Yes is the simple answer, all of those. As we had a shop and only had a week a year holiday we are on catchup and doing pretty good at it

oh you deserve it- a lot of holidays to catch up on

Good for you If my boss had his way I'd only get 1 week a year !!

We retired at 53 and 55 and looked after our grand daughters for 2 years.
We had always gone on holiday 2-3 times a year but had to book them to fit in our holidays with work.
Now we look at late deals and book 3-4 weeks before.
Last year we went to Tunisia,Malta,Turkey,Austria and Sharm as well as Brighton ,Blackpool and Scotland!
All very different holidays but each one enjoyable.
This year we have been to Benidorm and Scarborough!
We gave up long haul a few years ago when insurance rocketed due to age and minor pre existing conditions.
We plan to see more of the UK this year and back to Austria in July.

we go abroad 3 times a year for a total of around 12 weeks, but rarely book last minute, preferring to book early.
we also manage to do odd weeks or days in the UK.

Retired 10 years ago but to be honest I went on more holidays when I was working. Parents/relatives getting older and frailer has meant many more journeys back to the UK and they are definitely not holidays, though staying in B & B's in the UK when we visit means we are sometimes paying as much as we would if staying in a luxury hotel on the med.

Living where we do in central Europe means we can drive down to Austria/Switzerland/Italy and France for the odd short break and we do manage to usually book a last minute week to somewhere south every autumn but being married to someone who really doesn't like going on holiday doesn't help and as I no longer like to travel on my own I think my long haul travelling days are probably over.

I haven't 'retired' as such as the government have decided that I have to wait another 5 years for my pension almost the second I was due to claim it

So I can't really afford to go away as much as I'd like to. If I had the money I'd follow the sun and just move from place to place when I got bored or was needed at home.

I retired from the wholetime fire service in September although I still do my firefighter only via a pager now at my local station.

Holidays, mmmm let me think, this year is busy for us with several weeks to - Egypt, Malta, Tenerife & Turkey. Normally we would go abroad to 3 destinations for a week or two and also fit in a few weekends in Britain.

We normally have our holidays planned well in advance and booked early. With Mrs. Kiltie still working we don't yet have that particular option of booking last minute.

I must admit I have a bit of the wanderlust feeling and haven't settled in to this (semi) retirement stuff yet, if I had the choice it would be a case of lets just go and see where we end up.

There is a real possibility that in a few years when we have both retired we will move abroad and see how it goes from there.

you have to try to be a longstayer in Goa Escape the winter and a cheap holiday as well.

We are both retired and I would say to anyone reading this....
if you can afford to go where and when you like - don't think about it, just do it while you can, because you never know what's around the corner ( health wise) that will cancel out all those plans you made.

Sanji x

I am retired and follow Sanji's advice.

I took early retirement 5 years ago,but the other half is still working -currently we get a couple of "foreign" holidays in per annum,usually a long haul one for two weeks and a shorter European holiday as well, plus my wife gets a weeks skiing in if she can persuade other family members to go (not my cup of tea!)
We HAD planned to have more holidays when she finally calls it a day -but the imminent arrivals of grandchildren 2,3 and 4 may well put the kibosh on my plans

totally agree with Sanji, do it today there may be no tomorrow!

I will be retired by this Christmas at the latest - possibly by September - and intend following my parents' example which is similar to Sanji's. Once my Dad had also retired, at 65, they spent the next 10 years using his lump sum from his Civil Service pension to travel the world. They did longhaul trips to do tours of the Americas and the Far East as well as a monumental trip around China. Their one regret is that they didn't get to Australia before the osteoporosis in my Mum's spine put such a long trip out of the question. In between times they toured the length and breadth of Europe including including Russia and elsewhere in Eastern Europe long before the Iron Curtain fell.

My Mum's continual refrain now is that she is so glad that they did so much travelling while they still could and has no regrets that there is very little of the lump sum left - just a small rainy day fund and enough to pay for one funeral! Her argument is that the second one will be paid for from the sale of the house - their only real asset now. And my brother and I have assured them that we are not expecting an inheritance and that if they find themselves in need of cash then they should release the equity in the house. They've helped us and their granddaughters when it mattered and that is what counts.

I am so inspired by their example that I am seriously looking at forgoing some of my pension in return for a bigger lump sum. I've discovered that for every £1 of pension I don't take, the scheme will add £12 to my lump sum instead. My pension is a very good index linked final salary scheme and so if I can find a £1,000 of economies I can make in my day to day living expenses then I will have a £12,000 sum I can use to top up the retirement travel fund to fund travelling the world like my parents did while still fit and healthy enough to do it. I'd prefer that cash in hand now to fund travel than take it as pension that ends up getting swallowed up in nursing homes fess in 20+ years time!

SM

We retired 12 years ago and after visiting 75 + countries, called it a day on long haul -- too exhausting and hell on my back. Since finishing work, have lived in a quiet village in Tunisia for the 6 winter months where we are heavily involved in voluntary work with the very poor families/children. Get out whilst you can - no-one knows what is around the corner do they? .

I retired 18 years ago,early I might add - partly due to disability and partly thanks to Thatcher privatising Power Stations. I only do about 3 holidays a year, mainly because they take a lot out of me and I need a rest when I get home, especially after long haul air travel or anything involving enforced walking or queueing. Plus we miss our dog when we go abroad. I used to get away more when I had the caravan, but the logistics of packing and towing became a chore, so that went. Short breaks are good, in between the holidays !

My philosophy to self and friends where holidays are concerned has always been "If it's a toss up between a new carpet and a holiday grab the holiday. When your old and grey and sitting in your rocking chair your memories are not going to be of that carpet you bought"

If your eyesight is like mine without the glasses Glynis, you won't notice the carpet anyway! x

Nice one Glynis, so true