Retirement Dreams - what are yours?

[bluehaze]

I’ve recently been asked what my retirement dream is and have realised that despite retirement being quite close (5 years) I don’t have a big adventure planned, I haven’t got a plan to sail the world or anything like that , and if I try to pin down an amazing plan I can’t think of anything I’ve been yearning to do. Am I really boring? I’d love to hear what retirements mumsnetters are hoping for.

I wont be able to retire til 68, 50 now, so im determined to stay healthy. I want to travel around the coast of ireland and see if there's anywhere nicer but also CHEAPER than where i am now.

Ill walk the camino on my own before i retire

Apart from a long holiday to Australia or NZ, my retirement plans are small. Spending time replanting my garden and pottering about. 6 years and counting! Like someone else said, just being away from work politics will be heaven!

Oooh....I'm going to need a lot of money. I want a flat in London - Primrose Hill/Belsize Park/Hampstead Heath area, and a Vespa that I will scoot around town on, going to see all the matinees and then having dinner in whichever restaurant takes my fancy.

Then at weekends and over the summer I shall retreat to my seaside property, which will probably be somewhere on the Suffolk coast, to garden and cook delicious meals for visiting friends and families, which on fine evenings will be served in the garden overlooking the sea, with my golden retriever at my feet and a large cat on my lap.

Not sure where DH is in all of this. Suspect I'm a (very) Merry Widow!

Trans-Siberian railway. We would have done it already if it were not for lockdown. We got the book though :-)

I want to go on a few solo trips. To see the northern lights. To go to south america. I am a single parent so im looking forward to empty nest.

I'm 31. My plan would be work 3 days a week instead of 5

I would love to downsize and move to the coast (we're in a landlocked county atm) but I'm not sure which coast. DH has family in N Norfolk but they're all older than him and I don't really want to move to be their carer. Plus it's a 4 hour drive from where we are now so a long way from friends.

DH would love to do a spectacular rail journey. Trans Siberian would be right up his street. He will be 60 later this year but we can't even begin to think about booking a special 60th birthday trip with the way things are with Covid.

I wont have a big lump sum. So it's a real balance between working hard enough and long enough not to be impoverished in my retirement, and not wanting to just work until i drop.

There are things i want to do! But when it comes to money, i only have enough and not too much more.

Maybe it'll all be clearer in a few years.

Thanks to everyone - its been really nice to read everyone's plans and hopes.

One good thing about lockdown is having a lot more time than usual to think about everything.

When others articulate it, I realise that being close/accessible to any future grandchildren is definitely somehting I want. As is having a peaceful garden to potter in - currently living next to very loud busy road.

So that means I'll be considering a move - so now to figure out where to ... stay near friends, move nearer family, start out again in dream location ...

I don’t like to think what the world will be like in 30-40 years. I’m just living for now.

I want to part time retire mid 50s. We have a business so it needs to run autonomously which I don't know if it's possible. Will see.
We don't have many holidays due to a child with additional needs. So we are really looking forward to doing lots of travel and spending quality time together. But that depends on how independent he is as an adult.
I have family abroad and would love to spend good chunks of time with them.

I'm 53 now and hope to retire at 58. My retirement plan is not to have to go to work ever again. No grand plans for me. Maybe the odd weekend away by the sea.

Couldn’t think of anything worse.

Travel. Mostly UK so we can see our grandchildren and the bits of the UK we haven't seen.

I’m early 50s and I guess you could call me semi retired in that I will never do full time hours again. As such I don’t have a particular age in mind for full retirement. If I can’t manage a couple of days a week in a sedentary job then I couldn’t manage trekking round India or whatever! I work freelance so taking chunks of time off isn’t an issue.

So in my mind travel and work will end around the same time, if/when my health deteriorates. I won’t need the extra money from working if not travelling as most of my hobbies are cheap, crafts, reading, stuff like that and I know I’ll have enough coming in pension wise to manage fine in that scenario.

I love my home and like where I live so I have no desire to move elsewhere. So my life will now just be the same until either I die or become too frail to do anything! I do have adult DC but both in their 30s and neither particularly want children at this point. I’m aware this may change but certainly grandchildren are not guaranteed. Which is fine. I’d be happy if there were grandchildren but I certainly won’t be unhappy if there aren’t. I’m not someone who desperately wants that.

Unsure what exact age to retire, but will be able to do so before state retirement age

I've already done lots of travel
But there are places that I've not been to yet
Would love to just pack a rucksack & travel endlessly in Asia, Indonesia, Micronesia, Australasia

Already have a camper van, so would use this for more local trips

The big question is deciding WHEN ?

55 too early ?
60 too late ?

Retirement for us is imminent (this year). dh will retire completely from his job, I will continue with some part-time self-employed work that I do. We're lucky in that we have travelled to many wonderful places and experienced different cultures, so don't have big travel or holiday plans - more desire to explore UK / Ireland, so many beautiful and interesting places.

The past year has been really interesting in refining / changing our plans. Rather than going to 'destinations' or owning properties, dh and I are now prioritising meaningful interaction with people - our family, friends and community. We'll be investing in spending time with those close to us, developing new friendships and contributing to local projects and life. We will also spend a lot on going out to eat in lovely restaurants - we've missed that!

We've got several friends at similar age and stage, some who made choices that have turned out to be difficult. One couple moved 150 miles to a lovely remote cottage but have barely been able to meet anyone in their new area and therefore feel very lonely, plus old friends can't go and visit. Another couple (with family living internationally) had been working in SE Asia and expected to retire there, and be able to visit their dgc in Australia, UK, US and Asia. In reality they have been stuck in the country they are currently in, haven't seen any family for a year, and were not able to visit a dying parent or attend the funeral.

Of course this has been a year like no other, but it has influenced our thinking on what is important. One of the priorities is to be as healthy and active as possible. We've both lost weight, reduced our chances of type 2 diabetes and have been walking for miles.

Having seen elderly parents struggle with too-big houses, or homes that are not suitable for their needs, we have a phased plan for different stages of our retirement, which include (at some point) selling our current house and downsizing to somewhere suitable in layout and location for our much older age - whether we are together, or if one of us is left as a widow/er. That plan also includes buying a static caravan by the sea, so we can decamp in the summer for as long as we are able...

But, who knows? The events of the last year have shown how we must be ready to adapt. Maybe we'll be living on a commune, growing vegetables and raising chickens

I should add that I'm not really planning on retiring. Mental health issues mean I can work full time so I now do adhoc and sessional work that I can continue past retirement age.

go for walks, sit in the pub, do lots of singing and ringing, pester my children about grandchildren probably get roped into being a churchwarden at some point before I drop