Here’s a link to a newspaper article written by a daughter about her 67-year-old mother’s post-retirement travel adventures. The article brought a smile to my face as I read it. I’ve been trying to do the same thing . . . “ to see the whole world before I die.”
http://seattletimes.com/html/travel/2021005046_retirementbudgetescapesxml.html
Although the writer didn’t address the issue, I bet she had some sleepless nights wondering and worrying about her mom.
Enjoy reading the article but I wonder why at 67 she still has/had a mortgage?
Stil, that is not the point, it is her courage to take off whereas most at that age is looking for the comforts of home. How boring!
"Although the writer didn’t address the issue, I bet she had some sleepless nights wondering and worrying about her mom."
Payback time! lol
It's a funny thing about Americans; for many of them it seems to be either all or nothing. There are those who hardly venture away from the town of their birth - and those who want to rack up as many countries as possible.
Though I think the woman in question is better than those who come on here (on other branches, of course) and want to see the whole of Europe, for example, in two weeks.
Heartening - I'm on the site for the first time, thinking 2-3 years ahead about my own "bucket list". Anyone else making retirement preparations in the same way? It's that sense of "what I could cope with in my twenties may be harder now".
I might still have a mortgage when I am 67. It is not unusual for single working women, who have either had famiies and lost a spouse through death or divorce, or, like me, worked for a time in developing countries.
However, as I don't have any other option, I will need to pay off my mortgage before completely giving up work, as there is no-one else to provide for my old age.
I'm retiring at the end of the year, won't have a fortune but I don't need one, won't have a mortgage because I'll sell my house and rent a small place if I ever come back. I don't have a bucket list but do have a rough plan to do volunteer work for a while before I start long term travelling. The only 'must haves' are insurance and enough in the bank so that, if I need to get home quickly and the only ticket available is business class, I can afford that ticket. My daughter is quite happy to see her mum going off, her 'must have' is that I use Skype regularly. We intend to have a Christmas/birthday/mothers day meal in November because we don't know when we'll be in the same country again. It's a little daunting but I know that I will regret it if I don't do it, so I'm doing it.
Good on you for having the courage to undertake this dream of yours. Better to do it now when you physically can and have the means to do it then live to regret for not even attempting it.
Currently, I am having a great time in a little medieval town in Spain called Rupit. It is enchanting and fascinating. Makes it worthwhile inspite of the problems we encountered getting here.
Good luck with your plan.