 

As I mentioned before, I'm 66 and have lived through some interesting times, some good, some exciting, and some I wished had never happened, but those events have shaped me and the world we live in.  Just to mention a few - the space race, the Cold War, a president's assassination,  the first man on the moon, the Civil Rights movement, the Women's movement, the anti-war movement, the Vietnam War, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union, Woodstock, the British music invasion, Dylan going electric at Newport, the assassinations of MLK Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, Cicero, Watts, and other inner cities on fire, 911, 2 Desert Storms and the War in Afghanistan, the first black US president, personal computers, the internet, cell phones and smart phones, etc.  Need I go on?  It's been interesting, to say the least. 😎

 

Roz

CC will likely remove my post because it is not cruise related.However,you did not list the assassinations of  Malcolm X and Medgar Evers,the murders of Schwerner,Chaney and Goodman just to name a few.

[chipmaster]

On 8/28/2019 at 6:23 AM, K32682 said:

 

What I love to do is make money.  That's why I work.  Money can't buy happiness but it can make the search far more comfortable. 

 

LOL my mom said something close, money can't buy happiness but having more money makes it easier to be happy, she worked till she was 82, not sure if it made her happier, that is another story all together. 

[Roz]

1 minute ago, lenquixote66 said:

CC will likely remove my post because it is not cruise related.However,you did not list the assassinations of  Malcolm X and Medgar Evers,the murders of Schwerner,Chaney and Goodman just to name a few.

 

Why would CC remove your post?  I didn't intend to create an all-inclusive list, just provide examples.  But you're correct, the assassinations of Malcom X and Medgar Evers were marker events, as was the March on Washington and the march across the bridge in Selma.  Were Schwerner, Chaney and Goodman the 3 civil rights workers murdered in MS?

 

Roz

[chipmaster]

On 8/29/2019 at 8:43 AM, Zach1213 said:

 

In my opinion, it's more of a "the future may not be great, so let's enjoy it now" attitude in my (Millenial and younger) generation. Retirement is far from a given, and if it is, who knows at what age. Social security is questionable - most of us believe we're paying in to something we'll never see on the other end. Housing is significantly more expensive now, so the prospects of selling our houses (if we can even afford them) down the road and making lots of money to travel on are slim to none. Add things like climate change in to that and a "who knows what the world will look like in 20-30 years?" mindset, and it makes sense why so many young folks, like my wife and I, are choosing to focus on traveling the world at younger and younger ages.

 

And, of course, the world is more connected than ever, so traveling the world is easier (and cheaper) than ever. But combine that with the above and voila.

 

When I was 7 or was it 8 years old an my parents were struggling to finish their PhD I remember reading a book about how the population growth and consumption of oil and coal would cause world wide shortages and people would retreat to the sea and farm it to survive, look where we are.   China can feed their huge population, the US is the world leader in oil production, don't under estimate the ingenuity of the homosapiens after the cognitive revolution to find a ingenious solutions, that is what makes man stand above chimp, elephant, dolphin  

[Roz]

7 minutes ago, chipmaster said:

 

Pace of change is changing, to quote a author, someone born in the 1500 and waking up in the 1600 or 1700 AD wouldn't notice too much, but someone born in the 1800 or 1900 and waking up in 2000 might think he has gone to a complete differentl world and couldn't even go an hour with out total confusion at what the world has become,   imagine what Moore the next 20 years will bring by looking at where we were in 2000 and accelerated it by 2x, exciting times indeed!

 

 

 

Great points.  I remember my family not having a car or a TV until around 1955 - 1956, as hard as that is for some people to fathom.

 

Roz

[Roz]

1 minute ago, chipmaster said:

 

When I was 7 or was it 8 years old an my parents were struggling to finish their PhD I remember reading a book about how the population growth and consumption of oil and coal would cause world wide shortages and people would retreat to the sea and farm it to survive, look where we are.   China can feed their huge population, the US is the world leader in oil production, don't under estimate the ingenuity of the homosapiens after the cognitive revolution to find a ingenious solutions, that is what makes man stand above chimp, elephant, dolphin  

 

In college freshman biology (REAL freshman biology was happening after class, but I digress 😈) we were required to read a book called "The Population Bomb" which sounds similar to what you're talking about.  Instead of starving to death and living in the ocean, India and China are cleaning our clocks. 😜

 

Roz

[lenquixote66]

3 minutes ago, Roz said:

 

Why would CC remove your post?  I didn't intend to create an all-inclusive list, just provide examples.  But you're correct, the assassinations of Malcom X and Medgar Evers were marker events, as was the March on Washington and the march across the bridge in Selma.  Were Schwerner, Chaney and Goodman the 3 civil rights workers murdered in MS?

 

Roz

Yes,they were. I was very active in the Civil Rights Movement with Dr. King and other memorable people .Mickey Schwerner and I were members of CORE .

