It is week two of my solo adventure in France. I have learned a lot about myself and group travel. As some of you know, I have lived alone for 20 years and have been retired for nine. I am pretty independent to say the least. So, having to decide whether to travel alone or with a group tour was the question. For my first overseas solo adventure, I planned to go with a group tour.
Pros of group travel
Someone else is in charge of the arrangements. All you have to do is pay and show up.
You pay one up front cost usually.
Someone picks you up at the airport usually making transfers easy.
You have a ready group of people to hang out with.
A tour guide or director handles any issues that come up.
Transportation is,or can be, arranged for you.
Dining out experiences may have more variety as others may pick somewhere you would never select on your own.
Typically your guides are local so they know the area well.
Groups help you feel safe upon arrival. We have 20 people in our tour group, six couples, four widows, two single ladies, and two married ladies who are traveling without their husbands. We are 55+ with the oldest being 95!
I retired at age 55 thinking my 20 year pension would be enough to cover my pre-Medicare healthcare premiums and other expenses until I reached age 65. I was wrong.
abc12.com (click image for link to article)
Retiring early has been great, but the expenses due to inflation have increased dramatically. So, thinking about retiring early? Think again.
Like every fall during open enrollment, I recently analyzed my healthcare plan and was shocked to learn my monthly premium was going up again. Inflation is really taking a bite out of my pension, but there is a silver lining.
The following chart shows the erosion that pre-Medicare healthcare premiums have had on my pension over the years.
Just ‘cause we’re old, don’t mean we can’t com-pete, And moving keeps us up u-pon our feet. We still can pass and guard and shoot and we can e-ven score, But we just don’t look good na-ked a-ny-more.
–Joyce Kitson, from the song We Just Don’t Look Good Naked Anymore
According to the official website of the Granny Basketball League, Inc., granny teams began forming in 2005. Now, there are “more than 450 players on 41 teams in 10 states: 14 teams in Iowa, 9 in Kansas, 5 in Texas, 3 each in Missouri and Oklahoma, 2 each in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and 1 each in Louisiana, Virginia and California. New teams are continuing to form.” My youngest sister plays on a championship Iowa team. I never knew granny basketball existed until she started playing.
August 22, 2022 was a special day personally and for LivingLifeRetired.com (LLR). We both had birthdays. I turned 63 years old and LLR turned 6. I celebrated this special day at my cabin property in Glen Haven, CO and it included several firsts.
First, I had a fire in the new fire pit. Despite the county fire ban in place, a small fire burned just enough to heat up a couple of brats and some beans. There is something to be said for cooking on an open fire. Is it the fire or the natural outdoor environment you’re cooking in? Either way, it just makes everything taste better.
Shooting tin cans, Photo by slc
The second first occurred when I loaded and fired the Glock 19 BB gun I purchased for target practice and to use on wildlife, if needed. Empty tin cans provided a fun shooting range for target practice. After only a couple of tries, I was able to hit several cans. It made me feel like a kid at the fair trying to win a prize.
Lastly, the third first was a really BIG deal. I stayed overnight in my “she shed” for the first time and I survived to tell about it. I have owned this cabin property for five years and had never stayed overnight. It was past time to try it out.
Antique bed in she shed, Photo by slc
While the shed’s interior isn’t finished yet, I had the near comforts of home: an antique twin bed with an inflatable mattress to sleep on, water to drink, food cooked on the open fire, music from the radio, a lantern, a bucket to pee in during the night, plenty of blankets, and my small dog, Goldi. While I didn’t sleep at all, mostly due to the bed’s slats falling down off the bed rails when I moved, I “woke” to a beautiful and peaceful 50 degree morning.
Then, I let Goldi out and I got dressed quickly. I could not wait to get outside to explore and photograph the awakening light spreading across Crosier Mountain. After several wild turkeys surveyed the property, I devoured the thick and gooey cinnamon roll (my birthday cake) I purchased the evening before at the Glen Haven General Store. I paired it with a cup of Earl Grey tea I made from the thermos of hot water I brought from home.
Reflecting back on the purchase of the cabin property five years ago, I am reminded of how blessed I am to have such a great place to explore, write, and hone some of my design and building skills. I also look back on the six years I’ve been dabbling with the LLR blog site. I hope and pray I can continue to have adventures to inspire you and more firsts to inform you. At the beginning of LLR, I said I wanted to create a community of solo retirees who can inspire and inform one another. I know I can with your support.
