You have sent your whole life working hard to achieve a great career, perhaps raise a family, and to be a success in life. Now that your retirement is on the horizon, it is finally your chance to live the life you have always dreamed about having. Retirement is often looked upon as the end of a chapter, and what many people in your position forget is that this means it is the beginning of a new one!
What have you always wanted to do? Where have you always wished you could visit? Have you been able to picture your ideal house for years, but it has never been the right time to go for it? Well, now is the time that you can make all these things happen in your life, and this guide is going to help you out.
Below, you will find some useful information on how to make the most of your years in retirement alongside practical ideas on how to make these things happen. You only have one retirement, so you need to make the most out of it!
Finally live in your dream home
One of the things many people will decide to do in retirement is to finally get the house of their dreams. Now that you no longer have the pressure of work and have to consider commuting to and from the office, you have so much more freedom with where and how you choose to live.
Decide on what you want
The first thing that you need to do is decide what this ideal house is going to be like, and the best way to do this is to create a dream home checklist. You should divide this list into two categories to make searching easier for you.
The first category should be essentials; the things this house has to have, and you won’t compromise on.
The second category should be desirables; these will be the things you would like to have but don’t necessarily need.
Work out how to afford it
Now that you have a better idea of what you want from your new home, you need to think of how you are going to be able to buy it. Looking online will allow you to find some clever ideas on affording your dream home so that you can find the right option to work for you.
One of the best ways of doing this is to renovate a house. This means that you will be able to purchase the property for a lower price than market value and be able to tailor it to exactly what you want. Of course, this option does require more work than simply moving in your things and may require a transition period where you still live at your old house while you renovate the new, which is something you will need to consider with this option.
Set sail to a better life
Retirement is also the perfect time to see the world and many will use this new chapter in their lives to see all the amazing places they’ve glimpsed on nature and travel programs. The great thing about doing this in retirement is that you don’t have to cheap out on how you do it. Instead you can invest your money in getting your very own boat and sailing around the world like a pro.
Get your boat
First of all, you need to work out how you are going to get your boat for the journey. A new boat can put you back in excess of twenty grand, whereas a used boat can mean you get a quality ship without the additional price tag.
Getting a boat loan is the next thing you will need to do to secure your vessel ahead of sailing across the ocean. A specialized boat loan will help to take the financial pressure from making the purchase and is also easily obtainable even if you have a bad credit score.
Plan your journey
Once you have got your new boat, you can get down to the fun business of planning where you are going to go in the world. A good way to approach planning your travels is to check out the best destinations to sail to across the globe and plot your course from there. Some of the most popular places to see include Greece, where you can take in the ruins of ancient civilizations in the sun, Australia, to see the stunning reefs and coral, and the French Riviera, to take in some culture.
Do something amazing
The great thing about retirement is the time it gives you. As mentioned above, this could be time to renovate a home or sail around the world, but you will still have loads of time to do a million other amazing things with your life, now that you don’t have to be up bright and early for work every Monday.
A good way to make sure you are spending your time wisely is to look up a bucket list for your retirement for inspiration and then write your own, to plan your years ahead.
One great idea, especially if you want to travel, is to learn a foreign language. Now you will have the time to properly study and maybe even afford a tutor to help you get the grips with the difficulties you have. The great advantage of this is that you can use this new skill to potentially settle down in a new country and enjoy some time in the sun.
The most important thing to remember about your retirement is that you can do anything you want to at this point in your life. For the first time since you were young and living with your parents, you are not tied down to anything and can explore a whole world of adventures and possibilities. Life is out there, and all you need to do is go out and live it!
Until next time.
Cheerios!
***Hollie***