[lenquixote66]

6 minutes ago, Roz said:

 

Great points.  I remember my family not having a car or a TV until around 1955 - 1956, as hard as that is for some people to fathom.

 

Roz

My parents never owned a car.They did not have a telephone or a TV until 1952.

My father dropped out of school at a young age but when he passed away nearly nearly 40 years ago he was President of a division of one of the largest labor unions in the country. 

[Roz]

4 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

My parents never owned a car.They did not have a telephone or a TV until 1952.

My father dropped out of school at a young age but when he passed away nearly nearly 40 years ago he was President of a division of one of the largest labor unions in the country. 

 

That's a wonderful story about your father.  One thing I have observed is it seems like in our parents' generation, they got further in their careers without formal education.  My father barely finished high school (got drafted into WWII because he was 18), went to work as a free apprentice in an engineering firm after the war, and became a steel structural draftsman.  My mother became a diploma RN on an Army scholarship.  After a nursing career, she became head of medical claims for a major insurance company in one of their regional offices.  Now they want you to have a bachelor's degree to make lattes at Starbuck's. 🙄

 

Roz

[Roz]

We've had some thread drift 😉, but for all the young people still reading this thread, don't be afraid of the future.  To quote Van Morrison in "Someone Like You", the best is yet to come.

 

Roz

[lenquixote66]

1 hour ago, Roz said:

 

That's a wonderful story about your father.  One thing I have observed is it seems like in our parents' generation, they got further in their careers without formal education.  My father barely finished high school (got drafted into WWII because he was 18), went to work as a free apprentice in an engineering firm after the war, and became a steel structural draftsman.  My mother became a diploma RN on an Army scholarship.  After a nursing career, she became head of medical claims for a major insurance company in one of their regional offices.  Now they want you to have a bachelor's degree to make lattes at Starbuck's. 🙄

 

Roz

My parents fathers were farmers. My parents stressed the need for a good education .

I graduated college with a GPA of 3.59 at a very good institution.I loved to study .I loved writing essays.I found college very challenging.I studied nearly 24/7 for the GRE and only had one incorrect answer. I had the highest score in the history of my college.

They wanted me to pursue my Masters there.However, one of my favorite high school teachers got a job as a full Professor at a different college and I told my parents that my preference was to go there.I then pursued a Doctorate.

 

 

[GUT2407]

On 8/28/2019 at 11:23 PM, K32682 said:

 

What I love to do is make money.  That's why I work.  Money can't buy happiness but it can make the search far more comfortable. 

Whereas I miss the mental stimulation when I am not working I hope to keep going well into my 80s

[lenquixote66]

2 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

Whereas I miss the mental stimulation when I am not working I hope to keep going well into my 80s

I love intelligent conversation.I have always been an avid reader.I find that I am able to converse on most subjects.

[GUT2407]

Funny the different education stories, we all follow different paths 

 

I finished high school, family couldn’t afford university, dad was a truck driver, about 29 years later got my law degree.

 

Mrs Gut didn’t get to finish High School, her family though education was a waste of time and money, went to Uni as a mature age student now has. Doctorate and is considered The World authority in her field.

 

Good friend left school at 13, joined the Navy, (by putting his age up) when he mustered out, joined the police, studied law to be a prosecutor, long story short ended his career as a judge.

[lenquixote66]

5 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

Funny the different education stories, we all follow different paths 

 

I finished high school, family couldn’t afford university, dad was a truck driver, about 29 years later got my law degree.

 

Mrs Gut didn’t get to finish High School, her family though education was a waste of time and money, went to Uni as a mature age student now has. Doctorate and is considered The World authority in her field.

 

Good friend left school at 13, joined the Navy, (by putting his age up) when he mustered out, joined the police, studied law to be a prosecutor, long story short ended his career as a judge.

That is great re your wife. My wife and I stressed the need for a good education to our children .Both have 3 MA’s and good jobs.Our grand children are following in their footsteps.

[ilikeanswers]

18 hours ago, Roz said:

 

That's a wonderful story about your father.  One thing I have observed is it seems like in our parents' generation, they got further in their careers without formal education.  My father barely finished high school (got drafted into WWII because he was 18), went to work as a free apprentice in an engineering firm after the war, and became a steel structural draftsman.  My mother became a diploma RN on an Army scholarship.  After a nursing career, she became head of medical claims for a major insurance company in one of their regional offices.  Now they want you to have a bachelor's degree to make lattes at Starbuck's. 🙄

 

Roz

 

I was once talking to a retired man who said he didn't even finish highschool and walked into a major department store, asked if there was any work and was put straight on the floor selling things. He said today to get that same job you now have to have some certificates in sales and retail and you have to apply properly for the job sending an application to a department that does all the hiring. The individual stores can't just hire anyone who walks into a store anymore😕. I have read a statistic that suggests about 70% of entry level jobs now require as a minimun some sort of tertiary education and that the rest will probably disappear because of automation and blockchains. It does seem getting your foot in the door is going to require more work than use to. Otherwise you can try your luck at becoming a YouTube star or Instagram influencer😜.