It has been nearly two years since I began my she shed project at my mountain cabin property. The she shed structure’s progress has encountered several road blocks along the way. That first summer it took several months, instead of days, to improve the build site and complete the custom designed Tuff Shed properly. Last fall, improvements to Sherry’s She Shed were halted due to the Cameron Peak wildfire evacuation. Then, winter set in. Now, I’m back at it with some help and the she shed structure’s (say that three times fast) progressing again.
Adding a window view, Photo by slc
I recently hired a family friend and master carpenter, Matt Tanner, to install a window I purchased at Home Depot last fall. I asked him to install it with the bottom sill about 32″ from the floor so my desk can sit right underneath it. Matt also added 2″ x 4″ bracing around the small windows on two sides of the shed. Little did I know at the time, but I saved a ton of money since I purchased the materials last fall. Building materials are now outrageously expensive.
Added 2×4 window blocking, Photo by slc
Once Matt finished installing the window and bracing, I was able to complete the insulation installation. Finally, the she shed structure’s progressing and now it has a window view.
New She Shed Structure with a Window View, Photo by slc
Window View, Photo by slc
Neighbor’s Rubbish Pile, Photo by slc
P.S. A hiccup I’m dealing with now is the neighbor’s new rubbish pile on their property but is also near the entrance to mine:
Traveling solo has been around for years. Many articles and books have been written about it. Tour companies cater to the solo traveler. Senior solo travel expert Janice Waugh of Solo Traveler World “…estimates that probably 75 percent of solo-traveling seniors opt for a tour, but there are certainly some who choose to explore completely independently. ‘I think that as long as you’re fit and healthy and adventurous, then it works well,’ Waugh says. ‘Those who go independently, it’s very interesting to see the response of the world to them. It’s very welcoming.'”*
Cyndy Miller-Hughes and Van-Geaux
Cyndy Miller-Hughes, a friend and former colleague of mine, retired in 2018 after 32 years as an educator. She has been traveling independently since. I met up with her recently to examine her “new” way of traveling solo in Van-Geaux.
Sherry: What were you most looking forward to in retirement?
Cyndy: Travel
Sherry: I understand you purchased a small van for traveling. Why this particular van?
Cyndy: It is just the right size, drives like a car, and has everything I need.
Sherry: Did you have it customized?
Cyndy: It was built out by Cascade Campers in Nevada City, California.
Sherry: Does it have a name?
Cyndy: Van-Geaux…I went to grad school at LSU…Geaux Tigers!
As the former spouse of an IBM employee for 21 years, my family experienced six corporate moves. The joke among us was that IBM didn’t stand for International Business Machines, but instead it stood for I’ve Been Moved. I recently moved again. This time I chose to move to be closer to my grandchildren, reduce expenses and to leave a toxic neighborhood.
I have three grandbabies, ages almost 9, 7 and 5. They are growing up so fast. Before Covid-19, they were active in soccer, basketball, dance, piano, volleyball, and t-ball. I drove 30 minutes one way to watch them perform for about 45 minutes and loved every minute of it. Now, I’m just five minutes away when sports start again. Being close to family helps me out too if I need help. No need to consider travel time when planning our outings.
By moving from one county to another and buying a smaller home, my property taxes have decreased. Next year, instead of paying $2,422 in Larimer County, I’ll be paying $1,770 in Weld County, saving me $652. However, I believe Weld County is behind in updating property values so taxes will surely rise in the future. In addition, I moved to a property without an Homeowners Association (HOA) so I will save $544 a year in dues. While these amounts are not large, every little bit helps when health care and other expenses keep rising while my salary as a substitute teacher stays the same.
Some of you may remember I lived in an older (age of homes and residents) and a somewhat toxic neighborhood with a self-managed HOA. I referred to it as a Harassing, Overbearing Authority. The neighbors, with a few exceptions, were busy bodies. They made comments either to my face, through email, or by leaving a note on my door about everything. From what plants are you planting to how often do I walk my dog. One woman even asked me how I was able to afford my home on my own. They were always in my business and the HOA, in my opinion, was mismanaged.
This past January I had had enough when HOA dues were raised again to cover management errors. I tolerated this unpleasant situation for over seven years. I even joined the board as president for 2-1/2 years to try to make a difference.
Even though I spent a lot of time and money on my house to make it a home, I put it on the market and moved in September. After living in Loveland, CO for 24 years, I now live in peace and enjoy the community where I worked as a teacher for 14 years.
So yes, I’ve been moved many times but this time I chose to move. It wasn’t easy, in fact it was overwhelming and very stressful at times, probably why most retirees stay in their homes. I am happy and relieved to have left a toxic situation and begin a new chapter with my family nearby.
If you’ve made a similar move recently, please share your experience in the comment section below.
