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(NON FINANCIAL) Retirement plans/ dreams/ discussion.
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waveydavey48 wrote: »Do tell more about your camper/dogs please.
We have 2 dogs (retired greyhounds) and a MPV which many people convert (toyota alphard) and have toyed with the idea of going campervanning. What sort of van do you have, where did you get it converted etc.
Thanks.
We have a 180bhp VW Transporter - it is going in for conversion next week to a company called Rolling Homes. We chose the Shackleton model - very wipe clean for the dogs! This is at the high end of the conversion market - we spoke to a local one-man operation that would have been cheaper but would have taken a lot longer. He was talking about a 6 week lead time on the rock and roll bed, trawling ebay for a second hand roof etc whereas the company we have gone with can turn a conversion round in a couple of weeks (for a price).
It is going to be snug as we have 2 Alaskan Malamutes but we have camped with them a number of times so we have no illusions.
The idea of going away at the drop of a hat is appealing - dog friendly cottages are more common than they used to be but the good ones book quickly so no option for spur of the moment decisions. We like to get out in the open as much as possible but the idea of coming back to a well earned nice cold beer is appealingAs is heating if the temperature suddenly drops.
I’m a Senior Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Pensions, Annuities & Retirement Planning, Loans
& Credit Cards boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.
All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.0 -
I intend to give my notice at work in 6 weeks aged 59. My husband is already retired. We are then off to France in our caravan with our 2 dogs until we get homesick/start of school holidays. When we come back I want to sleep for a month as i have worked since I was 18 without a break, other than Uni as a mature student and one sick period of 3 months recovering from an op (can't count that). We have no children so don't have any expense there. When we get back I intend to join U3A, caravan trips to all the places in the UK we have never visited, might go on a couple of college courses to keep my brain active, gardening, walking, and do more concert, exhibitions, theatre and festival trips. Having deprived ourselves for the past 20 years to save hard into our pensions and pay off the mortgage early we want to make up for it now.
Former savings into Cash ISA's and a personal pension will be directed into a Holiday/Entertainment savings account.
Last six months have done major jobs in the house so no maintenance required and decluttering. May move house in a year or two not so much for downsizing but to a cheaper area to a house with views, more land and a quieter area.
Volunteering - Wildlife Trust or similar.
The past few years we have started to get niggling health issues, partner with arthritis and me feeling completely shattered, lack of energy and memory issues! Time to go.0 -
Great thread!
Looking to go in August this year aged 58. Mrs S a bit earlier. Our house will be on the market before then and we are NOT (I repeat, NOT!) buying and selling at the same time ever again so we have no idea where we will be living or even where.
We don’t have any plans at the moment, other than to travel more abroad and in the UK; North and South America and SE Asia are on the list as well as Scotland. Even living abroad for a while isn’t ruled out. When things settle down I may think about doing some volunteering (if I have time!).
But two of the things that will take up a lot of my new spare time will be sleeping more and just generally doing things slower. 6 hours sleep a night will become 7 or 8. Instead of a rushed 40 minutes in the gym before work it’ll be a more leisurely 90 after breakfast. A dash to Asda will become a stroll round the farmer’s market and butchers. Cutting the grass (if I have any) will be a pleasant stroll rather than a sprint round the garden before it gets dark.
I can’t wait.:D0 -
How to fill the time? Easily, I had a period of ill health 2 years ago and spent the time in the garden, which is large and I have plans to spend a lot of time gardening, we'll be out with the dogs daily in the local countryside, Mrs CRV has hobbies and I intend to become more proficient at woodwork, may do some voluntary work, will do more walking and take a garden design course.
I did 2 RHS Horticulture courses (standard plus advanced but I think they use level numbers now) and then a BTEC in garden design back when my DD was a toddler. I didn't want to work full time but I needed to interact with adults and I was a homeworker. It was a great time - some of us on the design course made up a team and did a garden at Chelsea which was an amazing experience. We were just pipped for a gold for really nit picking reasons but got a lovely letter from Prince Charles saying it was his favourite garden that year. Retirement will definitely mean more garden time.I’m a Senior Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Pensions, Annuities & Retirement Planning, Loans
& Credit Cards boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.
All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.0 -
I like the look of your Shackleton conversion, I could live happily with that MallyGirl!CRV1963- Light bulb moment Sept 15- Planning the great escape- aka retirement!0
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waveydavey48 wrote: »Do tell more about your camper/dogs please.
We have 2 dogs (retired greyhounds) and a MPV which many people convert (toyota alphard) and have toyed with the idea of going campervanning. What sort of van do you have, where did you get it converted etc.
Thanks.
Best thing I ever did was convert an X290 L3H2 (they have the straightest sides and can fit a bed crossways if you are not to tall) Peugeot Boxer variant.
My other half will finish working at the end of the year, early January 2020 we will be going through the Tunnel and turning right, and will return in the spring. Then boat fishing and van tours in this country, Christmas at home. Repeat.:)Winner winner, Chicken dinner.0 -
We are having a pop up roof which will have a full size double bed with a slatted base and a comfy mattress. This gives us head room in the van - I am nearly 6ft and need to be able to stand up straight in there. We could sleep on the fold down bed in the main body of the van - and will if it is very windy or cold - but mostly that will stay as a sofa and the dogs get mats on the floor. I don't think our dogs would settle without us and one really hates crates - she would howl and we would be evicted from the site!I’m a Senior Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Pensions, Annuities & Retirement Planning, Loans
& Credit Cards boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.
All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.0 -
The bed up top sounds great - as long as you are limber enough to get up and down of course! We used to have a VW camper before the kids and it was great, but the rock n roll bed's are a bit narrow and I think we might struggle now.
We plan to get a camper once the kids finish school, but it's a real challenge deciding what kind - do we want a larger one to spend more time in, or a smaller one for just a few nights between gites? The whole thing is complicated by the desire to carry a couple of kayaks on the roof which pretty much rules out a rising roof. Decisions, decisions...
I am sure you will have a fantastic time. We definitely look back fondly on our times, but think we might want a little more luxury in the next one as mid winter wild camping did get a bit cold without heating!0 -
We will have diesel heating for winter and solar panels to run the fridge (without draining the leisure battery) in hot weather.
The pop top bed is definitely bigger than the rock n roll one.
We went to the show at the NEC in Birmingham to look at all the options there before making decisions. Boy can you spend a lot of money!!! We did make a comment that use of the pop top bed wasn't that heavily promoted and the company we were talking to did say, with a wink, that it was an age thing and many of the target audience wouldn't be fit enough to get up there each night. They did qualify by saying that they didn't see it being a problem for us for many years
DH is a few inches shorter than me so it has all been about what I would be comfortable with.
I like the fact that the SWB can be parked in a normal car park space and is very easy to driveI’m a Senior Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Pensions, Annuities & Retirement Planning, Loans
& Credit Cards boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.
All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.0
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