Retirement move as travel alternative

Is home still sweet?

A dear friend visited. Newly retired, she's trying to determine whether her retirement income will accommodate her passion for travel.

She and her partner, childless, have a four-bedroom house, two cars. Over a glass of rosé, we discussed whether that setup would make sense when he retires this winter.

She wondered, How can we trim our expenses to afford more trips? What about home exchanges?

I mentioned newly-retired friends who, like her, looked warily at the ever-rising costs of travel. Others are concerned about the environmental effects of tourism. A number of these people have said, "Instead of costly occasional trips, I want to live somewhere that lifts me up every day."

This is an option for those not required to stay in their former locations for work or family reasons. These friends are avid travelers, but don't have limitless funds. Some of their moves:

Swedish cottage

- Toewe downsized from her large Stockholm apartment to a small one, then built a tiny, simple, energy-efficient cottage in the Swedish countryside, where she lives from spring through fall. (She sublets the apartment.)

- Pat and Vicky are selling their  townhouse in Toronto and moving to Palawan Bay, Philippines as permanent residents.

- Krista and Martin sold a house in Ottawa and moved to the Kootenay region of British Columbia, to hike and ski to their heart's content. They rent for the time being. This location is also closer to their child and his family.



Travel is a splendid and edifying adventure, but it is also a consumable, something the safari ad does not point out, but your Visa bill will.

My in-laws took another route; they sold the family home twenty-five years ago, took early retirement, bought an RV, and hit the road for sixteen years, fusing their home with travel. Now in their eighties, they have traded the RV for an apartment and road trips. My MIL recently said those sixteen years were the best of her life.

There are drawbacks to the strategy: cost and labour of a major move, adaptation to a different climate, culture or language, availability of services, especially health care.

Partners might find it tough to reach agreement on 'the right place'. Maybe your first choice will turn out to be too expensive or impractical. But before you think "Oh no, I (or we) couldn't", keep an open mind.

It's never too early to start your research. When I began this blog over three years ago, a move was not on the radar. Now, here we are in Montreal, a year after we decided to start looking. That was fairly fast; Pat and Vicky are in year four of the Philippines move, ETA January 2012.

You might opt for a full move or divide your time initially, but given that the major expense categories for seniors are housing and transportation, if you can find a permanent setting that delights you, aim for that.

Of course I'm biased; we are thrilled with our choice. Not all retirement moves work out; perhaps you have stories of some that didn't. 

But if you're intrigued, why not consider, calculate and investigate? Sometimes, the best room with a view is your own.

En vacances

Time to be inspired by the real  
passages of Paris 
and take a much-needed rest;

Pdesp closes
the weeks of Oct. 10 and 17. 

Thank you for stopping by.

See you Tuesday, October 25.