To be able to travel when we have time to do so

Already life is such that when we can afford to travel, we usually do not have as much time to do it as we would like. What then, when we have this time all too much? How to make sure you have something to travel for in your old age?

Did I mention to you that travel blood runs in my veins? 🙂 My parents from a young age took me where they could (and in the late 80-90s it was not so easy). I don't remember everything, I didn't like everything, nay, many times trips turned into arguments, because, after all, not everything was to my liking (now I understand why my parents didn't want to spend the whole trip to Paris at Disneyland 😉 ). Nevertheless, we traveled quite a bit, and a lot of memories remain in my mind. Nowadays we already travel separately, although there are still trips together.

Ease of travel

We grew up at a time when borders were blurring and travel was becoming as commonplace as never before. Developed airline networks, new technologies (including cellular networks), high-speed railroads, open borders, low-cost airlines, easier communication – all these have made even the most distant places seem closer and more attainable. Our parents grew up in a time when all this didn't exist, and now they can finally spread their wings (and finally the kids fly out of the nest 🙂 ).

We don't know what the world will look like from these 20-30 years, how travel will have changed by then and how technologies will have developed, but we do know that even in retirement, Paul and I want to stay active and it's time to make sure that the golden age is not a time when only memories will be left to us – we want those memories to be made all the time.

We are currently living in a huge time crunch… We have lots of ideas and plans, but many of them we have to let go and focus only on the most important ones. We also often let go of travel. We used to be able to afford to spontaneously buy a plane ticket and fly out the next day, today this plan still has to be approved by our superiors. No, we are not complaining – we like our jobs, we just live differently now than before.

Currently, the 'Adult' area from the demotivator below almost perfectly illustrates our reality as well (almost, because we are not yet asleep at the till ;-)).

In a nutshell: when you're young, you have time and energy, but no cash; when you're an adult, you have energy and cash, but no time; when you're old, you only have time, because cash and energy are in short supply.

Although it should look like the following (find the differences ;)):

What's next?

Supposedly in old age this time should be more, but looking at how the world is changing, how dynamically we live we have big doubts about it 😉 In the depths of my soul, however, I still hide the hope that in my old age I will relax and no one will stop me.

As for energy and health, one can take care of it at least by going out, spending time actively, bicycles, trekking – all forms allowed. I don't know about you, but I get the most energy from just such active trips. I'm back with my batteries charged, ready for action. Recently we were in Vienna, seemingly only 5 days, but we walked a lot, taking more than 25,000 steps a day. We left the car, when there was no need we did not take the subway. Effect? After returning home, we were carried away to go for a long walk, get some oxygen.

We firmly believe that through activity and healthy eating we can influence our form in old age. After all, in a healthy body a healthy spirit.

So what about this cash? While it is, it is good, but what next? Do we have a say in what will await us in retirement?

To be honest, retirement is something we don't count on at all. If I could choose I would prefer to get all the premiums in my hand and put it in the proverbial sock myself. We don't cave in, but when we hear all around us what's happening to pensions we're horrified – how does this?! So much time and zero funds for travel? For the time being, in front of Poles is the vision of a meager pension to survive. REVIEW. And where to think about development, hobbies, fulfilling dreams, supporting children and grandchildren?

Does this mean that throughout our lives we should count every penny and set it aside for worse times? Money in life is necessary, but let's not let it overshadow our whole world. Sensible expense management can work wonders. We're not experts on saving, but since we started writing down all of our (!) expenditures (and this started in travel, and then we transferred it to our daily life), we can see much more clearly where all these resources are escaping to.

Unusual gift..

Why are we writing about this? The time of frantic search for Christmas gifts is approaching, plus the increasingly popular Black Friday in Poland (somehow Black Friday still sounds better ;-)) has also prompted everyone to go on a shopping frenzy 😉 Just like a year ago, Poles will spend astronomical sums on gifts, which immediately after Christmas appear on sales portals on the second circuit 😉

Or maybe it's worth considering if that's what it's all about? In all this running around and preparation, do we forget about the holidays themselves, the family atmosphere, and through gifts try to make up for the fact that we are not close enough to each other?

We this year made a decision – zero gifts. We asked our family not to buy anything for ourselves for Christmas (well, okay, Olive may get something symbolically 😉 ). This is partly due to the fact that we are bored with gifts for travelers (maps, bidons, etc – although these are obviously very practical gifts for a traveler), and partly due to the fact that many gifts are bought by force, because we feel that the gifted person already has everything.

We also decided that for Christmas we should donate some money to charity, but also set aside some for something practical that will help us fulfill our dreams even when we retire, so that we can continue to travel.

With help came the offer of NN Investment Partners, with its IKZE product, which allows you to accumulate funds that will be additional security for the future. Maybe it's worth it, instead of spending money on gifts, to locate them in one place and allow ourselves more, when more opportunities and time arise for us?

You can also set up such an account for family members and, for example, deposit funds there on various occasions. It can also be powered at any time. Our plan is that, the money we manage to save on travel (e.g. taking a cheaper car, hunting for airline bargains) pay into this very pension product.