Want To Travel During Your Retirement? Here Are Some Tips to Prepare

If you plan to be adventurous during retirement but aren’t sure how to afford it, you’re not alone. 

Nearly 40% of American workers hope for an adventurous retirement that includes travel, hobbies, and exploration, according to a survey released earlier this month from advisory firm Edelman Financial Engines (EFE).

But with economic uncertainty, many wonder if their plans will be feasible. More than a third of Americans reported being unsure if their retirement plans will be financially possible.

Financial experts say they are assisting many clients who are prioritizing the adventurous side of retirement, even while grocery and other necessary costs have gone up. Here are a few tips from financial planners on staying financially sound while crossing items off your retirement bucket list.

Be Flexible With Your Work Plans

Isabel Barrow, a chartered retirement planning counselor with EFE, said planning for retirement “usually isn’t linear.”

“Retirement is more fluid than what we think it is when we are planning it,” she said.

She said some retirees stop working altogether during retirement, but that’s not the only option. Some may work part-time for a few years and travel on the side, while others may take a chunk of time off to travel, see family, and return to work.

How people feel during retirement is also not a uniform experience, and that could dictate the working plans you make and the money you need to save.

Retirement Has Different Phases—Be Prepared For All of Them

To help clients prepare for both their wants and their needs during retirement, Barrow said she likes to break retirement into three phases: “go-go,” “slow-go,” and “no-go.”

The “go-go” phase is often the beginning of retirement, when many prioritize doing what they’ve said they’d do, like traveling more or trying new things. She said to plan for expenses to be high in this phase to account for those plans.

“But eventually that list runs out or you run out of steam,” Barrow said.

When that happens, she recommends retirees pivot into the “slow-go” phase. This is when people start to slow down more, and expenses slow down with them. If and when you hit the “no-go” phase in which your health precludes you from doing much, expenses will likely skyrocket because health care costs will be at their highest.

“There is a transition from expenses for one thing to expenses for another thing,” Barrow said.

Preparing for all three phases will ensure that savers are ready for whatever retirement entails when they get there.

Make (And Stick To) a Budget that Considers Your Retirement

Barrow suggests prioritizing adding to and maintaining your retirement savings when budgeting. Unlike student loans or a mortgage, “you can’t borrow money to retire,” she said.

Both Barrow and Robert Furst, a wealth management advisor at Merrill Lynch, recommend keeping a cash reserve for things like unexpected medical costs, home repairs, or inflation so you don’t have to dip into your retirement during emergencies.

“I suggest keeping at least six months of living expenses in cash to cover essentials like groceries and bills without stress,” Furst said. “This avoids forced liquidation of investments during market dips.”