What would you do with all your extra free time if\when you retire?

[Thebobo]

Is money an issue? If not I will just pickup a backpack and go.

Well same here travel travel travel, problem is money... It didn't matter in our younger days, We didn't have all the financials possibilities and possible health issues we have now. That is why I promote when you get out HS get out there, see the world join the peace corp work the summer job at a nat park etc. just get on gettin! because soon you won't be able to.

 

[purbeast0]

Hopefully I'll be living in the Caribbean so I can fish, snorkel, SCUBA, or go out on a boat every day.

 

[Denly]

Well same here travel travel travel, problem is money... It didn't matter in our younger days, We didn't have all the financials possibilities and possible health issues we have now. That is why I promote when you get out HS get out there, see the world join the peace corp work the summer job at a nat park etc. just get on gettin! because soon you won't be able to.

Problem is those summer "job" is very very hard to get even if you do it for free. If Steve Irwin Zoo accept me to clean animal's cage for a couple month I will do it for free. I will quite my job now. Just give me a bed and feed me.

 

[Thebobo]

Problem is those summer "job" is very very hard to get even if you do it for free. If Steve Irwin Zoo accept me to clean animal's cage for a couple month I will do it for free. I will quite my job now. Just give me a bed and feed me.

Yea I hear you. But you gotta do it! I volunteered at Great Falls National park when I was 16 as a VIP (volunteer in the park) and loved it. After high school I lucked out and got a job as a "Trail Patrol person" on the Appalachian Trail for two summers. I was hired by the club that maintains the AT in our area (PATC) for $12 a day plus mileage. I would drive up and down the mid atlantic and hike into the shelters make sure they were clean and report on trail conditions. In the winter I got a jobs at full service gas stations, landscaping, tree removal etc. But the point is every summer I went somewhere, sometimes getting temp jobs like cleaning salmon in Alaska and picking cherries in Montana. I did this for five or six years before settling down. As I look back probably the best years of my life.

 

[snoopy7548]

Planning to retire at 45, or at least quit working full-time. I'd like to just live life without having to worry about work (which saps away all of my energy), and do some volunteer work around town/the area to give something to the community in some way. Also explore different hobbies and live like somebody with no responsibilities - wake up at 9a.m., eat, lurk on ATOT, read, go for a run or hike, eat, watch a movie, take a nap, eat, play some videogames, listen to music, lurk some more, do some woodworking/electronics projects, watch a movie, fall asleep on the couch at 2a.m.

Oh yeah, and getting a dog would be the first thing I'd do on my first day of retirement!

 

[Denly]

Yea I hear you. But you gotta do it! I volunteered at Great Falls National park when I was 16 as a VIP (volunteer in the park) and loved it. After high school I lucked out back got a job as a "Trail Patrol person" on the Appalachian Trail for two summers. I was hired by the club that maintains the AT in our area (PATC) for $12 a day plus mileage. I would drive up and down the mid atlantic and hike into the shelters make sure they were clean and report on trail conditions. In the winter I got a jobs at full service gas stations, landscaping, tree removal etc. But the point is every summer I went somewhere, sometimes getting temp jobs like cleaning salmon in Alaska and picking cherries in Montana. I did this for five or six years before settling down. As I look back probably the best years of my life.

U da man, wish I had the balls to say "fuck lets do it" back in the day. I ended up working for construction site, casino and sending pizza most of the summers.

 

[Tweak155]

I recommend to those that have a draining job not to wait for retirement for it to be over... at least try to find something you enjoy, even if it's only looking for a few minutes a week. Keep in mind it's possible to not even to make it to retirement!! Anything you think could use some fixing, use at least some of your time to give a shot at fixing it, I think you'll end up happier sooner rather than later

Just a suggestion anyway.

 

[Yakk]

Is money an issue? If not I will just pickup a backpack and go.

You gotta make it not an issue, that's the point of retirement!

 

[Scarpozzi]

For me, I'll be curious to see what my financial situation is. I may pickup a part time job somewhere to stay a little social, or try to work out post-retirement work with my current employer.

As for stuff to do, we've got a few cabins that I can always work on. It'd be nice to have the money to renovate those a little (within reason)...seal them up and make them last a little longer. Otherwise, spend 6 months of the year fishing/boating on the lake and mowing/cleaning/repairing stuff. (which is a little bit fun and challenging) I also want to be in good enough health to pickup where I left off on home brew and drinking parties again. I'll probably do this way before retirement...I just have all the equipment, but don't have time right now to do it.

We'll probably scale back our extra travels to save money and use our annual timeshare....maybe pick a few extra destinations and buy rental weeks from owners that can't use theirs...that seems to be cheaper than renting from hotels due to tax and resort fee savings... I'd at least like to travel a month out of the year in the off season.

Along the same lines of home brew....I'd like to get back to some of the basics...maybe make an old-school wood or charcoal oven and start doing artisan baking and cheese making. Those things aren't hard to do, but take time and patience... I'd like to have enough time to at least learn the trades and reap the benefits of eating good food without having to pay a premium for it.

