Category: Adventurous retirement
By Betty Fitterman
http://adventuresinthebettybus.blogspot.com
November 26, 2016 -- Note: This is Part 5 of a 6 Part series that Betty Fitterman was kind enough to contribute way back at Topretirements’ beginning. Here is a link to Part 1, See bottom of this article for links to the rest.
The difference between my husband and me is that while I am impulsive and curious and not at all worried about getting lost, he is a strategist and a planner and the kind of person who reads the manual before assembly. And he hates getting lost. So he does all the work of mapping out our routes, getting the RV attended to, and other chores I find boring or distasteful. Which, happily, allows me to be a happy-go-lucky, go-along companion who rarely objects to his plans, except for the ones that include rushing through an adventure in order to get
more...
Published on November 25, 2016
Comments 0
Category: Adventurous retirement
By Betty Fitterman
http://adventuresinthebettybus.blogspot.com
October 23, 2016 -- Note: This is Part 4 of a 6 Part series that Betty Fitterman was kind enough to contribute way back at Topretirements’ beginning. Here is a link to Part 1, See bottom of this article for links to the rest.
There are two important subjects to consider when you take off in a mobile home and they both have to do with baggage.
The first is relatively easy: what to pack. Generally speaking, the answer is, nothing breakable. I was determined that we would live a civilized life, so I packed real china, real glasses and good silverware. What didn’t fall out of the closet when we hit our first big bump is now packed in towels and stored away. I did save three wine glasses, and find that those plastic sock dividers are perfect for keeping them safe while traveling.
Also stored away are the my dresses and pretty shoes, winter coat and good
more...
Published on October 23, 2016
Comments 8
Category: Adventurous retirement
By Betty Fitterman
http://adventuresinthebettybus.blogspot.com
Note: This is Part 3 of a 6 Part series that Betty Fitterman was kind enough to contribute way back at Topretirements’ beginning. Here is a link to Part 1, Parts 4-6 are at Tips & Picks Section/Adventurous Retirements (we will eventually move all of them into the Blog so people can Comment on them).
If the idea of mobile living, with its cost savings and opportunities for travel, appeals to you, my advice is take it easy. Try before you buy. Don’t rush headlong into a major investment before you sample the lifestyle. Remember that like any vehicle, an RV will lose significant value once you drive it off the lot.
Fourteen years ago, we took a vacation in a rental RV. You can rent RVs
more...
Published on October 14, 2016
Comments 2
Category: Adventurous retirement
September 23, 2016 — By Betty Fitterman
Note: This is Part 2 of a 6 Part series that Betty Fitterman was kind enough to contribute way back at Topretirements’ beginning. Here is a link to Part 1.
---
As we approached retirement, we realized that the failing economy had done a real job on both our savings and our businesses. Up until now, money had not been
more...
Published on September 26, 2016
Comments 1
Category: Adventurous retirement
September 23, 2016 -- By Betty Fitterman
Note: This is a 6 part series that Betty Fitterman was kind enough to contribute way back at Topretirements' beginning. To see the other 5 parts see the links at the bottom of this article.
While millions of baby boomers are starting to check out active adult communities, college towns, and cities as their retirement destination, a sub-set of young-at-heart retirees has a much more adventurous approach. These folks have adopted a mobile lifestyle, and for them, the entire continent is their community.
We’re talking about the permanent and semi-permanent RVers, many of whom have sold everything – homes, condos, cars, furniture and all – to live as turtles, as one friend described it, carrying their homes on their backs for as long as they enjoy it.
It’s not an easy decision, especially when it comes to
more...
Published on September 22, 2016
Comments 47
Category: Adventurous retirement
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
Lao Tzu, philosopher.
By Peter and Sally
Our friends Peter and Sally have a zest for life that is evidenced in the choices they have made over their adult life and into retirement. They also seem to move a lot. We appreciate that they were kind enough to share that history with Topretirements. They have ended up (so far!) in a very cool, extremely tiny incorporated city below Palm Beach. Our hope is that you will find their saga interesting as well as instructive.
----
May 15, 2016 -- We have many friends who have spent their entire married life in one home. It didn’t turn out that way for us. It’s not like we planned it or anything, it was just that the grass always looked greener somewhere up or down or across the road. Circumstances also change. Here is our tale of where we lived from newly married to several iterations of retirement.
1978, Hartford Connecticut – A cool condo! One of the first in the city. Historic rehab, 3 levels, exposed brick. Walk to work with all the other hip, young professionals. Perfect.
{GOOGLE_AD}
But … shlepping groceries
more...
Published on May 14, 2016
Comments 16
Category: Adventurous retirement
Editor’s Note: This announcement of her 7th Key West food critic mystery is from Lucy Burdette, aka Mrs. Topretirements.com April 5, 2016 — Killer Takeout by Lucy Burdette takes place during Fantasy Fest, a zany ten-day festival beginning with the unofficial zombie bike ride, and ending with an enormous,…
more...
Published on April 5, 2016
Comments 2
Category: Adventurous retirement
March 20, 2016 -- Ah the mountains. Snow-capped peaks; endless trails for biking, skiing, and hiking; and streams filled with cutthroat trout. For a small (only about 8% of our members in a recent survey) but very active group of boomers this is the dream, a far different retirement than one on a sunny beach or tranquil small town. One thing is certain, the mountains attract a very active and generally quite fit group of retirees. In this article we will discuss our experiences with a mountain retirement in 2 areas of 2 states - Colorado (Eagle /Vail), and Utah (Park City/Salt Lake City). Both areas have their attractions for retirees, as well a few drawbacks. We are sure there are plenty of other good retirement areas in the mountains elsewhere, and hope that our Members will help fill in more details about those places.
Colorado - A Rocky Mountain High
Recently Topretirements visited friends in the Eagle/Vail area of Colorado, which is located a few hours drive west of Denver. We were very impressed with this
more...
Published on March 19, 2016
Comments 3
Category: Adventurous retirement
July 7, 2015 -- We never tire of promoting the idea that retirement is a chance of a do-over on life. Not that you get to reset back to square one, but you can at least start over from this point. To that end we thought you might enjoy a group of fascinating articles about following your dream. One is a post about Lucy Burdette, the cozy mystery writing wife of your editor, while 3 others are from Nextavenue.com.
Lucy's 14th mystery, "Fatal Reservations", comes out this week from Penguin Putnam. Although she has been at this a long time now,
more...
Published on July 7, 2015
Comments 2
Category: Adventurous retirement
July 14, 2014 -- It's summertime and that means it must be time to plan a road trip - either for now or in the fall when the weather cools and traffic subsides. We are pretty sure that most baby boomers have a few routes on their personal bucket lists. In this article we will list 12 of our personal favorites to help you consider the possibilities. We also invite our members to suggest their "bests" in the Comments section below. You can subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to get more retirement ideas like this.
Types of great highways
You don't have to drive far to find a great road - just about everyone probably has a favorite highway in their own part of the country. One that is near us in Connecticut is
more...
Published on July 14, 2014
Comments 34
