What to do in retirement

[Retirementsoon]

I am estranged from my large family. I don’t have a lot of friends. I feel like retiring soon. What’s the best way to enjoy this? I have quite a lot of money luckily.

Thank you, that's a good place to start

If you have the money and mobility, I'd be on every holiday I could go on! A cruise in Norway first I think. Maybe a walking holiday in Spain. There's loads you can do alone, or you might make a friend on one you could travel with next time.

I plan on travelling, joining a ton of groups and just being a lady of leisure with a bit of gardening thrown in.

Shame I still have a long way to go!

Plenty. You could start setting yourself up pre retirement. Research things you've always wanted to enjoy buz didn't have the time, now... eg join a gym. Open University courses. Hobbies.. eg local history society or astronomy whatever.
Volunteer at local charity. Foodbank or animal charity
Give a loving home to a rescue pet.
Many Tears charity.
Start making a list of beautiful local places to visit. Get a National Trust card.
Once you get going you will meet new friends. Its!about having a structure to the day. Giving back is very rewarding for the soul. Its more about what makes you feel better than spend spend spend.

Studying.

I used to volunteer as an English speaker in Spain. They put us all up in lovely 4 star hotels (single occupancy) in the countryside. You’d do some one on ones over the day have all meals in small groups. The Spanish people were all working professionals (decent level of English) who were being funded by work to speak conversational English with a variety of accents. It was a fun way to meet people and a cheap holiday. A cheap flight to Madrid and accommodation before/ after.

I think when I retire I’ll do more of this and also pet sit for people in pretty places via house sitters type agency.

I found not having to get up and go into work with a sore throat was wonderful. I can stay home in the warm if I feel mildly under the weather. When I'm feeling well I take dogs for more walks which they love, I lunch out 2 or 3 times a week, I go to visit my sister's in Devon a few times each year, I holiday out of season which for me, as a former teacher, is so lovely to do. I swim/visit spa sometimes, I've been redecorating bedrooms iny home, in the summer I have quite a big garden that takes quite a bit of time. I've started growing a few vegetables as well as tomatoes, strawberries and raspberries. I visit my DD occasionally on her day off and see my grandchildren before I drive back home. I read a lot more than I used to. I also especially over the winter watch some Netflix. I make a jigsaw puzzle Sometimes if it's cold out. Sometimes I have a lie in just laze around most of the day, just because it's cold outside and I can. Definitely shop on a Wednesday morning there is usually no one about so no queuing. I also get hair done on a weekday morning. Now DH has also retired we often go out somewhere for the day.

This sounds amazing! Are these companies that specialise ? I’d love to do that

Can you do partial retirement - cut down to two or three days per week and then look into activities that retired people do and build up from there

Following with interest! I retired recently aged 58, leaving an incredibly stressful and emotionally demanding career. Before I retired, I had lots of plans and signed up for things to give myself something to work towards, however, I underestimated how much time it would take to recover! (I suspect I’ve got a degree of vicarious trauma which I guess is common in certain professional groups). It depends where your values lie. You might want to prioritise your fitness, or your connections with friends and family. You may have caring responsibilities that you chose to spend more time on. Or you may wish to challenge yourself by learning a skill like playing a musical instrument. If money is no object then travel is great! Maybe just allow yourself to hardcore potter for a while! Volunteering isn’t for everyone. My career involved working with people, so if I do volunteer, it will be either with animals or a back room role somewhere, and definitely not people-y! I don’t regret retirement though! I go to the cinema, meet friends, practice my instrument, exercise most days, read and I don’t have to set my alarm clock (unless it’s to get up to go to the airport or the train station!). Happy planning!

Do you enjoy the cinema? I'd love to get a cinema pass and just go and see everything. DH and I used to do that before we had kids, and they aren't that expensive. We saw some excellent films that I wouldn't have seen otherwise, I went to see a few things again as I'd enjoyed them so much.

I can't wait till the kids are old enough to be left so we can do that again!

