A Youthful Bridge to Retirement
A significant challenge for many as they face retirement is the ‘all or nothing approach’ and the stark reality of going from full-time employment to full-time retirement.
How about creating a ‘bridge to retirement’? After all, 60 is the new 40, and the fun has just begun!
As of 2021, Paul and I became digital nomads during the winter months, offering us a glimpse into our future as retirees, allowing us to escape the gloomy Dutch winter and at the same time we hone our adventure skills to keep our youthful lifestyle evolving! Post COVID-19, the increase in the number of young people who started traveling and adopting the lifestyle of the digital nomad has been profound, but why does age matter?
60 is the new 40
According to DigitalNomads.World there are certainly advantages to being a ‘senior’ - although we prefer the term ‘youthful’ - nomad. Four of the advantages include:
Cheaper Cost of Living – Use geography to your advantage and put those hard-earned savings to work. Your money will go farther in some countries rather than others. Plan your travels wisely.
True Freedom – At this point, senior nomads have most likely accomplished a lot of their career and life goals. This now frees you up to truly do whatever you want without the opinions of others getting in the way. If you sell your home too, the only worry you’ll have as a senior nomad is where should you go next!
People You’ll Meet – While many travelers assume that it can be more difficult to meet people while traveling as a senior nomad, I’ve heard the opposite. Generally, senior nomads are an outgoing bunch with little regard for social norms and expectations. This allows you to meet more people on your journey in this world.
Quality of Life – Go where you want, when you want. Many countries have discounts and perks for older people so senior nomads should take advantage of them. In fact, many countries make a point to market towards senior nomads.
Sailing in the Canary Islands
We started in November 2021 with almost 4 months on the island of Tenerife since Paul wanted to work on his Master Offshore sailing license. It was glorious to have an afternoon sunny walk to the sea after working. This year we are enjoying Mijas Costa and all of Andalucía in the south of Spain.
(Read more about our 3 day journey in our electric vehicle).
Ginny sailing in Tenerife
To be honest I believe we subconsciously started this move in 2002, when we built a ‘retirement home’ above Riva del Garda, Italy. We have since sold the villa as our journey to downsize our life’s possessions and up-size our mobility for adventures continues! In 2008 we sold our home (including a massive amount of stuff) and our business in San Francisco area, and moved to The Hague, The Netherlands, so we could be closer to Dutch family and our youngest could benefit from an international education. We traded four cars and a car-centric life for one electric car and a bicycle-centric life.
As we both love the work we do, we are not yet ready to ‘retire’ but rather we want to slow our pace down a bit and enjoy the fruits of more than 40 years of labor. This winter bridge to retirement has allowed us to do just that and keeps us learning and exploring.