Is Retirement Boring?

Man...I have no idea about retirement.

I enjoy my job now, am very well paid, but I can see the travel and hassles might end up being too much in ten years when I hit 60 or so.

I can see throttling back and working part time- maybe back in academia somehow, teaching.

I have no idea how much money is enough, either. I'm sure I'll be fine- I'll have two pensions and a good 401k coming, but I literally have no clue how much I'll need.

JANFU said:

Can you bank you vacation or do you lose it?
Reason being when the time comes, taking a few months off to find out what retirement would be like is an opportunity to use.
Staying busy in retirement is critical. Those that do not, imho may as well pick out a plot where they will plant you.

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Not really. There was a time that I'd have the HR Director carry my vacation over but truthfully it's pointless. If I didn't manage to get my 4 weeks vacation plus 3 personal days in this year, how the heck am I going to get 8 weeks, plus 6 personal days in next year? No, I just take a day or two here and there and usually once a year, I take a week off and we go to Walt Disney World. I only answer emails and phone calls from 5 AM until 7 AM. My outgoing message warns that is when my call back time will be. I put my iPhone in a Do Not Disturb mode and try and forget work exists.

My father had big dreams of retirement. He bought a Bluebird Wanderlodge and planned to see the country without a clock. He died of cancer just over a decade ago prior to his 58th birthday. His retirement wasn't what he thought it would be. My maternal grandfather, the hardest working man that I ever knew, lived to be 105. The day that he died, he cut wood for his fireplaces and wood burning stove. He waxed the ax. Drank a cup of coffee sitting in his chair that looked out over the mountain. We know that he finished the coffee because the cup was neatly wiped clean and setting on the little table. They found him in that chair. He had retired from the railroad three times. 65, 70, and 80. Each time they would find a need for him and bring him back. Even in his last years of life they'd ask him to cover a switch, station, or bridge if he could. He was retired the whole time that I knew him but still would find a way to work. There was always a shed needing repaired, a fence to be mended, or a path to be regraded. I remember once, he took a prescription medicine and slept in the next day until nine. He gave that doctor an earful. He couldn't believe that he wasted three hours of daylight.

Infinite Chaos said:

Luckily most of Europe has pretty good medical coverage for citizens so I am not worrying about this aspect of the next stage in my life.

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That makes a difference, medicare is good with a back up insurance plan that picks up the rest