I have a cinema pass and I love it! I go during the day when there are only a handful of people in, and I’ll go to see anything because I’ve already paid for it! I’ve seen some good films I wouldn’t normally go to watch, but I’ve seen some crap too!

I haven't RTFT but I would:

Visit some new countries and cities
See lots of films
Read a pile of books
Visit friends and family more often
Consider expanding a hobby like painting or writing
Lie in a lot
Do some new things that push me out of my comfort zone
Get fitter

I am only on week 2 of planned unemployment due to contract end. I'm nearly 52. I'm going to be TERRIBLE at retirement. So far I've not resorted to day drinking 🥳 but I have mindlessly scrolled for WAY TOO LONG!! I DO have things that need doing. But without the urgency and routine of work I can't get anything started. 🤷‍♀️ So good luck OP!!

Don’t be hard on yourself. You have most likely earned this rest. Now it’s here you don’t know what to do with it or yourself. That is a very natural state of being after a lifetime of work. Felling guilty about scrolling or thinking you wasted your time will make you unhappy.

Look at this time as a convalescence. Your mind and your body need time to heal. Keep telling yourself that this period is a reward not a punishment.

Do not do any voluntary work until you have been retired for a few years. You are just escaping from compulsory hours and tasks. Voluntary works put you under the same obligation. Sometimes more so, because the obligation to colleagues and the organisation

Not necessarily if you choose your role wisely.
The last thing I wanted was commitment to certain days and times. I retired to travel and be able to be spontaneous. The restrictions of the school terms had meant that I had missed out on all kinds of opportunities, so I was looking forward to spontaneity more than anything else.

My role means that I can work when it suits me, and no-one is dependent on me in that sense. Yet it's more satisfying and more stimulating than most volunteer roles. My life would definitely be lesser for me not doing it, yet I still consider myself fancy free when it comes to travelling or staying with friends.

Suitable volunteering just needs research.

Also - join your local U3A, loads of activities and great way of socialising with no pressure.

Walking, even if it's just local. Would you be interested in having a dog?

I've just remembered something - when I first retired everyone assumed I was available for whatever they needed/wanted. I was inundated with requests from family for various kinds of help, from friends wanting to book outings/holidays, from local groups wanting me to join committees, stand for councillor, volunteer at whatever they were volunteering at etc. People can railroad you and suck up your time if you don't set down boundaries at the start and create the retirement you want gradually as you explore options (and have a jolly good rest!).

I am not retiring as yet but starting to think ahead and put plans in place. Initially I would not like to volunteer but just recover from a lifetime of working.

I would love to get a David Lloyd membership and start the day with some exercise, maybe gentle tennis. i like the idea of walking netball. Then home for lunch, maybe a nice walk in the afternoon or some type of social activity (loving the U3a activities on offer) and then in the evening crack on with some arts & crafts.

Peppered with more mid week city breaks to see experience different parts of the UK. Maybe invest in a timeshare somewhere sunny.

You could volunteer as a guide at a local museum or National Trust property.

I fantasise about spending 6 months or so in Rome - walking, eating, seeing everything at a gentle pace.

I volunteer for Age UK. I telephone an elderly person once a week and we have a chat about anything and everything. Favourite topics include holidays, cocktails and coronation street! I love it and have made a new friend.

just to add @Retirementsoon because of your IT background, this may be of interest, UK

and this, worldwide

The world, as they say, is your oyster. Enjoy

Do not do any voluntary work until you have been retired for a few years. You are just escaping from compulsory hours and tasks. Voluntary works put you under the same obligation. That can be true, but isn't necessarily so.I choose my volunteering so I can do as much or as little as I wish. And I make it clear to the volunteers in the conservation group I lead that they're volunteers and we are grateful for any time they give us.

People urging you not to be railroaded into helping others is have got it absolutely right. Suddenly you become everyone’s go to person. Despite you saying that you don’t want to volunteer lots of posters are urging you to do so. This is the danger, you are already becoming invisible without a voice. Do what you want to do, not what others think you should do.

@Rictasmorticia my post was slightly OT but thank you for your kind words. Sometimes the Internet and the kind words from a complete stranger is bloody marvellous! x