The Retirement Newsletter: Is retirement a long summer holiday?

Issue Number: 9 — How do you plan to spend your retirement?

Photo by Author — out for a walk

Welcome

Welcome to issue 9 — retirement is a long summer holiday. Or is it?

This week, I look at how we approach retirement and how I’m approaching it.

Also, this week, the stories about my travel in “Travel — Nostalgia Corner” are hosted differently — more on that in the “Travel — Nostalgia Corner” section.

What is retirement?

This is a tricky question. On the surface, it looks like an easy question to answer — you stop earning a wage and live off a pension. But there is more to it than that.

Some retirees refer to their retirement as ‘the golden years’ — a time to relax and enjoy what is effectively a long summer holiday.

But I was never one for long summer holidays. When I worked, I struggled to take my annual leave entitlement. And when I did take leave, I would always do something active. I would spend my time travelling and exploring, hiking or skiing. I wouldn’t be sitting still “relaxing.” For me, forced periods of sitting still are far from relaxing.