Nearly 65% of retirees have the dream of spending their retirement days traveling. It is an ideal time to take extended trips, especially the big ones you’ve been pushing off. Retirement is the time in life people have reserved to check things off their bucket list. They finally have the time, and hopefully, the capital, to get out and explore the world in a way they never were able to while working full-time.
But traveling as a retiree can be intimidating. People work and save their whole life to accumulate their retirement savings, and vacations can be an easy way to blow through large sums of it. Flights, hotels, suitcases, the list goes on for what you’ll be needing to spend money on for your long-term travel plans, and data indicates that as retirees’ income levels fall, the less likely they are to allocate their retirement money to travel. However, there are plenty of ways to travel long-term as a retiree without breaking the bank; below, here are five examples of how you can do so.
Create a Budget
Budgets are necessary when deciding how to spend your retirement money. You’ll likely be working with less money than when you were working full-time. Before you start traveling you need to sit down with an accountant or a trusted, well-versed financier to create your retirement travel budget.
Have plenty of examples and ideas about the trips you’ve been dreaming of taking. You can research the price lines of trips of this nature and begin to carve out the baseline of your travel budget. One thing with budgets is that you should always expect the worst and leave room for error. You never know what could go wrong, if flights get canceled for bad weather or foreign affairs cause you to miss out on a trip you’ll want to have money saved to help fix those hiccups.
If your budget doesn’t match your dream travel plans, there are ways to adjust it. You can look into Home Equity Lines of Credit or reverse mortgages (learn about reverse mortgage pros and cons here: https://reverse.mortgage/pros-cons) as ways to leverage your property for some additional income. Speak to an expert to see if this fits with your retirement goals.
Go Slow
Take your trip slow. You’ve worked hard to enjoy the fruits of your labor, and believe it or not, enjoying the spots you visit for longer periods will save you money for a long time. Resorts, Airbnb, and bed & breakfasts offer discounts for longer stays, contact them before making your reservation and see what they offer.
Think About RVing
Driving an RV can save you a ton of money during your travels. RVs offer you a little home away from home during your trips. You can stock the fridge, cook dinner, pull over whenever you see fit, and end your days by sitting out and watching the sunset. While RV camps do charge for overnight stays, the price is minimal compared to your other lodging options. Even with gas prices on the higher side, high gas prices affect both air and land travel, meaning any flights you’re looking to book are going to be more expensive.
Research All-Inclusive Senior Trips
All-inclusive senior trips are becoming more commonplace within the travel industry. With good reason, too, as seniors are often the most neglected travel market but some of the most consistent travelers. Data indicates that as baby boomers and millennials get older they’ll be more inclined to travel than the retirees before them as well.
Millennials are more likely than any other group to go into debt for travel, with baby boomers being able to comfortably afford between four and five vacations a year. The travel industry sees these numbers rising and are adjusting to ensure they meet the needs of older generations. There are senior cruises and senior trips to nearly every continent.
These trips often include meals during the day, and lodging, and sometimes include your transportation to and from the location. Speak to a travel agent and see what options are available to you.
Redeem Travel Rewards
Nearly every major credit card has a reward system and a majority of them offer travel rewards. Go through your credit cards and see what travel rewards you have available to you after you’ve retired. These can help you book flights, hotels, rental cars, and even experiences while you travel.
