We have both retired within the last few months (58 & 54 ) . As it came about unexpectedly we had holidays booked this year that fitted in with work .
Another vote for the enjoy it while you can philosophy here , I'm busy planning holidays for next year at the moment !!

Daughter grown, graduated, and gone to a successful career in Hong Kong, my ex-wives a distant memory, back in 2007, I decided to retire at 60 and travel more.

And then September last year, got diagnosed with serious angina.
Told by cardiologist that “If you go to Turkey for your planned Lycian Way walking holiday this coming Friday, you may not come back”.
Reality struck went through the horrible angiogram procedure.
Found now that travel insurance is only available with lots of effort, and detailed intrusive questions, at quadruple cost, and never ever any more for USA and Caribbean destinations.

So I’m still travelling, but now mostly Europe (EHIC in hand since that covers pre-existing conditions) with the travel insurance that I can buy now.

And I am SO, SO glad I stopped work early, and got a lot of travelling done in this life.
There’s a wonderful huge world out there full of things to explore. My advice to everyone is go, go as far as you can, wherever, whenever and however you can, while you can.
See things you only previously saw on TV, try to speak funny languages, eat weird foods, and meet lots of interesting people on the way.
We don’t know what is around the corner

Totally spot on UKBill -- regarding money - in my opinion, it is only good for what you can do with it. All best wishes x

Got to agree with you Bill - Wishing you all the best for the future.
This is why I said " Don't think about it, just do it if you can afford it" because all our plans have gone to the wall.
Within 14 months I've been diagnosed with 3rd stage COPD, Hiatus Hernia, Diverticulitis and Crohn's disease - all the money in the bank is not going to take those things away, and finding someone to insure me for the Crohn's alone has been a nightmare and I've just given up trying.

Because - when they ask you if you've been in hospital in the last 12 months or have you had any operations in the last 12 months, or are you still attending the hospital? and you answer yes to all those questions,

Well, you might as well forget it because they don't want to know or expect to be quoted the most ridiculous prices. So like you, although I do have an insurance policy, I'm having to rely on the EHIC card if anything should happen that involves those pre-existing conditions, because I booked my forthcoming holidays before I was diagnosed with 3 out of the 4 ailments that I now have.
It's a position I'm in today because I booked so early and if I don't make my holidays this year I will lose £1000''s.

Any future holidays will be booked within a few days of departure and staying in Europe and reasonably close to an airport with plenty of flights back to the UK, anywhere in the UK will do. Regrettably, Hong Kong (where my son lives too) is now out of the question.

Sanji x

Best wishes from me too Bill xx

Interesting thread!
I am not retired but for about the last 15 years we have been of the mind that we don't care about new furniture, a good car or the latest gadgets; I don't buy designer anything( infact I just don't buy!! ) and we have instead visited many fascinating places. You never know what is around the corner.
Trouble is I am not sure if we can retire now- can't afford it

you can Fiona - it is amazing how quickly you manage to adjust to a limited income - believe me. I worried myself sick before we retired ---- being the world's worst worrier --- but after a year or so, just gave up and went with the flow
!

Everyone tells me the same Jenny. I have been looking at early retirement but I would lose too much if I retired when I would first be able to. But I can still hope.
I look forward to things like being a longstayer in Goa and missing winter completely. Now that is cheap.

We've been retired for 4 years now and have stopped going abroad for the time being. We want to see as much of England while we are still able bodied enough, without having to rely on carers or taking turns at pushing the wheelchair!
We've got a caravan whhich we use, go in static caravans for a few days at a time, or even short hotel breaks.

We've seen most of the world that we wanted to see, so are just enjoying life now.

(Being asked for my passport by a turban wearing Indian at Heathrow, whilst going on an internal flight to Manchester, did put me off a bit!)

I'm only glad we made it to Australia when we did - we probably wouldn't have done it at that time, if we hadn't been encouraged by my youngest.

Sanji x

My in-laws infuriate me. They have money and their health but when they retired they volunteered for so many things in their church that they think they can't go away. They go to the States once or twice a year to visit my brother-in-law but apart from that won't travel.

jennyfrank wrote:

you can Fiona - it is amazing how quickly you manage to adjust to a limited income - believe me. I worried myself sick before we retired ---- being the world's worst worrier --- but after a year or so, just gave up and went with the flow
! :)

I'm not retired yet, and hanging on to health as much as I can, but this is me toe jenny frank, I am a worrier and although I have a pension, it's not great, I didn't pay into until too late it was one of those manyana things in life and got round to it too late, and at times I think i will be working forever, or until the health situation gets the better of me.

You will manage Miss Pink, I can guarantee that. MY last job was working as a manager of 180 flats housing retired people and part of my job was advising on cash control on limited income. I have yet to find a ''poor pensioner'' unless they drink like a fish and smoke like a chimney. Please try not to worry - listen to 'mother' x

Thanks Jenny - I had a very well paid job for 18 years until I was made redundant just before xmas last year, and I have another job now , but it's 4 day a week and a lot less money, to be fair it suits me health wise because I am not so tired etc etc but as there is just me, myself and I looking after the purse strings I do worry, even though I try my best not to xxx

I have yet to find a ''poor pensioner''

Oh, believe me, there are plenty around, it's a myth to believe that they were all in well paid jobs and stacked a tidy sum away for their retirement period.

Sanji x

well im still working got another 17 years to go ((( the wife is as good as retired as she don't work ))
we try to have at least 2 holidays a year abroad but don't realy bother with uk as you cant guarente the weather.

Perhaps it is how you define poor Sanji -- in all the years that |I have worked with the elderly, I have yet to meet one that I'd define as poor and the very great majority certainly never worked in anything like well paid jobs. Those who worked had their state pension and possible works pension made up with benefits (those with a high works pension didn't qualify for benefits) and those who had never worked, had rent, ctax paid in full and then about £100 a week to manage on ---- and i am quoting figures from when I worked and i retired 12 years ago, As I said, as a benefits advisor, and neighbour, never saw a poor pensioner and thank the benefits system for that. As I said, it is how you define poor I suppose.

I have yet to find a ''poor pensioner''

In fairness I think that you will find that things have changed hugely in the last 12 years.
what with the extra room charges affecting housing benefit,, benefits being outstripped by inflation and the massive rise in energy costs.
There lots of what I would describe as poor pensioners around where I live, plenty comfortably off ones as well.

I have yet to find a ''poor pensioner'' unless they drink like a fish and smoke like a chimney

During my 34 years in the Fire Service I have certainly come across a great deal of poor pensioners and in recent years this has become much more prevalent, we are seeing many more elderly that are becoming vulnerable and struggling financially and indeed even turning to charity shops and other charities such as food banks for help, simply because they now have no spare money left over after paying their essential bills let alone drink like a fish and smoke like a chimney.

The elderly are in general much more proud and don't want any type of dept, they pay their bills on time and buy things with cash as and when they have the money available, with the price of everything (except pensions of course) and in particular fuel, food and utility costs continuing to rise pensioners don't have the spare money available that they might have had before.