[Warm Breezes]

16 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

Funny the different education stories, we all follow different paths 

 

I finished high school, family couldn’t afford university, dad was a truck driver, about 29 years later got my law degree.

 

Mrs Gut didn’t get to finish High School, her family though education was a waste of time and money, went to Uni as a mature age student now has. Doctorate and is considered The World authority in her field.

 

Good friend left school at 13, joined the Navy, (by putting his age up) when he mustered out, joined the police, studied law to be a prosecutor, long story short ended his career as a judge.

My Dad was a truck driver as well.  My mom was a stay at home mom selling doll clothes she made from home.  My parents divorced when I was 12 and my Dad rarely paid any child support for me and my 2 younger brothers.  My mom worked in a bakery to support us.  I knew that to go to college I needed to get the grades.  I graduated valedictorian of my high school with a full ride scholarship to college.  I married my DH after getting my BSBA (we dated for 3.5 years while I was getting my degree).  We waited to have kids while I got my MBA, paid for by my employer.  

 

DH, on the other hand, worked 33 years in the same factory from the time he graduated from high school.  His dad worked his whole life in a different factory while his mom was a stay at home mom.  This was the way of life they urged all of their kids to go.  DH retired 1.5 years ago at 51.  I will be retiring in 1.5 years at 54. We paid for our 2 kids tuitions for 4 years each.  It was my payback for the full ride I received so I could graduate debt free.  

 

We urged our kids to choose a career they would enjoy.  DS graduated college debt free and 3 years later is still debt free, living on his own 16 hours away,  and saving 30% of his salary a year as a Sports Editor.  His 2 loves writing and sports.  DD is in a 5 year program in her 5th year.  We paid her tuition for the first 4 years and she is paying for this year.  She is also on track to finish college debt free. She will have the experience and education to pursue a career as a school teacher and dance coach.  Her 2 loves working with kids and dancing.

 

It was my education and both DH and my work ethics and budgeting goals that are allowing us to retire early.  DH supported me while I got that education.  We supported our kids while they got their education and my hope is that they will pay this forward and someday support their kids in following their dreams.  It makes the struggle to get there well worth it.

 

As a side note, my Dad passed away 14 years ago.  Days after we had returned from a cruise we had taken my mother and step father on with us.  My mom finally retired last year at 73 and suffered a major stroke 6 months later leaving her left side paralyzed.  Before her stroke she had been building a small business on eBay selling the doll clothes she made as a hobby, which she can no longer do because of her stroke.  

 

Life is short.  Do what you enjoy while you can.  We always emphasized that with our kids by prioritizing our favorite hobby of traveling with them from the time they were babies and everyone told us our traveling days were done.  But they were never done and hopefully never will be.

Edited September 1, 2019 by Warm Breezes

[lenquixote66]

19 hours ago, Roz said:

 

That's a wonderful story about your father.  One thing I have observed is it seems like in our parents' generation, they got further in their careers without formal education.  My father barely finished high school (got drafted into WWII because he was 18), went to work as a free apprentice in an engineering firm after the war, and became a steel structural draftsman.  My mother became a diploma RN on an Army scholarship.  After a nursing career, she became head of medical claims for a major insurance company in one of their regional offices.  Now they want you to have a bachelor's degree to make lattes at Starbuck's. 🙄

 

Roz

I have something in common with your mom.After college while looking for employment   

I was offered a position for the only company in the US that had an Industrial Psychology Department.It happened to be a major insurance company.Part of my job was to write motivational studies.It seemed that people in the medical claims area were quite lax in performing their jobs.One day I mentioned to the VP of the company that if I was the Claims Manager I could get people to improve greatly. I was then given that job as well.

[SRF]

On 8/31/2019 at 3:50 PM, chipmaster said:

 

When I was 7 or was it 8 years old an my parents were struggling to finish their PhD I remember reading a book about how the population growth and consumption of oil and coal would cause world wide shortages and people would retreat to the sea and farm it to survive, look where we are.   China can feed their huge population, the US is the world leader in oil production, don't under estimate the ingenuity of the homosapiens after the cognitive revolution to find a ingenious solutions, that is what makes man stand above chimp, elephant, dolphin  

 

We have passed several "deadlines" for the world to starve to death.

 

I have read science fiction for many years.  Some of the stories from the 50s and 60s predicted megacities, where people never go outside.  Funny, the populations mentioned as requiring these situations, are lower than current populations, even in the US.