BootsnAll Travel Community

Well I've got 5 months to retirement and I can't wait. My husband is retiring next Feb 2007 and then we're off on a RTW for 9-12 months. After working all my life since 1959 just taking a few months off to have the kids I am desperate to retire. I think after working 46 years I've done enough for Britain. We both hitch hiked in our early 20s and have done on odd occasions with the kids in the 70s but we've never been away for so told. It's going to be a great experience and we can't wait to get started. I've done masses of research but stil don't seem to have answers to all our questions. We have a friend going with us and I think this will make it easier. We can have quiet times on our own without the other one feeling lonely.
I'll be 62 my husband and our friend are 60. It's all a state of mind I still feel 25 it's only when I look in the mirror and see this old lady looking back that I know I'm not. Oh and of course the wolf whisles have stopped some years ago. As long as you are well and healthy I don't think age comes into it if you love travelling. Both my husband and I love windsurfing and hopefully after retirement we'll be taking up more interesting things we never had a chance to do while we were working.
I'm looking forward to meeting all the interesting people that are out there in the world on our travels. My sons setting up a website for us so that our friends and family can keep in touch.
Regards
Jeanie

Sounds good Jeanie and you'll have a great trip no doubt.

You have come to a great site and there is a heap of information to be gleaned just from browsing threads of regions you're heading to and the titles often let you zero in on specific areas or interests.

If you have not booked tickets yet, do have a look at something like www.attitudetravel.com.au which lists budget flights all around the globe and cobbling something together yourself can be far better than a RTW in terms of cost and flexibility - have a look in the RTW/Vagabond travel section for ideas on that.
Do not fall into the trap of booking specific trips and stuff in advance and paying top shelf prices as you will more often than not get great standby prices.

As an example of what can be done on the cheap, have a look here, I'm just about ready to book myself a bit of a road trip, Sydney to Perth to relocate a campervan - $1/d and they chuck in $500 to cover fuel is pretty damm cheap travelling and in US there is www.autodriveaway.com

Enjoy your planning too, as that can also be great, not to have too rigid a plan, but just to be aware of all the different things you can do, like for instance in Thailand, go and stay for a few days, maybe a week helping out in an old elephants retirement home.

And www.cdc.gov for travellers health

Safe travels.

quote:

I've done masses of research but stil don't seem to have answers to all our questions.

I wonder if one ever gets ALL the answers.I have done massive research & there always just seems more to do.Trust me it will go by VERY fast.We are only in our early 50's ,but we retired last year and have spent this whole year preparing for our very slow ( years long ,the first 2 1/2 in Europe) trip around the world & I still do not have all the answers.We leave in about 5 weeks,so I figure I will learn more as I go. We are taking along our 5yo daughter and going to homeschool her as we go,so that adds to the challenge & research ( plus she can be quite the distraction so some nights I am up late reseaching or when dad has her off in a swim lesson or biking at the park etc).

Congrats on the retirment and trip.You will have a blast and the time will zip by before you know it!

Fantastic you must be getting really excited you will find in Asia and Africa being old is a real advantage as unlike Britain there is still a lot of respect for us elders. I hope the three of you have a brilliant time and if you are ever in Maun Botswana let me know and I'd love to have a few drinks and chew the fat for a while. GOOD LUCK.

You go girl! and have a great time...you both deserve it!! Woohoo!!

Just go for it. You'll figure it out as you go along. Sometimes the best travels are the ones one launches into relativelz unprepared.!!!