Why Traveling in Retirement Is Great, But Being at Home Is Harder

Returning home after a recent trip, a clear thought struck me: true contentment in retirement hinges on cultivating a joyful home life. Why? Because despite travel adventures, the reality for many of us is that we will spend the vast majority of our retired years right at home. While traveling in retirement is great, being at home is harder to get right, and mastering it is crucial for lasting happiness.

As a retiree myself, I fall into this category. Even during periods that feel packed with travel, I still return to sleep in my own bed most nights. Unless your retirement involves constant globe-trotting or full-time RVing, you, like me, need to actively create a retired life at home that you genuinely cherish. Understanding this balance is key to a fulfilling post-work chapter.

Retirement Life: Gauging Travel Time

On the flight back home, I decided to delve deeper into this idea by looking at the numbers. I listed the total number of nights we spent away from home during the first six months of 2023.

Bill and I were just wrapping up a two-night visit to Hartford, Wisconsin, for a wedding. During our stay, we explored antique shops, sampled local restaurants, visited the impressive Holy Hill Basilica, and celebrated at a charming family farm wedding. We truly enjoyed discovering a new area and connecting with family and friends.

This was just one of several trips we had already taken that year. After tallying everything up, here’s what our first half of 2023 looked like in terms of travel and nights spent away from home. For some, contemplating retirement involves considering different career paths or lifestyle changes beforehand, potentially leading to questions like how much does a traveling pt make, but for us, the focus was simply on enjoying our post-work life.

Nights Away 1-6: Wisconsin & Florida

Besides our Wisconsin trip (2 nights), we traveled to Florida in February for some beach time and to visit Bill’s mom (4 nights). We stayed at the Hollander Hotel in St. Petersburg, which was fantastic with a great pool and plenty of nearby dining options. The beach was only a few miles away, and Bill’s mom lived a convenient 20-minute drive from the hotel, allowing us to visit most mornings for coffee, conversation, and lunch.

Nights Away 7-12: Family Visits

Texas is my home state, and we visit frequently to see my daughter and other family. I made two trips there in the first half of the year: once to visit my daughter in the Dallas area (2 nights) and another time with Bill to celebrate Mother’s Day with my mom in the Houston area (2 nights).

Illinois is Bill’s home state. When our kids’ Easter plans changed unexpectedly, instead of staying home alone, we spontaneously drove to Illinois (2 nights).

Nights Away 13-17: Arkansas & Oklahoma

We also took four different overnight road trips over these six months. The first was in January to celebrate my birthday (2 nights). Another trip took us to Devil’s Den State Park in Arkansas (1 night) for hiking and antiquing. Side note: I cut that trip short from the planned two nights when I discovered our cabin had a double bed – nothing makes me miss my own home more than an uncomfortable bed!

Last month, we took two separate overnight trips to Tulsa (2 nights total) to enjoy some pool time at the Hard Rock Casino. This is usually at my suggestion, as Bill prefers being home to lounging by the pool, but he’s always a good sport.

The Simple Truth in Numbers

As busy as our travel schedule seemed, the numbers revealed that we spent only 17 nights away from home during those six months. This means roughly 90% of our time was spent at home.

Looking ahead, I anticipate a similar pattern for the rest of the year. We’ve booked a six-night trip to Maine in October, and I’m sure other opportunities to visit family or take short trips will come up.

As much as I cherish visiting family and find vacations exciting, my time at home needs to be equally fulfilling. It’s a different kind of challenge; while traveling in retirement is great, being at home is harder to make consistently rewarding.

Time for Reflection

Consider doing the same analysis for yourself. Look back at the last six months: how many nights were you away from home? Are you spending the majority of your retirement at home or traveling? What does this imply about how you structure your retired life?

Finding Fulfillment in Retirement Life at Home

The balance between time at home and time away was a significant topic of discussion for Bill and me before we retired. Many people ask if we retired specifically to travel, and our answer is generally “nope.” While we always planned to travel, it wasn’t the primary motivation for choosing retirement.

Our main goal for retirement was to create a life at home filled with contentment. This focus is crucial because while traveling in retirement is great, being at home is harder and requires intentional effort to build a satisfying daily existence.

Our Goal for Retired Life: True ContentmentOur goal for retirement was to create a contented life at home.

As we planned for retirement, we carefully considered how several key questions would impact our daily lives and finances.

What Do You Want to Do All Day?

When we first told people we were retiring, the most common question was, “What will you do all day?” Sometimes, when feeling cheeky, I’d reply, “Whatever I want!” But it’s a genuinely important question that we both seriously considered during our planning phase.