 

[BoomerD]

 

[Denly]

You gotta make it not an issue, that's the point of retirement!

Traveling cost a lot more money than sitting at home watching fake news or playing WoW.

 

[midwestfisherman]

Fish, hunt, play guitar, play poker, travel and did I mention fishing and hunting?

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Just play WoW all day

That's soo 2005.

 

[cyclistca]

I had a child in my late forties. I wont be retiring for a long time most likely in my late 60. If my body can still handle it I plan to ride and hike. I would also do more raeding and maybe take a few uni courses.

 

[brianmanahan]

I would also do more raeding and maybe take a few uni courses.

i recommend a few uni courses on spelling

 

[Mai72]

1) I'm a firm believer that you need some type of goal, and much of the depression old people feel is because they disengage when they retire. Many sit around and watch TV all day. My father is a good example. He shifts from Fox News to CNN. To CNN back to Fox News. Then it might be Netflix or movies on Amazon. All day. He goes out from time to time, but that's about it.

2) Just my opinion, but you should focus on NOW and not some arbitrary number in the future. I'm going to do this and this when I hit a certain age. How do you even know that you are even going to be alive then? If you want to travel find some way to do it today. Not 20-30 years from now. Yea, that might be impossible for many, but i try to take nothing for granted. A coworker had a massive heart attack last year. He was 2 years away from retirement. My mom passed away at 63. That's when people supposedly retire.

3) It seems that the people who lead full lives are the ones who are still engaged in life. Someone who has a purpose to wake up every morning is probably going to live much longer than someone who just sits around stuffing their face with junk food. Of course, if that makes you happy then go for it. But, from what I've seen many people take their list and dreams straight to the grave. Just stating my opinion.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Probably get into more video games, or hobbies etc. Though I feel I would maybe fall into a lazy cycle where I don't do much. Would probably go volunteer at the animal shelter or something even if it's just a few times a week, just to get me out of the house. My retirement dream is to own a nice secluded lake front property and live semi off grid. I would want to bring in some fibre though. Or at very least a microwave link.

Generally I would also try to force myself to go out more often, as without a job I would get even less socialization. I'm introverted so I'm perfectly fine if I go without going out for long periods, but I imagine that would take a toll after a while and is probably not healthy.

 

[Slew Foot]

Anything but work. Holy shit I hate work.

 

[Herr Kutz]

Assuming I'm not too old to enjoy it, I would visit as many national/state parks as possible. And if I don't have any responsibilities to anyone maybe I'd buy one of those smaller van style campers to travel around in.

 

[brianmanahan]

Assuming I'm not too old to enjoy it, I would visit as many national/state parks as possible. And if I don't have any responsibilities to anyone maybe I'd buy one of those smaller van style campers to travel around in.

man those mercedes campervans look awesome. i can get a '07 for 50$k... :hmm:

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Assuming I'm not too old to enjoy it, I would visit as many national/state parks as possible. And if I don't have any responsibilities to anyone maybe I'd buy one of those smaller van style campers to travel around in.

This is a great plan but, you don't have to wait until you're retired.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Tough question.

Things I'll probably do when I retire:
1) Try to get out more and make friends. Right now my time is stuffed at work. If I'm not at work I'm taking care of something at home. Maybe just find some general relate-able social groups to tend to.

2) Videogames I'm not sure... I'm highly competitive in my nature, if I can't win at videogames I don't want to play them. I'm only going to suck more at videogames as I get older.

3) I would probably try to find a sports league of some sort, but it would have to be way more casual and relaxed. I'm never going to pwn people in a competitive tournament, but I can play a decent game of Raquetball and wouldn't mind doing it while getting to know people

4) More time at the gym in general, for sure.

5) Traveling. I would want to travel tons, but it's hard to allocate for costs. Right now with work schedules it's basically a lot of expenses for a little bit of enjoyment of 1-3 weeks. When I retire I hope to travel for months at a time, the tricky part is finding a place to sleep at night for a decent price. A half-decent hotel usually runs $100+/night, and I'm not about to stay a hostels or anything. Maybe I can rent a home/apartment for a couple months straight for a decent price? I would have to visit every European country as well as going back to Japan and maybe hit up the likes of Thailand, Korea, and any other similar.

6) More time with family. I'd like to start organizing some type of annual or bi-annual family reunion where we rent out a large beach house, split the costs and have some fun for a week. I never see my family enough, partly because they are on all corners of the US. Will likely spend a lot of time with grand-kids as well.

As it is already I don't watch TV, so I'm not going to be the type that sits in a recliner watching fox news with a can of shitty beer in one hand and the TV remote in the other.

 

[Herr Kutz]

This is a great plan but, you don't have to wait until you're retired.

I'm not.

 

[Herr Kutz]

man those mercedes campervans look awesome. i can get a '07 for 50$k... :hmm:

My uncle just bought one, and I'm pretty sure it's brand new.

 

[brianmanahan]

My uncle just bought one, and I'm pretty sure it's brand new.

so like 150$k then? dang