Bill knew he wanted to spend much more time in the garden and less time meeting work deadlines. I envisioned spending more time antiquing, especially attending estate sale openings, and exploring new interests and opportunities. Considering flexible work options in retirement, such as looking into how much does a travel physical therapist make if that were a relevant skill, highlights the diverse possibilities that open up.

Our Country Garden: One of our Fav SpotsOur summer garden is one of our favorite spots at home.

We were also both excited about having the time to pursue aspects of ourselves outside of our professional identities. After all, we are far more than just our careers.

Learning to Grow Dahlias since Retiring: Too much fun!I’ve enjoyed learning to grow dahlias in retirement.

Regarding travel, we knew our plan would include traveling during the academic year since we were no longer tied to the university calendar. However, we didn’t want a retirement packed with endless trips. Instead, our focus was on cultivating a contented home life, filled with puttering around, gardening, cooking, and pursuing personal hobbies.

It’s hard to beat a HOME cooked meal.A home-cooked meal is a simple pleasure in retirement.

What about you? Now that you’re retired (or when you plan to retire), how do you envision spending your days?

How Often Do You Want to Travel?

Deciding how often we wanted to travel was a crucial part of our retirement planning. It significantly impacts finances, and we wanted to ensure we were in agreement as we looked ahead.

We decided against a lifestyle of constant travel, opting instead to plan for two main annual vacations supplemented by shorter getaways as opportunities arose.

To financially support this vision, we also discussed the types of vacations we preferred. We planned for our two annual trips to be about a week long, possibly longer for international travel. We assumed locations would require flying and comfortable accommodations (king-sized beds are a must, and kitchens are great for longer stays).

After detailing our preferences and doing some calculations, we met with our financial planner. We decided to allocate a specific line item in our retirement budget for these two annual vacations. For short overnight trips (1-3 nights), we chose to fund these from our regular monthly budget rather than a separate travel allocation.

Note: Travel expenses vary greatly depending on personal preferences. Our specific budget reflects our wants and needs; your budget will depend entirely on yours.

What about you? How much time do you anticipate traveling during your retirement? How will that influence your financial planning?

Where Do You Want to Call Home?

This question was the most challenging for us when considering retirement life at home versus a life centered around travel. As retirees, we gained the freedom to live anywhere, no longer tied to a location by work. “Anywhere” presents a multitude of possibilities.

Some thoughts on our situation…

Since retiring, we don’t have strong professional reasons to stay in our current community, but we also don’t have compelling reasons to move elsewhere. We paid off the mortgage on our current home before retiring, making it a financially advantageous place to live.

Our home meets our current needs well: it has a large kitchen, ample space for visitors, various outdoor areas, a fishing pond, and chicken coops. It also offers plenty of space for gardening and a barn perfect for storing my antiques. The only thing missing is a swimming pool!

Retired Life: Bill Fishing in our PondBill enjoying fishing in our pond during retirement.

The Barn is the Perfect Place for Stashing AntiquesThe barn provides ideal storage for antique finds.

On the positive side, we are familiar with our community, and most of our family lives within driving distance, though perhaps closer proximity might be desired in the future.

Ultimately, we decided to remain in our current home as we began our retired life. It felt like the ideal setting to cultivate daily contentment at home.

What about you? Where do you envision living in retirement? What type of home or community aligns with your retirement goals? How might moving or staying impact you financially and emotionally?

Planning for Home-Based Happiness

If you’re not yet retired, now is an excellent time to start thinking about these aspects of retired life. Ask yourself: Will you spend the majority of your time at home or traveling? How will that decision shape your daily life, budget, and where you choose to live as a retiree?

If you are already retired and seeking better daily balance, revisiting these questions can be helpful. Based on your answers, you might find opportunities to make adjustments to create a more fulfilling daily retired life.

The Core of Retirement Joy: Finding it at Home

My central point is this: experiencing joy solely on vacation, during quick trips, or while visiting family isn’t enough. As retirees, we need to discover and cultivate joy in our daily lives at home. It is absolutely essential that we create a retired life at home that we love. While traveling in retirement is great, being at home is harder but ultimately more impactful on overall happiness because that’s where most of our time is spent.

Chicken Keeping is the Perfect Hobby for HomebodiesKeeping chickens can be a rewarding hobby for retirees at home.

If you’re interested in how Bill and I are building a retired life at home that brings us joy, keep following along. More posts on this topic are coming.

Cheers to Retired Life!

x Penny Pennington Weeks

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